A local collector and successful Guangzhou businessman has bought a special Cadillac Fleetwood limousine once used by George Bush when he was president of the United States in the 1990s.

The luxury sedan is on display for the public free of charge at the Guangzhou No. 1 International Culture Square, and has become a point of interest for locals.

The 1989 Cadillac Fleetwood stretches 12.19 metres in length.

"The car is essentially in good condition except for minor damage to the rear and it can still race at a velocity of 200 kilometres per hour," said Song Xinlin, vice-general manager of Guangzhou No. 1 International Culture Square Co Ltd, which is in charge of the exhibition.

Song said the limousine is bulletproof, explosion-proof, waterproof and quake-proof. Its factory price is estimated at 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million).

He said that the new owner of the luxury car is a Guangzhou businessman in his 40s involved in the arts and entertainment, catering and education industries.

According to Song, the collector also owns dozens of other luxury car brands including Ferrari, Benz and Rolls Royce as well as several mini fighter planes, which will be on public display soon.

Song would not disclose further details of either the owner or the purchase price of the limousine.

Some insiders believe the head of the Guangzhou No. 1 International Culture Square Co Ltd is the collector.

Song said that the deluxe sedan was once used by former US president George Bush as a state sedan to receive visiting state leaders and that it was later sold to an Arabian tycoon as a personal vehicle.

It is large enough for a dozen people to hold a roundtable conference on its leather sofa, and comes equipped with a TV set, global positioning system, and uninterrupted telecom system.

(China Daily April 4, 2006)