The Henry Ford Presidential limousines
1939 Lincoln
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
This was the first car to be made especially for thePresident. After the bombing at Pearl Harbor the President's safety became a concern. Al Capone's 1928 Cadillac with 3000lbs of bullet proof armor was in the possession of the US Treasury department when it became a Presidential limousine in 1941. The Cadillac was used for the President until the Ford company built and delivered an armored car for presidential use.
1950 Lincoln
President Harry S. Truman
This car was built for President Truman in 1950, butit is most associated with Truman’s successor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who usedthe car from 1952 until 1960. Eisenhower added the “bubble top.” PresidentsJohn F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson also used this car in their fleet as aspare. The car was retired in 1967.
1961 Lincoln Continental
President John F. Kennedy Jr.
President Kennedy was riding in this car when he was assassinated in Dallas on
November 22, 1963.
The orginal price of the car in 1961 was $7347.00. It cost $200,000 to have it especially equipped for the president. It was owned by the Ford Company and was leased to the president for $500.00 a year. After the assassination the car was impounded as evidence and later modified and back in use by 1964. Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter would on occasion use the car during their presidency. The car was retired in 1977.
It was an awesome opportunity to see such a great piece of our history.
1972 Lincoln Continental
Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
On March 30, 1981, Ronald Reagan took shelter in this limousine's interior to escape the would-be assassin attepmt by John Hinkley's it is also the car in which President Ford was riding when an attempt was made on his life.
This is the last presidential limousine that will be preserved. All presidential cars are now destroyed by the Secret Service for security reasons.
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