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About this exhibit
Presidential vehicles must provide visibility and security for the chief executive. The Henry Ford’s Presidential Vehicles exhibit traces the changing balance between a president’s need to be seen and need to be safe. Included in this exhibit are the horse-drawn carriage used by Theodore Roosevelt and presidential parade cars that transported Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. The most prominent vehicle is the 1961 Lincoln Continental presidential limousine that John F. Kennedy was riding in when assassinated on November 22, 1963. The vehicle was rebuilt and used regularly by Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.
Highlights
1972 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine Used by Ronald Reagan
President Ronald Reagan was getting into this car when he was shot by John Hinckley on March 30, 1981. The car carried Reagan to the hospital. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and George H.W. Bush also used this car. In 1982 the front sheet metal was updated, but since a 1982 grille no longer fit properly on the 1972 body, a 1979 grille was used.
1939 Lincoln Presidential Limousine Used by Franklin D. Roosevelt
This was the first car built expressly for presidential use. It was nicknamed the "Sunshine Special" because President Franklin Roosevelt loved to ride in it with the top down. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 the car was returned to the factory where it was equipped with armor plate and bullet-resistant tires and gas tank. The "Sunshine Special" was retired in 1950.
Theodore Roosevelt's Brougham, 1902
This elegant vehicle was used by President Theodore Roosevelt on official occasions. Though automobiles began to replace horse-drawn vehicles during the Taft administration, the White House housekeeping department continued using the brougham to haul groceries and run other errands. In 1928 a Ford Model A was acquired for that purpose and this carriage was retired.
1950 Lincoln Presidential Limousine Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower
This massive convertible Lincoln was built for President Harry S Truman in 1950, but it is most associated with Truman's successor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who used the car from 1952 until 1960. Eisenhower added the distinctive plastic "bubble top." Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson also used this car as a spare until its retirement in 1967.
1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine Used by John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in this car on November 22, 1963. The midnight blue, un-armored convertible was rebuilt with a permanent roof, titanium armor plating, and more somber black paint. The limousine returned to the White House and remained in service until 1977. The modified car shows the fundamental ways in which presidential security changed after Kennedy's death.
Presidential Vehicles
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