Transporting the President

For public parades and outings, President Theodore
Roosevelt (1901-1909) preferred the traditional formality of a horse-drawn carriage over the
automobile. In this luxurious brougham, two passengers could sit in privacy
inside, while a coachman out front drove the horses. Roosevelt didn't avoid
autos altogether, and took the occasional car ride while in office.
But for much of his presidency, automobiles were still viewed as playthings for
the wealthy. It would have damaged Roosevelt’s populist image to be seen
barreling down the street in an expensive motor car. 

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) used this brougham for public parades and outings. During the later administrations of William H. Taft (1909-1913), Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921), Warren G. Harding (1921-1923), and Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), the brougham was used for household errands.

Theodore Roosevelt's successor, William Howard Taft
(1909-1913), motorized the White House. He converted the mansion’s stables into
a garage and filled it with a White steam car, two gasoline-powered
Pierce-Arrows, and a Baker electric in 1909. First Lady Helen Taft (1909-1913)
chose the Baker as her personal vehicle. Mrs. Taft was not content to be
chauffeured around Washington – she drove the Baker herself. Three years later,
Mrs. Taft traded in the 1909 model for this new 1912 Baker electric. A Victoria
model with a gracefully curved body, this new Baker became a White House
fixture, serving the next four First Ladies.

The Baker was also used by Woodrow Wilson's (1913-1921) first wife, First Lady Ellen Wilson (1913-1914), their three daughters, and Wilson's second wife, First Lady Edith Wilson (1915-1921). First Lady Florence Harding inherited the auto and passed it along to First Lady Grace Coolidge who used the Baker until it was retired in 1928.

White House staff sent five pages of special
instructions when they ordered this new presidential vehicle, the first car
expressly designed and built for a Commander in Chief. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt (1933-1945) was stricken with paralytic illness in 1921, so some of
the car’s features made it easier for Roosevelt to get in and out of the
vehicle. In 1942, as American involvement in World War II intensified, the
limousine received several security modifications. Wartime or not, Roosevelt
enjoyed riding in the limo with the top down whenever possible. That, perhaps
along with FDR’s unshakable optimism, inspired the car’s nickname, “Sunshine
Special.”

The Lincoln Model K, with bodywork by Brunn & Company, included extra-wide running boards, special platforms at the rear corners, and chrome handles on the sides of the windshield so that Secret Service agents could ride along. After FDR's death in 1945, President Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) used the vehicle until 1950.

This convertible Lincoln Cosmopolitan was built for
President Harry S. Truman (1945-1953), but it is most associated with Truman's
successor, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961). It was a new era and the old fleet
of presidential cars was looking decidedly out of date. President Truman first
rode in this flashy convertible after it was delivered to the White House along
with nine closed limousines in 1950. President Eisenhower later had the car
fitted with a removable Plexiglas top that allowed him, as well as First
Lady Mamie Eisenhower, to see and be seen even in bad weather. The distinctive
plastic top earned the car the nickname “Bubble Top.” 

Serving the White House from 1950 to 1967, this limousine was created by Ford Motor Company with special bodywork by Ray Dietrich. After being used by Harry S. Truman (1945-1953), the vehicle served Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) as the official car for many public parades, including his inaugurations in 1953 and 1957. President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) used the car at his inauguration in 1961 before upgrading to a newer model. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) also used the 1950 Lincoln as a spare.

This modern four-door convertible seemed well-suited to a
young, forward-thinking president. But tragedy struck when President Kennedy
(1961-1963) was assassinated in November 1963 while riding in this car through
the streets of Dallas, Texas. As the world mourned, the Secret Service quickly had
the unarmored vehicle rebuilt to better protect future presidents.
Later modifications during Lyndon B. Johnson’s (1963-1969) and Richard Nixon’s
(1969-1974) presidencies, including an opening rear window and a removable roof
panel through which the president could stand and wave, only served to
illustrate the continual tension between the presidents’ desire to be seen and
Secret Service efforts to protect them.

Used from 1961 to 1977, this limousine was built by Ford Motor Company with special modifications by Hess & Eisenhardt. Mainly serving John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the vehicle was thoroughly modified after JFK's death and used by Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), Richard Nixon (1969-1974), Gerald Ford (1974-1977), and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).

This sleek limousine, first used by President Richard Nixon
(1969-1974), provided refuge for President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) in March 1981 after he
was shot by would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr. Like all presidential cars after the Kennedy assassination, it is a completely armored, closed car with
a permanent roof and bullet-resistant glass. But, in a concession to the president's desire to be seen, a roof panel can be opened for two people to
stand up with their upper bodies outside the car. President Reagan and First
Lady Nancy Reagan took advantage of this feature, waving through
the roof during his inauguration parade. 

In 1972, Ford Motor Company provided a new presidential limousine to the White House. Unlike the previous limos, this one was built for maximum protection from the start. Used until 1992, this limousine served Richard Nixon (1969-1974), Gerald Ford (1974-1977), Jimmy Carter (1977-1981), Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), and George H.W. Bush (1989-1993).