Limo that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated went on to serve three other presidents… although it had been bullet-proofed
- Following the Kennedy assassination, the Presidential limousine was put back into service
- It was completely armored and a roof was added
- The 1961 Lincoln limo served Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter
- It is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
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The image of a smiling and waving John F Kennedy in his presidential limousine moments before he was assassinated is burned into the national consciousness.
We all know the outcome of that tragedy, but one of the key pieces of evidence from the day – the Lincoln limousine – went on to serve four more presidents before it was finally retired in 1977.
The car draws crowds at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it ended its long journey.
Historic artifact: The Kennedy Presidential limo is now drawing crowds at the Henry Ford Museum
When President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, he was riding in a motorcade through Dallas in the 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible.
Completely open at the top, the car, code-named X-100, had no armor or bullet-proof elements whatsoever, a fact incomprehensible today.
‘The tires were not bulletproof. There was no bulletproof glass. It did have a removable plastic top, but, again, it was just Plexiglas,’ Matt Anderson, curator at the Henry Ford Museum, told CBS.
‘It was no, no bullet resistance in that material. It’s amazing to think of it, but they just didn’t anticipate that kind of problem.’
Uncomfortable: President Lyndon, Johnson seen here in the Presidential limo with wife Ladybird, never liked traveling in the car in which President Kennedy had been killed
The custom-built car cost $200,000 and had features including retractable steps for Secret Service agents and two radio telephones.
Following Kennedy’s assassination, the car was driven directly back to the White House so it could be examined as part of the investigation.
‘They determined that the most practical thing to do was just to rebuild this existing car rather than to start from scratch, so, yes, they took the carmel car service manhattan down to the frame and rebuilt it as a true armored vehicle,’ Anderson told CBS.
‘The biggest change they made in modifying the car was putting in a permanent roof that could not be removed, and they surrounded the whole vehicle with bullet-resistant glass.’
Third president: Nixon had a hole cut in the top of the car so he could stand to wave to crowds
The White House approved a plan for a re-vamp of the car in December 1963.
It was completely armored, a top was added and it was given a paint-job in ‘regal Presidential Blue Metallic with silver metallic flakes that glitter under bright lights and sunshine.’
Lyndon Johnson was two cars behind Kennedy the day of the assassination. After he was sworn in as president, he occasionally had to ride in the car.
According to Anderson, he disliked the blue paint job the car had been given because it was too similar to the original color.
Long service: Actor John Wayne campaigns with President Gerald Ford in the Presidential limo in 1976, the year before the car was retired from the Presidential fleet
Unforgettable: Despite 50 years passing since Kennedy’s death, the tragic day remains fresh in the collective consciousness of Americans
It was promptly painted black, but Johnson was never comfortable riding in the car and avoided it whenever possible.
When President Nixon had use of the car, he had a hole cut in the roof as a hatch, so that he could stand up and wave at crowds.
Presidents Ford and Carter also used the car, until it finally reached the end of the road and came to a stop at the Henry Ford Museum.