by A. Wayne Ferens
Images Courtesy of Ford Motor Company, The Henry Ford, the Ferens Collection and the Nixon Library & Museum
Published 6.25.2025
Truman’s 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan state car measured a massive 20 feet long and 6.5 feet wide. It was powered by a 152 horsepower V8 engine with an HD Hydra-Matic transmission and weighed 6,500 pounds. The president had 10 Lincoln Cosmopolitans in his fleet. This car is also in The Henry Ford’s collection. (Ferens Collection)
Until the early 1900s, U.S. presidents used horse-drawn carriages as their official vehicles until Special Service (later renamed Secret Service), agents with the task of protecting the president’s welfare and safety, saw the need to modernize. In 1909, President William Howard Taft was the first to transition from a carriage to an automobile. Soon after, he ordered the conversion of the White House stables into a garage to house the initial fleet of presidential state cars. Up until 1936, steam cars, electric cars and luxury vehicles were part of the fleet.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) purchased a 1936 Ford Phaeton V8 equipped with hand controls and other special features so he could drive himself, but the Secret Service strictly prohibited sitting presidents from driving.
The very first presidential limousine to be ordered and built to Secret Service specifications was a 1939 Lincoln four-door K-series V12 convertible. It was dubbed the “Sunshine Special.”
After the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, FDR's limo went through some modifications. It was fitted with metal-plated armor, bullet proof glass, flat-proof inner tubes, a radio transceiver, red warning lights, a siren and a submachine gun. The car weighed 9,300 pounds and was modified by coachbuilders Brunn & Company of Buffalo, New York. This car can be seen at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan. (Ferens Collection)
After the death of President Roosevelt, President Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) choose a 1950 Lincoln for his state car. The Lincoln Cosmopolitan was a large luxury car with a convertible top modified by coachbuilder Henney Motor Company under the direction of Lincoln. It was further modified with armor and other added security features.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) continued using the Lincoln Cosmopolitan but had the convertible fitted with a Lexan plexiglass roof that became known as the "Bubble Top."
The Bubble-Top Lincoln at the Dearborn Proving Grounds before being returned to the Secret Service after modifications. This car remained in the presidential fleet until 1965. (Ford Motor Company)
President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) accepted a 1961 Lincoln Continental as his state car. Built at their Wixom plant, Ford commissioned Hess and Eisenhardt to modify it for the Secret Service.
Known as the X-100-S it was painted in Presidential Blue Metallic with silver metal flakes.
President Kennedy's new Lincoln Continental photographed the day it arrived at the White House on June 15, 1961. Nicknamed X-100, it had removable roof sections and a hydraulic lift designed to raise the back seat so the president would be more visible to the public during parades. The roof had three sections made of fabric, light weight metal and transparent plastic as seen on the ground in photo. (Ferens Collection)
After the Kennedy assassination in 1963, X-100 was returned to Hess and Eisenhardt for major modifications under Secret Service supervision. The passenger compartment received 1,600 new pounds of armor, a protected fuel tank and improved telecommunications gear. Titanium armor was added to the body, bullet-resistant glass and aluminum run- flat tires.
The modified Kennedy limo after the assassination. A unique bullet-proof fixed glass enclosure replaced the sectional roof and was the largest piece of bullet-proof glass ever made. The car was repainted black. A new hand-built 350 horsepower V8 was installed for added power due to the car’s 9,800 pound weight. An upgraded air-conditioning system and additional structural enhancements were made in 1967. The car was used by Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter before it was retired from service in 1977. (The Henry Ford)
President Lyndon B. Johnson received a black 1967 Lincoln Continental as his state car. Johnson wanted white, but the Secret Service won the debate.
The LBJ black limo had over 4,000 pounds of armor, a 340 hp V8 engine and a protective hardtop that was thicker than the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet. Ford spent over $500,000 on the top. The car served Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter. (President Richard M. Nixon Library and Museum)
President Nixon received a modified 1972 Lincoln Continental in 1974. The six-passenger limo was 22 feet long and had a 161-inch wheelbase. It weighed 13,000 pounds and was powered by a 460 cu. in. V8 engine producing 214 horsepower. It was built with full armor plate, bulletproof glass, external microphones and submachine gun racks. The car was used by Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush.
After the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, the Nixon car was returned to Ford Motor Company to receive a new interior, front sheet metal and a more stylish 1979 Lincoln grill. The 1972 Lincoln left service in 1992 and was returned to Ford. It is now part of The Henry Ford’s collection.
CAPTION: The modified Nixon 1972 Lincoln presidential limo on display at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation shows the added 1979 Lincoln grill giving the car a more elegant look. (The Henry Ford)
From President Truman to Ronald Reagan, Lincoln has enjoyed a decades-long reign as the official state car for the United States of America.
Bibliography:
The Henry Ford Archives
Los Angeles Times Archives
U.S. Secret Service Archives
Freeman, David W. “Cars Of The Presidents.” 1993
