1939 Lincoln Presidential Limousine Used by Franklin D. Roosevelt
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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.
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.
Artifact
Automobile
Date Made
1939
Subject Date
1939-1950
Creators
Ford Motor Company. Lincoln Motor Company
Place of Creation
United States, Michigan, Detroit
United States, New York, Buffalo
Creator Notes
Chassis made by the Lincoln Division of Ford Motor Company, Detroit, Michigan; body by Brunn & Co., Buffalo, New York.
Keywords
United States, District of Columbia, Washington
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Presidential Vehicles
Object ID
50.11.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company, Lincoln-Mercury Division.
Material
Metal
Steel (Alloy)
Armor plates
Bullet-resistant glass
Glass (Material)
Canvas
Leather
Technique
Custom-made
Color
Black (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 73 in
Width: 76.5 in
Length: 245 in
Wheelbase: 161 in
Inscriptions
Siren on left front reads: DOUBLE TONE LONG ROLL SIREN/MADE BY FEDERAL ELECTRIC CO. CHICAGO ILL. On Glass sign above license plate: POLICE/DO NOT PASS one hubs: V-12 LINCOLN On Radiator front, in red: LINCOLN / 12
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