Existing comment:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's
Sunshine Special
1939 Lincoln
The first car expressly designed and built for a president.
White House staff sent five pages of special instructions with the order for this new presidential vehicle. A world war was looming, and added security was crucial. Even more security features were added in 1942, after Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States entered World War II.
Other features of this custom-made car made it easier to lift President Roosevelt in and out, since his legs had become paralyzed from the fearsome and incurable disease of polio.
Despite these hardships, President Roosevelt enjoyed riding in public, and the top of his "Sunshine Special" convertible was often down as he greeted crowds. |