1930-40 The Presidential Car

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Car  

Origin: As the era of cars gradually continued to grow, the value and importance of cars grew as well. Though many presidents have already owned many cars, they never had one that was always there for them parked in the front lawn. The car company, Lincoln, had made a car for the president which was extremely luxurious and up to date on specs. During the early ages of the automotive era, presidents used to get around in normal cars. The addition of this vehicle was to show that the president was not an ordinary man, but someone with power.


Purpose: This specific vehicle was named the "Sunshine Special" by its manufacturers at Lincoln. The limo was built with high end specs for the time as it focused on two major factors: Convenience and Security. Lincoln had made this car especially for FDR who had polio; a disease that causes paralysis to the legs. The company made the car for the convenience of the president as it was hard for him to move very quickly. The reason for the upgrade for security had one reason behind it. In 1933, President Roosevelt survived an attempted assassination while giving a speech out the open end of a convertible car. Seeing this as a huge problem, Lincoln went ahead and gave their Sunshine Special bullet-proof windows and built it out of much stronger metal. The Sunshine Special remained in service of the president until 1950. It was then replaced by the Lincoln Cosmopolitan.

The Sunshine Special on display in the Henry Ford Museum

Value: The Sunshine Special had a huge reputation on the presidential cars. It was the first car to have bullet-proof material all over the car which was extremely important as presidents are seen with the most power in the US. For President Roosevelt, the car was extremely convenient. Lincoln had made the back doors of the car larger than normal cars just so that FDR can just sit inside with his wheelchair. Though it may not seem as an extremely important vehicle for the public; it sure was for the president of the time.

Limitations: The Sunshine Special was a car made only for the president. No one from the public were allowed to buy such a car. As the car was made of extremely high quality; it was obviously appealing towards normal people. Each Sunshine Special costed a hefty price to make which was the reason why Lincoln did not make them for the public. However by 1943, Lincoln made their "Continental" for the public which mirrored the Sunshine Special in many ways.