That's how presidents rolled
ROAD TRIP TO OBAMA'S INAUGURATION | Ford Museum showcases limos from past inaugurations
DEARBORN, Mich. -- The road to Washington goes through the Henry Ford Museum, the home of the nation's largest collection of presidential limousines. There's Dwight Eisenhower's bubbletop, the 1961 Lincoln Continental in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Franklin D. Roosevelt's playful "Sunshine Special" with a beige-tinted ragtop.
None of these limos is like the 2009 black, truck-based Cadillac that has been built by General Motors for President-elect Obama. Reports say the exhaust note coming from the back of the limo is similar to that of a medium duty diesel truck.
The new limo will make its debut on Inauguration Day. It is not a hybrid.
It is a fortresslike departure from the first White House car, a Pierce-Arrow made in 1909 for William Howard Taft.
"The early presidential cars were just big cars ordered for the president," said Bob Casey, curator of transportation at the Henry Ford. "There were no special features. We have the first car that was specifically designed as a [inaugural] parade vehicle with jump seats and compartments for Secret Service weapons. That was the black 'Sunshine Special.' "
FDR was a sunny optimist. Casey said Roosevelt loved to drive with the top down on the 1939 Lincoln.
"After the attack on Pearl Harbor, his car was armor plated," Casey said. "But they kept the soft top, and Roosevelt continued to drive around with the top down, which counteracted all of this armor plating."
Eisenhower had the bubbletop installed because he, too, wanted to be seen even in the wind and the rain. The Lincoln had the top modified at a design shop in Grand Rapids, Mich. Eisenhower's began its life as the first presidential stretch limo. It was built in 1950 for Harry S Truman.
"Kennedy rode in the Eisenhower car in his inaugural parade," Casey said. "At one point in the parade there's a scene where Kennedy stands up in the car and tips his hat to his father in the stands."
The Henry Ford has four presidential limos. The collection also includes the 1972 Lincoln in which Ronald Reagan was shot. Former newspaper publisher Warren Harding was the first to ride his limo to the inaugural, a Packard made in Detroit.
Most presidential limos were made in the Motor City. "The Depression killed off all the luxury makes that weren't made in Detroit," Casey said.
"Starting with the 'Sunshine Special' and ending with the Reagan car, Lincoln had a deal with the White House that it would supply parade cars on a nominal lease basis," Casey explained. "Then Lincoln could say, 'We're the car of presidents.' That's why we have the limousines. When the lease was up the government turned them back to Lincoln. The government now buys those cars and keeps them after they go out of service. We've been told some of those cars are tested with bombs and such to test security measures. But some of the presidential libraries have cars which are still owned by the government."
Casey, 62, is a Chicago native who grew up in Hammond. He has been at the Henry Ford since 1991. He also has been a curator at the Blast Furnace Museum at Sloss Furnaces, a National Historic Landmark in downtown Birmingham, Ala.
As a detailed-oriented roadie I wondered if there was a seating chart in presidential limos.
"There are two Secret Service men in front," Casey answered. "One is the driver. Then there's somebody else in front who keeps his eyes peeled. There may be protocol where the president sits, but I'm not sure."
WEDNESDAY: An NBA Hall of Famer talks about his bid to become mayor of Detroit and the meaning of basketball for President-elect Obama.