Heads of state

The US Presidential State Car

Office of the President · United States · 1939–present

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Presidential state car (United States) — Tia Dufour · Public domain

No car is documented more closely than the American presidential state car. The lineage runs from the 1939 Lincoln 'Sunshine Special', the first built specifically for the office, through the 1961 Lincoln Continental SS-100-X in which Kennedy was assassinated, to the current armoured Cadillac known as 'The Beast'. Each is built to order, and each is retired into a museum rather than sold.

The cars

The 1939 Lincoln 'Sunshine Special' at the Henry Ford Museum — Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · CC BY 2.0

Lincoln1939

The Sunshine Special — the first purpose-built presidential limousine

SS-100-X, restored and rebuilt after 1963, at the Henry Ford Museum — InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

Lincoln1961

SS-100-X, the Continental in which Kennedy was assassinated in 1963

The 2018 Cadillac state car on the inaugural route, January 2021 — U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Public domain

Cadillac2018

'The Beast' — the current armoured Cadillac state car

The 1956 Imperial Parade Phaeton, rebuilt from a 1952 car for parade duty — Rex Gray · CC BY 2.0

Chrysler

Provided state limousines through the mid-20th century, including the Imperial Parade Phaetons used by Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy

Restricted to vehicles documented in public record — museum holdings, published auctions, official fleets and the owner's own public statements. Speculative or unverified claims are excluded.

More heads of state

John F. Kennedy

35th US President

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th US President

Ronald Reagan

40th US President

Joe Biden

46th US President

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