1942/46 Lincoln Custom Limousine
Quick Specs
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5.0-liter Lincoln Flathead V-12.
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130 hp.
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N/A
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66 (1942 Custom Limousines.)
Bulletproof… And No A/C.
This imposing 1942 limousine became the first presidential vehicle to be delivered new with full protective armoring. It was the 59th of just 66 Lincoln Custom Limousines built during the abbreviated 1942 model year, in which all automobile production was shut down in February, with the onset of World War II, and the factories converted to supply the war effort. The limousine included many features that were considered state of the art in their day. Heavy steel plates lined the doors, roof, engine firewall, gas tank, transmission, trunk bulkhead, and underside of the car. Even the inside of the engine compartment was lined with heavy wire mesh to stop bullets while allowing cooling air to penetrate.
The FBI took delivery of the limousine on March 2, 1942. Aware of the publicity value of having one of its luxury cars associated with the President, Ford Motor Company leased it to the Secret Service for the bargain sum of $500 per year. Roosevelt used the car frequently in and around Washington, DC, and also on trips back and forth to his home in Hyde Park, New York, for the duration of his presidency. The president enjoyed being taken on drives in the car, frequently at night, as a means of relaxation. He reportedly used it to shuttle his mistress, Lucy Mercer, to and from their frequent trysts. But its most historically important association came in February of 1945 when Roosevelt used it as his ground transportation during the historic Yalta conference with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill.
Collection of the Petersen Automotive Museum, Gift of Margie and Robert E. Petersen
This vehicle featured in ‘The Vault’.
1942/46 Lincoln Custom Limousine Gallery
Vehicle Imagery may be used for personal, media editorial, or educational purposes. Please credit Petersen Automotive Museum, petersen.org, if used. Photos may not be used for commercial purposes.
Deeper Dive of the 1942/46 Lincoln Custom Limousine Armored Car, presented by Chief Historian Leslie Kendall!
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