The ''Sunshine Special'' is a modified 1939 Lincoln Model K limousine that was used as the

official state car An official state car is an automobile used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from ...

by United States presidents

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

. Said to have been the "First Presidential car to acquire its own personality", and most closely associated with FDR, the V12 powered four-door convertible was specifically modified for the president by

coachbuilder A coachbuilder manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles. The trade of producing coachwork began with bodies for horse-drawn vehicles. Today it includes custom automobiles, buses, Coach (bus), motor coaches, and passenger car (rai ...

Brunn & Company at a cost of $4,950, $ in dollars (the original cost of the car, before any modifications, was $8,348.74, $ in dollars . Initially called "Old 99," in reference to a number on its first license plate, it was later nicknamed the "''Sunshine Special''" for its convertible roof. In spite of a previous

assassination attempt This is a list of survivors of assassination attempts. For successful assassination attempts, see List of assassinations. Non-heads of state Heads of state and government Gallery File:Arrestation Gregori.jpg, Arrest of Louis Gregori, th ...

on Roosevelt while riding in a

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

convertible, the president still famously enjoyed appearing in the Lincoln as an open car in parades and public gatherings.

History

Original specifications

The ''Sunshine Special'' was originally a

Lincoln K-series The Lincoln K series (also called the Lincoln Model K, in line with Ford nomenclature) is a luxury vehicle that was produced by the Lincoln Motor Company between 1931 and 1940. The second motor line produced by the company, the Model K was devel ...

built by the

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

division of

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, and modified by Brunn & Company to U.S. government specifications. It was powered by a 150 hp, 414 cubic inch V12 L-head engine. The limousine was originally equipped with a siren, running lights, and a 2-way radio, as well as extra-wide running boards and grab handles for

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

agents. The vehicle had a convertible roof, which gave the car its nickname. It quickly became known as a favorite of the president, who sometimes appeared before crowds without actually leaving the vehicle, allowing him to conceal that he was a polio survivor forced to use crutches and a wheelchair. There are newsreels of the time showing the car being driven on stage, such as at the podium constructed for a campaign appearance at

Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Dodgers baseball tea ...

in New York in 1944, documenting the gambit.

Following Pearl Harbor

After the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the tim ...

, the

began to express concern over potential assassination attempts on the president, as his limousine was not armored and had no protective features. The Secret Service did not use Al Capone's car for his visit to Congress at the United States Capitol on 8 December, in spite of the myth even being featured in the History Channel documentary ''Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After''. Images of the president between the White House and Capitol show him in a car that does not match any of Capone's known automobiles. The Sunshine Special was modified to be capable of protecting him, with armor plating for the doors, bullet-proof tires, inch-thick windows and storage compartments for pistols and sub-machine guns. All of the safety modifications increased the car's weight to 9,300 pounds (4,218 kg). Despite these precautions, Roosevelt preferred to ride with the top down during parades and at most public gatherings. The car was "refreshed" by being fitted with modified front end parts from the 1942

Lincoln-Zephyr The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of Luxury vehicle, luxury cars that was produced by the Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company, Ford from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the De Luxe Ford, Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Li ...

Travels

When the president traveled the ''Sunshine Special'', along with other Secret Service vehicles, was either driven to the president's destination if nearby, or transported on a special rail car, outfitted with equipment and supplies to maintain the vehicles if far. Although some sources allege the ''Sunshine Special'' was transported to the wartime

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, and

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

conferences during World War II, there appears to be no evidence to confirm this. Wartime censorship makes these claims difficult to disprove. While there are many photographs and newsreels of President Roosevelt riding in standard military-issue Jeeps during the aforementioned overseas trips, there are no photographs of the ''Sunshine Special'' taken on these occasions. The need to maintain secrecy about the president's travel during wartime makes it highly unlikely his special limousine would have been used overseas. And the President only attended, and appeared in public in, venues protected by military troops. The practice of transporting presidential limousines overseas did not start until peace had been restored postwar. In March 1947 ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' featured a photograph of President Truman visiting the pyramids at Teotihuacan near Mexico City, appearing to be riding in the ''Sunshine Special''.

Following Roosevelt's death

After Roosevelt's death in 1945 the ''Sunshine Special'' remained in the White House fleet, and was used by

President Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

at the Potsdam Conference in Germany that July. It was replaced when a new fleet of Lincoln limousines was acquired after the 1948 election. It is on permanent display at the

Henry Ford Museum The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, within Metro Detroit. The museum collection contai ...

in Dearborn,

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Notes