Vintage photos show how presidential limousines have changed, from open convertibles to Biden’s $1.5 million armored Cadillac known as ‘The Beast’
President Ronald Reagan waved from the back of his limousine in 1984.
US presidents used to ride around in open convertibles. Today, President Joe Biden is driven in a 20,000-pound, $1.5 million armored Cadillac known as “The Beast.”
Take a look at how presidential limousines have changed through the years.
Presidential cars replaced horses and carriages in the early 20th century.
President William McKinley in an automobile.
President William McKinley, who served from 1897 to 1901, was the first US president to ride in a car, according to the National Archives.
The administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, who succeeded McKinley after his 1901 assassination, was the first to include a government-owned car.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president to ride in a custom-built car in 1939.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a car with bulletproof glass.
Roosevelt previously drove around in a 1936 Packard Touring Limousine. He then upgraded to a 1939 Lincoln, the first car ever designed and built for a US president.
The custom vehicle featured platforms for Secret Service agents to stand on and rear-hinged doors to help Roosevelt enter and exit the car more easily after his legs were paralyzed by polio. Nicknamed the “Sunshine Special” since Roosevelt often rode it with the top down, the car cost $8,350, or around $189,407 in today’s currency when adjusted for inflation, according to the Henry Ford Museum.
In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, bullet-resistant glass and steel-armor plating were added to the “Sunshine Special” in 1942.
President Harry S. Truman also used the car until it was retired in 1950.
President Dwight Eisenhower rode in a 1955 Chrysler Crown Imperial.
President Dwight Eisenhower waves to cheering crowds in 1955.
The car featured a 250-horsepower V8 engine and a sunroof, according to the US Secret Service.
President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in the back of a 1961 Lincoln Continental changed presidential cars forever.
President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in Dallas.
Kennedy’s limousine included a hydraulic seat that could be raised 10.5 inches for a better view of the president, but no protective features. It originally cost $195,000 in 1961, which would equal over $2 million today.
After Kennedy’s assassination, presidential cars were customized to prioritize the safety of the commander-in-chief.
Kennedy’s limousine was reinforced with a steel top, bulletproof glass, an armored body, and other security features, and remained in use by other presidents until 1977.
Subsequent presidents rode in a fleet of heavily fortified Lincoln Continental cars.
A 1969 Lincoln Continental presidential limousine.
President Richard Nixon’s 1967 Lincoln Continental was constructed with 4,000 pounds of armor, bulletproof glass, and a roof thicker than the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A 1969 model featured a bumper that could be converted into a platform for Secret Service agents.
The 1972 Lincoln used by President Ronald Reagan was damaged during a 1981 assassination attempt.
President Ronald Reagan took refuge in his presidential limousine after being shot.
The 13,000-pound car cost $500,000, or around $3.7 million in today’s dollars.
The bullet ricocheted off the right side of the rear door before hitting Reagan. The car’s body damage was repaired and it remained in use until 1992.
The 214-horsepower car featured a sunroof panel, a communication system, and fluorescent lighting to help the president be seen inside the vehicle.
In 1983, the Reagan administration switched from Lincoln cars to Cadillacs.
President Ronald Reagan waved from the back of his limousine in 1984.
Reagan began riding in a Cadillac Fleetwood limousine with raised seats and a raised roof so that crowds could see him better, but with security measures such as bulletproof glass.
The first fully custom-built presidential limousine was used by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
President George Bush rides in a new presidential limousine on Inauguration Day in 1989.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the 22-foot vehicle, a modified Lincoln Town Car, cost $600,000 and took three years to build.
At the 2005 inauguration, President George W. Bush rode in a 2006 Cadillac DeVille Touring Sedan, or DTS.
The presidential limousine carrying President George W. Bush on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Cadillac DTS was a refurbished model from 2005, according to the US Secret Service.
In 2009, President Barack Obama began riding in a customized DTS Cadillac.
The 2009 DTS Cadillac that served as President Barack Obama’s presidential limousine.
The new model sported 19.5-inch tires and larger windows than previous presidential limousines.
The interior featured plush leather seats decorated with the presidential seal, a fold-out desk, and room for five passengers.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade in 2013.
When White House photographer Pete Souza asked Obama if he could ride along in the presidential limousine at the 2013 inauguration parade, he said Obama joked, “But Michelle and I were planning to make out.”
The newest iteration of “The Beast,” modeled after a Cadillac XT6, was completed for President Donald Trump in 2018 and is used by President Joe Biden.
The US presidential state car, nicknamed “The Beast,” at Windsor Castle in June 2021.
Despite the Cadillac exterior, the frame of the car is the same as the Chevrolet Kodiak truck produced by General Motors. The vehicle can seat up to seven people and cost around $1.5 million to build.
The US Secret Service has called The Beast “the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world.”
Members of the Secret Service open the doors to the presidential limousine in February 2024.
The Beast includes a night-vision system, a secure communications system, tear-gas firing capabilities, door handles that can deliver electric shocks, and refrigerators with the president’s blood type. With 3-inch thick windows and 8-inch thick armor, it’s also bulletproof and sealed against biochemical attacks.
