The first official White House cars arrived in 1909 under President William Howard Taft, who replaced the presidential stables with automobiles. Since then, presidential limousines have evolved from standard luxury cars to purpose-built armored vehicles. Landmarks include Franklin Roosevelt’s “Sunshine Special” Lincoln, the 1961 Lincoln Continental SS-100-X in which John F. Kennedy was riding in Dallas, and today’s heavily armored Cadillac known as “The Beast”.

Timeline

Years Vehicle Presidents
1909 White steam car, Pierce-Arrows, Baker electric Taft
1939 Lincoln “Sunshine Special” F. D. Roosevelt, Truman
1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan (later “Bubbletop”) Truman, Eisenhower
1961 Lincoln Continental SS-100-X Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon
1972 Lincoln Continental Nixon to Reagan
1983–2005 Cadillac and Lincoln limousines Reagan to G. W. Bush
2009 Cadillac “The Beast” Obama
2018 New “Beast” Trump and successors

The first White House cars

Taft, a car enthusiast, bought a White steam car and Pierce-Arrows, and converted the White House stables into a garage. Read Pierce-Arrow.

The Sunshine Special

Franklin Roosevelt’s 1939 Lincoln convertible, nicknamed the Sunshine Special, was built for parades and later armored after Pearl Harbor. Read the Sunshine Special.

The Bubbletop

Truman’s 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan was fitted with a clear plastic roof under Eisenhower, so crowds could see the president in bad weather.

SS-100-X

The 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible, code-named SS-100-X, was the car in Dallas on November 22, 1963. It was afterward rebuilt with armor and a permanent roof and remained in service. Read SS-100-X.

The armored era

After Dallas and the 1981 attempt on Reagan’s life, presidential cars became fully armored. From the 1980s, they alternated between Cadillac and Lincoln, then settled on Cadillac.

The Beast

Since 2009, presidents have used a purpose-built armored limousine with Cadillac styling on heavy-duty truck underpinnings, nicknamed The Beast. A new version entered service in 2018. Read The Beast.