1939 Lincoln "Sunshine Special" at Andrews Air Force Base, outside Washington, D.C., circa 1942

Summary

White House staff ordered this limousine for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A world war was looming, so added security was crucial. Custom features made it easier to lift the president -- paralyzed below the waist from an earlier illness -- in and out. And the convertible top allowed the president to greet crowds when he rode out in public.

White House staff ordered this limousine for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. A world war was looming, so added security was crucial. Custom features made it easier to lift the president -- paralyzed below the waist from an earlier illness -- in and out. And the convertible top allowed the president to greet crowds when he rode out in public.

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

circa 1942

 On Exhibit

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

2011.241.14.10

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Edward L. Gies in Memory of Morgan L. Gies.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.938 in

Width: 9.938 in

Inscriptions

Caption typed on separate paper affixed to back of photograph: The 1939 Lincoln, Sunshine Special, at Andrews Air Force Base, outside Washington, D.C. Notice the positioning of the flag brackets. Later on, Morgan L. Gies had the brackets redesigned and moved to the outside of the bumper.

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