Driving America 10-10-2015

1950 Volkswagen Sedan, Overhead View Showing Interior

Photographic print

The 1950 Volkswagen press kit included this drawing showing an interior arrangement unfamiliar to Americans -- trunk in front, engine in back. Other carmakers offered rear-engined cars, but the VW design proved to be long-lived.

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History of the Kennedy Limousine

Film clip

Arguably, no presidential limousine is as widely recognized as the 1961 Lincoln Continental in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. When originally constructed, the car had no armor. After the tragedy, it was thoroughly rebuilt with titanium plating, bullet-resistant glass, and a more powerful engine to handle the added weight. This film tells the limo's remarkable story.

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1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine Used by John F. Kennedy

Automobile

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in this car on November 22, 1963. The midnight blue, un-armored convertible was rebuilt with a permanent roof, titanium armor plating, and more somber black paint. The limousine returned to the White House and remained in service until 1977. The modified car shows the fundamental ways in which presidential security changed after Kennedy's death.

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