Presidential Limousines "Sunshine Special," "Queen Mary," and "Queen Elizabeth," Washington, D.C., circa 1940
THF208661 / Presidential Limousines "Sunshine Special," "Queen Mary," and "Queen Elizabeth," Washington, D.C., circa 1940
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Artifact Overview
United States Secret Service agent Morgan L. Gies was responsible for White House vehicles from 1941 to 1967, serving five presidents. This photograph from his personal collection shows Franklin Roosevelt's "Sunshine Special" between "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth." The "queens" were 1938 Cadillac motorcade convertibles -- follow-up cars that carried Secret Service agents under Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
circa 1940
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2011.241.14.8
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: 8.125 in
Width: 10 in
Inscriptions
Caption typed on separate paper affixed to back of photograph:
Picture of three cars, the first two are 1938 Cadillacs named the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary and the 1939 Lincoln, the Sunshine Special. The Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary got their names from President Roosevelt who said one day he felt as though he was riding on the steamer Queen Mary. The other 'boat' was named for the sister ship, Elizabeth. The 1939 Lincoln, known as the Sunshine Special, probably got its name from the fact that President Roosevelt often took it south and enjoyed convertibles in sunny weather.The Secret Service agents were fond of the Sunshine Special for its thick armor-plate, bullet-proof windows and windshield and the self-sealing inner tubes.
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