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The Henry Ford at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

August 15, 2013 Archive Insight

Where in the world is The Henry Ford this weekend? Pebble Beach, California!

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance has invited The Henry Ford to showcase our 1950 Lincoln “Bubble-Top” Presidential Limousine in its 63rd showing. As part of this stellar automotive event, we appear as one of the select cars on the famed 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

This year’s show field focuses on one-off custom-bodied Lincolns. After Ford Motor Company purchased Lincoln in 1922, Edsel Ford further defined it with superior styling and elegant custom coachwork. Long one of America’s elite luxury cars, Lincoln served as the official vehicle for presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy and George H.W. Bush.

This isn't the first time the Bubble-Top has been on display outside of the museum. In 2012, The Henry Ford proudly exhibited our Bubble-Top in England during the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth.

The car's bubble-top

Secret Service agent platform

What else should you know about the Bubble-Top?

  • Built for President Harry S. Truman in 1950, and used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson also used this car as a spare until its retirement in 1967
  • Assembled by the Ford Motor Company in Detroit
  • Special bodywork done by Raymond Dietrich, Dietrich Creative Industries, Grand Rapids, Mich
  • Engine: V-8 L-head
  • Horsepower: 152
  • Displacement: 336.7 cubic inches
  • Weight: 6,500 pounds
  • Total of 10 limousines built at a cost of $500,000
  • President Eisenhowser added the distinctive plastic "bubble-top," which is removable so presidents could be seen during parades in all weather
  • A folding bug shield protects the president's face when standing during parades
  • A platform in back holds Secret Service agents
  • Lish Dorset is Social Media Manager at The Henry Ford.

    Additional Readings:

    events, by Lish Dorset, presidential vehicles, Pebble Beach, convertibles, cars, car shows

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