William McKinley

In 1899, McKinley was the first president to take a ride in a car, a steam-powered “Locomobile.”

William Howard Taft

In 1909 Taft became the first president to ride in an official presidential limousine. There were four official presidential limos: a White Steamer, a Baker Electric, and two Pierce-Arrows.  Taft was an early proponent of no-fossil fuel vehicles.

Warren Harding

Harding was the first president who already knew how to drive an automobile before taking the office.
Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge rented his limousines to save money.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential limo was fitted with hand controls so he could continue his love of driving despite his polio.

On December 8, 1941, the day following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, president Roosevelt rode to Congress to deliver his declaration of war in the infamous gangster Al Capone’s armor-plated limo. The car was officially owned by the Department of Treasury as a result of Capone’s tax evasion conviction.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower was the first president to have a Plexiglass bubble installed on the roof of his limousine so that he could be seen by crowds even in bad weather.

John F. Kennedy

JFK’s Lincoln Continental was filled with interesting gadgets for the time. It was fitted with removable roof panels that could be configured in various ways for varying occasions,  the back seat could be raised more than 10 inches, and the car also sported a two-way radio and a telephone system.  This James Bond like car was leased to the White House for $500.

Lyndon Johnson

After the Kennedy assassination, Lyndon Johnson had the presidential Lincoln redesigned, and  added almost one ton of steel plating and bullet-proof glass.

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Fun Fact: This may seem “udderly” weird but according to an Internet Service known as Any Question Answered, cows are currently outnumbering cars with a score of 1.4 billion cows in contract to only 1 billion cars. Seems like the cow population keeps on moo-ving right along…

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