The Secrets Behind Presidential Limos Over The Years

Franklin Roosevelt's Sunshine Special

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt acquired one of the most famous presidential limos, called the Sunshine Special. Based on a Lincoln K-Series chassis, the Sunshine Special boasted a V-12 engine and a convertible top that the President kept down almost all the time (hence the car's nickname). After World War II began, security was a prime concern, so the Sunshine Special was sent off to be fitted with armor plating and bulletproof glass. While it was in the shop, the President used the only other armored car available: a fortified Cadillac formerly owned by gangster Al Capone that had been seized by the government following his arrest.