Limo that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated went on to serve three other presidents... although it had been bullet-proofed
- Following the Kennedy assassination, the Presidential limousine was put back into service
- It was completely armored and a roof was added
- The 1961 Lincoln limo served Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter
- It is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
By Alex Greig
Published: | Updated:
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The image of a smiling and waving John F Kennedy in his presidential limousine moments before he was assassinated is burned into the national consciousness.
We all know the outcome of that tragedy, but one of the key pieces of evidence from the day - the Lincoln limousine - went on to serve four more presidents before it was finally retired in 1977.
The car draws crowds at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it ended its long journey.
Historic artifact: The Kennedy Presidential limo is now drawing crowds at the Henry Ford Museum
When President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, he was riding in a motorcade through Dallas in the 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible.
Completely open at the top, the black car service laguardia, code-named X-100, had no armor or bullet-proof elements whatsoever, a fact incomprehensible today.
'The tires were not bulletproof. There was no bulletproof glass. It did have a removable plastic top, but, again, it was just Plexiglas,' Matt Anderson, curator at the Henry Ford Museum, told CBS.
'It was no, no bullet resistance in that material. It's amazing to think of it, but they just didn't anticipate that kind of problem.'