1942 Lincoln Custom Limousine

Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S. Presidents generally traveled in cars that had little or no special protection. The FBI and Secret Service soon realized the risk and the immediate need to protect President Roosevelt. One of the few cars to be given special protection up to this point in history was a presidential armored Cadillac built in 1928 for Al Capone.

This 1942 Lincoln Custom became the first presidential vehicle delivered new with protective armor. It was delivered on March 2 of 1942. It weighed 7,000 pounds and had state-of-the-art security features including heavy steel plates lining the doors, roof, firewall, gas tank and underside of the car and 9-ply 1 1/8 inch thick glass windows. Its most historically important association was as ground transpiration at the historic Yalta conference with Churchill and Stalin. In 1946, it was updated with a 1946 model front clip.