On the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, we visit his limousine in the Henry Ford Museum

Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Of course, we talk about cars here, not controversy and politics, but there was obviously a car at the center of this incident: that infamous blue 1961 Lincoln SS-100-X limousine convertible.  You may or may not be aware that that car still exists.  It is one of the cornerstone displays at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.  I’ve been to that museum on a number of occasions, and Kennedy’s limousine shares space with some other very amazing automotive artifacts from throughout history.

Yet another Tucker 48 story

For a car that only had a total of 51 examples ever built, the Tucker 48 really secured a big chunk of automotive history.  The cars themselves were pretty interesting, but when you combine that with a charismatic founder, legal issues, and competitive pressures, you have end up with a compelling story.

The futuristic car was of course the brainchild of Preston Tucker, a man who was part visionary and part snake oil salesman.  Designed by George Lawson and Alex Tremulis, the Tucker really was quite advanced in its day. 

Alternative fuel vehicles are nothing new. Check out the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car

These days, there’s a lot of talk about alternative fuel vehicles. From hydrogen to electric, from flex fuel to bio-fuel, automakers are always in pursuit of the next big revolution.

This phenomenon isn’t new, however. Since the beginning of the automobile, engineers have tinkered with different types of propulsion. Production and concept cars have run on everything from alcohol to nuclear. And 50-years ago, Chrysler’s answer was the Turbine Car.

The Kennedy ambulance at Barrett-Jackson may or may not have been real, but Kennedy's limousine is without question



Kennedy Ambulance-the real deal?

 If you've been following the Barrett-Jackson auction coverage from Scottsdale, Ariz., this weekend, you no doubt caught all the hoopla about the 1963 Pontiac Bonneville Ambulance that purportedly carried John F. Kennedy's casket through Washington D.C.

The controversy stems because the consigner and Barrett-Jackson claimed the ambulance was the real deal, then Internet sleuths learned that the official ambulance had been destroyed by government order, then the auction basically said, "you're buying the mystery surrounding this car."

Kennedy limo-no doubt about it.

The auction had a long-winded "explanation" before the sale about how the VIN plates matched the records for the actual car, but one was screwed on instead of riveted, so they dug further, etc. Whatever. There are photos of the original one being crushed, although it's hard to understand why that was even necessary.

My guess is that the real one was in fact crushed, but this one, which was probably scheduled for the same fate at the same junkyard, was fitted with some of the serial number and VIN plates from the crushed one. Who knows, though. There's always some new mystery surrounding the Kennedy assassination--why should this be any different.