President Johnson used his 1934 Ford Phaeton touring car for hunting. It’s equipped with a V8 Lincoln Zepher engine and a steel plate underneath to prevent damage when going over rough terrain. It was a maroon color with tan upholstery until 1962 when it was repainted red. A bar with running water is mounted on back of the front seat. V.I.P.’s to ride in this car include Hubert Humphrey, Dean Rusk, and Robert McNamara. The car is believed to have been given to the President by Wesly West. This is the first time we start to see presidents have any sort of collectible autos. Johnson owned several cars including a 1915 Fire Truck.

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Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974 • 1950 Oldsmobile 98

Along with his wife’s “respectable Republican cloth coat,” Nixon referred to his trusty 1950 Oldsmobile 98 in the infamous “Checkers” speech, which was made to refute his acceptance of illegal campaign contributions to help obtain the nomination for vice-president in 1952. One wonders if those contributions included a car of any sort. The 88 Olds was the flagship model for Olds, a division of GM.

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Gerald R. Ford 1974-75 • 1975 Lincoln Continental Limousine

In September of 1975 Sara Jane Moore tried to assassinate Gerald Ford outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. This photo was taken at almost the same time the shot rang out. Ford was very near his 1975 Lincoln Continental Limousine. Gerald Ford was not really a car person though he lived in Michigan.

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Jimmy Carter 1976-1980 • 1976 Chevy Redneck Power Pick-Up

President Jimmy Carter was plagued by his brother the entire time he was in office. The most famous embarassment was from brother Billy’s licensing of Billy Beer. Nothing really says it better than Billy’s Redneck Power Pick-Up. This isn’t exactly Jimmy’s car, but certainly he went driving in it at least once. These are actual pick up trucks used by Billy’s Service Station. They can still be seen today in Plains, GA; the trucks are worth the trip to Plains.

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Ronald Reagan 1980-1988 • Jeep Scrambler

While as president Ronald Reagan was known as “the great communicator” and he usually traveled in a limo. His most prized personal car was a 1952 U.S. Army Jeep. It was given to him as a gift  by his wife, Nancy, in the late 1970’s for use at his California ranch. This was the version of the iconic military vehicle that would ultimately be built and sold for civilian use. What Ronny drove on the ranch mostly was his Jeep Scrambler. He had a blue one and this red one which he drove Barbara Walters around in during an interview.

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George Bush 1989-1992 • Golf Cart

This choice of vehicle for G.H.W. Bush will probably be looked at as a political statement, but who cares. This 1st George Bush was in public life for more time and lifespan than he wasn’t in office. Who know when the last time George Bush was behind the wheel and actually drove himself in a real car. But talk about golf cart driving? Bush Sr. has driven himself in a golf cart for a lot more years than he has a car and even those years in a car he had a driver, or was it a five iron? The statement can be taken as one of privilege after all Bush Sr. was one of the richest men to be elected into the presidency. With that type of wealth comes the privilege of not having to drive yourself.

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Bill Clinton 1993-2000 • 1967 Mustang Convertible

When Bill Clinton was just 4 years old his mother married Roger Clinton Sr., the owner of a Buick car dealership in Hope, Arkansas. As fate would also have it, Bill’s biological father William Jefferson Blythe Jr died from an automobile accident when he lost control of his 1942 Buick. He died by drowning in a drainage ditch trying to make his way to the highway for help, the year was 1946. The months later Bill was born. Hillary’s husband owned a 1967 Mustang Convertible — ice blue with a white interior — as a collector’s car when Clinton was Governor of Arkansas. He has been quoted as saying that it was the hardest thing he had to leave behind when he moved into the White House. The 1967 has proven to be the most collectible year of the Mustang.

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George W. Bush 2001-2008 • 2001 Cadillac Special Custom Limousine

Bush has arguably been our richest president when he took the office in 2001. It is quite safe to say that W. has been traveling in limos long before he had even the drunkest notion of holding the highest office in the land. The presidential limo hasn’t seen this many updates since Reagan ordered the last real version back in the 1980s. This latest incarnation of the armored presidential chariot was actually one of the first decisions the new president Bush made.

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Barack Obama 2009-???? • 2005 Chrysler 300C

While not Obama’s first automobile it might just be the most famous. About the same time Obama tossed his name into the hat to run for president, he traded in his 2005 Chrysler 300C sedan for a fuel-efficient Ford Escape Hybrid SUV. Obama leased the car in Illinois proving that leasing can be a good decision. The car is to go on Ebay with a starting bid of $100,000 when the blue book value only comes in at $15,700. There is even an entire website devoted to the car. Nearly a century after the country’s first automobile-owning president drove an electric car, the cycle comes full circle. Our 44th president is about to take the oath of office and another electric vehicle comes into the White House garage.

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Taft’s presidential administration was the first to switch to cars from the old horse and buggy. It was also the first to supply vehicles for official presidential use. Ahead of his time, the 27th president included in his fleet an environmentally friendly Baker Electric, the actual car shown here which is housed in the Petersen Automotive Museum in California. Using a $12,000 appropriation, the first White House chauffeur was given the job of identifying the most appropriate vehicles. Seeking the “best deals”, he purchased a White Steamer, two Pierce-Arrows, and this Baker Electric.

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Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) • Pierce-Arrow Limousine

Like Taft, Wilson was a fan of this luxury car. The one shown here, which now resides at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Virginia, was waiting for him when he returned home after negotiating the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and his friends made sure it stayed with him — they bought it for him after he left office.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945 • Packard Twelve

Coming from a some what affluent background, FDR was no stranger to riding in style. The finest of luxury car of his era was a Packard Twelve, which was both graceful and powerful and packed a large, strong V12 engine. This very stylish, and huge car, was fitted with bulletproof glass making it the first presidential armored car.

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Harry S. Truman 1945-1953 • 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe Tudor Sedan

Truman was a product of the middle-class Midwest, and his taste in cars reflected this. Truman was presented with the first Ford to roll off the assembly line after production resumed following World War II (automakers suspended car building to support the war effort). It was a moonbeam gray 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe Tudor Sedan, which was the automaker’s most popular model that year.

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Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961 • 1956 Chrysler Imperial

Dwight enjoyed the 1956 Chrysler Imperial luxury sedan that featured the manufacturer’s “forward look” styling, which featured aircraft-inspired tailfins at the rear. Both an Eisenhower and car enthusiast’s favorite, it packed the new HEMI V8 engine and came to be known as “the Detroit car.”

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John F. Kennedy 1961-1963 • 1961 Ford Thunderbird

JFK obviously knew a classic when he saw one in the stylings of the 1961 Ford Thunderbird convertible. That was the first year for the T-Bird’s heavily styled “Bullet Bird.” It was featured prominently in Kennedy’s inaugural parade. Some say this choice was encouraged by then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was a former Ford executive.

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