This Presidential Parade Vehicle was part of a fleet of nineteen specially built 1949 and 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitans that were leased to the U.S. government by Ford Motor Company shortly after President Harry Truman won re-election in 1948. Since Lincoln did not offer a limousine after World War II, the Cosmopolitan was modified to accommodate seven passengers by extending the wheelbase from 125 inches to 148 inches. This open-top version, originally designated 'USSS' (for United States Secret Service) was the first seven-passenger convertible with a power operated top. Painted black, the USSS featured deluxe leather interior, an intercom system between the passenger and driver's compartments, steps on the rear bumper for Secret Service agents, and a 336.7-cubic-inch 152 hp V-8 engine with an automatic transmission. The car weighed 6,450 pounds compared to 4,750 pounds for standard convertibles.
In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower rode in this car to his inauguration. In 1954, Eisenhower requested that a clear plexiglass top be created to cover the passenger compartment. This car soon became known as the 'Bubble Top.' Although the public could now see him even in bad weather, neither the plastic top nor the body of the car were bullet-proof. The idea of protecting a President from assassins while he rode in a car was not a top priority in the 1950s. When not in use, the various pieces of the bubble top completely filled the car's trunk, forcing the spare tire to be stored in a continental kit on the rear bumper. President John F. Kennedy rode in the Bubble Top to his inauguration in 1961, and the car remained in service until being retired in 1967.
YatMing Road Signature Diecast No. 24058
