Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Huge JFK Auction Includes Two Classic Lincolns

A huge auction held by RR Auctions features many items related to president John F. Kennedy, including two Lincoln Continentals.
1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride1963 Lincoln Continental: President John F. Kennedy's Final Ride
Want to own a piece of American history? Perhaps you should consider 35th President John F. Kennedy's limousine, a 1960 Lincoln Continental, or the last car he safely rode in before his assassination, a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible. Both of them will be up for sale at the Camelot: Fifty Years after Dallas auction on October 24, a JFK 50th anniversary auction in Boston.



Click Here for pictures of the 1960 Lincoln Continental.

The black 1960 Continental was part of the presidential motorcade and is bulletproof. The body has been restored to the tune of about $35,000, according to RR Auctions, but the interior was left alone. That's okay, because the winning bidder will be able to enjoy lounging in the well-preserved seats and stepping on the original tan carpeting, just as President Kennedy did. The next owner can even play President, with a divider window, passenger air controls and a two-way telephone - if a chauffeur is hired, of course. The starting bid for the Continental is $25,000.

The other car is more historically relevant (but in this writer's eye, less beautiful), and commands a starting bid of $50,000. The white, convertible 1963 Continental was the last car President Kennedy rode in before his assassination in Dallas - with a notarized document by the car's owner at the time as proof. It was used to transport the President, his wife, Jacqeuline, and Texas governor John Connally "from a breakfast and speech at the Texas Hotel ballroom through the streets of Fort Worth to Carswell Air Force Base, where they boarded a short flight to Dallas on the morning of November 22, 1963," according to RR Auctions. Lincoln specialist Baker Restoration in Connecticut restored the car, which included an engine replacement, body work and paint. Most of the interior, including the seats, are in original condition.

The two cars are for sale amongst 290 other JFK-related items, such as the controversial sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository through which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy. Oswald's wedding band is also up for auction, as is his United States Marine Corps raincoat, stenciled with his name. Read more about the auction, including other items up for auction, in the press release below.

UPDATE: A previous version of this post incorrectly referred to the 1960 Lincoln Continental as a stretch – the text has been corrected.

Source: RR Auction