During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 12 years as U.S. president, cars became excess of just transportation on the White House. They served as symbols of visibility, security, and presidential authority. Despite polio leaving Roosevelt with no use of his legs, he was an enthusiastic motorist and refused to maneuver away from the wheel. Quite a lot of his personal cars were due to this fact equipped with custom hand controls, which let him benefit from the freedom of driving.
During FDR’s time within the White House, the presidential fleet of cars expanded significantly, which is not any great surprise, given the impressive growth of the automotive industry around this time. Nevertheless, not all were for his personal pleasure. Tensions were heating up on the worldwide stage, so the query of protection while out and about became ever more essential.
The importance of armored protection became clear following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and here a very fascinating chapter of automotive history is recorded — or not. Supposedly, after the attack, Roosevelt was transported in none apart from a confiscated limousine once belonging to the infamous gangster Al Capone, seized by the Treasury Department years earlier. While Roosevelt had a lot of his own cars, Capone’s limo was partially armored, and was said to have stepped into service at a moment when Roosevelt’s own “Sunshine Special” was being modified with enhanced protection.
Some have forged their doubts over this story, but whether true or not, it still highlights an interesting time in history. And the start of armored presidential cars marks the primary stepping stone toward cars resembling the presidential “Beast” limo produced a few years later.
Is there any truth to the Capone connection?
The Capone story connects him with Roosevelt in a bizarre way. The gangster’s automobile of selection was a 1928 Cadillac that housed a 341-cubic-inch V8. In keeping with Secret Service Agent Michael F. Reilly, per the White House Historical Association, Roosevelt relied on a vehicle with a “dubious status” for his dramatic trip the day after Pearl Harbor from the White House to the Capitol, where he asked Congress to declare war. Reilly’s account is where the rumor first appeared, implying that Roosevelt’s automobile was Capone’s ’28 Caddy. The vehicle had been held by the Treasury Department after the gangster’s 1931 conviction for tax evasion.
It is simple to see why the story gained traction, since Capone’s automobile featured all the pieces Roosevelt required. It was equipped with bulletproof glass, had loads of space inside, and hey, it was readily available. The story also matches neatly into the urgency of the moment, when the Secret Service suddenly realized Roosevelt needed a better level of protection when on the road.
Nevertheless, photographs from December 8, 1941, tell us a special story. These show Roosevelt riding in a semi-armored 1938 Cadillac — a automobile that had long been within the White House’s arsenal. Unlike Capone’s Caddy, these beasts were V16-powered, and are one in all only a few production cars offered with a V16 engine, sitting alongside creations resembling the one that can use Bugatti’s Twenty first-century V16. Weighing about 8,000 kilos and equipped with protective glass, Roosevelt had two of the 1938 cars at his disposal, nicknamed “Queen Mary” and “Queen Elizabeth.” Whether the president ever used Capone’s Cadillac is now unknown, although most agree it’s unlikely.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
