A white 1963 Lincoln Continental used to transport President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Texas governor John Connally from a breakfast and speech at the Hotel Texas ballroom through the streets of Fort Worth to Carswell Air Force Base, where they boarded their short flight to Dallas on the morning of November 22, 1963. This car was loaned out by Bill Golightly, of Golightly Auto Sales in Fort Worth, for use by the president while he was in town. The automobile has been painstakingly restored by Lincoln specialist Baker Restoration of Putnam, Connecticut, with the engine having been replaced and body work and paint done as well. Most of the interior, including the red leather seats, is in its original condition.
After the car was returned to Golightly, it was sold to David Pelham of Dallas in 1964. Pelham in turn sold the car to L. H. Hough, owner of the Museum of American Tragedy, in 1967, “for $10.00 and other valuable consideration,” where it remained until the museum closed in 1998 after Hough’s death; it was then sold at public auction. The car is accompanied by a notarized letter from Golightly stating he owned the car and sold it to Pelham in 1964. Also included is the bill of sale from Pelham to Hough, dated July 20, 1967, as well as other ownership documentation, including a partial 1972 agreement for the Allstate Exhibit Company to display the car for 15 weeks.
Numerous photos from that morning show the Kennedys in this car, Jackie dressed in her pink Chanel suit and pillbox hat, driving through Fort Worth and arriving at the base. Used as an official vehicle to transport the First Couple, this car was given the designation of ‘Limo One,’ and became the last automobile to safely carry Kennedy before his tragic death in Dallas, making it a historically significant and one-of-a-kind piece marking the end of Camelot. RR Auction COA. Additional images may be view or downloaded as a PDF by clicking here (opens in new windows).
