Friday 1st December 1939

The ‘Sunshine Special’, a highly modified Lincoln used by United States Presidents Franklin D Roosevelt and Harry S Truman, was leased to the government by the Ford Motor Company. It was a 1939 twelve-cylinder engine, four-door convertible originally built by Lincoln and was specifically modified for the President by a speciality coach builder, Brunn & Company, Inc. in Buffalo, New York, at a cost of $4,950 (the original cost of the car was $8,348.74). Initially called “Old 99,” in reference to a number on its first license plate, it was later nicknamed the “Sunshine Special” (the exact origin of the nickname is unknown, but it was most likely first used in a photo caption) [3] as a reference to its retractable roof, and was famously enjoyed by the president, who had its roof brought down during public gatherings. At other times, the car was used as traditional presidential transportation. This was in spite of a previous assassination attempt against Roosevelt as he was riding in a Buick convertible, prior to the creation of the Sunshine Special.