The Complete History of Presidential Rides

The President is our head of state—our numero uno representative to the world—as such, when he needs to show up somewhere, he needs to be able to do it with a bit of style. That's where things like Ulysses S. Grant's "Butcher Boy" and Air Force One come in; getting the commander-in-chief to where he needs to be in a way that befits the office.

We've rounded up all of the cars, the planes, the yachts, the helicopters, and even some of the more notable horses to celebrate our freedom to elect our own executive, rather than some dude being born into it or placed in the position by a junta. For just a moment, let's all stop bickering about politics and celebrate today with some nice rides.

President: George Washinton

Washington's favorite warhorses, Blueskin and Nelson, both served in the revolution. Nelson was perhaps best liked in battle, as he "stood under fire better" than Blueskin. Magnolia, on the other hand, was a prized Arabian race horse that, by all accounts, the man babied a bit. It did work, though, as Magnolia was known to be one of the fastest horses in America.

President: John Adams

While Washington may have been the bigger horse lover (not like that... you pervert), John Adams holds the distinction of having founded the official White House stables, largely to give his prized horse, Cleopatra, a good home.

President: Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, the only American president to have garnered a nickname by frequently beating people with a walking stick, had two favorite horses. The first, Sam Patches, was the warhorse upon which he led troops during the War of 1812 and in the Seminole War.

Jackson's other notable horse was Truxton, a race horse. Jackson had bet a lot of money on Truxton just before he was defeated by another horse by the name of Greyhound. Not being one to take much of anything in stride, he bought Truxton, and spent a few hours every day training him so that he could have his vengeance. There was a massive turn-out for the rematch, and people were literally betting the shirt off of their backs; Jackson collected $1,500 in men's clothing that day.

President: John Tyler

Tyler might be one of the presidents that everybody forgets, but he made sure his horse, The General, would be remembered. After serving in the Civil War on the Confederate side The General returned to Tyler, and the two became ill. The horse died shortly before the former president, who wrote the following for his grave-stone at the Sherwood Forest plantation while crying and watching the burial:

Here lie the bones of my old horse, "General,"
Who served his master faithfully for twenty-one years,
And never made a blunder.
Would that his master could say the same!

President: Zachary Taylor

Taylor rode Old Whitey during the Mexican-American War before the two returned to the White House. While Whitey's accommodations in the presidential stables we very good, visitors took to the habit of plucking a hair from his tail as a souvenir of their visits to the President's home.

President: Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's horse went by a number of different names, including "Old Bob," "Old Robin," "Bob," and "Robin," but he is most frequently referred to as "Old Bob."

Old Bob was not in good enough health for the move to Washington D.C. when Lincoln took the presidency, so he was replaced with a horse ironically named "Old Abe."

President: Ulysses S. Grant

During the Civil War, Grant rode a large horse by the name of Jeff Davis and another called Cincinnatus that was given to him by an admirer after the Battle of Chattanooga. He didn't let anyone other than President Lincoln ride Cincinnatus once it was in his possession. He also rescued a horse that had been abandoned by the confederates on the battlefield, after recognizing that he was a thoroughbred and named him "Kangaroo." Kangaroo was severely underweight when Grant took him in, but was quickly rehabilitated.

During his presidency, he was twice overtaken in one day by a horse that was pulling a butcher's delivery cart. Try as he might on a horse about which we know nothing, he could not catch this delivery horse. The next day, he found the butcher's shop and bought the horse, which he named "Butcher Boy."

Grant also owned a few race horses, the most famous of which were Julia and Nellie.

President: James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Gover Cleveland, Banjamin Harrison

Not only was the Despatch the first presidential yacht, but it was also the vessel that President Cleveland took to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Sadly, she was wrecked on Assateague Island during a gale.

President: Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Dolphin spent decades transitioning back and forth from presidential yacht and a warship.

President: William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson

The USS Slyph was, befitting its name, a smaller and more agile watercraft than its two predecessors. As such, the presidents who used her often did so for leisure and entertaining visiting dignitaries.

President: Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt was, without a doubt, our most badass president. He delivered speeches while afflicted with open gunshot wounds; he led a group of soldiers known as the "Rough Riders;" and he hunted everything that moved. He was basically an American version of Saxton Hale.

While leading the Rough Riders he rode a horse by the name of "Little Texas," but during his presidency his favorite mount was a beast named "Bliestein."

President: William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt

McKinley never owned a car, but we're including him in this because he was the first President to ever ride in a car. That car was a Stanley Steamer. Roosevelt was the first president to own a car, also a Stanley Steamer. Of course Roosevelt owned a steam car. Leno once quipped that steam cars are the only vehicles in which one "can get scalded and burned at the same time," sounds like something Roosevelt would like.

President: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow WIlson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover

Before the Mayflower was used by the executive branch for hosting events and dignitaries, it was a warship. Admiral Sampson's flagship, no less. Ironically, much of the negotiations that won Teddy Roosevelt his Nobel Peace Prize happened aboard the Mayflower.

President: William Howard Taft

Taft was the president who saw the world was going mechanical, and understandably converted the White House stables into a garage for the cars that congress had granted him. The first official car of state was a White Motor Company Model M Steamer, also the last steam car to be in service as a presidential vehicle.

President: William Howard Taft

One of the first cars ever purchased by the government for the office of the president was this little electric POS. Even the highest office in the country hadn't quite figured things out yet.

President: William Howard Taft

Taft promptly realized that steam cars were rather daft, and that Pierce-Arrow's hood ornaments were awesome, so he bought two Pierce-Arrow Model M Tourers.

President: Woodrow Wilson

Cadillac has a long history of providing state cars for the executive branch, and it all started with this majestic Cadillac Series 53. During the First World War, Cadillac was still producing a number of vehicles, but the custom work department was dedicated to the war effort, and so Wilson's Caddy was a factory spec car unlike most of the ones that have been used by presidents in the years since.

President: Warren G. Harding

Packard really proved itself as a company by offering the Twin-Six, which outdid arch rival Cadillac by offering a V12 engine when the competition's largest and smoothest engine was a V8. Harding liked it, and became the first president to arrive at his inauguration by car.

President: Calvin Coolidge

When Coolidge was takes with picking a presidential vehicle, he also looked to Cadillac. His '28 Town Sedan is still in pristine shape today.

President: Herbert Hoover through George H. W. Bush

The Sequoia has been the setting for a lot of important moments in American history. For example: Herbert Hoover ignoring prohibition and pouring himself a drink; Kennedy holding his strategy meetings regarding the Cuban missile crises; and Reagan getting all of the state governors together on the gang plank. It is probable that the Sequioa knows most of our nation's secrets. Rumor has it that FDR and Eisenhower even planned strategy for WWII on the Sequoia.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Once Al Capone was busted for tax evasion, and dying of syphilis in Alcatraz, he had little use for his armored 1928 Cadillac V8 Town Sedan. Naturally, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was put to government service protecting the president.

President: Herbert Hoover

There's something seriously screwed up about buying a massive V16-powered Cadillac during the great depression, but Hoover did it anyway. He also took it with him when he left office.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

Named for the massive ocean-liners of the day—due to their size—these 21.5 foot long 1938 Cadillacs were armored and armed to protect the commander-in-chief from potential assassination attempts by Axis enemies. These vehicles replaced Al Capone's confiscated armored car.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt

This 1939 Lincoln V12, known as the "Sunshine Special," was the first car custom made for a president. A huge convertible, it was designed to show off the president, rather than protect him like the Cadillac Queens or Capone's car.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan

While many sitting presidents have ridden on trains, this particular armored rail car is the only one to have ever been White House owned and operated. It was in service from 1943 to 1958, and was briefly brought out of retirement for Reagan's re-election campaign.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Roosevelt was not just the first president to have an aircraft procured for the executive branch, but he was also the first sitting president to fly. The first plane ever made for the office of the president was this Douglas Dolphin Amphibian, although it is unclear if Roosevelt ever actually used it.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Roosevelt only ever took one ride on the Dixie Clipper, but it certainly was an important one: He went to the Casablanca Conference during the Second World War. While today's designs are certainly more practical, there's something awesome about the flying boat that can't be denied.

President: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman

Yup, the commander-in-chief once rode around in an aircraft that was known as the "Sacred Cow," because the term "Air Force One" hadn't come into existence yet. After Roosevelt's death, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 aboard the Sacred Cow and officially created the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the military.

President: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

This pair of custom made Lincolns served as the primary modes of transport for the President until the election of Kennedy. One of the two was later equipped with a "bubble-top" to protect the president from the elements without obscuring him from view. It did, however, have the unfortunate side effect of making the president sweat like a pig.

President: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

While Truman entertained a number of dignitaries aboard the Williamsburg, Eisenhower only ever boarded the ship once before decommissioning her.

President: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon

This yacht is the only presidential yacht to have been built as a pleasure cruiser; all of the others were decommissioned warships and patrol vessels. As a result of it not having an official name from the Navy or Coast Guard and USS status, all of the presidents who used it gave it a different name.

President: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

Truman finally got the formula right for the style of his plane. It was called "Independence" and it had a bald eagle painted on the nose. None of this "Sacred Cow" crap.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower, a professed car enthusiast, chose to ride to his inauguration in a Cadillac Eldorado drop-top. We think Eisenhower had a damn good idea of how to celebrate.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

This '55 Cadillac was originally made for the first lady, and was later modified to show off a standing president during select parades.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower liked to occasionally tool around in a 1914 electric car that belonged to his parents. How odd.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy

Mamie Eisenhower named these two planes "Columbine II" and "Columbine III" after the state flower of Colorado. Ann incident involving one of these planes prompted the creation of the "Air Force One" call sign. Eastern Airlines 8610 and Air Force 8610 were scheduled to land at the same airport at the same time, and the confusion almost ended in both planes attempting to use the same runway at the same time.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower also purchased two Aero Commanders, the smallest planes ever used by the president (exclusively for short flights into smaller airports).

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower was the first president to have a helicopter ("Marine One") in the presidential fleet. The Bell Sioux, however, was not very well loved and was quickly replaced.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

When Eisenhower purchased the Sikorsky H-34, the Marine Corps began thinking more about setting real presidential helicopter protocols in place, and designated the White House's South lawn as the landing zone for Marine One.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower, were he born in 1988, would have been a fan of Complex Rides. He liked cars, planes, boats, helicopters, and whatever other cool vehicles he could get his hands on. He's the only president to have procured so many—nine—aircraft for personal and official use.

President: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford

When it came time to replace Eisenhower's Sikorsky, Kennedy decided to go with another, much more modern, Sikorsky, the VH-3A. This chopper ended up being kept for a long time, and serving four presidents.

President: John F. Kennedy

The US Coast Guard Cutter Manitou was briefly an official presidential yacht, Kennedy the only president to have used it. eventually the vessel was sold to a seamanship school in 1968.

President: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon

This is easily the most infamous car in presidential history. It's that car JFK was riding in one day in Dallas, TX at 12:30 on the 22nd of November, 1963. You know the rest.

After Kennedy's assassination, the car was retrofitted with a hard roof, titanium armor, bullet-resistant glass, and solid aluminum rims that ran inside the tires in case of a flat. It was painted black, rather than blue, when it passed to Johnson.

President: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan

Reagan was about to enter this particular armored Lincoln when the attempt on his life was made on March 30, 1981. Ironically, the gunman missed the president entirely, but the bullet bounced off of the car's armor and struck its intended target.

President: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon

JFK was the president during a technical revolution in aerospace. As such, he was the first president to order a seriously fast jet for getting around the country. The modified Boeing 707, designated C-137 Stratoliner, was originally going to be painted in red and gold, but the Kennedys though it looked too regal, and created a livery more fitting of a public servant.

After Kennedy's death, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office aboard the Stratoliner.

President: Lyndon B. Johnson

While Kennedy's Lincoln SS-100-X was being changed from a convertible into an armored car, in a manner both fitting and sadly ironic, Johnson needed a way to get around. As such, he ordered 3 '65 Lincolns.

President: Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ had eclectic taste in automobiles, and while throughout his life he owned many unusual cars, while he was in office he owned an Amphicar, one of the earliest production amphibious cars.

President: Richard Nixon

In '72, Nixon thought that the earlier Lincolns were beginning to look a bit more dated, so they were replaced with a pair of black '72 Chrysler Imperial LeBarons that were armored and stretched to fit the secret service's standards.

President: Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon.

Towards the end of his presidency, Johnson ordered an armored and stretched Lincoln limousine and began the trend of the presidential car always coming directly from the factory all but ready for battle.

President: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Regan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush

Kennedy's Boeing was starting to show its age, so Nixon replaced it in 1972 with a newer 707 that bore the call-sign, when not carrying the president, SAM-27000. After Nixon's resignation, Col. Ralph Albertazzie, the pilot, famously said to Kansas City Air Traffic Control "Kansas City, this was Air Force One. Will you change our callsign to SAM-27000?" as the man on board was no longer the President.

Although newer planes were purchased in 1990, SAM-27000 stayed active as a back-up until 2001, when it took George W. Bush to Waco, TX.

President: Jimmy Carter

Carter's '76 Cadillac was, when compared to other presidential rides, not terribly memorable...much like his presidency.

President: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Regan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama

Carter began to phase out the older choppers with the addition of the Sikorsky VH-3D, which is still in service today.

President: Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush

By the time Reagan took office, the formula for the head of state's car had become very defined, and much less ostentatious. It was a black Cadillac or Lincoln that was armored like a battle tank. At least Reagan's Fleetwood Brougham has a bit of style to it, even if it was boxy, '80s style.

President: Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama

In addition to the VH-3Ds that are still in service, the 800 members of the marine corps that maintain and operate Marine One also use Sikorsky VH-60Ns when the situation calls for it.

President: George H. W. Bush

Bush Sr. was the first president to order a Lincoln since Nixon, and he picked a seriously upgraded version of the same Town Car that will take you to the airport for $22.50.

President: George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama

The Boeing 747-based VC-25s, call-signs SAM-28000 and SAM-29000, that Bush Sr. purchased are the current main-stay of the presidential fleet. This is the jet that Bush Jr. boarded after being informed of the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11th.

Due to operational costs, the Air Force is currently looking into replacing the two VC-25s. Look to see either modified Boeing 747-8s or modified Airbus 380s carrying the commander-in-chief in the future.

President: Bill Clinton

After Bush's stint with Lincoln, the white house once again purchased a Cadillac to transport the president. Clinton's Cadillac was, sadly, from some of the company's most boring years when it came to design.

President: Bill Clinton

Clinton holds the world record for longest distance any recent sitting president has driven his own car: 250 feet. He did so at the Mustang's 30th anniversary festival.

President: George W. Bush

Bush Jr. took delivery, upon taking office, of a modified Cadillac DeVille that, unlike Bush, only served one term.

President: George W. Bush

In 2005, the Cadillac DeVille became the Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan). The leader of the country sure as hell couldn't be seen in an outdated ride, so he got a new one.

President: Barack Obama

When Obama took office Cadillac unveiled the most technologically impressive official vehicle of the president ever made. The Beast, as code-named by the secret service, has everything from armor plating that can resist RPG attacks to a blood bank with the president's blood type and an advanced night vision system. It's probably one of the safest places in the country.

President: Barack Obama

Obama's imposing, armored, tour bus is known to the secret service as "Ground Force One." It is one of three buses that were custom made to presidential specifications and are, as part of the government fleet vehicles, sometimes used to transport visiting dignitaries. For this reason, they do not bear a presidential crest, but are painted totally black.