Huge JFK auction includes two classic Lincolns

Wed, 09 Oct 2013

Want to own a piece of American history? Perhaps you should consider 35th President John F. Kennedy's limousine, a stretched 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.

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.

Lincoln Continental used to transport Kennedys to their final flight to Dallas up at auction

- Largest JFK-themed auction of the year -

AMHERST, NH – The Lincoln Continental used to transport the Kennedy's to their final flight from Fort Worth to Dallas, will be featured during a live auction event from RR Auction, a New Hampshire based auction house, later this month.

The 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.

The 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.

Also featured in the JFK themed auction, will be a black 1960 Lincoln Continental limousine from the Kennedy White House motor pool.

Originally built by Hugh, this four-door bulletproof limo features a divider window, passenger air controls, power steering and brakes, and a very uncommon two-way telephone in the back seat. Much of the body has been restored, to the tune of approximately $35,000, however, the interior remains in its original condition, with beige leather seats, matching carpeting, and the aforementioned telephone.

Among the other 290 Museum quality pieces in this auction:

- Kennedy's personalized used, beautifully engraved 1960's Rosary, gifted to his long-time best friend and assistant David Powers.

- A pair of emblem-adorned rotary phones from the presidential suite at the Hotel Texas- which Kennedy used to make his Final Call. John and Jacqueline Kennedy Photograph Dining in Fort Worth.

- Historic early 1960s GE video broadcast camera, originally owned by KTVT Channel 11 Television news in Fort Worth, Texas, which recorded Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of the Dallas Police Station on November 24, 1963.

- The controversial and extremely historically important Sixth Floor window, of the Texas Book Depository.

- Oswald's Wedding band, left at his wife's bedside the morning of the assassination.

- Official USMC raincoat issued to Oswald, stenciled with his name.

- Lee Harvey Oswald's US Marine Corps Rifle Score Book.

Camelot: Fifty Years after Dallas, from RR auction will be the most extensive JFK auction of the year, expertly weaving together the tale of one of our nation's greatest presidents, fifty years after his tragic assassination in Dallas.

A live auction sale is set to take place on October 24, 2013, in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information please visit the RR Auction web site (www.rrauction.com).

By Damon Lowney