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Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (during most of WW II)) and again from 1951 to 1955. One of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill was also an British Army officer, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.
At the forefront in public life for nearly half a century, he held many important government positions.
He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured. Upon his death, he was granted the honour of a state funeral, which saw one of the largest assemblies of world statesmen in history. In a 2002 poll, Churchill is widely regarded as being among the most influential people in British history.
He had a penchant for British cars and owned many cars that still command huge premiums during auctions even in the present times.
His 1939 Daimler DB 18 Drophead Coupe, which was also his campaign car was auctioned in May 2013 for a price of $614,487.
He also owned a Rolls Royce that was gifted to a museum
He owned a 1954 Humber Pullman
A Land Rover was gifted to him in 1955. This was fitted with a customised seat on the passenger side to accommodate his portly physique. In October 2012, this Land Rover Series I was auctioned for £129,000 UK pounds (US$ 206,933)
The 1964 Hillman Husky owned by him.To the right of the car is a wax figure of Sir Winston
The last ever private car owned by him, a 1964 Morris Oxford, fetched US $ 77,000 at an auction on 9th March 2013
Below: Some Winston Churchill memorabilia:
His school record of 1883
With Corba Aristotle, the Greek shipping magnate. Jacquiline Kennedy wife of John F. Kennedy married Corba, after her first husband's death.
His residence Chartwell
(pic source google images,flickr)
US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas while on a visit on 23/11/1963 - a black day in World History.The car he was traveling was a 1961 Lincoln Continental Convertible, 4 door and was custom built by Hess & Eisenhardt and was known as the X-100.This car is easily one of the most controversial in the world.
At the time of the assassination, the car was painted dark blue and had a 1962 grille. It was later returned to H and E for extensive modifications, including armor plating, and the custom fitted front bumper cone lights were removed and replaced with simple chrome bumper plugs, and the limo was repainted black at the request of President Johnson, who succeeded the late John F. Kennedy.
The limousine is now at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
(inputs from JFK Lancer)
King Hassan of Morocco's visit
A June 1961 picture of the Presidential car at the White House in Washington D.C.
JFK's motorcade on the move 23/11/1963
Trouble in paradise
Above two pictures- shootout and commotion.Secret Service Agent Hill leaps on the limousine
The cracked windshield in red after the shootout
Car was rushed to Parkland Hospital, Dallas
Car was rushed to Parkland Hospital, Dallas
Car was rushed to Parkland Hospital, Dallas
The RVM bent and cracked windshield after the shootout
The car parked
The car parked at the White House
The car parked with bullet scars and tell tale signs of the gory incident
(pictures source jfklancer)
The Chilean Presidential car is usually from among the Audi Q7's, BMW 5 and 7 series and a Lexus LS 600 h, the last one being President Sebastain Pinera's favorite.
On national days, for official ceremonies viz. May 21, September 18 and 19, however, the 1966 Ford Galaxie XL convertible, with the normal number plate EL 2801 is used.
(wikipedia picture)
This 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan was used by Queen Elizabeth three times during her visit to Canada and was shipped to the U.K. for the Jubilee celebrations of Her Majesty, last summer (2012)
(CBC News picture)
The erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and now the Soviet Union has an interesting history as far as cars used by their Presidents are concerned.
The Bolshevik revolution of 1919, that made Vladimir I. Lenin (1919-1922) the all powerful ruler of the USSR saw the entry of a 1922 Silver Ghost as his car.
His successor was Leon Trotsky (1922-1926)and nothing much is known about his passion for cars except for the fact that the 1922 Rolls Silver Ghost continued to be in use.
Josef Stalin (1926-1953),who loved the giant and luxurious American Packards. In 1933, many Packard Twelves with 12-cylinder engines and Phaeton convertible bodies were purchased by the USSR government. The cars had a 7.7-liter engines with up to 180 horse power. Josef Stalin got one of the cars with a standard 160-h.p. engine for his use.
In 1936, the first four ZIS 101 Soviet limousines were manufactured.Zavod Imeni Stalina is what ZIS stood for.The ZS 101 was the top end car "Made in USSR". The first serial model was presented to Josef Stalin (pictures above). However, the Soviet leader was not impressed by the gift, since his Packard Twelve was more spacious and technically advanced. He later passed it on to his daughter Svetlana.
When Nikita Khrushchev came to power (1953 to 1964), all the armored cars were removed. After the decisive 20th Congress of the Communist Party, during which the dictatorship of Josef Stalin was denounced, ZIS, or Stalin Plant, was renamed as ZIL, after Likhachyov and Nikita Khrushchev started using the new ZIL-111
Leonid Brezhnev (1966-1982) was the only Soviet or Russian leader of the 20th century who loved, understood and appreciated cars. He owned a Citreon DS, a Rolls Silver Shadow, a Cadillac El Dorado, a Lincoln Continental among the many.
As regards the 1973 Nissan President, the Japanese Prime Minister was driven in the first version of this car and the second one was manufactured specifically for Leonid Brezhnev. He once gave U.S. President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger a ride through Moscow’s streets in the Nissan President.
In May, 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon was expected to visit Moscow. Before the visit, the Soviet ambassador in the United States Anatoly Dobrynin confidentially suggested to Richard Nixon that Leonid Brezhnev would be happy to receive a Cadillac Eldorado as a gift. The car was manufactured by special order within three days. On the fourth day the Cadillac for Brezhnev was delivered to Moscow by an American military transport aircraft.
Brezhnev banged his Rolls Silver Shadow, while driving it himself and the museum display shows the car with his wax figure on the driver's seat
Cars of the Russian leader Boris Yeltsin’s (1987-1999) ZIL-117 Presidential limousine was called “the last symbol of the government of the USSR.”
From time to time, Vladimir Putin (2000-2008 and 2012 till the present) drives his rare 1956 GAZ, which is painted in ivory and has an automatic gear box, chromed steel wheels and a leather interior of the same color as the body.
Below a ZIL 114- a symbol of power in Russia
(with inputs and pictures from the wandering scot, flickr, critical past and en.rian.ru)
Mr Ronald Reagan, ( Feb 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004)a Republican, who was the US President from January 21, 1981 till January 20, 1989 , (two terms) hailed from California and was one of the oldest among all Presidents to take over the reins of the US government at age 70.Earlier he was a Hollywood film actor, a politician and also the California Governor (1967-1975).
He soon became one of the most popular and loved Presidents among all, from the 20th century. In our recent memory,there has been no other US President, who could have had a better popularity rating than Mr Reagan.
He was shot at by an eccentric Mr John Hinckley during March 1981 in Washington D.C. but survived the attack.
The later years of his Presidency saw the US becoming the one and only Super Power. Soon by 1990, most of the Eastern Bloc Leftist regimes collapsed one by one.
President Reagan's tenures saw the US confidence levels as a nation and its foreign policy initiatives paying dividends and reaching new heights. It is well known that Reagan’s legacy (no pun intended) has given everything he’s touched collector value.
The pictures here show President Reagan and the cars he used and/or owned:
Stamp of the US President
With a Cadillac La Espada Concept car at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show
At the 1954 Chicago Auto Show
Driving his Jeep CJ Scrambler
His official 1972 Lincoln Continental at the Henry Ford Museum
The 1972 Lincoln
Moving with the crowds in a Cadillac
Assassination attempt
Two more pictures of the shooting incident
1983 Cadillac Fleetwood
The Subaru and the Jeep (privately owned)
Two above pictures of his privately owned Subaru Brat
(pictures from google images, jalopnik,Japanesenostalgiacar.com,thehenryford.org and US President's website)
Marshal Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia was gifted with this 1953 Cadillac El dorado, which is the only car he drove by himself. Many important/famous individuals from that time period were driven by him in this car, most notably Elizabeth Taylor, Sofia Loren, her husband Carlo Ponti, Richard Burton, politicians Nasser, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and more.
The Mercedes 600 Pullman Landaulette among the many Mercs owned by Marshal Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia.
(Source VWVortex.com)
TIME magazine photo from 1975 of President Gerald Ford
Late President Ronald Reagan in his California ranch:
(From the FB page of Ronald Reagan)
Image from Afghanistan December 9, 1959, following President Eisenhower's arrival from Karachi. After a five hour stay in Kabul, he flew on to New Delhi.
(from pinterest.com)
Citreon DS (also called La Desse - the Goddess), was the official car of the then French President Gen Charles De Gaulle. His car was attacked by OAS guerillas (Secret Army Organisation) on 22/08/1962, who objected to the President granting independence to the French colony Algeria. The car was technically much advanced for its times. A total of 140 bullets were fired by the 12 guerillas. Its self levelling, hydropneumatic suspension helped. All its four tyres that were flattened during the firing, ducked the attack, with the suspension and the car sped to the airport.The President was saved, but two motorcycle riders in his motorcade were shot dead.
As a thanksgiving gesture, President De Gaulle saved Citreon from a full buy out in 1969. So loyal was he to the marque. In 1969, De Gaulle–knowing that he owed his life to a Citroen, attempted to prevent the outright sale of France’s premier auto manufacturer (owned by the Michelin family of tyre fame) to the Italian automaker Fiat, by limiting the stake Fiat could buy to 15 percent. In 1975, to avert potential bankruptcy, the French government funded Citroen’s sale to a group that included its French rival, Peugeot, the result was PSA Peugeot Citroen SA, formed in 1976.
A rare picture of the late President John F. Kennedy at the wheel.
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