Presidential cars then and now
Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
It’s been well-documented that Democratic candidate for president Barack Obama drives a Ford Escape Hybrid while his opponent, Republican nominee John McCain cruises in a Cadillac CTS sedan. Joe Biden’s been seen in a 1967 Corvette when he’s not on the Amtrak and Sarah Palin trudges through the Alaskan winters in a Chevrolet Suburban. But what about their predecessors? With the help of Hagerty Insurance, an insurance agency specializing in collector vehicles, we took a look at some other noteworthy Commander in Chief vehicles -- as well as the “first cars” of the two presidential candidates. (Emmanuel Dunad, AFP/Getty Images, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors)
Jo Snyder of the Worldwide Auctioneers Group, which sold this car last spring, explains that the M38 A1 was an evolution of the Korean War’s M38 military jeep and the “first manifestation of the round-fender jeep that would ultimately become available to consumers as the CJ-5.” This one was used on Reagan’s
Barack Obama’s first car: Ford Granada
The Illinois Senator and Democratic candidate learned to drive in his grandfather’s Ford Granada, which would have looked like this one. It may not have been his ideal learning tool. He told an Indianapolis radio station that “it may be the worst car that Detroit ever built
This thing was a tin can. “ (Emmanuel Dunand, AFP/Getty Images and Courtesy of Ford Motor Company)
The Republican candidate’s first ride -- similar to the one shown here -- is now a highly coveted collector car, reports Hagerty Insurance. This was the first year for the dual front headlights. Some may say this gave the car a much more aggressive look, but Harlan Charles, Chevrolet Corvette Marketing Manager, thinks the 1958 was a more upscale chrome laden luxury take on the Corvette than the 1957. (Chip Somodevilla/ Getty Images and Courtesy of Kimball Stock)