Yahoo Autos This Chrysler Imperial Limousine Could Be the Most Beautiful Presidential Limousine in History
Heads of state and political figureheads get around in some pretty epic rides these days. President Trump's newest limo, a.k.a. the Beast, is essentially a ground-bound Air Force One with newfound style. Not to be outdone, Russian president Vladimir Putin has a slick new sled, too, known as the Boss. Queen Elizabeth II got a sweet Range Rover landaulet a few years back, and Pope Francis rides around in an open-topped Hyundai Santa Fe that's, well, damn epic as far as Hyundais go. But of all the current and past automobiles designed specifically for the carriage of the very most important VIPs in the land, there may be none as beautiful as the three purpose-built Imperial Parade Phaetons that Chrysler built in 1952. One was sent to New York City, one to Los Angeles, and one to Detroit, from where it was made available to the White House and the President of the United States from that year until it was sold to private owners in 1970.
While each president had multiple limousines, the Parade Phaetons were unique in that they featured dual-cowl, roofless and windowless designs. And particularly once Chrysler rebodied all three cars in 1955 with the 1956 Imperial's bold Forward Look styling, these extremely long, low, and, dare we say, sexy limousines with their rear-hinged "suicide" rear doors with no exterior handles, deep wire wheels, and giant whitewall tires had the countenance required of a car that, given its likely inhabitants, represented the de facto climax of any parade. No wonder both Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon are said to have used these cars often during their years in the White House.
Since the White House had Chrysler keep its Parade Phaeton in Detroit, opting to have it shipped to various locations as needed, it became known as "the Detroit car." Following its sale in 1970, the lavish Imperial found its way, fittingly, into the Imperial Palace Hotel's famous car collection in Las Vegas. In 2001, Robert Petersen purchased it for display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, where it remains today. As for the other two Parade Phaetons, they are said to still be in the possession of the cities of New York City and Los Angeles.
Incidentally, the Petersen is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2019, and as part of the ongoing festivities, the Petersen made this gorgeous white-over-red Parade Phaeton the star of an eight-car parade through West Los Angeles and Hollywood on Presidents' Day that also featured notable cars from show business. Other vehicles in the parade were Speed Racer's Mach 5 race car, Green Hornet's Black Beauty Imperial, the DeLorean Time Machine from Back to the Future, the groovy Volkswagen Beetle convertible from the Austin Powers film The Spy Who Shagged Me, and the green 2002 Jaguar XKR stunt car from the James Bond movie Die Another Day. Famous company indeed, though arguably none were so distinguished and politically significant as this roofless historical artifact.
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