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Topic starter
28/04/2018 10:18 am
(pics) Got this in an email which made me ask if this car was ever made???
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was to give his Day of Infamy speech to Congress on Monday, and although the trip from the White House to Capitol Hill was short, agents weren't sure how to transport him safely.
At the time, Federal Law prohibited buying any cars that cost more than $750, so they would have to get clearance from Congress to do that, and nobody had time for that.
One of the Secret Service members, however, discovered that the US Treasury had seized the bulletproof car that mobster Al Capone owned when he was sent to jail in 1931.
They cleaned it, made sure it was running perfectly and had it ready for the President the next day.
Al Capone's 1928 Cadillac V-8 "Al Capone" Town Sedan Became the President's Limo in December 1941.
Mechanics are said to have cleaned and checked each feature of the Caddy well into the night of December 7th , to make sure that it would run properly the next day for the Commander in Chief.
And run properly it did. It had been painted black and green to look identical to Chicago 's police cars at the time.
To top it off, the gangster's 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan had 3,000 pounds of armor and inch-thick bulletproof windows.
It also had a specially installed siren and flashing lights hidden behind the grille, along with a police scanner radio.
"Previous Owner."
Footnote: The car sold at auction in 2012 for $341,000.00
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28/04/2018 10:35 am
I think its all true. I recall an article about it several years ago.
Topic starter
28/04/2018 10:38 am
Has anyone ever made this model in any scale?
28/04/2018 10:39 am
Tom, it's all true. A great story. Not sure, however, if a model of this car exists.
28/04/2018 10:55 am
IXO issued its 1930 Cadillac as an "Al Capone" special, but it was solid black. It was not represented as the same car used by FDR.
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Topic starter
28/04/2018 11:33 am
That would make an excellent remake then by some company????
28/04/2018 12:41 pm
Nice history behind that car but it would look out of place ...
in my collection.
28/04/2018 1:23 pm
Not mine! I already have two FDR cars, (pic) and would welcome a third.
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28/04/2018 1:51 pm
Franklin Mint did a model of it in 1/24. It had a gun port on the side.
Google ?Franklin Mint 1930 Cadillac. They did several versions but only the Capone had the gun port.
28/04/2018 2:48 pm
According to the enclosed link, FDR never used this car.
The Capone Car was in England in 1941. And there are pictures and documentation of FDR travelling to Congress in his regular Cadillac Limousine.
28/04/2018 8:19 pm
Impressive determined research. Very interesting.
29/04/2018 2:32 am
Thanks, Jay. Interesting.