Presidents spend their working lives in armored limousines, yet their private garages hold some surprisingly ordinary and occasionally eccentric machines. These vehicles were bought, received as gifts or leased for pleasure rather than for ceremony. Here are twelve cars that America’s presidents kept for themselves.
1. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray: Garage Pick
Joe Biden’s personal car is a Corvette Stingray from 1967, a second-generation sports car. The Augusta Press lists it among the personal vehicles presidents have owned, and the pick is a staple of presidential trivia.
Few presidential garages hold a sports car this free of political baggage. The Stingray reads as a hobby purchase, and its low-key history contrasts with the armored limousines that carry the office. A second-generation Corvette is also a genuine collector’s piece, with a reputation that has only grown with age.
2. 1967 Ford Mustang: Ice Blue Mustang
Bill Clinton’s Mustang is a 1967 model in Ice Blue, nicknamed the Slick Willie Edition, and The Augusta Press reports that he has complained he can no longer drive it. That detail captures the odd bargain of the office, since the protection that follows a former president makes a casual weekend spin hard to arrange.
The car itself is a first-generation pony car, a design built for ordinary buyers rather than collectors. Its owner was left admiring it from the sidelines, which makes the Mustang one of the more wistful entries among presidential garages.
3. 1961 Ford Thunderbird: Thunderbird Years
John F. Kennedy kept a personal 1961 Ford Thunderbird, according to The Augusta Press. The 1961 model belongs to the third generation, the sleek Bullet Bird with pointed lines and a long hood.
The car offered a private counterpoint to the formal Lincoln associated with his presidency. A personal Thunderbird said something about taste, since the model sold as a stylish personal coupe rather than a family sedan. Presidents rarely get to choose cars freely, so this one stands out as a choice made by the owner.
4. 1932 Cadillac V-16: Hoover’s Flagship
Herbert Hoover owned a 1932 Cadillac 452-B V-16 Imperial Limousine with Fleetwood coachwork, as listed by The Augusta Press. The V-16 was among the most extravagant cars of the Depression era, with sixteen cylinders sending smooth power through a chassis built for chauffeurs.
Its price put it far beyond most American households in 1932, the year Hoover was seeking a second term amid mass unemployment. That contrast gives the car a pointed place in history. It remains a rare, formal and unmistakably expensive piece of prewar engineering.
5. 1946 Ford Super Deluxe: Never Driven
Ford gave Harry Truman a Super Deluxe Tudor in September 1945, but SlashGear notes that he never actually drove it. The gift arrived only months after he took office, when automakers had just resumed civilian production after the war.
The detail shows the odd status of a presidential car, which can be famous without ever being used. Truman relied on official transport and a security detail, so the Ford served as a gesture from the manufacturer more than a daily driver. It remains a useful reminder that ownership and driving are different things.
6. 1962 Willys Jeep CJ-6: Christmas Gift
Ronald Reagan’s Jeep was a gift from Nancy at Christmas in 1963, and SlashGear identifies it as a 1962 Willys Jeep Universal CJ-6. The vehicle has since been registered as a National Historical Vehicle, an official recognition rarely given to a single ordinary utility vehicle.
The CJ-6 suited the ranch lifestyle Reagan favored, with an open body and rugged mechanicals. Its protected status means the Jeep is preserved as a documented object of the era. A small farm vehicle ended up carrying more historical weight than many far costlier cars.
7. Chrysler 300C: Leased Muscle
Barack Obama leased a 2005 Chrysler 300C before switching to a Ford Escape Hybrid, according to SlashGear. The 300C was a bold rear-drive sedan with a squared grille and an optional Hemi V8, a very different choice from the hybrid that followed.
The change of vehicles fit a public image of practical, modern commuting. The Chrysler reflects an earlier chapter, when a powerful American sedan was an ordinary aspiration. Few presidents have owned a car so closely tied to the pop culture of its decade.
8. Amphicar: Lagoon Blue Surprise
Lyndon Johnson owned an Amphicar, and the National Park Service says his was Lagoon Blue and that he enjoyed surprising unsuspecting guests with rides. The German-built car could drive into a lake and propel itself with twin propellers at the rear.
The surprise worked because guests assumed a car heading for the water was out of control. The Amphicar remains the most playful vehicle on the list, and the NPS account is the primary record of how he used it at the ranch.
9. Lincoln Continental convertible: Ranch Convertible
The National Park Service says Lyndon Johnson was probably most associated with his Lincoln Continental convertibles, driven top down for a drive around the ranch. The fourth-generation Continental, with its slab sides and rear-hinged doors, was a defining American luxury design of the 1960s.
The ranch setting made the convertible a working part of his routine, used for drives around the property rather than parades. The long cabin offered space for passengers. The choice linked the Texas landowner to a car the era regarded as prestigious.
10. 1950 Oldsmobile 98: Rocket Power
Richard Nixon owned a 1950 Oldsmobile 98 with what Motorious calls a 5.0L Rocket V8 engine. The Rocket was Oldsmobile’s pioneering overhead-valve V8, and the 98 was the brand’s top-line model, so the car sat near the upper end of the postwar lineup.
The Oldsmobile reflects a postwar era when ordinary buyers ranked cars by engine technology. It shows a politician who kept a conventional, middle-class car and not a showpiece. The V8 offered smooth power, which gave the sedan a quiet reputation for performance.
11. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren: Supercar Stash
Donald Trump owned a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which Motorious describes as a car with a top speed of 208 mph. The SLR was a joint project of Mercedes and McLaren, with a supercharged V8, a long hood and distinctive upswept exhaust pipes.
It stands as the most exotic car on the list by a wide margin, a purchase that fits a developer’s image. The SLR was built in limited numbers, so ownership signaled a rare connection to European racing technology. No other entry here comes close on speed.
12. Ford F-150 King Ranch: King Ranch Truck
George W. Bush’s Ford F-150 King Ranch sold for $300,000 at a 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction, according to Motorious. The King Ranch trim was Ford’s premium truck package, with two-tone leather and a western theme tied to the Texas ranch that inspired the name.
The sale price vastly exceeded the value of an ordinary used truck, showing how a presidential owner adds a premium to a vehicle. The truck also matched a rancher’s image that suited its owner. It closes the list with the most practical vehicle of all.
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