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This rare video shows a 1972 Imperial limousine from the White House fleet being used by President-Elect and Mrs. Reagan on the morning of January 20, 1981.
This car was one of two 1972 Imperial limos built for the Secret Service by Hess & Eisenhardt. They were fitted with 1973 grills before being delivered.
Both cars were fully armored, but were not intended for Presidential use. They lacked the thin pillars and extra side glass used to make the president more visible in his official cars. They also lacked the retractable roof panels favored at the time by President Nixon.
Instead these cars were workhorses. They transported foreign dignitaries, Cabinet members, staff, and First Families. Because of their mundane role, they were rarely photographed.
This car transported the Reagans to the White House prior to the inauguration. It also transported First Ladies Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan to the Capitol for the swearing in ceremony, and the Reagan family in the Inaugural Parade.
Both Imperial limos were retired from the White House fleet in the 1980s. Unfortunately each of these handsome cars were later destroyed as part of a Secret Service testing program.