"All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'"
- President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's remarks in the Rudolph Wilde Platz, West Berlin, June 26th, 1963
Dubbed X-100 by the US Secret Service, the Presidential Parade Vehicle began life as a stock 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible. Ford Motor Company and Hess & Eisenhardt, custom automobile builders of Cincinnati, Ohio, worked together to create the most modern open parade limousine of its day. Originally painted midnight blue, the X-100 was packed with numerous special features including two-radio telephones, auxiliary jump seats for extra passengers, interior floodlights to illuminate the president at night, and retractable steps for Secret Service agents. A hydraulically operated rear seat could be raised nearly eleven inches to give crowds a better look at the president and his guests. The most notable feature was a series of removable steel and transparent plastic roof panels that could be installed in various combinations from an enclosed hardtop to a totally open car. Oddly, the X-100 carried no armor or weapons because the purpose of the car was to make the president more visible, not to provide protection. That philosophy changed completely after November 22nd, 1963.
While it was best known for JFK's trip to Dallas, Texas on November 22nd, 1963, it was also used to convey the President through the streets of West Berlin during his historic trip to the Berlin Wall. The Minichamps replica comes with seven figures; JFK, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, Mayor Willy Brandt, and four Secret Service agents. Comes packaged in a handsome acrylic display case. Sold Out!
Dimensions:
Length: 6 inches
Width: 1-1/2 inches
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Historical Account: "Ich bin ein Berliner" - At the height of his political career, in the summer of 1963, American President John F. Kennedy visited the Federal Republic of Germany where he was welcomed by the german citizens with cordial and spontaneous affection. The highlight of his journey was a visit to West-Berlin. The city's inhabitants, considering him the guarantor of their freedom, greeted him with effusive exultation. Together with the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Berlin's governing mayor Willy Brandt, Kennedy went to the Schoeneberg town hall where he made his famous speech in which he reassured the Germans of America's commitment to defend Berlin during the Cold War. |
Under the thunderous applause of tens of thousands people, his speech ended with the legendary sentence: "Ich bin ein Berliner (I am a citizen of Berlin)." |
