Texas-born Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, was elevated from the vice presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It’s probably not easy to be president, and it’s probably even harder to live up to the legacy of one of the most popular presidents in American history. When he wasn’t running the country, for better or worse, he loved his cars.
There were ups and downs to LBJ’s five years as president, as he was instrumental in developing social programs like Medicaid and Medicare, but he was also Commander In Chief during his inherited shitstorm that was the Vietnam War. Serving from 1963 to 1969, the country was a roiling pot of civil unrest over a variety of issues, including women’s liberation, civil rights, and of course the war in Vietnam.
He was a great man for pushing through the Civil Rights Act, expanding NASA’s moon landing efforts, bolstered public education, and launching a war on poverty. But he was also responsible for expanding the death toll in Vietnam, raising taxes to cover the expensive war. And he was responsible for the Chicken Tax. But I digress, there are plenty of other places more adept at valuing Johnson’s political legacy.
When Johnson wasn’t at the White House, he would spend his free days at his ranch in Stonewall, Texas. One of his favorite activities there was playing pranks on unsuspecting guests in his Amphicar. Here’s the story from then-Special Assistant to the President, Joseph A. Califano, Jr.:
The President, with Vicky McCammon in the seat alongside him and me in the back, was now driving around in a small blue car with the top down. We reached a steep incline at the edge of the lake and the car started rolling rapidly toward the water. The President shouted, ‘The brakes don’t work! The brakes won’t hold! We’re going in! We’re going under!’ The car splashed into the water. I started to get out. Just then the car leveled and I realized we were in a Amphicar. The President laughed. As we putted along the lake then (and throughout the evening), he teased me. ‘Vicky, did you see what Joe did? He didn’t give a damn about his President. He just wanted to save his own skin and get out of the car.’ Then he’d roar.
In addition to the German boat/car, Johnson kept a fleet of Lincolns, many of them convertibles. Here’s Califano again:
In the early afternoon, the President, with me next to him in the front seat, took his white Lincoln convertible, top down, for a drive around the ranch. It was incredibly hot; the dust clouds made it hard to breathe. But there was relief. As we drove around we were followed by a car and a station wagon with Secret Service agents. The President drank Cutty Sark scotch and soda out of a large white plastic foam cup. Periodically, Johnson would slow down and hold his left arm outside the car, shaking the cup and ice. A Secret Service agent would run up to the car, take the cup and go back to the station wagon. There another agent would refill it with ice, scotch, and soda as the first agent trotted behind the wagon. Then the first agent would run the refilled cup up to LBJ’s outstretched and waiting hand, as the President’s car moved slowly along.
Look, if you’re going to have a big private ranch, a fleet of Lincoln convertibles, and a crew of government employees who will do anything you say, you’re really doing yourself a disservice by not drinking Cutty Sark and soda out of a plastic cup on a hot Texas afternoon while driving around at walking pace.
Johnson also kept an old American La France fire engine at his ranch, just in case anything got to burning. The truck, built in 1915, was as big and hefty as they come, pushed around on its wood wheels by a 105-horsepower inline six. The pump truck was capable of delivering 1,000 gallons of water per minute. According to the National Parks Service, Johnson loved to climb up on the truck and ring the bell.
“He particularly enjoyed his many vehicles; his presidential toys. Inspecting his ranch in one of his cherished Lincolns; the practical jokes on unsuspecting guests with his Amphicar; hitching up a couple of donkeys to his little wagon and making children smile; ringing the fire bell; yes, these were the types of simple pleasures that re-energized our 36th president. Oh, how he loved his vehicles!,” writes NPS.
My personal favorite of Johnson’s collection was the Fiat 500 Jolly built by Ghia (top). The car was a gift to the president from the Fiat company, and he used the rare beach-comber to putter around his ranch, grandkids in tow. Just 650 examples of the diminutive Fiat were built. It’s a pretty cool machine. Apparently following his run as president, LBJ set about restoring the little Fiat to its original shape, but he eventually gave up when he couldn’t find the parts to fix it. We’ve all been there, right?