Features that had never previously been seen on a Presidential car were plentiful on this new model. Among the most notable were a series of roof combinations that could offer the President anything from seclusion to an open air convertible. The President could also avail himself to the crowd's gaze during inclement weather by using the bubbletop, which was a six-piece transparent roof that covered the entire car. Since the emphasis was more on visibility than protection, the roof panels were not bulletproof, nor was any other part of the car armored in any way. Special hydraulic side steps could be swung out from the undercarriage of the car for the Secret Service to ride, but since they could be lethal to close standing spectators, they were rarely used. The car also had a special rear bumper which featured two fixed steps mounted on either side of a large Continental tire assembly. Fixed hand-holds for agents riding on these steps were mounted on the decklid. The car itself could seat seven passengers; including a chauffeur and an agent in the front seat, two persons on folding jump seats, and three more persons on the rear seat. The rear seat, incidentally, had the capability of being raised 10-1/2 inches in order that the crowds could have a better view of the seated occupants. The limousine was finished in a special dark metallic blue, which was a departure from the standard black that was part of every previous Presidential car. The interior was upholstered in top grain dark and light blue leather, and originally a plush mouton carpet covered the rear passenger compartment. When completed, the new Presidential parade car was a beautiful creation. The classic lines of the 1961 Lincoln were enhanced by the added length of the car. The rear Continental kit and special bumper gave the vehicle a unique rear profile. Fully completed and equipped, the limousine was delivered to the White House on June 14, 1961.

The "Presidential Continental" as the stylists had called it, was quickly named SS-100-X or more commonly, "X-100" by the Secret Service. The car was to see extensive travel during the next two years as it was often flown with JFK to foreign cities, and even to U.S. locations when plans called for a motorcade. During this time, the car was returned to Hess and Eisenhardt several times for in-service modifications. One such modification trip was in late 1961 when the car was outfitted with a 1962 model front grille to replace the original 1961 unit. Many people became confused as to the year of the car when they noticed the '62 grille in 1962 and 1963 photographs.

President Kennedy disliked obvious protection from the Secret Service and often requested the agents not to ride on the rear bumper of the X-100, but remain on the follow-up car instead. Such was the case when the X-100 carried the President through the streets of downtown Dallas. Tragedy struck quickly, and the Kennedy era came to an end. The X-100 was suddenly an infamous automobile as it became part of one of the most shocking events of modern time. Following the assassination, a panel of experts from various government agencies were forced to consider the needs of future presidential travel. In early 1964, the decision was made to rebuild, enclose, and armor the X-100 in lieu of building a completely new Presidential car. The X-100 was returned to Hess and Eisenhardt for this project which was called "Project D-12" or the "Quick-Fix." The work involved completely armoring all body sections, minor re-upholstering work, and the addition of a non-removable bullet-proof glass roof. The completed re-built X-100 was returned to the White House for President Johnson's use in June, 1964. However, for reasons of his own, President Johnson refused to use the car until October when the paint color was changed from "Kennedy blue" to standard black. The Kennedy X-100, at least from the car enthusiast viewpoint, had indeed passed into history. The car itself saw an additional thirteen years of government service, and was placed in the Henry Ford Museum in 1977.

From a very young age, I had an interest in President Kennedy, and had, therefore, collected a great amount of material on his life and assassination. In addition, I had always had a keen interest in automobiles. The two interests merged when I took special note of the parade car JFK had used, and learning it was a Lincoln, focused on Lincoln as my favorite automobile. I can recall visiting a Lincoln-Mercury showroom with my father in the winter of 1964 in order to look at a '64 convertible because it resembled "President Kennedy's car." The salesman tried his best to send my father and I home in the car, but the eight-year-old "Kennedy-Lincoln buff" was promptly led out of the dealership by his father, a die-hard Cadillac fan.

Over the following years, I continued to collect materials on JFK as I came across them, with a particular interest in any photos showing the X-100. My research ultimately led me to learning the story of the rebuild following the assassination, and to the realization that due to its revision, the X-100 could never be seen by any museum visitor as it originally appeared. I often speculated if anyone would ever attempt to buy the original, and convert it back to its original appearance. I even wondered if anyone would ever try to build a replica as part of a JFK exhibit. At that time, I had no idea where these idle thoughts would lead me.

In November 1983, the media focused its attention on the 20th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. Various specials, documentaries, and even a television mini-series were planned in order to commemorate the event. The mini-series, entitled Kennedy, was a British production which starred Martin Sheen as JFK, and was broadcasted by NBC over a period of three nights. Essentially, the story covered JFK's life from his inauguration to his assassination. The producers of the film put forth much effort to recreate the many scenes, and props were built to achieve authenticity. In order to accurately portray the Dallas motorcade, the prop man obtained a rather dilapidated 1961 Lincoln, lengthened the body, added a "board" for a rear bumper step, and painted the body dark blue in order to simulate the Kennedy limousine for the assassination scenes. Following the filming, the "movie car" was offered for sale through Hemmings Motor News, and I guess I was lucky enough to see it first and make the purchase. As I look back, I suppose I made the purchase out of sheer impulse, as most of us do, and as I drove the car home from Virginia in the pouring rain with no roof, I was convinced that I had work ahead of me in order to justify this purchase in years to come. It was obvious that this movie car was far from a replica of the X-100. Structurally, the body was incorrect in that the stretched portion was solely between the front and rear doors, much like a Lehman-Peterson limousine. The interior was entirely wrong, and the car also suffered from multiple mechanical problems ranging from a bad brake booster and master cylinder to a very questionable driveshaft assembly. A total restoration of the car as it stood would not be worth it, since due to the body configuration, it was not a replica of the X-100.

I then decided that I would explore the possibility of transforming this movie car into a visual replica of the Kennedy parade car as it appeared prior to the Quick Fix. This ambitious idea of mine, was in my opinion, the only path to take since I purchased the vehicle in the first place.

The first step was intense research on the history and specifications of the X-100. My first stop was the Henry Ford Museum where Transportion curator Randy Mason allowed me to examine his extensive photos of the car under construction, and I was also able to visit the X-100 on the museum floor in order to obtain the necessary measurements and photographs. Boston, Massachusetts was my next trip, where Jim Cedrone of the John F. Kennedy library patiently led me through thousands of photographs, looking for ones which depicted the X-100. Since many parts had to be recreated by hand, their exact size had to be determined largely by scale drawings, derived from photographs. In addition, much first-hand information was learned from Bill Hess, who as the former head of Hess and Eisenhardt, had guided the X-100 through its original build, modifications, and the Quick-Fix. Bill, who had been referred to me by Randy Mason, proved to be one of the most helpful individuals I met during the project. He was kind enough to spend a day with me at his home in Cincinnati, so I could look over his extensive file on the X-100, as well as listen to his keen recollections of the cars' history. Bill led me to Jay Lahey, who had worked on many parts of the original car, including the trim work. With Jay's help, I was able to accurately piece together the interior specifications. After I had accumulated as much material as I could find, I was faced with the task of locating a company that could accept the re-building and restoration of the car. Several of the first ten companies I contacted refused the job at any price. Ultimately, Kent Bain of Automotive Restorations, Inc., Stratford, Connecticut agreed to accept the project. The movie car and its accompanying 1962 Lincoln parts car were transported to Connecticut in March, 1984. Following mechanical evaluation and engine work, the major job of re-sectioning the body commenced. The rear doors had to be lengthened, as well as the quarter panels. A small dividing section had to be fabricated between the front doors and where the rear doors would be located. The rear decklid had to be raised in the original manner. The rear bumper and Continental spare tire assembly was built by hand, and it was done originally. The small divider windows and the attached parade grab railing located behind the front seat were fabricated and installed as original. I was amazed as I watched the work in its various stages, how it closely matched what the craftsman were doing to the original at Hess in Eisenhardt in 1961. Finally, after all structural modifications were complete, the vehicle was finished in the proper dark blue metallic lacquer from the original paint formula which my research had obtained.

The final work required on the car was the interior trim and the bubbletop roof. At this stage of the project, I was getting very economy conscious, and decided to install vinyl in lieu of the original leather. I also knew that a custom built plastic bubbletop which was vacuum formed from a mold was out of the question. Instead, the craftsman at the restoration shop constructed a similar style bubbletop created from Lexan and was fitted to the car in three sections rather than the original six pieces. The car finally left the shop and I drove it home on January 12, 1985, ten months after it had entered restoration.

My completed replica of the Kennedy limousine has been a unique project for me. Its story was the subject of three newspaper articles and countless questions from passersby. My wife and I visited Bill Hess in August of 1985 while we were en route to the Eastern National Meet in Indianapolis. Bill had assembled the old crew that had worked on the X-100 at his home in order that they could look over my work. I knew that these people were the only judges I would ever face. I was pleased that they gave my car high marks, especially regarding the duplication of the rear bumper and tire assembly. One former craftsman stated that he could not tell the difference between the bumper on the original car, and the one which had been recreated for my car. The day was topped off when a Cincinnati television crew came by and completed a five minute story of my replica for that evening's news.

I have come to realize that the X-100-2, as I call my car, will always be a continuing project. As time goes on, I pick up additional details regarding the original car that I wish to have added to my replica. Soon, I plan on re-upholstering the interior in the original leather. Someday, hopefully, I can duplicate the bubbletop to original specifications. All of these dreams keep the project interesting. Many people have asked me what is the purpose of this project. I do not really know. I simply know that I have used my interest to help recreate history and stimulate the memories of the people who view my car. The response has always been favorable, and since the original does not exist any longer in the 1963 format, I see my work as truly another chance for the "Kennedy Lincoln" that everyone remembers.

Cal Beauregard on the Conversion.

After the assassination, the car was armored for President Johnson's use. “They should have started with a new car," says Cal Beauregard who was assigned to the White House cars by the Ford Motor Company. "It was a time factor. The President didn't have a car to ride in. I think it took about six months instead of two years to build a new one. But they had to do more than just armor the car. They had to put axles under it. They got into a major problem armoring the car and casting a pure bubble for it. When President Johnson went to ride in the car, it was blue. President Kennedy's cars were all blue. Johnson said ‘I’ll ride in the car if you paint it black.’" The converted car was hardly recognizable as the original assassination car.