The Complete History of the Presidential State Car

The First Fleet in the 1910s

The first fleet of presidential state cars arrived under William Howard Taft’s leadership during the 1910s. He turned the stables into a garage and purchased a fleet with four cars. It included two Pierce-Arrow cars that were luxurious, a steam car from White Motor Company, and an electric car from Baker Motor Vehicle. Interestingly, Taft liked the steam portion of the steam car the most. He specifically appreciated the ability to use the steam to hide himself from the press. That vehicle cost $4,000 at the time, the equivalent of around $112,000 in 2018.