When looking at celebrities like Lady Gaga and former President John F. Kennedy, you would be correct in assuming that there aren’t many similarities between them. However, Lady Gaga and President Kennedy do share a taste in cars. Both drove or were driven in the same generation of the Lincoln Continental Convertible. What has come of these now-famous cars? 

Lady Gaga and President Kennedy had this in common

Lady Gaga and President Kennedy both enjoyed the fourth generation of the Lincoln Continental. This generation included the model years of 1961 to 1969. According to Hagerty, this Continental was right in the “golden age for American luxury sedans,” and that it is “a vehicle that would make a searing mark on automotive history by way of its timeless styling, the significant changes it would bring to the brand, and tragic brush with history in Dealey Plaza.” 

The 1961-1969 Continental was one of the last four-door convertibles. It was also one of the last to feature “suicide doors,” or doors that open wide from the rear. It was the only vehicle Lincoln manufactured in the 1960s. 

Motor Car reports the following specifications for the fourth generation Lincoln Continental: 

• Assembly: Wixom, Michigan
• Designer: Elwood Engel
• Body style: 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, 4-door convertible
• Engine: 430-cubic-inch V8 
• Transmission: 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic 
• Length: 1961-1963: 123.0 in, 1964-1969: 126.0 in
• Width: 1961–65: 78.6 in,  1966–69: 79.7 in 
• Height: 1961–1963: 53.6 in, 1964–1965: 54.2 in, 1966–1968: 55.0 in, 1969: 54.2 in

Lady Gaga’s Continental was a bit conspicuous  

Lady Gaga has more than an amazing singing voice. She also has an amazing taste in cars. She has owned quite a collection of luxury cars. According to Hagerty, she has been seen enjoying an Audi R8, a Rolls-Royce Corniche, and a Mercedes saloon from the 1980s. Perhaps her most impressive vehicle was her 1965 Lincoln Continental Convertible. It was eggshell white with a deep red leather interior and wire-spoke wheels. The sheer size of this vehicle allowed for cruising with the top down with plenty of room for passengers. 

Sadly, Lady Gaga sold her beautiful Continental at auction in 2020 for $58,300 in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to Classic. Perhaps she didn’t want to be so conspicuous while enjoying the drive. 

President Kennedy’s Continental is forever preserved in infamy 

On Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was shot while riding in his limousine in Fort Worth, Texas. The limo was a modified 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible. The fresh and bold design featured Kennedy’s appeal. Sadly, it later became known as the “death car.” 

According to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, the car was fashioned from a stock 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible, which retailed for $7,347. It was leased by the White House from Ford for $500/year. It was then sent off for $200,000 in modifications by custom coachbuilder Hess and Eisenhardt in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Secret Service gave the car codenames SS-100-X and X-100. 

Business Insider reports that the limo that President Kennedy was riding in when he was shot is currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Interestingly, that limo was not the only Lincoln Continental that the President rode in on that fateful trip. The last vehicle to safely transport the President was a 1963 Continental which he rode with the First Lady and Texas Governor John Connally to an Air Force Base in Fort Worth on the morning of Nov. 22, 1963. From there, they flew to Dallas. This vehicle was dubbed “Limo One” during the Texas trip, and it has recently sold for over $375,000 at the Bonhams’ The American Presidential Experience auction.