Cadillac Hearse That Carried JFK Bound for Auction

Just the Facts:

• The 1964 Cadillac hearse used to transport President John F. Kennedy's body following his assassination will cross the auction block in January.
• The hearse will be one of the featured vehicles at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona starting January 15.
• The hearse made the historic trip from Parkland Memorial Hospital to Love Field in Dallas.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The 1964 Cadillac hearse used to transport President John F. Kennedy's body following his assassination will cross the auction block in January.

The hearse will be one of the featured vehicles at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona starting January 15.

This is the second piece of Kennedy assassination memorabilia put up for sale by the auction house in recent months. The Navy ambulance said to have carried the body of the president was sold in 2011, but a controversy erupted over its authenticity.

"The ambulance sold amid worldwide attention, despite unproven claims that the ambulance was another naval ambulance," Barrett-Jackson said in a statement on Friday.

It describes the Cadillac hearse as playing "a crucial role in transporting the president so he could be laid to rest."

The hearse was built by the Miller-Meteor Company and purchased by the O'Neal Funeral Home in Dallas. After Kennedy was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital on November 22, 1963, the hearse carried his body to Love Field.

"It's one of the most significant and historical vehicles ever offered for sale," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson in a statement.

The grim days surrounding the death of the president were marked not only by the vehicles put in use, but also the ones that were shunned. Kennedy's body was transported via a horse-drawn caisson to his burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

For the funeral procession from the Rotunda to St. Matthew's Cathedral, Mrs. Kennedy did not want to ride in one of the government's black Cadillacs. She walked instead, leading a delegation from 92 nations and earning the respect and praise of a country in mourning.

Inside Line says: An important piece of Kennedy automotive memorabilia is bound for auction.