Ambulance That Carried JFK's Remains To Cross Auction Block

Just the Facts:

• The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance used by the U.S. Navy to carry the remains of John F. Kennedy after his assassination will cross the auction block later this month.
• It is the second vehicle from the Kennedy era to go up for auction in the last few months.
• A 1962 Lincoln Continental "Bubbletop" limo from the Kennedy White House fetched $429,000 at auction last August.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — A 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance that carried the remains of assassinated President John F. Kennedy and made the grim journey from Andrews Air Force base to the morgue at Bethesda Naval Hospital will cross the auction block later this month.

It is difficult to estimate the value of the ambulance, which will sell at "no reserve." However, a 1962 Lincoln Continental "Bubbletop" limo from the Kennedy White House fetched $429,000 during RM's Sports & Classics of Monterey Auction last August. The ambulance is just the latest in a string of JFK assassination-related memorabilia to cross the auction block in recent days. The pine coffin that once held the remains of JFK's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald sold for more than $87,000 in Los Angeles in mid-December.

The Pontiac ambulance met Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. following Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. It transported Kennedy's flag-draped casket, his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, from Andrews to Bethesda Naval Hospital and later to the White House, according to Barrett-Jackson Auction Company and historical records. It was one of 15 such vehicles contracted for military use and was assigned to Bethesda Naval Hospital.

"(It is) one of the most significant and historical vehicles ever offered for sale," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson in a statement. "Most Americans remember when and where they were when they heard the tragic news of JFK's assassination."

The ambulance provides an interesting automotive footnote to one of the darkest chapters in American history and also proved to be the source of some confusion on that chaotic day. According to the Web site of Arlington National Cemetery, where Kennedy is buried, the president's body was to have been transported to Bethesda Naval Hospital by helicopter upon arrival from Dallas. But his widow inexplicably made the decision to use the ambulance instead.

"At the medical center there was some confusion when the president's body arrived by ambulance instead of by helicopter," said the hour-by-hour re-creation of the day by the Arlington Web site. "As instructed, navy troops had formed a cordon from the center's helipad to the rear (morgue) entrance to keep the way clear. But when the motorcade arrived, it had no such protection and a crowd of spectators surged about it. With some difficulty (military personnel) managed to reach the ambulance and carry the casket to the morgue."

After the autopsy, the president's remains — in a mahogany casket — were placed in the ambulance and the motorcade proceeded to the White House. The ambulance was met by a detachment of 12 marines who escorted the casket into the East Room, where it was placed on a replica of the Lincoln catafalque.

Following its naval service, the vehicle was retired and sold as surplus. Barrett-Jackson said the ambulance survived nearly four decades in its original, unrestored condition.

Inside Line says: Ghoulish or a great bit of auto history? You be the judge. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent