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  [Bonhams] Apollo astronaut Chicago parades limo

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Author Topic:   [Bonhams] Apollo astronaut Chicago parades limo
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-09-2011 03:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
TIME reports that Bonhams upcoming (Aug. 18-19) Exceptional Motorcars and Motorcycles auction in California includes a 1964 Lincoln Continental limo used by Pope Paul VI before being assigned to "official astronaut business" in Chicago.
The car was returned to Chicago and later that year the limo started its second life in the spotlight as a transport for astronauts. The crews of Apollo 8, Apollo 11, Apollo 13 and Apollo 15 would all ride through those streets in the same Continental. Which means, if you're in the market for a such a vehicle, you could sit not only where a pope sat but where Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell rested their space legs.

The car, retired from public use in the 1970s, is valued at $250,000 to $350,000.

onesmallstep
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Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 08-22-2011 11:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It would be a nice addition to the Saturn V Center at KSC together with other historic artifacts with wheels: an LRV and the astronaut transfer van. Maybe it can be loaned by the buyer.

p51
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Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 06-24-2013 02:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's now at the LeMay car museum in Tacoma, just saw it there on Saturday, sitting right at the entrance.

It has flags for the Pope on the front but the sign says it was later used for the astronauts. In all fairness, I think a "Pope Limo" probably is a greater draw for the general public than one used for Apollo crews so I understand why the Papal reference gets top billing there.

David Carey
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Posts: 782
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Registered: Mar 2009

posted 06-24-2013 03:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David Carey   Click Here to Email David Carey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That is one sweet stretched-out ride.

Here is a nice vintage photo of the Chicago parade and crew-carrying Continental now on loan to LeMay.

It isn't marked as coming from any professional source but is noted on the back by the original photographer as being taken at the corner of Huron and Michigan.

I always liked how the 'blur' conveyed the whirlwind aspects of their post-quarantine parade and tour.

All times are CT (US)

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