The hearse that carried President John F Kennedy's body to Air Force One following his assassination in Dallas is coming to auction next month.
The Cadillac Hearse will star at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale classic car sale between January 15 and 22.
No estimate or reserve has yet been provided for the vehicle.
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was mortally wounded and taken to the city's Parkland Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The O'Neal Funeral Home was asked to supply the finest casket it had available, as well as a hearse.
The vehicle transported the president's body, as well as Jacqui Kennedy, from the hospital to Love Field, where Air Force One was waiting to transport JFK's casket to Washington, DC.
An employee of the O'Neal Funeral Home subsequently purchased the hearse and sold it recently in a private deal.
"It's an honour to be able to offer a vehicle of this stature," commented Barrett-Jackson's CEO Craig Jackson. "While its duty was solemn, it was also extremely important and played a crucial role in transporting the president so he could be laid to rest."
The sale follows Barrett-Jackson's January 2011 auction of an ambulance purported to have transported John F Kennedy's body from Air Force One to the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
 The hearse that dashed a nation's hopes |
Claims that the ambulance was a fake did not prevent it from achieving $120,000 on the auction block.
The noted classic car collector Tammy Allen bought the ambulance for her Colorado museum, Allen Unique Autos.
Meanwhile, the better-confirmed provenance of this hearse should ensure it achieves a far higher sum.
The assassination of Kennedy shocked the world and still resonates today. Because of JFK's strong legacy, collectors treasure artefacts connected with him.
We have one of just 30 "posthumous" Kennedy Christmas cards available for you. Signed by Kennedy in the weeks before his death, this moving memento is available to you today for £24,000.
The value of Kennedy's autograph has grown 13.57% pa since 2000, according to the PFC40 Autograph Index.
