American presidents have had a car in the White House ever since William Howard Taft ordered a White Model M steam car and replaced the presidential stables with a four-car garage. State cars then came without optional accessories, and many presidents bought their cars from the government at the end of their terms. (Herbert Hoover's purchase of a V-16 Cadillac wasn't a prudent statement to make in a national depression, but frankly, who would pass up 16 cylinders?).

Taft, shown here with his wife in 1909, was an early fan of the automobile and often took long road trips from his summer home in Beverly, Mass. Have a look at other presidential cars and limos through the years.

- Clifford Atiyeh, Boston.com Staff