JFK hearse sold at auction

This 1964 Cadillac Miller-Meteor hearse is the vehicle that carried the body of US president John F Kennedy from Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, to the airport at Love Field, following his assassination in 1963.

It has just been sold at auction for $176,000 US.

Few cars have such a tangible link to anything like as significant a moment in American history. So regardless of what you think of the morality of selling it at auction, this Cadillac hearse is an exceptionally important piece of automotive heritage.

Powered by a '429' V8 connected to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic, according to auction house Barrett-Jackson this particular Miller-Meteor hearse began life in 1963 as a display model, before being sold to the O'Neal Funeral Home in Dallas.

It takes its place in history in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of President Kennedy on 22 November 1963. Subsequently O'Neal sold the hearse to funeral Home owner Arrdeen Vaughan, who kept it in a private collection for over 40 years.