Kim Jong Il's death: North Korea uses 1970s Lincolns

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/12/kim-jong-il-kim-jong-un-north-korea-lincoln-town-car-limousines/1

Kim Jong Il's death: North Korea uses 1970s Lincolns

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By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

Updated 11h 50m ago

CAPTION

By AP

Updated 5:58 p.m. ET, to reflect the car appears to be a 1976 model. As we were watching coverage of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, we couldn't help but notice what the elite consider the epitome of luxury one of the world's most isolated countries: Detroit-made 1970s-era Lincolns.

CAPTION

By AP

The body of Dear Leader was strapped to the top of an mid 1970s Lincoln limousine. Jalopnikidentifies it as a 1976, and who are we to disagree. (Apparently, food isn't the only commodity in short supply in the desperate Asian nation: It's hard to find a decent working hearse as well.) Another almost identical car was being used for the Kim Jong Il billboard, lest anyone forget that dictators can indeed smile. We suspect one strong breeze or the rush of air from driving a little too fast could have toppled the sign.

As with most public ceremonies in the isolated nation, it was quite the show. It's interesting to see Kim Jong's successor, son Kim Jong Un, saluting at the the side of the Lincoln bearing his father's casket. Like, when is the last time you saw a car with hideaway headlights?

Seeing wealthy North Korean leaders riding around in 40-year-old, but apparently still serviceable, cars reminded us of that other Communist outpost led by its own despot, Cuba. At least the best cars in North Korea are about 10 years newer than the average car in the island nation 90 miles from Florida.

If you want to see America's presidential limousines that look approximately like the ones they are using today in North Korea, you have to go back six presidents (Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter) to Gerald Ford.