Barrett-Jackson auctioning Pontiac ambulance that served as JFK hearse

Few ambulances have ever been as well-known as the Pontiac that transported the remains of the late President John F. Kennedy after his assassination. And now it's going up for auction.

The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance was one of only 69 of its kind built, and only 15 commissioned for military application. This particular example was assigned to Bethesda Naval Hospital in DC, and was sent to collect the flag-draped casket of the slain commander-in-chief from Air Force One upon its arrival at Andrews Air Force Base and bring it, accompanied by grieving widow Jacqueline and brother Robert F. Kennedy, to the hospital and then on to Capitol Hill.

The ambulance was retired from service several years later and sold as surplus before landing in the collection of its current owner, who is now putting it up for auction at the 40th-anniversary Barrett-Jackson extravaganza in Scottsdale later this month. It's in apparent immaculate original condition and has been featured in magazines and at the 2010 national convention of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, where it was lauded with the Gold Award.

[Source: Speed | Images: PontiacsOnline]