Douglas Hyde, the first president of Ireland was provided with a state car, but his near fatal stroke early into his term of office meant that he rarely travelled in public.

However what type of vehicle it should be caused an immediate row between the President-elect Seán T. O'Kelly and the Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera.

In 1950 the car was put at the disposal of the visiting Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Norman Thomas Gilroy, and flew the Flag of Vatican City from both poles.

Though the matter came up before the Public Accounts Committee in November 1975, the car was allowed to rot away in storage in an army garage.

A Department of Justice memo said a technical report indicated the Rolls-Royce (registration ZJ 5000) was not suitable to be used as a State car as it was in need of "a general overhaul" and it was decided to dispose of it.

The Attorney General said it had to be decided was de Valera "an historical person" and whether the value of the Rolls-Royce would be inflated because of his association with it.

In due course in the spring of 1978 the car, splendidly restored, with Minister Gerry Collins on hand, was unveiled to the public in its more mature role as an archaeological relic.

The by-now quite bulky file on the matter closes in September 1978 with observation that the car "is now in running order and will be available for use by the president for ceremonial State occasions".

Though used by Seán T. O'Kelly from 1947 the car is most strongly associated with his successor, Éamon de Valera, who served two full terms, holding office from 1959 to 1973.

De Valera came to embody the presidency, with its symbols in turn associated personally with him, it earned the nickname Dev's Car because of his high profile use of it.

Part of that was a product of the appearance of Telifís Éireann,[a] Ireland's national broadcasting station, during his first term, allowing a greater public profile for whoever was president.