Photo credit: Michael Kovac – Getty Images for Lincoln
The “made in the USA” is alive and well in the auto industry.
Lincoln paid tribute to the past and future at the Los Angeles Auto Show by displaying seven of the most influential Lincoln designs and the launching of the all-new MKZ.
We kind of have a crush on the past.
1937 Lincoln-Zephyr Coupe-Sedan
“Introduced in 1936 under the guidance of Edsel Ford, the Lincoln-Zephyr was the first commercially successful aerodynamic car. The Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows debuted in 1934, but were not broadly accepted. In contrast, the Zephyr family grew to 85,640 cars by 1939. Of this number, only 5 percent were Coupe-Sedans. Amazingly, records today show that only fourteen 1937 Coupe-Sedans still exist, and the car displayed here is surely the best example. An enduring Lincoln design element is its distinctive split grille, executed to recall the bow wave of a boat gliding through water. With headlamps faired into the fenders and long side windows that curve to match the sweeping bodylines, the car’s inherent streamlining captured the public’s imagination. Powered by a 267-cubic-inch V12 producing 110 horsepower, the Zephyr was acclaimed for outstanding highway manners, appropriate to a car named after the Burlington Zephyr streamlined train of the era. Owner: David Caparone, Paso Robles” Production Notes
1940 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet
“Edsel Ford returned from Europe in 1938 inspired to have a new car that was “strictly continental” in its design. He chose designer E.T. “Bob” Gregorie to lead the development of this car that was initially to be a one-off for Edsel to drive on vacation in Florida. Upon seeing the enthusiastic reception from his friends, Edsel chose to put it into production. The result was the legendary Continental, acclaimed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright to be “the most beautiful car in the world” and, in 1951, chosen by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as one of eight cars to be exhibited for “excellence as works of art.” With the end of the K-Series Lincolns in 1939, the Continental continued Lincoln’s V12 heritage with a 292-cubic-inch engine producing 120 horsepower. As production commenced, Edsel Ford owned the 20th Continental produced. The car displayed here is No. 24, shipped on Jan. 4, 1940. George Gehrig, cousin of baseball legend Lou Gehrig, owned it for many years. Owner: Elliott Jones, Huntington Beach. Production notes.
