History[]
NOTE: Taken from the Ford website on January 16, 1998.
Henry Leland founded the Lincoln Motor Company in 1917 when he walked out of Cadillac division of General Motors, following a disagreement with William C. Durant. Leland was interested in converting Cadillac to Liberty aviation engine production to assist the war effort, but Durant wasn't interested. After his departure Leland was given a government contract to build 6000 liberty engines and a $10,000,000 advance. The Armistice came too quickly, so Leland then turned his resources towards building another automobile.
The Lincoln, named after the first President for whom he voted, was precision-built. It carried a V-8 engine and boasted a 70 mph speed. Unfortunately, the Lincoln had a very dated look and in addition Leland was 9 months late on delivery of the first car. The September 1920 roll-out missed a selling cycle, and landed in the middle of the postwar recession. Only 3407 cars were produced by February 1922, which missed the projected 6000 units. The board of directors put the company into receivership and the Lincoln Motor Corporation was bought for $8 million by Henry Ford.
The Lincoln appealed to Ford. He was ready to offer a luxury automobile different from the successful Model T. Edsel Ford, Henry's son, took over the reins of the Lincoln Motor Company. Ten months later in December of 1922, an additional 5512 Lincolns has been sold, two thousand more cars than the Lelands had delivered in 17 months.
In 1923 the Lincoln sported an increased 136-inch wheelbase. Sales that year rose to 7875. The stability and speed of the Lincoln made it a favorite with the Detroit Police Flying Squad as it was with other law enforcement agencies, these vehicles were often outfitted with four-wheel brakes which weren't available in production versions until 1927.
Under Edsel Ford's direction the Lincoln became a beautiful car. The 1929 Model L was not only beautiful, but fast with a top speed of 90 mph. During this same year, the greyhound mascot was chosen by Edsel to represent the Lincoln.
In 1931 the Model K replaced the Model L with an improved V-8 and a 145-inch wheel base. The Lincoln improved upon itself in 1932 with a V-12 Model KB. Styling features characteristic of the line were: V-type radiator, twin horns, front fender parking lights and a sloping windshield and pillar treatment. The five door ventilators in the hood and the radiator shutters were thermostatically controlled. The Lincoln KB saw speeds as high as 95 mph. Though the price tag was $4300 to $7200 it was clearly competitive in production numbers with the lower priced ($2900-$3350) Model K. The Model KB saw 1641 units built, and the Model K saw 1765.
In 1933 the V-8 was replaced by a smaller 383 cubic inch K-12 and was given a model name of KA. This vehicle had a 136 inch wheelbase. The Depression was in full swing, and the KB only sold 587 cars and KA sold 1420.
Since the market was flat Ford decided the Lincoln should carry only one type of engine, and in 1934 a 414 cubic-inch 150 hp unit with aluminum cylinder heads was made standard. The Lincolns of the postwar years would all be powered by a V-12, but few would be K series as sales of these continued to dwindle. Only 120 of the K's were build in 1939-1940. President Roosevelt owned a "Sunshine Special", which started a trend with subsequent presidents into the present day.
The popularity of the Lincoln was slipping with only 4000 cars sold in 1935. It was the introduction of the Zephyr, in 1936, that kept the Lincoln division afloat, boosting sales to 22,000 for that year. The Zephyr was the lowest-priced V-12 offered on the American market since the Auburn of the early Thirties.
The K models were not produced after 1940 which made room for a new Lincoln vehicle. In late 1938 Edsel Ford returned from Europe and commissioned a special custom job for himself that was to be "strictly continental." Edsel's personal car attracted so much attention that production seemed a smart idea. On October 2nd, 1939 the Continental Cabriolet was introduced at the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn as a model of the Zephyr. In May 1940, Zephyr was dropped from the description, and the Lincoln Continental was born. Only 1990 Continentals were built, before W.W.II put an end to automobile production, though when production was restarted the Lincoln Continental would have to go on with out Edsel Ford who died on May 26th 1943.
Car models[]
| Name | Model years | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Continental | 1961-2002 | Sedan |
| Lincoln Town Car | 1981-2011 | Sedan |
| Lincoln Mark VII/VIII | 1984-1998 | Coupe |
| Lincoln Navigator | 1998-present | Sport Utility |
Shipping prices[]
- $625 (1994 and early 1995 models)
- $640 (1995 and early 1996 models)