Lincoln (make of car)

Lincoln
owner	Ford Motor Company
Introductory year	1920
Products	Automobiles
Website	www.lincoln.com

Lincoln [ 'liŋ.kən ] ( listen ^{? / I} ) is an American automobile brand of the Ford concern in Dearborn , Michigan ( USA ). As a global brand, it stands for the upscale vehicle classes and often also for state cars , especially the US presidents . Lincoln is now also represented in China .

history

Beginning with aircraft engines

Lincoln Motor Company logo

The fact that the entrepreneur and engineer Henry M. Leland founded a new company with his son Wilfred in 1917 at the age of 74 with the Lincoln Motor Company is due to his patriotism. Leland had previously been the founder and head of the Cadillac Motor Company , which he remained after it was sold to General Motors (GM). GM President William Durant had refused to approve the conversion required by Leland to build engines for fighter jets. It was also patriotism that led Leland to name the company after Abraham Lincoln , the 16th President of the United States of America.

The company received from the government an advance of US $ 10 million and started within ten months with the production of Liberty aircraft engines (L8 and L12), the American planes in the First World War were installed. It employed 6,000 people and produced 17,000 engines by the end of the war.

The model L

Lincoln Model L Touring (1922)

→ Main article : Lincoln Model L

At the end of the war, the advance payment had not yet been completely processed, and at the same time no further engines were needed. The factories were prepared for the production of the Lincoln Model L luxury automobile , which finally came onto the market in 1920. The additional share capital required in the amount of 6.5 million US dollars came about within three hours.

The vehicle received a side-steered V8 engine and was of the high quality for which the Lelands were known. Nevertheless, the company ran into financial difficulties. The external cause was a brief but violent economic crisis that killed a number of automobile manufacturers, while the internal cause was too strong a focus on technology while neglecting the appearance. Leland's son-in-law Angus C. Woodbridge was responsible for the bodywork. Henry Leland was, however, responsible for delays in his quality thinking, of which, however, suppliers were also partly to blame. Instead of January, the Model L only appeared in September and missed a complete sales season. The Lelands wanted to solve the problems themselves and commissioned the respected coachbuilder Brunn & Company with designs.

On February 4, 1922, the management board again had to take note of the deep red numbers and 3407 total vehicles sold instead of the planned 6000. He then decided against the bitter resistance of the Lelands to initiate bankruptcy proceedings and to put the company up for sale. Only 150 vehicles were sold in the first two months of 1922. The good basis of the Model L is shown not least in the fact that it was built until 1930.

Edsel Ford and the Classic Period

Lincoln Model KA Victoria Model 506 (1932)

The bankruptcy was ultimately avoided because Ford took over the company in February 1922. The price was $ 8 million. This deal was a personal triumph for Henry Ford , whose former Henry Ford Company had been restructured by Leland in 1902 as a result of financial difficulties. As a result, Ford had to leave its own operation, which was renamed the Cadillac Motor Company shortly afterwards. For a short time Ford and Leland stayed on the executive board of the Lincoln Motor Company. When Henry Ford called for Wilfred Leland to step down, both left the company. Then there were legal disputes between Leland and Ford over the severance payments to former investors and creditors.

The new management sold 5512 vehicles in the first 10 months after the takeover (until December 1922). In addition to the major suppliers such as Packard , Pierce-Arrow , Peerless and Marmon, Lincoln developed into a serious competitor in the luxury automobile market segment. Henry Ford's son Edsel Ford played a major role in the success of the brand as company director. Lincoln did not have its own body shop at that time . Therefore, he worked with the best coachbuilders in the USA with a sure sense of style and quality . While Lincoln's standard bodies usually came from Murray , Judkins , Brunn and Fleetwood provided additional bodies that were more or more stylish. Judkins produced over 5,900 bodies for Lincoln by 1939, more than any other supplier. Edsel Ford was personally friends with some coachbuilders, such as Ray Dietrich von LeBaron or Hermann A. Brunn , owner of Brunn & Co.

Prewar years

The streamlined shape of the Lincoln Zephyr (1939)

In his other role as head of the design department (of whose meaning he convince his father only had) won Edsel Ford Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie as chief designer at Ford of the order was also responsible for the production cars of Lincoln and the first Mercury drafted . Lincoln survived the economic crisis of the 1930s thanks to a realignment. Edsel Ford had taken a liking to a radical design by John Tjaarda for a fast, streamlined car with a rear-engined upper middle class. Henry Ford did not allow himself to be carried away into such extravaganzas, but gave Edsel Ford and Gregorie largely a free hand. Although the competition at Chrysler had had bad experiences with market acceptance, Lincoln also opted for a self-supporting body. A V12 engine was used as the drive, which was designed so that as many parts of the Ford V8 as possible could be used. The result was the Lincoln Zephyr which had the same function for Lincoln as the LaSalle for Cadillac or the One-Twenty for Packard. Edsel Ford died of cancer in 1943. Lincoln only built V12 models until 1948, with the large K series being phased out in 1939. A unique piece that Gregorie had developed from a Zephyr for Edsel Ford generated such a sensation that it became the new top model Lincoln Continental .

Turbulent post-war period

Lincoln Premiere Hardtop Coupe (1956)

As long as Henry Ford was in charge of everything that went on within the Ford group, technology at all brands remained conservative. Until the end of the 1940s, Lincoln also had to get by with transverse leaf suspension at the rear and there were neither automatic nor servo brakes. Gregorie remained chief designer until the late 1940s, when he was replaced by George W. Walker . With the Cosmopolitan , the brand returned to the really big cars and the second model range. In the next few years, the smaller Capri series covered a market segment in the upper middle class. The goal was clearly Oldsmobile with the successful Rocket V8. For the first time ever, Lincoln won races. In the Carrera Panamericana race of 1953 , with a starting field of over 200 participants, minimally groomed Lincoln came in 7-10 (including class win) and 15-17 behind racing cars from Lancia , Ferrari and Talbot-Lago . In 1954 the success could be confirmed on a smaller scale; The ranks 9 and 10 behind Ferrari, Porsche or OSCA also meant class wins.

Lincoln Navigator (since 2017)

Walker made John Reinhart , previously Packard's chief designer, chief stylist for Lincoln and Continental. When this Ford left in 1958, John Najjar was his successor. He was soon followed by Don De La Rossa and Elwood P. Engel . From 1961 a new Lincoln Continental, which was also self-supporting until 1969, became the brand's only model. It was available as a four-door sedan and a convertible sedan. Its design, designed by Engel, is considered a milestone and saved the Lincoln brand from collapse after a series of catastrophic sales years and a fierce power struggle over the corporate management. Henry Ford II then personally campaigned for the Continental Mark series to appear again in luxury Lincoln coupés.

Along with the classics Lincoln Model L and Lincoln Model K , Lincoln Model KA , Lincoln Model KB , the Lincoln Continental sedans , the Town Car and the Lincoln Navigator, these have remained the brand's best-known series.

The Lincoln the Presidents

1924 Lincoln Model L sedan owned by President Calvin Coolidge

The US president often used Lincoln vehicles since Calvin Coolidge in the twenties of this make for the first time, a large 12-cylinder car White House had to purchase. Franklin D. Roosevelt used a Brunn-built Lincoln V12 Series K sedan with the nickname Sunshine Special . A 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan dubbed the "bubble top" served Presidents Truman , Eisenhower , Kennedy and Johnson . President Kennedy was shot in the back of a Continental convertible. This vehicle was converted into a limousine in the following years and is now in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and can be viewed there. A 1969 Lincoln was used by Nixon and a 1972 Lincoln was used by Ford , Carter , Reagan, and Bush . A 1989 Lincoln served the White House until 2004 .

During the funeral procession for the death of North Korean supreme ruler Kim Jong-il , his coffin was transported on December 28, 2011 on the roof of a Lincoln Continental (built in 1976).

Lincoln models L (1921–1930) and K (1931–1939)

Lincoln Model L Sport Touring (1929)

In addition to the more down-to-earth design, the L models were equipped with the relatively light V8 engines developed from aircraft construction. From 1931, Lincoln developed an independent design with the introduction of the K model, even if the body shape was typical of the time. From 1932 development for the new V12 (Lincoln L-Head) was completed, and this engine went into series production. The design principle of the engine was a " flathead " or " side valve ". This allowed a very short connection between the camshaft and crankshaft and thus more precision for valve control over a large speed range. Lincoln suffered from sales difficulties during these years as the economic depression of the 1920s was still having an aftermath.

Lincoln-Zephyr (1936-1942)

Lincoln Zephyr Series HB (1937)

The Lincoln Zephyr was positioned below the simultaneously produced K-series in terms of price and size. The streamlined shape was based on a concept vehicle with a rear engine by John Tjaarda . Tjaarda's concept may also have inspired designs by Ferdinand Porsche . For Henry Ford, the design was too radical. Edsel Ford and Eugene T. Gregorie developed a vehicle at the lower end of the luxury class with a front-mounted V12 engine and rear-wheel drive. The car was presented at the 1936 New York Auto Show. The success of the Zephyr was due to its modern design, the V12 engine and, above all, its competitive price. His rivals weren't Cadillac or Packard Twelve (that's what the K was for), but Auburn, LaSalle, Buick, Chrysler and Packard One-Twenty. The new, smaller V12 was derived from the Ford V8 and, with good reason, had a reputation for high oil consumption and a tendency to overheat. The V-12, freed from its teething troubles, made the vehicle unique. It was a breakthrough for the Lincoln brand that secured market domination in the US luxury vehicle segment.

Lincoln Continental Sedan (1939–2002)

1948 Lincoln Continental

1947 Lincoln Continental Conv.

In 1939 the first Continental was developed as a prototype from the four-door Lincoln Zephyr. In 1940 the Continental was introduced as the Lincoln Zephyr Continental. Over the years the Continental has become the epitome of the American road cruiser. With the year of construction 1961, the baroque forms and the tail fins of the late 1950s came to an end for the Lincoln Continental (built until 1969). Tail fins were not an essential stylistic element at Lincoln in the 1950s either.

With the prevailing taste of the 60s, the rather reduced design of the Lincoln was well received. The Continental was the only four-door convertible of the post-war period and had the special feature of rear-hinged doors (so-called portal doors, pictorially called "suicide doors" in America). A single push of a button opened or closed the roof with a large number of servomotors, which when opened took up practically the entire trunk. The Continental was also the first car to be awarded the Design of the Year award from the Industrial Designers Institute.

Continental Division (1956–1960 :) Mark II , III , IV and V

Continental Mark V Convertible Coupe (1960), last model of the Continental Division of the Ford Group

From 1956 to 1957 the Continental was the product of the independent corporate subsidiary Continental Division . The Continental Mark II was built from October 1955 to May 1957 in its own factory in Dearborn (Michigan). The design by John Reinhart and Gordon Buehrig is considered a design masterpiece. The engine and chassis corresponded to the Lincoln, but were "handpicked" and additionally tested. The chassis and handcrafted body were independent. In 1958 the Lincoln-Continental Division was formed. However, Continental remained its own brand until 1960, but the vehicles were technically closer to Lincoln and shared their self-supporting construction. From 1961 the Continental Division was merged with Lincoln and Mercury, Continental lost the status of its own brand and the dealer network, usually selected Lincoln dealers, was reintegrated into Lincoln.

Continental Mark III to VIII Coupe (1968–1998)

Continental Mark IV (1973)

The Lincoln Continental Mark III to Mark VI as well as the Lincoln Mark VII and Mark VIII, which appeared after 1968, occupied the luxury coupe division, the so-called personal luxury cars, until the 1990s. The last to appear under a different model name were the Lincoln Mark VII and Lincoln Mark VIII, which were no longer manufactured after the model year 1998. The Mark IVs built from 1973 to 1976 were the heaviest and the Mark Vs built from 1977 to 1979 were the largest series coupés ever built by an automobile manufacturer. The 460cui 7.5l Ford V8, which was also available until 1978, was the world's second largest engine in a production car at the time. Only the 500cui 8.2l V8 from Cadillac was bigger .

Lincoln Town Car (1981-2011)

The name Town Car was first used for a special version of the 1959 Lincoln Continental. After the Continental got a new design, the Town Car special edition was no longer available. It was not until 1971 that the name Town Car reappeared. From 1971 to 1979 the Town Car was the version with the highest optional equipment package for the Lincoln Continental. In 1981 production of the Lincoln Continental was temporarily stopped and the Lincoln Town Car became Lincoln's flagship model from 1982. Since 2011, the Lincoln MKT Towncar has replaced the model in the market for exclusive rental cars and fleet vehicles, where the Lincoln Town Car was recently only offered.

Lincoln MKS (since 2008)

The Lincoln MKS model, newly launched in 2008 for the 2009 model year, was intended to refresh the brand's image and design.

The MKS is powered by a 3.7L V6 24V Duratec w / VCT, which is combined with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The model has front-wheel drive as standard, but is also available in an all-wheel drive version. Since the Town Car was discontinued, the MKS has been Lincoln's largest sedan.

Models

Model year	Models
1921	Model L
1922	Model L
1923	Model L
1924	Model L
1925	Model L
1926	Model L
1927	Model L
1928	Model L
1929	Model L
1930	Model L
1931	Model K
1932	Model KA , model KB
1933	Model KA , model KB
1934	Model KA , model KB
1935	Model K
1936	Model K , Zephyr
1937	Model K , Zephyr
1938	Model K , Zephyr
1939	Model K , Zephyr
1940	Zephyr , Continental
1941	Zephyr , Continental , Custom
1942	Zephyr , Continental , Custom
1943	no manufacturing
1944	no manufacturing
1945	no manufacturing
1946	Lincoln series , Continental series
1947	Lincoln series , Continental series
1948	Lincoln series , Continental series
1949	Lincoln series , Cosmopolitan series
1950	Lincoln series , Cosmopolitan series , Lido series
1951	Lincoln series , Cosmopolitan series , Lido series
1952	Cosmopolitan , Capri
1953	Cosmopolitan , Capri
1954	Cosmopolitan , Capri
1955	Custom , Capri
1956	Capri , Premiere - (see also Continental Mark II )
1957	Capri , Premiere - (see also Continental Mark II )
1958	Capri , Premiere - (see also Continental Mark III )
1959	Capri , Premiere - (see also Continental Mark IV )
1960	Capri , Premiere - (see also Continental Mark V )
1961	Continental
1962	Continental
1963	Continental
1964	Continental
1965	Continental
1966	Continental
1967	Continental
1968	Continental , Continental Mark III
1969	Continental , Continental Mark III
1970	Continental , Continental Mark III
1971	Continental , Continental Mark III
1972	Continental , Continental Mark IV
1973	Continental , Continental Mark IV
1974	Continental , Continental Mark IV
1975	Continental , Continental Mark IV
1976	Continental , Continental Mark IV
1977	Continental , Continental Mark V , Versailles
1978	Continental , Continental Mark V , Versailles
1979	Continental , Continental Mark V , Versailles
1980	Continental , Continental Mark VI , Versailles
1981	Continental Mark VI , Town Car
1982	Continental , Continental Mark VI , Town Car
1983	Continental , Continental Mark VI , Town Car
1984	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1985	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1986	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1987	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1988	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1989	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1990	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1991	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1992	Continental , Mark VII , Town Car
1993	Continental , Mark VIII , Town Car
1994	Continental , Mark VIII , Town Car
1995	Continental , Mark VIII , Town Car
1996	Continental , Mark VIII , Town Car
1997	Continental , Mark VIII , Town Car
1998	Continental , Mark VIII , Town Car , Navigator
1999	Continental , Town Car , Navigator
2000	Continental , Town Car , LS , Navigator
2001	Continental , Town Car , LS , Navigator
2002	Continental , Town Car , LS , Aviator , Blackwood , Navigator
2003	Town Car , LS , Aviator , Navigator
2004	Town Car , LS , Aviator , Navigator
2005	Town Car , LS , Aviator , Mark LT , Navigator
2006	Town Car , Zephyr , Mark LT , Navigator
2007	Town Car , MKZ , Mark LT , MKX , Navigator
2008	Town Car , MKS , MKZ , Mark LT , MKX , Navigator
2009	Town Car , MKS , MKZ , MKX , Navigator
2010	Town Car , MKS , MKZ , MKX , MKT , Navigator

Current Lincoln models
model	class	Prices
Town Car	Luxury sedan	$ 42,875- $ 56,745
navigator	Off-road vehicle	US $ 48,505- $ 63,880
MKX	Off-road vehicle	$ 35,770- $ 44,670
Mark LT	Pick up	$ 38,680- $ 47,220
MKZ	Sport sedan	US $ 28,995- $ 35,240
MKS	Luxury sedan	$ 37,665- $ 39,555
MKT	Crossover	$ 44,200- $ 49,200

Lincoln design and features

Continental Convertible (1966)

Since 1927, Lincoln had a greyhound as an emblem. The Diamond later became a central trademark.

The trademark of many Lincoln (especially the Mark II to Mark VIII) was the spare wheel stylized on the trunk lid (which was not there). This was retained as a design feature for decades and goes back to the Lincoln Continental of the 1940s , which had a spare wheel mounted on the rear of the car for reasons of space, which has been called the Conti or Continental Kit since then .

Today the "Waterfall grille" serves as a feature of the Lincoln brand. The modern waterfall grill is based on the Rolls Royce grill of the 1960s and 1970s.

The town car is often used for the production of so-called stretch limousines , in which the already sweeping external dimensions are further extended by extending the center of the frame and body.

With the 1976 model year, Lincoln introduced special models whose visual design allegedly came from the hands of famous fashion designers and which are therefore called Designer Series; a marketing idea that Lincoln stuck to for many years.

General Motors' Cadillac brand is Lincoln's main competitor in the US home market . Within the Ford Group, Lincoln was part of the Premier Automotive Group (to which the European brands Volvo , Jaguar , Aston Martin belonged or belong), within which common components were to be developed that would find use in all these brands. However, the Lincoln brand was spun off from Premier Automotive Group after it became clear that it could not be marketed as a premium brand to the same extent as the group's European brands. In the meantime, the Premier Automotive Group no longer exists as the Jaguar, Aston Martin and Volvo brands were sold again by the Ford Group. From 2014 Lincoln models will also be offered in China .

Lincoln timeline

Lincoln models timeline from 1970 to present
Type	1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s										2020s
	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0
Middle class																															LS						Zephyr / MKZ							MKZ
upper middle class								Versailles					Continental VII						Continental VIII							Continental IX													MKS									Continental
Upper class	Continental V										Continental VI / Town Car I.										Town Car II								Town Car III
Personal Luxury	Continental Mark III		Continental Mark IV					Continental Mark V			Continental Mark VI				Mark VII									Mark VIII
SUV																																													MKC					Corsair
																																						MKX									MKX / Nautilus
																																	Aviator								MKT									Aviator
																													Navigator I					Navigator II				Navigator III										Navigator IV
Pick up																																	Blackwood				Mark LT				Mark LT

literature

• Lincoln, An American Tradition , Delius Klasing, 2000, ISBN 3-7688-1118-2
• Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, Iola 1996, ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9 . (English)
• Beverly Rae Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America. Published by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Permissions, Warrendale PA 2005, ISBN 0-7680-1431-X (hardcover). (English)

Web links

Commons : Lincoln  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the manufacturer (English)
• New York Times of March 28, 1932: HM Leland dead; motor car pioneer (accessed February 13, 2014)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ http://www.industryweek.com/global-economy/ford-launches-luxury-lincoln-brand-china
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Kimes / Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (1996) , p. 866
4. ↑ New York Times of March 28, 1932: HM Leland dead; motor car pioneer
5. ↑ Kimes / Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (1996) , p. 868
6. ↑ "Chronology of Ford" at The Henry Ford ( Memento of the original from October 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ^ "History of Lincoln" at Ford Oldtimer and Motorsport Club Cologne eV in ADAC
8. ↑ The cars in the funeral procession of dictator Kim Yong Il , accessed December 29, 2011
9. ↑ Lincoln from 2014 also in China  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on August 29, 2012