The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of luxury cars that was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Lincoln...
The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of luxury cars that was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Lincoln Model K (in both size and price), it expanded Lincoln to a second model line, competing against the Chrysler Airflow, LaSalle, and the Packard One-Twenty.
The Lincoln-Zephyr was conceived by Edsel Ford and designed by Eugene Turenne Gregorie Introduced on November 2, 1935, as a 1936 model, the Lincoln-Zephyr was extremely modern with a low raked windscreen, integrated fenders, and streamlined aerodynamic design, which influenced the name "zephyr", derived from the Greek word zephyrus, or the god of the west wind. It was one of the first successful streamlined cars after the Chrysler Airflow's market resistance, and the concept car Pierce Silver Arrow, which never went into production. In fact, the Lincoln-Zephyr actually had a lower coefficient of drag than the Airflow, due in part to the prow-like front grille on the Zephyr, reflecting the popularity of leisure speedboats like Chris-Craft. The Lincoln-Zephyr succeeded in reigniting sales at Lincoln dealerships in the late 1930s, and from 1941 model year, all Lincolns were Zephyr-based and the Lincoln-Zephyr marque was phased out.
Annual production for any year model was not large, but accounted for a large portion of the Lincoln brand's sales. In its first year, 15,000 were sold, accounting for 80% of Lincoln's total sales. The Zephyr was offered as a sedan with either two or four doors, and was manufactured in right hand drive for export, and the only options listed were an electric clock, leather upholstery and a matched luggage set from Louis Vuitton. The two door sedan was listed at US$1,275 and the four door sedan was listed at US$1,320.
Production of all American cars was halted by the Government in 1942 as the country entered World War II, with Lincoln producing the last Lincoln Zephyr on February 10. After the war, most makers restarted production of their prewar lines, and Lincoln was no exception. The Zephyr name, however, was no longer used after 1942, with the cars simply called Lincolns.
Following the discontinuation of the Model K after 1940, Lincoln shifted its production exclusively to the Lincoln-Zephyr design. After World War II, the Zephyr name was dropped, lasting through 1948. It was the basis of the first Lincoln Continental, Lincoln's longest-running nameplate. The model line was powered by a V12 engine, in contrast to its competitors' V8 and inline-8 engines.
This good ole Lincoln is a very solid car that does run and drive. The car is very complete, and really woudl be a great car for just beating around town or could be a good basis for a restoration. The car has now bene driven a couple years and should have the fuel tank drained and flushed before running the car for any length of time.