If you want to ask how to judge whether a car brand can build cars, then look at its flagship sedans, such as Mercedes-Benz and S-class, Rolls-Royce and Phantom, Toyota and Century. Rather than saying that these models have improved In addition to its brand influence, it is better to say that the model itself represents the soul of its brand. As the flagship sedan of the Lincoln Continental brand, it has relied on high-end materials, exquisite design and excellent quality for decades. The brand's reputation among consumers has brought Lincoln's traditional American luxury to the world.
The origin of Lincoln Continental
When talking about Lincoln Continental, the first thing that comes to mind for ordinary readers is definitely the medium and large cars currently sold by Lincoln. Yes, this generation of Lincoln Continental is the first generation to be officially introduced to the Chinese market, but if you want to To understand the real first-generation mainland China, we must start from the "rich second generation" in the United States in the last century.
"Ford's Son" Edsel Ford
The only son of American Ford Motor founder Henry Ford - Edsel Ford has always been called the "Prince of Ford". As the son of a car manufacturing tycoon, Edsel Ford Edsel was also an out-and-out car fan. When Lincoln was on the verge of bankruptcy, Edsel persuaded his father to acquire Lincoln because it was a good opportunity for Ford to enter the luxury brand market.
In 1922, the Ford Group acquired Lincoln Motor Company , and Edsel Ford was appointed chairman of Lincoln. Edsel once said: "My father built the most popular car, and I, It is necessary to create a classic that will last forever.â
American Ford Motor Manufacturing Plant
The first generation Lincoln Continental (1940-1946)
After Ford took over Lincoln, the first model released by Lincoln was the Model K. Like the previous Model L, the Model K was also a car body that could be All customized luxury models, car owners can customize the body shape according to their own preferences and requirements, and can choose coupe, four-door sedan or even convertible form. In the history of Model K, the most famous car is Lincoln in 1939 The presidential car "Sunshine Special" was built for Franklin Roosevelt.
Lincoln Model L
Lincoln Model K
Sunshine Special
In 1938, Edsel Ford invited Eugene Gregory, then Ford's design director, to build a vacation car based on a Lincoln Zephyr. Although Eugene Gregory, who did not graduate from high school, had an average academic qualification, he was a genius in design. In less than an hour, Eugene drew a picture of a Lincoln Continental prototype for Edsel. sketch.
Compared with the Lincoln Zephyr, the new car's body is lower, and the engine compartment is elongated to accommodate a 4.4L V12 engine. Because the front of the car is lengthened, the cabin has to be moved back, and it was originally placed behind the front fender. The spare tire can only be moved to the rear of the car. This prototype is the first to use the "long head and short tail" shape, which fits Edsel's "Continental European" style.
Lincoln Zephyr
The first generation of Lincoln continental (1940)
In March 1939, while on vacation in Florida, Edsel got his wish and drove a new car designed by Gregory. This uniquely designed car made Edsel After earning enough face among friends, their friends expressed their desire to buy this car. This made Edsel see the business opportunity, so Edsel immediately sent a telegram to the Detroit factory and decided to mass-produce this car. , because this car had a continental European style in design, Edsel named it Lincoln Continental.
Advertising image of the first-generation Lincoln Continental
The first-generation Lincoln Continental was launched in October 1939. Like its prototype, the first-generation Continental used the chassis of the Lincoln Zephyr and was equipped with the same 4.4L V12 engine as the Zephyr. , with a maximum power of 112 horsepower. In later versions, Lincoln increased the displacement of this engine to 4.8L.
The rear-mounted spare tire of the first-generation Lincoln Continental (1940)
The first-generation Lincoln Continental was available in two body structures: two-door coupe and two-door convertible. The price range was between the flagship sedans Model K and Zephyr. Although the price range was The price was a little lower than the four-door luxury sedan Model K, but it was positioned as a big toy for the rich to show off and go on vacation. Eugene Gregory, who was also a yacht designer, designed a yacht-like smooth appearance for the mainland. Coupled with Lincoln's traditional American luxury elements and the Zephyr's iconic "little school bag" spare tire, the first-generation Lincoln Continental has become one of the most beautiful models in Lincoln history to date.
The first generation Lincoln Continental (1940)
Later, when the staff was sorting out Lincoln brand cultural relics, they discovered an antique scrapbook. The illustration on the first page of the catalog was a foreign classic car named Continental Peumatik, with the words " It has Edsel Ford's handwriting on it, so we guess that's where the name "continental" comes from.
The first-generation Lincoln Continental (1940)
Since the birth of the first-generation Continental, the Lincoln Continental has been one of the most popular luxury goods in the upper class of the United States. It was once called "the most beautiful car in the world" by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright .
The first batch of Lincoln Continental mass-produced units was 404 units, which were snapped up by celebrities and upper-class celebrities from all walks of life as soon as they were launched.
The first generation Lincoln Continental (1940)
In 1941, Lincoln revamped the 1942 Continental. After the facelift, the Continental replaced the previously rounded wheel arch lines with a square design, and further increased the body size. Although the whole car looks more in line with traditional American luxury cars, the "continental" elegance of the previous model is gone.
1942 Lincoln Continental
The Pearl Harbor incident in 1941 caused the United States to officially join the Second World War. Lincoln also stopped producing civilian vehicles and began to produce military equipment. During World War II, Edsel Ford, chairman of Lincoln Company, unfortunately died. Died of illness.
"Ford's Son" Edsel Ford passed away
After the end of World War II in 1945, the 1946 Lincoln Continental was launched. In order to attract American consumers, Lincoln once again changed the Continental, replacing it with a larger and more square model. Air grille, and starting in 1947, walnut wood was added to the interior of the Continental.
After Edsel's death, Lincoln's internal personnel structure underwent tremendous changes, and Continental's founder, Eugene Gregory, also left Lincoln. In 1949, Ford decided to use the group's Mercury brand to create a new luxury two-door coupe model, and Lincoln Continental's status began to be threatened. In 1948, Lincoln Continental was forced to cease production.
1942 Lincoln Continental
1956-1960 Continental
Although production was discontinued, the once glorious Lincoln Continental was not forgotten by Ford. In 1956, Ford established an independent Continental department. The only task of this department was to develop the second-generation Lincoln Continental model. Since Ford has made it clear that the Continental division does not belong to Lincoln, but is an independent brand, it is accurate to say that the second-generation Continental does not belong to Lincoln.
Continental Mark II
Compared with the first-generation Continental, the Continental Mark II is more slender, with a wheelbase as high as 3200mm and a vehicle length of 5547mm. The second-generation Continental is equipped with Lincoln's Y-block V8 engine . Although it has changed from a V12 engine to a V8 engine, its displacement has increased to 6.0L, with a maximum power of 290 horsepower.
Continental Mark II
The 1950s and 1960s were the peak period of automobile design, especially in the U.S. market. At that time, the United States was experiencing rapid economic development and very low gasoline prices. It had been in an era of "unrestrained" automobile design. Compared with A good example is the Cadillac Eldorado. The two upturned "wings" on the tail make it look like a spaceship. Until now, the author has always believed that the Cadillac Eldorado is one of the most imaginative cars in the world. .
Cadillac Eldorado
Cadillac Eldorado rear end
The second-generation Continental in that crazy era took a low-key route without hesitation, which was in line with Ford Prince Edselâs expectations for it - it had a European Continental style. Although the appearance has tended to resemble an American luxury sedan, the "little schoolbag" style spare tire of the first-generation Continental was still inherited. However, according to the legal regulations at the time, external spare tires were not allowed, so the designer added the spare tire to the second-generation Continental. The tail is designed with a bulge in the shape of a spare tire.
The second-generation Continental
The second-generation Continental's car logo is called "Continental Star", and its shape is a design similar to a cross star. This car logo was later developed into the Lincoln brand logo, which has been used to this day. The second-generation Continental is positioned as a luxury two-door coupe sedan, so its driving configuration is very advanced. Ford equipped it with configurations such as steering wheel assist, brake assist, electric windows, and a tachometer. You must know that these configurations were at the time Not all cars have it.
Continentalâs brand positioning is slightly higher than Lincoln, and all second-generation Continental models are purely hand-made. Ford has extremely strict quality control on Continental, so the second-generation Continental has become the most popular model in the U.S. auto market for a period of time. An expensive model, the price even exceeded the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, which was positioned as an ultra-luxury car at the time.
The rear end of the second-generation Continental
Because the production volume was small and the positioning was extremely high, it was not something you could buy if you wanted to buy a Continental at that time. Ford would only sell it to consumers who it thought were suitable for the Continental car. In the second generation Almost all of the Lincoln Continental owners are "big shots", including Iran King Pahlavi, then US Secretary of State Kissinger, "Elvis" Presley, Nelson Rockefeller of the oil tycoon Rockefeller family, and Elizabeth Taylor, the heroine of the movie "Cleopatra" and a famous Hollywood actor.
"Elvis" Presley's continental Mark II
1958-1960 Continental Mark III-V
Although the price of the second-generation Continental is as high as 10,000 US dollars, even so, due to poor sales, every unit sold For the second-generation Continental, Ford suffered a loss of US$1,000, so just two years after its launch, the second-generation Continental, which had high hopes, was discontinued.
In 1958, the third-generation Continental was launched. The reason why the second-generation Continental was discontinued was because of the high cost. Since the third-generation Continental was priced at US$6,000, Ford gave up the hand-made body of the second-generation Continental model. And let the third-generation Continental share a chassis with the Lincoln Capri and Lincoln Premiere.
Lincoln Capri
Although the cost control is relatively low, as a representative of American luxury sedans, it will definitely not lose to other models in appearance. The size of the third-generation Continental is further expanded compared to the second-generation model, 5817/2035/1435mm. The body size made the third-generation Continental one of the largest cars in the world at that time, with a wheelbase of 3327mm.
In terms of configuration, the third-generation Continental can be equipped with an optional on-board air-conditioning system and an FM radio. Now it sounds like these two configurations are standard features of the car, but at the time, this was a configuration only available in top luxury cars.
Continental Mark III
Compared with previous models, the exterior design of the third-generation Continental has become more exaggerated. The four round headlights present an "outer figure" shape. Although it is still relatively low-key compared to the Cadillac Eldorado of the same year, However, the third-generation Continental still used the design elements of airplanes and rockets that were very popular in the automotive design world at the time. Compared with the second-generation Continental, the tail fin of the third-generation model became larger and more exaggerated, and the taillights adopted the shape of a rocket tail flame. , the bumper on the front bumper is also made into a very shiny missile shape.
Continental Mark III
The most distinctive thing is that the tilt direction of the rear windshield of the third-generation Continental is opposite to that of other models. Of course, this design will affect the legroom of rear passengers, so in the high-end Town Car and four-wheel drive vehicles, The Limousine version of the door still uses a traditional rear windshield design.
Continental Mark III
It is a pity that starting from the third generation model, the spare tire-shaped protrusion of the iconic rear trunk lid of the Continental model was cancelled, and starting from this generation of models, Continental began to adopt a load-bearing body, and in addition to the dual In addition to the door coupe and convertible models, a four-door model is also launched. The engine of the third-generation Continental uses a larger displacement 7.0L V8 engine with a maximum power of 380 horsepower.
Continental Mark III
In 1958, Ford launched the fourth-generation Continental, named Continental Mark IV. In fact, the fourth-generation model was just a minor facelift of the third-generation model. The same was true for the Continental Mark V launched in 1959, which was not a real car. replacement model.
Among the first five generations of models, the fifth-generation Continental had the highest sales volume and the lowest price. However, even so, during the production cycle from 1958 to 1960, the Continental models still brought huge losses to Ford.
Continental Mark V
1961-1969 Lincoln Continental
Due to the very high positioning of the Continental model, its sales will naturally not be particularly good. Due to continued losses, Ford decided to return the Continental division to Lincoln in 1960, so it was launched in 1960 The new Continental is also known as the Lincoln Continental. In order to save costs, the 1961 Continental used the same chassis as the Ford Thunderbird at the time. However, in order to ensure the high-end positioning of the Lincoln model, the design was more luxurious and comfortable.
Ford Thunderbird
In order to increase the luxurious atmosphere, more walnut wood trim panels are used in the interior. The 1961 Lincoln Continental had three body structures to choose from: a two-door Coupe, a four-door sedan, and a four-door convertible. However, compared with all previous models, the body size of this generation of Continental has significantly shrunk, and the wheelbase has shrunk by 203mm. The rear is only 3124mm, and the body length has been reduced to 5395mm. Although Lincoln officially claims that this design can facilitate parking and female drivers, in the subsequent facelifts and replacement models, the Lincoln Continental has once again returned to its previous figure.
1961 Lincoln continental
Depending on the configuration, the curb weight range of this generation of Continental is 2300-2600kg. In order to better control such a heavy body, starting from 1965, Lincoln Continental has made front wheel disc brakes a standard configuration and optimized them. Front seat belts.
The biggest feature of this generation of Continental is the use of doors that open in opposite directions in the four-door model, which is what we often call "suicide doors". This design will make it more convenient for rear passengers to get in and out of the car, ensuring that the rear seats are distinguished. Passengers' elegant gestures.
1961 Lincoln continental
Because reverse opening of the rear doors poses certain safety risks, Lincoln also installed door indicators and pneumatic door locks for this generation of Continental. In the power section, this generation of Lincoln Continental offers three V8 engines of 7.0L, 7.5L and 7.6L to choose from, and the transmission is a 3-speed automatic transmission.
1961 Lincoln continental
The total sales of Lincoln's first-generation Continental model reached 330,000 units by 1969, and starting in 1961, the Lincoln Continental, code-named SS-100-X, entered the White House and became the then President of the United States John F. Kennedy 's exclusive car.
Since Kennedy, Lincoln Continental has served presidents such as Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, because of its powerful Power, spacious space and luxurious interior made Lincoln Continental the most advanced head of state car in the world at that time.
1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Car
The 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, rode a dark blue 1961 Continental four-door convertible when he was in office. However, after some modifications, according to the requirements of the U.S. Secret Service , this car The wheelbase has been lengthened to 3962mm, and it is also equipped with bulletproof armor. Since it is an open-top structure, Lincoln also provides a removable transparent bulletproof cover specifically for this car.
Lincoln continental
with the transparent car cover removed In 1963, the then US President Kennedy went to Dallas, Texas, to campaign for re-election votes. However, Texas was the territory of the Republican Party, and President Kennedy was born as a Democratic Party. In order to show Out of trust in the Republican people, President Kennedy asked to remove the bulletproof car cover of his Continental. Unfortunately, the vehicle was shot while passing Dealey Plaza, and President Kennedy died on the spot.
Kennedy in the Parade
The assassination of John F. Kennedy shocked security agencies around the world. From then on, convertibles rarely appeared in the cars of heads of state in any country. Later, this Lincoln Continental, code-named SS-100-X, was restored and strengthened and served in the White House for many years. It is now in the permanent collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.
The collected JFK car-Lincoln continental
Later, the thickness of the transparent roof of the 1972 Lincoln Continental presidential car reached the standard of a fighter jet, and it was also equipped with titanium alloy armor and bulletproof glass, which can easily withstand the attack of small arms and has rubber trim. The wheel hub can still travel at a speed of 80km/h even if the tire is punctured.
Article summary
The early Lincoln Continental can be said to have perfectly interpreted the positioning of an American classic luxury sedan. Its huge body, exaggerated shape, luxurious interior and powerful V8 engine all allow the Lincoln Continental to easily compete with any car in the world. If you want to know the next historical story of Lincoln Continental, we will see you in the next issue of "A Historical Review of the Ultimate American Luxury Lincoln Continental (Part 2)".
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