The History of Lincoln
Henry Leland
Henry Leland, original founder of Lincoln, was born on February 16, 1843. As an adult, he was an engineer and a machinist who built and provided engines to Oldsmobile, studied Metrology (the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement) and was also interested in precision machining and tool making. He was also an accomplished inventor of the electric barber clippers, the Leland-Detroit Monorail toy train and as well as the brands of Cadillac and Lincoln. So where did the name Lincoln come from? Leland was an Abraham Lincoln enthusiast, and he not only voted for him in his first eligible presidential election in 1864 — he later named his company “The Lincoln Motor Company” after his favorite president.
World War I
In 1917, Leland and his son, Wilfred, were not happy at Cadillac and resigned from the company to officially form the Lincoln Motor Company. With everything going on in the world at the time, they worked out contracts with the American government during World War I and began making money by manufacturing the Liberty Aircraft engines in support of the war. Ford Motor Company supplied cylinders for the engines.
After the War
After the war ended, the Lelands were left with a modern manufacturing plant, and they decided to create a new luxury motorcar. Because of that, the very first Lincoln motorcar was finished in September of 1920.
However, times were tough in the postwar economy and it was hard on Leland's company. By 1921, it was in severe financial difficulty and sold to the Ford Motor Company in 1922 at a receiver's sale.
Henry Ford's son, Edsel Ford, was named president of the company and was full of inspiration — he had many plans to renew and reinvigorate the design of the Lincoln motorcar, taking cues from popular coachbuilders of the past.
The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties was a time of prosperity for almost everyone, including Lincoln. Both factory and custom-built-body Lincoln cars were made, including open towncars and roadsters. The Lincoln chassis carried motorcar bodies from many great coachbuilders, such as Derham, Judkins and LeBaron, and sales escalated. By the middle part of the decade, Lincoln had built the reputation as one of the world’s premier motorcar brands.
The Great Depression
The luxury market began to tank during the 1930s, but Edsel Ford recognized this and came up with a plan. The mid-price Lincoln-Zephyr was introduced in November 1935. Powered by a smaller V-12, it had an aerodynamic design, seated seven passengers and sported a redesigned front grille and pressed steel wheels. 15,000 were sold in 1936, making it a big success especially at the time. In 1939, a convertible limousine called "The Sunshine Special" was custom-built for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The Lincoln Continental
Ford collarborated with his chief designer, E.T. "Bob" Gregorie, on what would become the Lincoln Continental in 1939. It was originally a singular design for Edsel, but it became popular with his friends. Soon they offered it as a limited production car. They built 25 that year, and then 400 in 1940, making it an automotive icon. The Continental was originally in production for 49 years, from 1939 to 1948, again from 1958 to 2002, and making a final comeback in 2017.
Post World War II
From 1949 to 1960, Lincoln introduced the Lincoln Sport, the Cosmopolitan, Lido, the Capri, the Custom, the Premiere and the two-door luxury coupe, the Lincoln Continental Mark II Series.
In 1961, Lincoln returned to understated elegance when most other American automotive companies were using as much chrome as paint, and the new design was known as "the Continental look."
Introduced in 1981, the Lincoln Town Car was the largest American-made car by 2006, measuring almost 18 feet. The Lincoln LS was introduced in 2002, and the Lincoln Aviator made way for the Mark LT, MKC, MKZ and Navigator.
Today
Until George H.W. Bush left office in 1993, the Lincoln Town Car had always been the car of choice for the Presidential Fleet lineup. The powertrain of the 1989 Lincoln Town Car was a Ford F-250 three-quarter ton pickup, 460-cubic inch (7.5L) EFI V8 to compensate for added weight due to added safety features to the limousine.
Today, Lincoln maintains an impressive lineup of vehicles, including the Nautilus, Corsair, Navigator and Aviator.
Interested in learning more about the history of Lincoln? Give us a call or visit us at 3333 North Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32609. We look forward to serving customers from Alachua, Starke, Ocala and Lake City.