The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced between 1939 and 2020 by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edsel Ford, who commissioned a coachbuilt 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr convertible, developed as a vacation vehicle to attract potential Lincoln buyers. In what would give the model line its name, the exterior was designed with European "continental" styling elements, including a rear-mounted spare tire.
In production for over 55 years across nine different decades, Lincoln has produced ten generations of the Continental. Within the Lincoln model line, the Continental has served several roles ranging from its flagship to its base-trim sedan. From 1961 to 1976, Lincoln sold the Continental as its exclusive model line. The model line has also gone on hiatus three times. From 1949 to 1955, the nameplate was briefly retired. For 1981, the Continental was renamed the Lincoln Town Car to accommodate the 1982 seventh-generation Continental. After 2002, the Continental was retired, largely replaced by the Lincoln MKS for 2009. For 2017, the tenth-generation Continental replaced the MKS.
As part of its entry into full-scale production, the first-generation Continental was the progenitor of an entirely new automotive segment, the personal luxury car. Following World War II, the segment evolved into coupes and convertibles larger than sports cars and grand touring cars with an emphasis on features, styling, and comfort over performance and handling. From 1956 to 1957, the Continental nameplate was the namesake of the short-lived Continental Division, marketing the 1956–1957 Continental Mark II as the worldwide flagship of Ford Motor Company; as a second successor, Ford introduced the Continental Mark series for 1969, produced over six generations to 1998.
Along with the creation of the personal luxury car segment, the Lincoln Continental marked the zenith of several designs in American automotive history. The Continental is the final American vehicle line with a factory-produced V12 engine (1948), the final four-door convertible (1967), and the final model line to undergo downsizing (for the 1980 model year).
American production of the Continental and MKZ, its only two sedans, ended in 2020 thereby making Lincoln a crossover/SUV-only brand in the US.
Edsel Ford prototype (1939)
Development The Lincoln Continental was first produced as a personal vehicle for Ford Motor Company President Edsel Ford.Dammann, George The Cars of Lincoln Mercury (Sarasota, FLA: Crestline, 1987), p. 192. In 1938, Ford commissioned a one-off design he wanted ready for his March 1939 vacation from company Chief Stylist Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie. Using the blueprints of the streamlined Lincoln-Zephyr as a starting point, Gregorie sketched a design for a convertible with a redesigned body; allegedly, the initial sketch for the design was completed in an hour.
Ford wanted to revive the popularity of the 1929–1932 Lincoln Victoria coupe and convertible but with a more modern approach, reflecting European styling influences for the Continental.
By design, the Edsel Ford prototype was essentially a channeled and sectioned Lincoln-Zephyr convertible; although the vehicle wore a conventional windshield profile, the prototype sat nearly 7 inches lower than a standard Lincoln. Along with the massive decrease in height, the running boards were deleted entirely. In contrast to the Zephyr (and in a massive change from the K-Series Lincoln), the hood sat nearly level with the fenders taking advantage of the fact that the engine type and configuration did not need the clearance afforded by the height of the standard Lincoln hood line.
To focus on the styling of the car, the chrome trim on the car was largely restricted to the grille; the prototype differed from the eventual production version in that it used a somewhat less angular roof line. As with the Lincoln-Zephyr, the prototype used a 267 cubic-inch V12 engine, transverse leaf springs front and rear as well as hydraulic drum brakes.
The prototype designed by Gregorie was produced on time, making the deadline to be delivered to Edsel Ford in Florida. Interest from well-off friends was high; Edsel sent a telegram back to Michigan that he could sell a thousand of them. In reference to its European-inspired design, the Lincoln-based prototype received its name: Continental.
Immediately, production commenced on the Lincoln Continental, with the majority of production being "Cabriolet" convertibles and a rare number of coupes. These were extensively hand-built; the two dozen 1939 models and 400 1940-built examples were built with hand-hammered body panels; dies for machine-pressing were not constructed until 1941. The limited number of 1939 models produced are commonly referred to as '1940 Continentals'.
Legacy and significance
The modified body gave the Continental new proportions over its Zephyr counterpart; with the hoodline sitting lower over the V12 engine and the passenger compartment moved rearward, the prototype had more in common with classic era "long-hood, short deck" body configurations versus being a strict adherent of contemporary streamline moderne design trends. This design philosophy quickly became the standard for American vehicles for decades.
As a consequence of the smaller trunk space, the spare tire was mounted behind the trunk; while disappearing on American cars, the externally mounted, covered spare tire remained a feature on European-produced cars. Though the spare tire itself was relocated into the vehicle for all succeeding models, the styling motif remained a hallmark of most Continental Mark Series cars. With the exception of the 1958–1960 Continental Mark III, IV and V, all generations of the Mark Series featured a rounded trunk bulge that suggested the appearance of an externally rear-mounted spare tire.
Aftermarket kits that relocate the spare tire behind the trunk, popular on Fifties cars even today, remain known as Continental kits due to the design's continued association with the famous Continental model line.
First generation (1940–1942, 1946–1948)
The Lincoln Continental debuted for the 1940 model year, and through 1942 shared largely the same body design with each other, with push-button door catch releases displacing the previous lever type handles for 1941; the Continental received minimal updates from year to year.
For the 1942 model year, all Lincoln models were given squared-up fenders, and a revised grille, with the Lincoln-Zephyr gaining exterior push-button door catch releases. The result was a boxier, more massive appearance in keeping with then-current design trends, but perhaps less graceful in retrospect. 1942 production was shortened, following the entry of the United States into World War II; the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the suspension of production of automobiles for civilian use.
After World War II, the Lincoln division of Ford returned the Continental to production as a 1946 model; Lincoln dropped the Zephyr nomenclature following the war, so the postwar Continental was derived from the standard Lincoln (internally H-Series). To attract buyers, the design was refreshed with updated trim, distinguished by a new grille. For 1947, walnut wood trim was added to the interior.
Following the death of Edsel Ford in 1943, Ford Motor Company re-organized its corporate management structure, which led to the 1946 departure of the Continental's designer Bob Gregorie. 1948 would become the last year for the Continental, as the division sought to redevelop its new 1949 model line as an upgraded version of the Mercury; the expensive personal-luxury car would not have a role again until the Continental Mark II in 1956 which produced by its own Continental Division separate from Lincoln.
The 1939–1948 Continental is recognized as a "Full Classic" by the Classic Car Club of America, one of the last-built cars to be so recognized. As of 2015, the 1948 Lincoln Continental and 1948 Lincoln were the last cars produced and sold by a major U.S. automaker with a V12 engine. Base retail price for the coupe was listed at US$2,727 () and the cabriolet was listed at US$2,778 ().
Second generation (1956–1957)
For the 1956 model year, the Continental nameplate returned as a flagship vehicle, with Ford creating a namesake brand centered around the new vehicle. To highlight the European influence behind both generations, the new Continental was assigned the Mark II suffix (also in an effort to distinguish itself from the similar Bentley Continental). Marketed and serviced through the Lincoln-Mercury dealership network, the $10,000 ($ in dollars ) Continental Mark II was the most expensive automobile sold by a domestic manufacturer in the United States, rivaling the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.Gunnell, p. 498. The Mark II included a large number of power-equipment features standard and offered only a single option: air conditioning, for $595.
While using a model-specific chassis (sharing its 126-inch wheelbase with the Lincoln Capri and Premiere, along with its suspension), the Mark II shared its Lincoln Y-block V8 with the Lincoln-Mercury line. Sharing no body commonality with other Ford Motor Company vehicles, each Mark II was hand-built, with all body panels hand-sanded and hand-finished.
Several design elements of the Mark II broke from American styling precedent of the time. With a nearly flat hood and decklid, the Mark II was also designed with neither tailfins (then prominent on American sedans) nor pontoon fenders (then current in Europe). While an American luxury automobile, the Mark II essentially limited chrome fitment to the window trim, grille, and bumpers (styled closer in line to a Mercedes-Benz 300 or a Rolls-Royce).
The "Continental spare tire" returned as a styling feature, but was now integrated into the decklid (partly as a styling feature, also serving to accommodate the vertically-mounted spare tire). Mounted on the decklid was a four-pointed star emblem. In various forms, Lincoln has retained that design for its brand emblem ever since.
In total, 2,996 Continental Mark IIs were produced including two prototype convertibles.Gunnel, p. 499. As a consequence of the nearly hand-built construction, Ford estimated it lost nearly $1000 on every Continental Mark II produced; after 1957, the Mark II was discontinued. For the third generation, Ford repackaged the Continental as a flagship against its American-market competitors.
Third generation (1958–1960) For 1958, Continental made its return as a flagship model line for Ford Motor Company. To build a better business case for the brand, Ford changed the market segment for Continental, positioning it as a competitor for the Cadillac Eldorado and Imperial LeBaron. To reach a $6,000 price point ($ in dollars ), Continental was forced to abandon the hand-built assembly of the Mark II, with the model line sharing production with Lincoln at the then-new Wixom Assembly Plant.
The 1958 Continental Mark III was designed by John Najjar, Chief Stylist of Lincoln, assisted by Elwood Engel largely drawing influence from the 1955 Ford La Tosca concept model designed by Alex Tremulis. Engel would style the 1959 Mark IV, with Don Delarossa (who replaced Najjar as Lincoln Chief Stylist in 1957) developing the 1960 Mark V. As a result of its massive size and the configuration of its headlights, the model line was nicknamed the "slant-eyed monster" in the Ford design studio.
For 1959, Ford cancelled the Continental division outright, with its model line remaining through the 1960 model year as part of the model cycle.
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