Time to say so long to Lincolns for a while, and what better way to end it than with some of the most beautiful Lincolns ever made. Let’s take a walk around and check out some truly cool Zephyrs and Continentals.
I can thank my mother for finding out about this show. I don’t really read the paper (well, the comics) but she saw an article saying that the Lincoln-Zephyr Owners Club was having their annual meet in Bettendorf. I was all ears, since I love Lincolns, and you do not typically see prewar examples at the local cruise nights.
There was one problem. The show itself was at 9:00 in the morning, with judging at noon. Of course, I would be at work during this time. Would the cars still be there?
I emailed the editor of the LZOC website, and he sent me a nice note that as the club members were staying at the hotel, the cars would definitely be there. So I spent Friday at work with visions of ’41 Continentals and ’36 Zephyrs floating through my brain, while verifying credit card charges and printing payroll reports.
One problem: Around lunchtime, the sky was starting to get really black, and a storm watch was in effect. It never got really bad–though it did rain pretty good for a while–and by the time I got off work it was mostly sunny. So I crossed the bridge into Iowa, with a fully charged camera of course.
Well, the storm meant that the Connies and Zephyrs were in the parking garage instead of outside. Thus, the photos are not quite as, well, photogenic as I would have liked, but I think you’ll agree every one of these beauties is worthy of attention.
The first car to pique my interest was this very sharp green 1942 Zephyr sedan. As most of you know, I am a sucker for a green car, and Lincolns, so when I see a green Lincoln, forget any pressing matters.
A 1942 anything is quite rare, as Pearl Harbor cut off 1942 U.S. car production quite early. Combined with the fact that most prewar cars were driven into the ground during the WWII years means that few survive to the present day. But this one has beaten the odds.
Neat details abound, like the hood ornament and badging on the nose.
I was afraid the low lighting in the garage was going to render my interior shots unusable, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out.
Here’s the back seat. Looks pretty comfy, yes?
Next up is this green ’47 Zephyr convertible. Only about 380 of these were built that year, and according to the info sheet inside, this is one of only ten known survivors.
The interior was very sharp in saddle tan. I like the maroon steering wheel!
The front end reminds me of a Wurlitzer jukebox. Lots of fussy details. It may not be as clean and pure a design as the classic 1939-41 Continentals (which we’ll get to), but I like it nonetheless.
The back end is much smoother, but with plenty of chrome detailing to let you know this was not a garden variety Ford Deluxe or Chevy. This was a Lincoln.
We grouse about small windows on modern cars, but most of them don’t hold a candle to the backlight on this car. I would not want to parallel park this beauty unless the top was down!
Despite the beauty of the Continentals we’ll see in a bit, I think this is my favorite. I wish it had been on the upper level of the ramp, so I could have gotten better pictures, but even in the low lighting, I’m sure you’ll agree this is a lovely car.
This one appears to be a ’37, and the coupe body is, frankly, stunning. If you ever get the chance to see one of these cars in person, do it! The line from the top of the roof to the B-pillar to the trunk, to the bumper, is one sinuous line–stunning. The deep plum color only added to its appeal.
I loved the cloisonné grille badge…
…which matched the trunk handle. Such detail.
Here’s a ’39. This was the first year the grille could be called a “waterfall” grille, though the look got started in ’38 when the low-mounted grille replaced the tall, proud 1936-37 version.
I love the hubcaps on these, too.
But Tom, I can hear you say, what about the Continentals? Fear not, there were several examples, and they were near the ramp to the top of the garage, which meant they enjoyed much better lighting condition than the cars on the ground level.
How about this? These cars look lovely in dark colors: hunter green, maroon…
…navy blue…
And black! Mustn’t forget black. Especially sharp when a red interior is thrown into the mix.
All these cars were in excellent shape, and many (including this one) had AACA and LCOC award badges on them.
Here it is: The original Continental kit. So lovely on these cars, attractive enough on the Continentals Mark III-VIII, and so hideous on 1980s Eldorados, Town Cars, and K-Car ’90s New Yorkers.
Here’s the side view. Nice, huh?
Here’s the inside. The horn ring, radio grille, and other trim bits were plated in real gold.
The saddle tan interior contrasted nicely with the maroon paint.
The dark blue one was equally nice, and wore Minnesota plates.
I really liked the accessory driving lights on this one.
Amongst all the cabriolets was this hunter green ’40 Zephyr coupe. A friend of mine (an LZOC member; I visited with him later on at the dinner) has a ’41 Continental coupe in this very same color, with hunter green leather. It’s my favorite color on these cars.
The inside was green as well, in what appears to be Bedford cord. Note the pushbutton door release; in 1941 the exterior door handles would also be pushbutton-activated.
This was a really clean design. The dark colors really suit it.
No doubt Zephyr owners parallel-parked with no fear, judging from the three stout bumper guards mounted front and rear.
These were really impressive cars, and I’m glad the LZOC decided to make the QC area their choice for a meet this year. On the way out I spotted what I consider the last true Lincoln, just a stone’s throw away from the classics.
Beautiful cars thanks for sharing them. Many of them appear to be survivors instead of being over restored which is nice to see. That or they are older restorations that someone chose to enjoy by driving them regularly another thing that is nice to see.
Thanks again for Lincoln week I enjoyed it.
Our friend Kevin Martin likes to point out how the fronts of some ’50s cars have a certain buxom quality. That’s not the term he uses. I look at the big bodacious tail of that purple ’37, and…and…I’ll just drop it there, I’m more of a prude than Martin is. 🙂
What does “prude” mean?
A nice retrospective, Tom, and a fitting denouement to Lincoln Week. Thank you for a a fun series.
As a child growing up in L.A. in the fifties, you would still see a few of these pre-war and post-war Lincolns motoring about town, but as you note, their numbers were dwindling rapidly. You could spot them a mile away, and being a car nut from the get-go, I would always ask my dad what they were. He could easily distinguish the year and model, always to my delight. To my young eyes, though, these always looked so ancient, as the ever-sleeker designs of the “Fabulous Fifties” unfolded around me.
The distinct presence of these Lincolns is still remarkably evident on rare occasion. When I still lived in San Diego some five years ago, a ’48 Continental was parked on the street around the corner from my house. It was unmistakable, and had drawn a number of onlookers. They are a tour de force of detail, and an impressive reminder of a bygone era (they still look ancient, though!).
Thanks tom right at the end you produced the best it was worth waiting for. I saw a couple of prewar Lincolns at the artdeco celebration here in Napier. The 37 coup’e is easily my favourite a rival for the Terraplane coup’e I found.
+1
These are simply stunning.
Coincidentally, we ran across a small show of Lincolns yesterday as we were driving through Ogunquit on our way to Saco.
The CC effect at work; a few pristine examples from the ’40s and ’50s, one from the ’60s…and a lone ’40s Packard sitting on the sidelines.
Love this vintage of Lincolns, since the first time I saw a Zephyr at the Johnson County Fair in Iowa City in maybe 1961 or so. As you all know, I do have a thing about streamlined cars from the late thirties, and that Zephyr instantly did its thing to me. It was one of my major fantasy cars for….well, it still is.
Thanks for putting together this great collection of them.
Amazing cars, wish I had seen these up close and personal. I never liked the ’42-’48 front-end styling as much as the earlier models either, but I do like it. Wurlitzer jukebox is a good comparison… and definitely not a bad one in my book! I saw a ’47 or ’48 Continental coupe being driven on the road recently and it was an amazing sight to take in moving through traffic.
Tom, this may be my favorite piece from all of Lincoln Week here. When I started 7th grade, I met the guy who would become my best friend for years to come. His father would become my famous car-mentor Howard. Howard had a black 47 Lincoln sedan. This is the only picture I have of the car. It was a gorgeous original car.
I was in love with cars from this era anyhow, and that Lincoln was the first one I ever really got to spend any time around. I have never forgotten that beautiful translucent red plastic steering wheel from an era when plastic was a luxury material. The inside door handles were pushbuttons. (Only Continentals got pushbuttons on the outside). The silent hydraulic windows were so cool, and the only sound they made was a distant hydraulic pump kicking in to raise the glass. I spent hours in and around that car and got at least one ride in it. I couldn’t believe it when Howard sold it, but as an adult who has experienced a growing family, I certainly get it now. I can report that the acres of chrome diecastings on the front took a LOT of work with chrome cleaner and a rag.
This car made me a Lincoln Geek, First Class. For example, I have to correct you one place – the 47 Convertible is not a Zephyr, as that name was retired after the ’42 models. The ’46-’48 regular Lincoln was just a Lincoln, with no model designation.
My logical brain knows that these were among the worst cars built in their era for long-term reliability with that awful V-12, but they are unmatched for an old-world kind of elegance and dignity. I will love these forever as with anything you fall in love with at age 13, and thank you so much for bringing these here.
Oh, how I wish I could’ve seen these cars in person! I love stock 30s and 40s cars, especially luxury cars. Nearly any pre war cadillac, lincoln, packard etc. really is a sight to behold. Shame I rarely see them around here, as most car shows are all 50s and newer. Good stuff, but pre war luxury is my favorite.
What a beautiful group of cars and colors. The back seat looks like an Art Deco couch. All those straps and grab handles to help the passengers in and out. Sitting high off the floor with plenty of headroom too.
That ’42 Zephyr sedan is my favourite, and what a stunning colour! I was previously unfamiliar with that year’s styling, and like it a lot – it might be just the camera angle, but the car looks comparatively lower than contemporary non-Lincolns, and the windows seem quite a decent size for the time too.
Wonderful cars, congratulation
Best Regards GB
If I ever hit the lottery, the first thing I buy will be a ’40 or ’41 Continental Cabriolet, in dark blue, maroon, or black. It’s my favorite car in the world.