(first posted 7/6/2017) Several months back, when I stumbled across a 1957 Lincoln Premiere at the Brain Melting CARS Dealership, I commented on how the 1957 Lincolns had not yet gotten a proper Curbside Classic treatment, and promised to write one up myself. Fate seems to be determined to make me keep my word, and keeps sending 1957 Lincolns my way as not so subtle reminders. Since making that original post, I’ve seen two more 1957 Lincoln Premieres, starting with the green coupe above at a car show in June.
As if that weren’t reminder enough, I found this stunning red example at another car show in July, taunting me that I still hadn’t kept my promise. I got the message: Here’s my post. Now please quit sending 1957 Lincolns my way!
For 1956, the Lincoln lineup was all-new from the ground up. Prior to 1956, Lincolns had a reputation for being among the smallest vehicles in their class, which was something Ford was looking to rectify in 1956. At 223 inches, The 1956 models were almost 7 1/2 inches longer than the 1955 model it replaced, riding on a wheelbase three inches longer (126 inches). These dimensions would continue to grow over the next several years, and Lincoln would eventually produce some of the largest post-war cars ever made.
1956 Lincoln
Styling for the 1956 Lincolns was inspired by the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept, which would be better known in its later incarnation as the Batmobile in the 1960s Batman TV series. If you squint closely, you can see some hints of that car here, especially around the headlights.
The 1956 models sported relatively clean (for the day) styling, notably devoid of side chrome except for a small spear near the base of the doors. It also sported the ultimate version of the Lincoln Y-Block V8, punched out to 368 cubic inches, and sporting a 285 (gross) horsepower.
Lincoln also revamped their product lineup to better position itself against Cadillac, with two models: The entry-level Capri, which matched up to the Cadillac Sixty-Two, and the new-for-1956 Premiere, which was priced to compete with the Cadillac de Ville. The Cosmopolitan nameplate was shown the door, thanked for its service, and never seen again.
Due to their handsome new and larger bodies, Lincoln sold a record 50,322 units in 1956. Even more impressive, a vast majority of these sales (41,531) were of the higher level (and higher margin) Premiere trim.
The car that started it all: 1957 from C.A.R.S. dealership
For 1957, Lincoln continued to inflate the dimensions of their cars. While the wheelbase remained the same (126 inches), length was up another 1.5 inches, to 224.6 (mostly due to longer bumpers), and width had increased by almost half an inch as well (mostly due to larger tail fins). Most of the styling changes, as we shall see, were not very successful.
No review of the 1957 model can begin or end without discussing this model’s peculiar headlight treatment, so let’s address the elephant in the room right now. While quad headlights were technically legal in most states in 1957, they would not become legal in all fifty states until 1958. With a few notable exceptions (the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and the 1957 Nash Ambassador), most U.S. cars would not start sporting quad headlamps until the 1958 model year. The 1957 Lincoln setup was not a true quad headlamp system: The lower lamp was not a high beam, but rather a “road” light, which could be switched on and off independently of the headlights.
So the 1957 Lincoln headlight setup was an attempt to anticipate the coming 1958 quad headlamp standard, but it had to do so while fitting within the fender stampings of the single headlight 1956 models. The narrow opening necessitated the awkward vertical arrangement, while the flat-faced bezel awkwardly juts out from the canted hooded openings of the 1956 models. See the picture of the 1956 model earlier in this post for an idea of what they had to start with to adapt to a “quad” lamp setup.
Running changes for 1957 included bumping the engine compression ratio to 10.0, which increased the horsepower of the 368 Lincoln Y-Block to an even 300.
Lincoln -1957
Starting price of this 1957 Premiere was $5,294 (about $46,000 in 2017 dollars) and included such standard equipment as power steering, power brakes, power windows, and a power seat. Power door locks and power vent windows were newly available options for 1957.
Mirroring the industry in general, 1957 saw a dramatic increase in the amount of gingerbread Lincoln applied to their vehicles. The previously unadorned sides now blossomed fake scoops, and the previously tidy rear end sprouted huge tail fins and ginormous bumpers.
The featured car sports the somewhat rare (22% take rate) factory A/C option. By 1957, Lincoln was virtually alone in still using trunk-mounted A/C systems. Almost every other brand (even stablemate siblings Ford and Mercury) had switched over to integrated cowl-mounted air conditioning setups.
The buying public did not respond well to the “improved” 1957 model. Between the aforementioned changes and competition from all-new vehicles for 1957 at Imperial and Cadillac, Lincoln sales slipped almost 20% in 1957, to 41,123. As in 1956, the vast majority of these sales were of the Premiere model (35,223). One can see the seeds of Lincoln’s near-death experience (before being saved by the brilliant 1961 Continental) already being sown here.
As a result of the styling “improvements,” the 1957 models are among the least loved of the modern Lincolns. They don’t carry the cachet of the later Continental and Mark series models and are rarely seen anymore today, even at car shows. This makes the fact that I ran into three of them in the last three months all that more amazing.
I couldn’t agree more with this article – the 1957 Lincoln is a butcher job on the elegant ’56 model. Just for example compare this distinctive ’56 sedan roofline (with that cool triangular window which I understand flips open) with the cheap’n’nasty ’57 greenhouse pictured in the article.
The 1957 Lincoln could had been a good basis for a “Packoln” or “Lincard” and it’s not as bad as the 1958-60 models. 😉
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/car-show-classic/continental-outtake-coming-soon-to-a-cc-near-you/
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/comment-image/237940.jpg
Actually, that was something James Nance, President of S-P tried to do – buy (and reskin) Lincoln bodies for the ’57 Packard.
Consumer Reports, which was never a fan of Detroit “bulgemobiles”, called the ’57 Lincoln a “handsome, roadable car.” The ’56 is a classically beautiful design, but the ’57 has its own charms and seems to have more “presence” than the ’56. We have to remember that no matter how good a design is, we have to scrap it next year so we can make the claim of “NEW!”
I break from the hobby establishment’s admiration of the ’61 model, which I consider to be a plain, boring box with a hideous grille/headlight treatment. The public apparently agreed, because ’61 sales were lower than the often maligned ’58s, and 1958 was a recession year.
I have to disagree. The 61-65 models look best from a three quarters rear view, especially the first three years. The ’61 has that T Bird style bumper grille combo, the ’62 and ’63 have a more conventional lower bumper/upper grille design. They were plain compared to the Cadillac and Imperial, which was their saving grace, in my eyes. It was the contrast to their contemporaries that gave them their impact. My Dad had an immaculate ’63 that I got to drive to high school and on errands for several years. I have never found the earlier Lincolns of the early Fifties too compelling. My dad had a ’51 for a while, however it just seems like a bigger Mercury. These mid Fifties just look like caricatures of Fifties cars. The slanted headlamp baroque models just seem hideous to me. In my mind Lincoln hit their groove in the Sixties thru the Eighties. After the Mark VII they just lost their way. However to each their own.
I agree with you in general but would argue that, with the current Continental, Lincoln has found its way again.
If they had gone with the “suicide” doors, I guarantee there would be a waiting list.
I agree, but you seemed to post a pic of a Hyundai Azera.
Oh wait…
Azera? Not even Close.
Very close
Shockingly close
I have always lusted after a ’61 to ’63 Continental Convertibles, after seeing one in person at 8 or 9 years old. Such fantastic cars IMHO. A neighborhood friends father had a 65 red Convertibile. Runs to Dairy Queen where an event! But I always liked the front end treatment of the ’61 to ’63 the best. Feel the same way about ’61 to ’63 Thunderbirds as well. The front ends of both cars favored each other. I always thought.
“I break from the hobby establishment’s admiration of the ’61 model, which I consider to be a plain, boring box with a hideous grille/headlight treatment”
You’re not the only one. I never understood the love piled on those Lincs. They’re boring and slab sided with little character to my eyes.
I’m calling you on your claim. See the enclosed sales figures including 1958 and 1961, which for both years – and all marques – include figures for all models sold under each marque. For 1961, Lincoln only made the Continental, and only in the 4DR hardtop sedan and 4DR convertible sedan models. 1961 shows almost a 50% increase in sales over 1958.
I’m just curious, where your data comes from? The ’61 Connie was well-received by all accounts. Granted, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea…but to say it sold worse than a 1958 model, frankly, is laughable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Automobile_Production_Figures
I’m combining the ’58 Lincolns and Continentals because they were the same cars with minor sheet metal and trim differences. Both were a part of “Total Lincoln Production” according to “The Production Figure Book For U.S. Cars” by Jerry Heasley.
Hence we get 29,684 for ’58; 26,906 for ’59; 24,820 for ’60; and 25,164 for ’61.
So 4,520 more people drove away in a new ’58 Lincoln than in ’61.
While on the subject of production figures, Lincoln’s 1957 production was 41,123 (including 444 Continentals)–the third best total ever until 1966, which I think is a decent showing.
All quite true. The Continental Division ceased to exist with the end of the MkII in 1957.
But Lincoln’s market share after the big drop in sales in ’58 was simply too low to be sustainable, especially in terms of a unique platform/body of its own. Hence the very serious consideration by McNamara to shut down Lincoln after 1960 or so.
The ’61 was the saving grace of Lincoln, not because it was a big seller, but because it shared quite a lot under the skin with the new ’61 T-Bird, the Conti’s design having originated in the contest for the T-Bird.
McNamara liked both the looks of Engel’s design, but also the fact that the two cars could share much more, and the new Conti would take much less investment. It was Lincoln’s reprieve, and last chance to turn itself around.
1961 sales were not that great, but it was a recession year. And Conti sales grew steadily in the subsequent years, thanks to the new design being very well accepted, and it avoiding contemporary design gimmicks, which allowed it to stay in production with minimal changes for a number of years. It was the car that saved Lincoln.
The story as I recall was that Eugene Bordinat was the director of the Lincoln styling studio. After looking at Cadillac over the years, he came to the realization that part of the success of Cadillac as due to it’s continuity of design. A Cadillac always looked like a Cadillac, whereas Lincoln was all over the place in the 1950’s when it came to styling themes.
Bordinat decided Lincoln need to also have a coherent identity and starting working on a 1961 Lincoln design with themes embodied in the 1958-60 Lincoln. Don DeLaRossa who worked on the ’58-60 cars also worked on this design.
In the meantime over at the Special Projects section Elwood Engel came up with a proposal for the 1961 T-Bird, styled with some themes taken from the 1956-57 Continental Mark II. When McNamara saw this T-bird, he asked Engel to turn it into a Lincoln, which resulted in the 1961 Continental. So Bordinat’s continuity now started in 1961 rather than ’58 as he planned originally.
The new Continental did share it’s cowl structure with the T-bird. But there were a lot of significant differences, such as the front suspension.
Sorry, but a 1958 to 1960 comparison is really unfair because the economy was awful in 1958 and the entire industry was down. A 1960 to 61 is a much better comparison that makes your point even better. The new 61 sold only a few hundred units better than the 60, then in its 3rd year with almost no changes.
1961 was a recession year too, which also makes comparisons with 1960 difficult.
There’s no doubt that the ’61 Conti got off to a less than rip-roaring start, probably because it was so radically different. But its sales steadily improved after ’61.
P.S.: If anyone can dig up the July 1990 issue of “Car Collector and Car Classics”, you’ll find an article I wrote entitled “The 1958-60 Lincolns: Too Much Wasn’t Enough”. It has some interesting information and photos of 1958, ’59, and ’60 models.
In October 1955 my Dad bought a new 1956 DsSoto Fireflite, fully loaded. Soon after we were headed to Lake Almanor with Dad driving as usual, around 85 mph. We were passed by a ’56 Premiere doing over 100 mph. As it disappeared, the right rear window went down and a kid about my age (7 or 8) urped all over the rear 1/4 panel. That was my intro to ’56 Lincolns. Flash forward to me in my teens buying cars like a rabbit in heat. I had already owned every year Lincoln from 1948 through 1955 ( ’55 convert, coupe and a 4 door) and was looking for a ’56 convert or coupe. My then girlfriend said, “I think Daddy has one.” I looked, he did have a Lincoln coupe, a 1957 Premiere in Taos turquoise with Ivy green roof, fully loaded, with 35,000 miles. Even had wide whitewalls. It was in the carport because he just bought a new, 1965 Imperial convertible. I ask “How much?” he asked how much cash I had on me. It was $35, he said sold. The car looked new. I fell in love with it in the 16 miles going home. I’ve also had ’57-58 Imperials and ’57- ’58 Cadillacs. The Lincoln was a much better car than the ’57 Cadillac and equal to the ’57 -’58 Imperial, even with it’s torsion bar suspension, and workmanship was fantastic on the Lincoln, things happen, weeks later the second ’57 Premiere coupe I bought for $90 was black, loaded,and flawless, converted to an entire ’58 Continental drivetrain. Number 3 was weeks later, a hot pink (coral) convertible in amazing condition for $125. I believe the rear wheel well is the same shape as the hardtop roof. I loved the quadralight’s in fog. Pull the light switch out to parking lights and flip the switch on the left of the steering column on and the driving light cut through the fog. Loved the tail light’s also. Tom McCahill in Mechanix Illustrated said they were “Like a gothic cathedral on fire. He loved the ’57 Lincoln’s and carried out a torture test of General Tires on a 4 door Landau. He said they carried on the road race suspension earlier Lincolns had. I thought the ’56 Lincoln was a timeless beauty, but the ’57 was as close to the Futura show car the public would ever get to owning that car.and every inch as beautiful in a flashier style. Nothing ever went wrong with them, and I DID drive the hell out of them, having the Taos coupe fifteen feet off the ground once. I thought, and still do, my ’57 Premiere’s were achingly beautiful, had class, and I enjoyed every second, I stilll want them back. I also had 12 1958-1960 Lincoln’s and Continentals, out of those, two were great cars, they had been completely restored and rewired . One was a ’58 Mark III convertible, the other a 1958 Capri Landau. All the others had fit and finish errors, nightmare electrical problems and got 10 mpg everywhere, They did handle well, and were fast, but also caught fire, in many places. I had ’61 through 67 Connie convertibles, and driving quickly scared the hell out of me. My first experience with the ’61, I was driving home after buying it and headed for a turn any of my other Lincoln’s would have made, the ’61 Plowed through a hedge. They got worse from there. I would take a ’57 Lincoln over any new car built today, and be able to ram the hell out of the new ones.
“The public apparently agreed” ?
If “apparent”, then sales would have declined further in the 60’s.
I will agree on the spoiling of a good design. Regarding the convertible, I seem to remember the Lincoln convertible for 1957. Attached is an ad for this model.
Elvis shows up in one of his movies, driving the convertible 57 Lincoln!..As a callow youth back in early 1970, I bought a fantastic-looking 57 Premiere, located in a suburb of San Diego–for $700!…perfect shape, and only 31,000 miles on it…but I was stuck in the Navy, at a base in San Diegp,…I had little time to enjoy this beautiful car, and decided to sell it when I left the Navy the next year….that was 50 years ago…I have owned many nice cars since then, but deeply regret letting that car go!…it was elegant, powerful, and maybe just too much car for a young guy on a military budget…back home in Seattle, I have not seen even one of these cars on the road, for at least 25 years.
As we are allowed only one picture per commentary, or at least I cannot figure out how to add more than one, here is another of my favorite Lincoln ads for 1957. The lady in the passenger seat is doing nothing but smiling because her husband (1950’s folks – not her lover), is about to drive away with her in it and two other old bags are standing beyond the Lincoln admiring this lady’s good taste. This is just funny stuff.
The husband looks as he’s from the retirement home. Maybe the ad agency though using elderly people adds an air of dignity to the car.
Cadillac did a much better job at using mature but attractive people and suggested scenes in their ads.
I’d say the hubby looks like “Roger Sterling” [John Slattery] of “Mad Men” who was not “elderly”.
Old bags? Hardly!
Yeah. Hubby may look like he’s from the retirement home to you, OntarioMike, but that’s what 50 with money looked like in 1957. The wife probably isn’t yet 40 and the two “old bags”, Thomas…they’re probably somewhere between 30 and 35.
A history note: Ciro’s is now (and has been for decades) The Comedy Store.
It’s also a “Hollywood” thing. Ever notice how many senior citizen leading men there are playing the romantic interest of a 20 something Hollywood tart ?
Don’t forget all the 30 year old “teenagers” in “Grease” and other movies.
In high school, my best friend’s mother had a ’57 Lincoln Capri, and this was a smooth, powerful car. However, each time I rode in the car, the shift-selector knob was “snapped” in two, leaving only the threaded portion with a small amount of plastic. It had been replaced numerous times (his parents owned a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, which helped), but the long plastic attachment was constantly missing. Also, the interior “courtesy” lights would illuminate each time the car went over a rise in the road.
Care to guess why? A+ to anyone who can give the reasons why!
If it was a convertible, the frame flex was so great that the light switches in the door jambs closed as the car went over a bump and the only things holding it together were the door latches. Those cars were the largest unibody drop-tops ever made. Surprised they never broke in half.
Bingo, Lgbpop! This was a 4-dr hardtop, and my friend used every opportunity to race his mother’s car. One night, he raced the car down a winding dirt road, and the car hit ruts and “bottomed” repeatedly, hubcaps flew off, but he lost his race anyway despite his excellent driving skills.
About a week later his mother complained that the courtesy lights would flash on and off when the car went over a “rise” in the road. The local dealership, which they owned, diddled with this problem for some time without success replacing light bulbs and door switches to no avail; finally, a call was put into FoMoCo Regional Office and a factory technical person was dispatched to the dealership.
Soon it was determined that the car’s frame or sub-frame assembly was “fatigued,” allowing the door frame to flex away from the door itself, thus allowing the door-light button to “close” the light circuit. Some welds were reinforced, but the car was s***-canned almost immediately by the family.
The slender plastic extension knob on the shift lever would snap off each time the car was yanked down into 1st gear during these racing events. It was replaced several times.
These cars did not use unit-body construction. The 1958 and later models did, until Lincoln switched back to body-on-frame construction with the 1970 models (although the 1968 Continental Mark III also used body-on-frame construction).
Starting with the 1958, Lincolns were unibody, along with the new Thunderbirds. In 1957 they were still separate frame and body.
For some of the most enjoyable, mid-century modern advertising, check out the 1957 Lincoln commercial on YouTube with the sparkling Julia Meade on the Ed Sullivan show sponsored by Lincoln-Mercury then. “Lincoln’s new Quadra-Light grille commands attention day or night“…“the canted blades rise and end in the pyramid taillights, everyone whose seen this newest, lowest, longest, loveliest new Lincoln….” Kitschy but fun.
The ‘57 Lincoln re-style is a rather hack job on the very, fine integrated ‘56 design but small wonder it turned out that way. Bill Schmidt, head of L-M Styling, just before he left to head Packard styling in mid-1955, worked out the huge canted blade fins even taller than they appeared. John Najjar then took over, charged with production-izing the styling concepts.
At some point, the ‘57 styling-to-be became a pissing match between two higher up manager, can’t recall both names, but think Lewis Crusoe was one, Each pushing his favored details only to be countermanded by the other, apparently quite a circus according to those who were there at the time. This was related by John Najjar in an interview for the LCOC club magazine long after the principles involved had passed on.
> Bill Schmidt, head of L-M Styling, just before he left to head Packard styling in mid-1955,
Not a good career move…
I find the possible subtexts in advertising photos fascinating. To me though the woman in turquoise – that ‘the man’ is clearly looking at – seems a little younger (and definitely more sexually provocative) than ‘the wife’ in the passenger seat. Is there a subtle but deliberate suggestion that a man’s acquisition of a Lincoln may lead to other possibilities?
The ad seems to me to be focussed on the man as the potential purchaser, rather than on the women who are either enjoying, or are envious of, the style, status, and luxury. Although maybe it’s dancing between the perceptions and ‘accepted realities’ of both at that time.
Ever since Mad Men, I imagine Don Draper behind everything from this era. 🙂
Ford did a similar thing with the 57 to 58 Fords. IMO, the 57 Ford was one of the sleekest, prettiest cars ever. The 58, one of the ugliest.
Just the opposite for me, 58’s look better than 57’s.
I never understood this one either. The 58s are one of the few single to quad headlight transitions on existing sheetmetal that looks natural, if not better. The 57 eyebrow fenders looked grotesque to me
IIRC, in the context of the time most thought the 58 Ford overall was bloated and overdone in comparison to the 57. The elephant in the room was the 58 Thunderbird. Once it was introduced in mid-year of the model run, everyone realized the big Ford was a bad riff on the sleeker T-Bird, which wore similar styling elements much better.
The basic bodyshell is entirely carryover from the 57 though, the front bumper is a bit clunky I suppose, but the bloat I just don’t see. The 59s are where the bloat comes in in my eyes, and the 58 Tbird definitely isn’t what I’d call sleek either.
Nice article and some lovely cars, thank you.
Motor Trend, in 1957 used these cars in their complaint on how the styling excesses of the day inhibited function, specifically because the turn signals are at the very front of the bumper, all ready to break at the slightest nudge.
I agree, like many 50’s designs, the stylists’ annual refresh did not improve the car’s appearance, although I like both the 56 and 57’s equally. It wouldn’t last long, at the bizarre’58 model gave us a bouquet of new styling themes to admire.
The 56, while more tasteful than the 57, is itself a case of ruining a good design. I think 49-55 Lincolns are all beautiful cars. Lincoln wanted to move their look farther away from the Fords and Mercurys, which they certainly achieved for 56. Not a bad looking car, but I just think the 52-55 is such a nice, clean design on a car that was clearly intended to distinguish itself functionally more than visually. In other words, totally at odds with the 1950’s industry ethos, so something had to change! I particularly have never cared for the front fender design on the 56/57’s. I don’t think skirted wheel wells look good on the front of any cars.
The 58-60’s are a whole other animal, which I freely admit I like despite being garrish, overdone boats. They took that 50’s ethos and ran with it way too far, which is what I like. So big, so extreme. I have to admire the ambition.
Skirted front wheels never look good.
Cadillac 1949 looked much better than 1950.
Good and bad face lifts would make a good CC subject.
“Good and bad face lifts would make a good CC subject”
I agree!
Looking at the sales figures published in The Encyclopedia of American Cars shows that there was a 57 convertible and that more folks bought a 57 than bought a 56 convertible….like about FIFTY PERCENT MORE.
Wasn’t aware that the 57 Lincoln was actually a dual headlight design, instead of the quad headlight design it appears to be. It would have involved more expense, and for a 1 year design that would have been unthinkable, but they should have sprung for a better integrated design. Yet, I have to admit the design they went with serves as an acceptable “bridge” to the 58 through 60 style.
I grew up in the 50s, but aside from tv and movie appearances, I can’t remember seeing a 56 or a 57 Lincoln outside of a junkyard/rolling down the road under its own power.
I have always fantasized seeing the following lineup of 57s: Ford Fairlane 500, Ranchero, Thunderbird, and Lincoln Mark II. To me, that might be the greatest line of cars ever. I’m not sure if the ’57 Lincoln Premier would fit it. However, I DO like the vertical dual headlight treatment. Vertical headlights always seemed so modern to me, so perhaps I WOULD have the Premier to my fantasy lineup after all.
Good point, the 57 Thunderbird and Mark II are both bonefide classics, as highly regarded as any postwar cars can be. The 57 Ford and Ranchero are not far behind, being pretty universally appreciated by fans of 50’s American cars. The 57 Lincoln, in comparison, seems like a cynical mash-up of uninspired styling cues. Funny how cars coming out of the same company and styling operation can diverge so far even in the same year.
There must’ve been a 1957 Matthew McConaughey to offer a stream-of-consciousness sendup of these cars back in the day, wasn’t there?
Would’ve been fitting considering the styling…
I wanted to add to my earlier comment about the semi-skirted front wheels. My criticism goes beyond the fact that the skirted front fenders look bad by themselves, they also don’t match the rear wheel openings. The front is squared off while the rear is curved!
I’m sure they had their reasons for doing that, it might look funny with either squared off rear openings or curved fronts. If you look at the side profile, the fore part of the rear opening is at a similar angle to the aft part of the front opening. Yet at any other view, the rear opening looks curved over the whole thing. Personally, I think it would look good if the aft part of the front opening was the same curve as the aft of the rear, just have the whole opening lifted to show more of the front wheel in the conventional fashion. That is probably why the front fender was done like it was, so the car would look unique. They achieved that, it just is uniquely ugly IMO.
+1 On the mismatched wheel-well openings. Note the 1957 Lincoln is the only model year in the decade that lacks fender skirts. This was apparently done to stylistically evoke the treatment of the Futura with its open rear wheel-well below its huge “canted-blades”. Sorry, John Najjar, it just doesn’t work visually.
Agree about the mismatched wheel openings. It could have had either skirted rear wheels are rear wheel openings that matched the front as in my photo shopped picture, which I also changed the bumper and the pointed fin a little. Skirted might have looked better than the squared off rear opening, but the squared look might have been at least a better match to the front. I think Lincoln was trying to make the car longer and so the rear bumper sticks out too far from the body (poorly integrated rear treatment in general). No stainless side spear on top of it, but it could have been a better looking and more updated design with some moderate changes. Headlight bezels are too thick as well, but again all of this could have been slightly modified to yield a smoother design.
Or lower opening, maybe skirted with a slight lip flare – I think I like this best.
Nice work. I’m not a huge fan of rear wheel skirted fenders either, but they work on some cars. I don’t think your top photo with the squared off rear opening looks bad at all, I don’t know why they didn’t to that. The bottom photo is too much skirt for my tastes, but it does visually make the front opening look higher, which helps give it a little more conventional appearance.
The ’56 is way better looking than the ’57. I love the elegant lines on the ’56 and esp. the way the lovely rear bumper is integrated nicely into the design as well as the fins not being too overdone. The ’57 was a hack job IMO.
I’ve heard these described as “like putting a beehive hairdo on the Mona Lisa”
I believe John Gunnell (or possibly another contributor) opined something along those lines in the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975.
RE THE UPDATE:
Right “idea”, wrong year, as there was no Lincoln convertible in 1958….off by 1 digit.
Lincoln would get a convertible in the Mark VI in 1959.
(According to The Encyclopedia of American Cars.)
Technically true. The convertible for 58 was in the Continental line, a separate nameplate. Continental, along with Edsel, was part of Ford’s short lived attempt to match GM division for division. I believe the Continental Mark III was just a higher trim version of the Lincoln, I don’t remember if it had a longer wheelbase., but I know they had different rooflines and of course the convertible with a trick power top and rear sloping back glass.
And, in case anyone can’t picture a (Lincoln) 1958 Continental Mark III convertible, here’s an image to sear into your mind’s eye…..in Rosemetal Metallic, no less!
Lincoln built convertibles every model year from 1946 through 1967. The 1958 is the model 68A of which 3,048 were manufactured,
Here’s another shot of the 58 Continental Mk III convertible, love it or hate it. (I think it’s cool. The body sculpting isn’t quite so prominent in lighter colors)
A ’57 — or maaaaaybe a ’56 — lives about a mile south of me. I see it in the driveway of the house from time to time. Good lord, what a homely car.
Lincoln had convertibles in all post war years, up until 1968! The 58-67 cars featured elaborate completely automatic tops which disappeared into a power boot (’58-’60) or the entire trunk (4 door ’61-’67). Always felt the ’56 was a great looking car, the ’57 far less so, then the insane ’58-’60s. I often think of a typical Lincoln dealer in ’56…finally after years of compromise luxury cars, the large and lovely Lincoln coupled with the Continental, at last, some good years coming. Then the not too successful ’57 restyle, the discontinuation of the Continental, then the ’58s. Back to the wilderness!
I remember seeing these things wallowing along in the mid-1960s, looking as far removed from their elegant 60s successors as it was possible to be. Clumsy best describes them.
I don’t know why, but I can’t find a single model year Lincoln I like between 1942 and 1960. The Zephyrs looked beautiful, as did the Ks, but they got hit with the ugly stick in ’42 and never recovered, IMHO, until the Engel Continentals came along.
Can’t agree enough Tom. The 56 sits near the top of the befinned wonders during a particularly questionable phase of US shapes. Though the changes might seem minimal, the 57 took away much of the superbity.
Most credit for that face should go to the 1953 XL500.
Supposedly, the ‘La Tosca’ is what would eventually end up being the 1958 car.
I agree that the 57 Lincoln was a hash job on the beautiful, stately 56. The Bill Schmidt and corporate infighting stories bring to mind my recent research on the 61 Dodge that was born under similar circumstances.
I’m looking forward to the results of that research!
It was right here. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1961-dodge-dart-pioneer-the-anti-impala/
While the ’56 was definitely a nice looking car and the ’57 and ’58 were, well, bad, I put the styling of the latter two years in the same category as the 1961 Plymouth, a car which I actually like due simply to its outrageous-ness.
I can’t say I have the same affinity for the ’57 and ’58 Lincolns, but can’t disparage those who do like them.
I totally agree! I am a fan of the 58 Lincoln mainly because of its outrageousness, and I like the 61 (and 60) Plymouth for the same reason.
There was only one 57 Lincoln in our small town in northern IN and it belonged to one of my Dad’s good friends who purchased it new – a turquoise convertible (same color as the one in the first pic above) with white top and interior. I probably like the 57 in good part because of this positive childhood association. This fellow drove and gave it meticulous care for many years, selling it to his secretary when he bought a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham around 62. She also loved and took good car of that pretty Lincoln convertible.
In my memory – age 7 at the time – is a notion that the 57 was perceived to be more “modern” than the 56. Once Lincoln designers got an advanced glimpse of Exner’s “suddenly it’s 1960” line for 57, no doubt changes were made in quick order. Annual model changes were really important back then and no one wanted to be thought “out-of-date” (sort of what the iPhone update represents today). Yesterday’s award-winning design would be thrown out in an instant. The annual model change was transformed with the introduction of the classic 61 Lincoln-Continental, a real game changer in many ways.
” While quad headlights were technically legal in most states in 1957, they would not become legal in all fifty states until 1958.”
Interesting, since we didn’t have 50 states in 1958. Alaska and Hawaii were admitted in 1959.
Lincoln wasn’t the only brand to employ dual-headlight trickery in ’57 – both Plymouth and Dodge took the same approach, albeit under horizontal eyebrows designed to accommodate duals, as both would do in 1958. DeSoto and Chrysler had cavities that could mount singles or duals, depending on state, and Imperial had both single and dual headlight pods available – the large single lights being particularly striking.
So did the 1957 Mercury, which used both single and dual headlights, more often than not the Turnpike Cruiser appeared with the dual headlights.
Those 57 Mercurys – were they the only other car to employ a Studebaker-style “pod” to make the quad lights work with the existing fenders? The Mercury makes it work a bit better, but only because there is so much crap going on in the front that the pods don’t really stand out. The Studebaker treatment is clean enough everywhere else that the pods smack you upside the head as soon as you look.
The “Quadra-Lights” were a combination standard 7 ¼ inch dual beam lamps plus 5 ½ inch driving lights which were controlled by a separate switch. The driving lights were optional, though the take rate seems to have been a high percentage.
Here’s the snapper: when the driving light option wasn’t specified, their places were filled with plastic disks having a ‘star’ over a grid pattern. In years of looking for ‘57 Lincolns with a friend crazy about them, many in junkyards, we only ran across one car, a ‘57 Capri two door hardtop so equipped. To see what they looked like, here’s a photo:
Wow! Not that I have seen a lot of 57 Lincolns in my day, but I have never, ever seen or heard of one like this. Another example of Studebaker leading the world in styling. 🙂
Many years ago I saw one without the lights, I thought an owner with bad taste did it.
I’m one of those who likes the ’58 in all its exuberant baroque style. It’s not for everyone, but it’s unique and it tried to set a style, though not very successfully. The ’57, on the other hand, takes the graceful ’56 and makes it awkard–like bad plastic surgery on a girl who was pretty to start with. The additions subtract from the whole package.
Still, as rarely as the ’57 is seen, what coincidence on seeing three in a short time period!
In 1957, there weren’t 50 states for quad headlights to be legal in. Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959.
Great article Tom and very nice ’57 Lincoln photos. While I would agree with you that the ’57 was less attractive than the ’56 Lincoln, I think at the time of sale most saw the ’57 as being updated to the latest and greatest style. It certainly was not out of place in the 1957 marketplace. I always thought the ’56 Lincoln was cleaner than the ’57, but I have never found the front end styling clean or overly attractive on the ’56 (except in comparison to a ’57).
I don’t think that the public thought the ’57 Lincoln was that much worse (if at all) than the ’56. You have to be careful looking at only the two year picture of Lincoln production. 1956 was the best year for Lincoln production in the 1950’s, and was substantially greater than most of the early 1950’s. While 1957 production declined over 1956, it was still the second best production year for Lincoln in the 1950s. We must also take into account the 1956 the Lincoln was all new competing against a Cadillac and Imperial in their last year of an old body. For 1957 the refreshed Lincoln was competing against an all-new Cadillac and an all-new Imperial. And Cadillac production also dropped in 1957 (albeit, to a lesser percentage than the Lincoln).
Further, it wasn’t until the mid 1960’s that Lincoln production actually surpassed the 1957 production numbers. While the 1961 Continental had a revolutionary design, it took some time for the production levels to ramp up. Obviously some of the low production numbers for the early 1960’s Continentals was due to the lack of a 2-door option, but even in the late 1960’s the 1957 numbers are often better than the Lincoln Continentals (not counting the Mark III numbers).
The ’56 Lincoln was a relatively rare example of an overtly futuristic design that did not scare off customers (unlike, say, the Chrysler Airflow or the shark nosed Graham).
One more ‘57 Lincoln memory: our family would go to movies at the Silver Lake Drive-In Theatre near Perry, NY in the 1960’s. The Martin family owned and operated it. Mrs. Martin still drove a white ‘57 Capri sedan in the 1962-’64 years. She staffed the ticket booth, had a stern manner, always on the look-out for stowaways and children of age to pay full fare.
When the second feature was well underway and flow of customers had stopped, she would then drive slowly to the snack bar with just those giant four parking lights on, which lit up the driveway nearly as well as the headlights on some six volt car headlights. Once passed by, the ‘pyramid’ taillights were fascinating to see at night. These Lincolns weren’t about to be mistaken for any other car, even at night.
This version of the “Linc” looks better as a “4 door”. The coupes look like a “4 door”, with two, stretched out.
Agree completely. The ’56 was futuristic and pleasing, the ’57 was an overreach. The one thing I find on the ’57 Lincolns that is particularly jarring style-wise was the miss-match of the front and rear wheel openings. Look like they belong on two different cars.
Mopar’s models for ’57 featrued either single and dual headlights depending on the time of year, later ones were quad, and for Dodge a similar treatment as Lincoln with smaller turn signals sort of imitating the extra 2 headlights, Plymouth also was similar to that DeSoto, Chrysler and Imp had either single or duals, no in between.
I had a ’57 Premiere, wanted a ’56 but settled as I loved the color. They were huge cars, way too big really.
Mine:
I often prefer Ford styling over GM’s, particularly in the 1950s, but to my eyes Lincolns from this era were never a success.
There was always a strong family resemblance between Cadillac and other GM marques, but Cadillac was successful in expressing itself as something unique, special, and desirable. That never seemed to be the case with Lincoln in the mid-1950’s. It was clearly from the Ford family, but unlike Cadillac it had trouble making the leap to its own separate, desirable identity.
Ford’s attempts to address that issue, through increased size and styling exuberance, seemed instead to verge on cartoonish caricature. Somehow it came off as desperate and just not believable.
The other thing I’d suggest about Cadillac was that there was always an aspect of macho-fantasy to it, something that 1950’s Lincolns never had. Cadillacs celebrated Marilyn Monroe. Lincolns celebrated ladies’ gowns, and then hats and costume jewelry. 🙂
Always thought that front end had big Family Truckster Wagon Queen Energy.
I quite like the front end of the 57 Lincoln. The most grotesque example of a 57 car’s styling “update” ruining the previous year’s styling was by Chevrolet, in my opinion.