The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of
luxury cars
A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars.
The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the ...
that was produced by the
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
division of
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the
Ford V8 DeLuxe and the
Lincoln Model K (in both size and price), it expanded Lincoln to a second model line, competing against the
Chrysler Airflow,
LaSalle, and the
Packard One-Twenty
The Packard Twelfth Series One-Twenty is an automobile produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, from 1935 to 1937 and from 1939 through the 1941 model years. The One-Twenty model designation was derived from the wheelbase, a ...
.
Following the discontinuation of the Model K after 1940, Lincoln shifted its production exclusively to the Lincoln-Zephyr design. After World War II, the Zephyr name was dropped, lasting through 1948. It was the basis of the first
Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edse ...
, Lincoln's longest-running nameplate. The model line was powered by a
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The fi ...
, in contrast to its competitors' V8 and inline-8 engines.
The Lincoln-Zephyr was conceived by
Edsel Ford
Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the son of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of Ford Motor Company f ...
and designed by
Eugene Turenne Gregorie
Eugene Turenne Gregorie (also E. T. "Bob" Gregorie, Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie; pronounced "GREG-ree"; 1908–2002) was an American yacht designer and automobile designer. Gregorie and Edsel Ford worked closely together to design many automobiles ...
. It was assembled at the
Lincoln Motor Company Plant
The Lincoln Motor Company Plant was an automotive plant at 6200 West Warren Avenue (at Livernois) in Detroit, Michigan, later known as the Detroit Edison Warren Service Center. The complex was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978, due t ...
in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
.
Overview
Introduced on November 2, 1935,
as a 1936 model, the Lincoln-Zephyr was extremely modern with a low raked windscreen, integrated fenders, and
streamlined
Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow.
They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady.
Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the framework of ...
aerodynamic design, which influenced the name "zephyr", derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
word
zephyrus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, the Anemoi (Greek: , 'Winds') were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came (see Classical compass winds), and were each associated with various seasons an ...
, or the god of the
west wind
A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction.
Mythology and Literature
In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds.
In Greek mythology, ...
. It was one of the first successful streamlined cars after the
Chrysler Airflow's market resistance, and the concept car
Pierce Silver Arrow
The Pierce Silver Arrow was a luxury car produced by American luxury automaker Pierce-Arrow in 1933. Designed by Phillip O. Wright, it was introduced at the 1933 New York Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto sho ...
, which never went into production. In fact, the Lincoln-Zephyr actually had a lower coefficient of drag than the Airflow, due in part to the
prow
The bow () is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is usually most forward when the vessel is underway. The aft end of the boat is the stern.
Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part ...
-like front grille on the Zephyr, reflecting the popularity of leisure
speedboats like
Chris-Craft. The Lincoln-Zephyr succeeded in reigniting sales at Lincoln dealerships in the late 1930s, and from 1941 model year, all Lincolns were Zephyr-based and the Lincoln-Zephyr marque was phased out. Annual production for any year model was not large, but accounted for a large portion of the Lincoln brand's sales. In its first year, 15,000 were sold, accounting for 80% of Lincoln's total sales. The Zephyr was offered as a sedan with either two or four doors, and was manufactured in right hand drive for export, and the only options listed were an electric clock, leather upholstery and a matched luggage set from
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...
.
The two door sedan was listed at US$1,275 ($ in dollars ) and the four door sedan was listed at US$1,320 ($ in dollars )
Production of all American cars was halted by the Government in 1942 as the country entered
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, with Lincoln producing the last Lincoln Zephyr on February 10. After the war, most makers restarted production of their prewar lines, and Lincoln was no exception. The Zephyr name, however, was no longer used after 1942, with the cars simply called Lincolns.
The idea of a smaller and more modern luxury car to fill the gap in Lincoln's traditional lineup was revisited in the 1950
Lincoln Lido
The Lincoln EL-Series is a full-size luxury car that was marketed and sold by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from the 1949 to 1951 model years. For the 1949 model year, Ford debuted its first redesign for all three of its divisional m ...
(The Lido was the same size as other two-door Lincolns, though), 1977
Lincoln Versailles
The Lincoln Versailles is a mid-size luxury car that was marketed by Lincoln from the 1977 to 1980 model years. The first Lincoln introduced outside of the full-size segment, the Versailles is a rebranded version of the Ford Granada and Mer ...
, 1982
Continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' ( ...
, and 2000
Lincoln LS
The Lincoln LS is a four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford's Lincoln division over a single generation from 1999–2006. Introduced in June 1999 for model-year 2000, the LS featured rear-wheel drive and near ...
. The Zephyr name was resurrected in 2006 for the car's spiritual successor, the
Zephyr
In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind.
Zephyr may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fiction Fiction media
* ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turkish ...
, which was quickly renamed the MKZ for 2007.
Gallery
File:Lincoln Zephyr V12 4-D Sedan 1936.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 four-door sedan 1936
File:Lincoln Zephyr.jpg, 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 four-door sedan
File:Lincoln Zephyr V12 Coupe 1937.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 coupe 1937
File:Lincoln Zephyr V12 Convertible Coupe 1938.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 convertible coupe 1938
File:1938 Lincoln Zephyr 4dr Convertible.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 convertible sedan 1938
File:Lincoln Zephyr V12 4-D Sedan 1939.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 four-door sedan 1939
File:Lincoln Zephyr 1939.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr 1939
File:Lincoln Zephyr V12 Convertible Coupe 1939.jpg, Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 convertible coupe 1939
File:Lincoln Zephyr V12 Coupe 1942.jpg, Lincoln Zephyr club coupe 1942
Models
![Lincoln Coupe 1942](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Lincoln_Coupe_1942.jpg)
The following were the Zephyr models for 1936 to 1940:
* Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 (1936–1940)
**For 1936, available as two-door sedan or four-door sedan, a locking glove box was standard. Radio was optional. The turning radius was . For 1937 the 2-door Sedan was renamed Coupe-Sedan, a Coupe (3-Window) was added along with a formal Town-Limousine. For 1938 a Convertible Coupe and a Convertible Sedan was added. For 1940 the Coupe-Sedan was replaced by the Club Coupe, the Convertible Sedan was discontinued. Trunk space was increased in 1940.
* Lincoln-Zephyr Continental (1940) was the first time the name Continental appeared on a car from Lincoln, as a model under Lincoln-Zephyr rather than a separate model. They were partially hand-built since dies for machine-pressing were not constructed until 1941. Production started on December 13, 1939, with the Continental Cabriolet, from June 1940 also available as Continental Club Coupe. Just 350 Cabriolets and 54 Club Coupes were built.
When the last Lincoln V-12 (Model K) had been delivered on January 24, 1940, the Lincoln Motor Company was soon to be transformed into Lincoln Division, effective on May 1, 1940, and for 1941 model year the Lincoln-Zephyr was no longer a separate marque. All 1941 models were Lincolns and the Zephyr-based
Lincoln Custom
The Lincoln Custom is a custom limousine and long-wheelbase touring sedan that was built by Lincoln in 1941 and 1942 and the lower level series Lincoln produced in 1955. Initially it was a replacement for the previous Model K Lincolns (produced ...
replaced both the large Lincoln K-series cars and the Lincoln-Zephyr Town-Limousine. It also had full instrumentation.
The following Lincoln-Zephyr heritage models were sold under the Lincoln name after Lincoln-Zephyr was merged into the Lincoln marque for the 1941 model year:
*
Lincoln Zephyr V-12 (1941–1942) Both years available as Sedan, Coupe, Club Coupe and Convertible Coupe
*
Lincoln Custom
The Lincoln Custom is a custom limousine and long-wheelbase touring sedan that was built by Lincoln in 1941 and 1942 and the lower level series Lincoln produced in 1955. Initially it was a replacement for the previous Model K Lincolns (produced ...
(1941–1942) Sedan and Limousine, some with blinded quarter roof option
*
Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edse ...
(1941–1948) Cabriolet and Coupe
* Lincoln (1946–1948), or ''H-series''
H-series
![Lincoln Coupe 1946](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Lincoln_Coupe_1946.jpg)
When Lincoln resumed production after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the Zephyr name was dropped
and the full-size
luxury car
A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars.
The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the ...
s sold without a proper model name, known just by their body styles - Sedan, Club Coupe, or Convertible Coupe - during the 1946-1948 model years.
For identification purposes, they are typically referred to as the
H-Series, while the approach of offering a luxuriously equipped vehicle in a smaller size was ceded to the all-new
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
in 1938. Their appearance was very similar to the contemporaneous
Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edse ...
coupe and convertible. An electric clock was standard.
[ This series of vehicles continued to use the 292 in³ (4.8 L) 65° L-head Lincoln V12 engine. The four-door sedan Style 73 with the Custom-spec interior was listed at US$2,486 ($ in dollars ).][
]
Specifications
The Zephyr was designed by John Tjaarda
Johan "Jan" Tjaarda (1897–1962), later known as John Tjaarda van Sterkenburg, was a Dutch product and automotive designer and stylist in the United States.
Tjaarda was born in 1897 in Arnhem, as the son of Henriette Elisabeth Thieme and the p ...
(1897–1962), who was fascinated with airplanes, resulting in unibody
A vehicle frame, also historically known as its '' chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism.
Until the 1930s, virtually every car ha ...
construction relatively light and rigid for its size and a drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_\mathrm, c_x or c_) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is used in the drag equ ...
of 0.45. Weight was 3,350 lb (1,520 kg).
The Zephyr was powered by a small 75° V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The fi ...
developed from Ford's Flathead V8 and unrelated to the larger K-series Lincoln V12 engines. The valve-in-block flathead engine was quite compact, allowing a low hood. But like the V8 Fords of the era, the Zephyr V12 often suffered from hot spots due to exhaust passages through the cylinder block. In addition, the earliest Zephyrs suffered from poor oil pressure, resulting in upgrades to the oil pump.
The 1936 to 1939 models were 267 in³ (4.4 L) with hydraulic lifters added in 1938. The 1940 and 1941 cars used an enlarged 292-in³ (4.8-L) engine, while 1942 and early 1946 models used a 306-in³ (5.0-L), but lower compression ratio because of the iron heads. Late 1946 to 1948 Lincolns based on the Zephyr used a 292-in³ engine.
The original engine had 110 hp (82 kW) and gave the car a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h).
Suspension was Henry Ford-era transverse springs front and rear, with dead axle front and torque tube rear, already quite outdated when the car was introduced. Brakes were cable-activated for 1936 to 1938; 1939 and onwards were hydraulic. The Zephyr was the first Ford product to have an all-steel roof, except the late 1931 Model AA truck.
See also
*Ford Zephyr
The Ford Zephyr is an executive car manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1950 until 1972. The Zephyr and its luxury variants, the Ford Zodiac and Ford Executive, were the largest passenger cars in the British Ford range from 1950 until their r ...
*Mercury Zephyr
The Ford Fairmont is a model line of compact cars that was manufactured by Ford from the 1978 to 1983 model years. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont marked the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America and ...
*Lincoln MKZ
The Lincoln MKZ, is a four-door, five-passenger mid-size luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed as the Zephyr ( MY 2006) and as the MKZ (MY 2007–2020) by Ford's Lincoln brand across two generations in both gasoline and hybrid gas/electri ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
Tech sheets for 1946-1948 Lincoln 66H, 76H, and 876H vehicles
External links
Lincoln-Zephyr Owners Club
Original Lincoln and Lincoln-Zephyr sales material for comparison.
{{Authority control
Zephyr
In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind.
Zephyr may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fiction Fiction media
* ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turkish ...
Mid-size cars
Luxury vehicles
Sedans
Coupés
Convertibles
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Streamline Moderne cars
Streamliner cars
Cars introduced in 1936