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The Lincoln L series (also called the Lincoln Model L) is the first
automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
that was produced by the
Lincoln Motor Company Lincoln Motor Company, or simply Lincoln, is the luxury vehicle division of American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company, Ford. Marketed among the top luxury vehicle brands in the United States, Lincoln was positioned closely against i ...
. Introduced in 1920, the L series would continue to be produced after the bankruptcy of Lincoln in 1922 and its purchase by
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
. It was an alternative to various top level luxury vehicles to include the
Mercedes-Benz 630 The Mercedes 24/100/140 PS was a large luxury car introduced by Daimler of Untertürkheim in 1924. Production continued until 1929 by which time Daimler had merged with Benz & Cie (effective 1926) and the car's name changed to Mercedes-Benz ...
,
Rolls-Royce Phantom I The Rolls-Royce Phantom was Rolls-Royce's replacement for the original Silver Ghost. Introduced as the New Phantom in 1925, the Phantom had a larger engine than the Silver Ghost and used pushrod-operated overhead valves instead of the Silver Gh ...
, Renault Type MC,
Packard Twin Six The Packard Twelve was a range of V12-engined luxury automobiles built by the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan. The car was built from model year 1916 until 1923, then it returned 1933 until 1939. As a sign of changing times, the ma ...
, and Cadillac Type 61. It was replaced during 1930 by the Model K. Assembly of the L series took place in
Detroit 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 th ...
,
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.


Model history


1917–1922

After leaving the company over a dispute with William Durant over World War I production,
Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
founder
Henry Leland Henry Martyn Leland (February 16, 1843 – March 26, 1932) was an American machinist, inventor, engineer and automotive entrepreneur. He founded the two premier American luxury automotive marques, Cadillac and Lincoln. Early years Henry M. Lelan ...
created the Lincoln Motor Company. Initially the company produced Liberty V12 aircraft engines as its only source of revenue. With the war concluded, and at the age of 74, Leland decided to make the Lincoln Motor car. The company was reorganized in 1920 and created the first L-series car in 1920, for sale as a 1921 model. The L series was designed by Angus Woodbridge, the son-in-law of Henry Leland; trained as a ladies hatmaker, the design of the L series was considered old-fashioned for the time. The company catered early on to providing custom coachwork for its clients, and both Brunn and Judkins offered two choices each. 15 selections were available from Lincoln coachbuilders; roadsters, coupes, touring sedans, phaetons, and broughams, with a
Town Car The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of luxury vehicle#High-end luxury/full-size luxury cars, full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its na ...
offered at US$6,600 ($ in dollars ). Brunn offered both a roadster and a phaeton, while Judkins offered both a sedan and a berline with glass partitions. To further accommodate the particular client, the chassis was sold for US$4,000 ($ in dollars ). After World War I, the Lincoln Motor Company struggled in the postwar recession with repeated, false tax evasion claims. Total calendar year production for 1920 and 1921 were quoted to be 2,957.


1922–1923

In financial trouble, Leland sold the company to
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...
February 4, 1922 for $8 million ($ in dollars ), the amount determined by the judge presiding over the
receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...
Arthur J. Tuttle. Henry Leland valued the company at over $16 million. After a few months the Lelands left the company because of Henry Ford's managerial style and his son,
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 ...
, designed a new body for the L series. Edsel became president and Ernest C. Kanzler general manager. The L series was a robust car. In the first year, hydraulic shock absorbers were added. Edsel and Kanzler implemented production economies, trimming manufacturing costs by about $1000 per car. Aside from the extension of the wheelbase from 130 to 136 inches, the chassis of the Lincoln Model L saw few major changes; the 60-degree L-head V8 remained in production. The V8 used a novel approach for the piston connecting rods called Fork and Blade, which meant two connecting rods shared one bearing on the crankshaft, which allowed for a short crankshaft and a smaller overall engine size, while still displacing . The cylinders in both banks are also not offset from each other. For 1923, several new body styles were introduced for the Model L under the direction of Edsel, including two and three-window four-door sedans, and a four-passenger phaeton. Other vehicles included a two-passenger roadster, and a $5,200 ($ in dollars ) seven-passenger touring sedan and limousine. A sedan, limousine, cabriolet, and town car were also offered by coachbuilders LeBaron,
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...
, Judkins, Derham,
Holbrook Holbrook may refer to: Places England *Holbrook, Derbyshire, a village * Holbrook, Somerset, a hamlet in Charlton Musgrove * Holbrook, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a former mining village in Mosborough ward, now known as Halfway *Holbrook, Suffolk, ...
, Willoughby and Dietrich, and a second cabriolet was offered by coachbuilder Brunn. Vehicles built by these coachbuilders went for as much as $7,200; despite the relatively niche market segment, Lincoln sales rose about 45 percent to produce 7,875 cars and the company was operating at a profit by the end of 1923.


1924–1926

In 1924, the L series was given a newer look with such things as a nickel-plated radiator shell, while 1925 is identified by the absence of cowl lights. Front and rear bumpers became standard. The smallest L series was the 2-door, 2-passenger roadster. 1926 was basically the same except for some interior changes. In 1924 large touring sedans began to be used by police departments around the country. They were known as Police Flyers, which were equipped with four-wheel brakes, two years before they were introduced on private-sale vehicles. These specially equipped vehicles, with bulletproof windshields measuring 7/8 of an inch thick and spot lights mounted on the ends of the windshield, also came with an automatic windshield wiper for the driver and a hand-operated wiper for the front passenger. Police whistles were coupled to the exhaust system and gun racks were also fitted to these vehicles.


1927–1930

In 1927, the L series got smaller wheels with 4-wheel standard mechanical brakes. All instruments were on an oval surface. A larger engine (though no HP increase) came in 1928. 1929 brought
Safety glass Safety glass is glass with additional safety features that make it less likely to break, or less likely to pose a threat when broken. Common designs include toughened glass (also known as tempered glass), laminated glass, and wire mesh glass (al ...
and dual windshield wipers. 1930 was the last year for the L series.


Coachbuilt examples

Lincoln contracted with dozens of coachbuilders during the 1920s and early 30s to create multiple custom built vehicles, to include American,
Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...
, Babcock,
Holbrook Holbrook may refer to: Places England *Holbrook, Derbyshire, a village * Holbrook, Somerset, a hamlet in Charlton Musgrove * Holbrook, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a former mining village in Mosborough ward, now known as Halfway *Holbrook, Suffolk, ...
, Judkins, Lang, LeBaron, Locke,
Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...
,
Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...
, and Willoughby in the 1920s.
Murphy Murphy () ( ga, Ua Murchadha) is an Irish surname and the most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac ...
,
Rollston Rollston Company was an American coachbuilder producing luxury automobile bodies during the 1920s and 1930s readily acknowledged to be of the very highest quality. After bankruptcy in 1938 some of the same owners began a very similar business und ...
, and Waterhouse were added in the 1930s. Optional equipment was not necessarily an issue with 1920s Lincolns; special and bespoke items were accommodated on customer vehicles. A nickel-plated radiator shell could be installed for $25, varnished natural wood wheels were $15, or
Rudge-Whitworth Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British bicycle, bicycle saddle, motorcycle and sports car wheel manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894, Whitworth Cycle Co. of Birmingham, founded by Charles Henry Pug ...
center-lock wire wheels for another $100.
Disteel Disteel brand pressed-steel automobile wheels were manufactured by the Detroit Pressed Steel Company, and were introduced in 1917 as an alternative to wooden artillery wheels with demountable rims. Pressed steel wheels were an alternative to frag ...
steel disc wheels were also available for $60. Lincoln chose not to make yearly model changes, used as a marketing tool of the time, designed to lure new customers. Lincoln customers of the time were known to purchase more than one Lincoln with different bodywork, so changing the vehicle yearly was not done to accommodate their customer base.


Pop culture

A 1924 Lincoln was featured in the first season of the classic CBS sitcom The Good Guys. In the 1986 comedy movie,
The Money Pit ''The Money Pit'' is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house. The film is a remake of the 1948 Cary Grant comedy film '' Mr ...
, the house came with
1929-30 Lincoln L-series 4-door Sport Phaeton
as a part of the purchase. A blue 1928 Lincoln L can be seen in the bridge scene in the movie
The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...
.


References

{{Lincoln historic timeline Lincoln vehicles First car made by manufacturer Vintage vehicles Limousines 1920s cars Luxury vehicles