Lincoln and Continental Classic Motorcars: The Early Years

by Marvin Arnold

This is the newly released version of author Marvin Arnold's famous and widely acclaimed 1989 book Lincoln and Continental. The large hardcover coffee table edition has been re-typeset into the original two-column in 8.5x11 format and black & white for publication as a softcover edition. It is close, but not an exact facsimile. The book includes hundreds of photos, images and reproductions of the automotive art work of the eras; re-spaced for easier viewing in eBook format. Of all the classic American motorcar manqué stories, the story of the Lincoln motorcar personifies the American dream better than any other. The evolution of the Lincoln and Continental parallels the American automobile industry. Everyone who owns or appreciates fine motorcars like the Lincoln will enjoy reading this book. The book combines the story of the manqué with the technical and developmental aspects of the automobile itself. The text is both interesting and factually informative. The appendixes to this book provide production figures and detailed information on the various models. Beginning with the coming of the automobile to the Americas in the late 1800s and concluding with the beginning of postwar automotive era, this book is an inside look at the forces, which began and ended the classic American automobile era.

EARLY YEARS-Henry Martin Leland founds Cadillac and Lincoln. Henry Ford builds an automotive empire and his son, Edsel Ford, takes over Lincoln. The Model L Lincolns (1919-1930) are recognized as the finest coachbuilt motorcars in the world and become the aristocrats automobile in a time of opulence.

CLASSIC YEARS-An era of Automobile Salons and custom coachbuilts. These are the chauffeur-driven Landaulets and Broughams, the Roadsters and Sedans of the rich and famous. The period of the Model K Lincoln (1931-1940) ushers in the V-12 engine and classic craftsmanship. The world is changing and soon these massive motorcars would give way to that progress and become the last of the big iron.

STREAMLINE YEARS-These are the designs influenced by the age of Art Deco and aerodynamic appearances. The Zephyr automobile arrives (1935-1948), in an era of reconstruction and colossal World's Fairs. New manufacturing techniques, like unit body construction, create an all new model of automobile. From these designs evolve the famous Lincoln Continental, perceived today as the only modern classic.

MODERN YEARS-America survives a world war and gets on with the business of building a better nation. These new designs are influenced by the tanks and bombers that preceded them. They are modern designs manufactured with an outdated technology. The bulbous era Lincolns and Cosmopolitans (1948-1951) are not the modern cars of today, but a major link in the evolution to that end result.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989