Second straight 1-2-3-4 win again proves Lincoln King of the Road!

Originally published in the Fall 1976 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 126)

Here are the Official Results

Fred & Lyn Hunter’s 1941 Lincoln-Zephyr Ambulance

Cover Car Story by Tim Howley

Originally published in the March-April 1999 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 227)

Technically this vehicle, which won a 1st in the Modified Custom Class, is not a Lincoln-Zephyr, but a Custom Limousine. It is not even a conventional Lincoln ambulance in that it does not have a raised roof.

How many of us remember these vehicles from their day? Since this and other Lincoln ambulances have been featured in The Way of the Zephyr, it is fairly safe to say that few remember them racing to accident scenes before, during and shortly after World War II. This ambulance is linked to a 1937 model. There is evidence that Derham built Lincoln-Zephyr ambulance conversions up until 1938.
A 1938 Derham Zephyr ambulance was used by a hospital in Chester, Pennsylvania. They were seen on the streets of Beaumont, Texas. There was a 1937 model in England during World War II. The Henry Ford Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan had a 1941 model with a raised roof. If any of our members have recollections of any of these, or any others, reports of sightings would be appreciated. Like UFOs, Lincoln-Zephyr ambulances are elusive. But one has definitely landed in Florida. While its origin remains somewhat mysterious, much of its history has been documented.

This ambulance and a 1937 model belonged to an ambulance service in Pasadena, California, maybe not since they were new, but certainly during the World War II era. In 1948, the owner of the service supposedly retired and put the two ambulances in storage, so the story goes. The 1937 model was sold at an undetermined date, and there are only rumors that it still exists. This 1941 model was sold in 1970 when the owner died. In September, 1970 it was advertised for sale by Dale Weller of South Pasadena, who was selling it for the estate. It was then a two-tone, light blue top and darker blue bottom, was dirty and was not running. It was purchased for $350 by Sig Caswell, a well known collector in the Los Angeles area. It was at that time not considered much of a rarity because Caswell removed the engine and transmission. The engine is still in another Lincoln-Zephyr. The next owner put a 1942 Ford V-8 truck engine in the vehicle and rented it out to the movie studios. At some point during the ‘70s the ambulance was repainted to a light blue body with medium blue fenders.

In the early ‘80s it was bought by Merv Adkins, a well known collector of Lincoln-Zephyrs and dealer in parts. Adkins retrieved the original transmission from Caswell and coupled it with a 1942 Lincoln-Zephyr HV-12 engine. He then returned the vehicle to duty-this time carrying parts to Pomona and other swap meets. The vehicle showed up at the 1984 LCOC Western National Meet in San Diego along with Adkin’s customized Lincoln-Zephyr pickup truck. In the fall of 1994, Adkins sold the ambulance to Fred Hunter, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who completely restored it. The restoration was not done to the exact original. The color was changed from blue to red. The interior was done in tan leather, originally it was in black leather. However, no alterations were made to make this an old ambulance with modern running gear. Even the performance modifications are correct to the era.

According to Jim Farrell, “This particular ambulance started life as a 1941 Lincoln Custom Limousine. It was built on October 15, 1940 and was shipped to California where it was originally titled as a limousine. It came with power windows, electric wipers, a divider window and rare under seat hot water heaters. It was originally painted black and had a tan pinstripe. To convert the limousine to an ambulance, a custom-built rear section was added to the roof, but the roof was not raised as on other ambulances. The back quarter window frames from the Lincoln Custom were extended for the longer back side windows used on the ambulance. The back door was custom made. It has an ash framework and is covered with sheet metal. On the inside of the patient area, there were small compartments built into the side panels, which were fabricated from sheet aluminum. There is also a built-in vent in the roof, but other than that and the gurney, there is no other special equipment.

Fred Hunter describes the restoration thus: “The extended roof was riveted on and leaded over. The lead never cracked in all those years, so we left it on. Whoever built it cut out the rear part of the floor from the back seat to the trunk and replaced the floor with an angle iron framework, then covered it with a one inch thick oak plank floor which was further covered with linoleum. A big metal panel over the rear axle provides more room. Our biggest surprise was how the body sides were stretched. The rear fenders are the same as used on the standard Lincoln Custom, but the body was widened so that, when attached, there was about 2 1/2” to 3” overlap of the body over each fender. This alteration is hard to tell from the outside except for moving the gas filler door lower on the fender.”

The vehicle always had the two roof front mounted red lights. The rear mounted roof red light has been removed in the
restoration. Fred has added a roof mounted siren. He has also added red lenses to the accessory fog lights on the grille. The dual spotlights were probably original equipment. The original rear quarter windows had a cross and the letter “M”. Fred has installed rear quarter windows with the cross within the Lincoln-Zephyr teardrop logo. Fred returned the engine back to a 1941 HV-12 with an Edmunds dual carburetor manifold, dual Stromberg 97 carburetors and polished aluminum heads. As swift as the original V-12 was it was not swift enough for all the added weight of an ambulance. Remember in the old days, it was the first ambulance service to the scene that got the business.

If you put this ambulance alongside today’s rescue vans it looks pretty simple, and is totally devoid of today’s high tech life saving equipment. Of all our modern advances, healthcare stands in the lead. One can only speculate on how many lives
were lost in the old days because ambulances were so simply equipped. We can also ponder upon the many old time accidents and other emergencies this ambulance serviced. Could W.C. Fields, William S. Hart and Leslie Howard, all of
whom died in the ‘40s, have been carried in Fred Hunter’s ambulance. Who’s to dispute it?

Originally published in the Fall 1976 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 126)

The Lincolns featured on the following pages and the cover belong to club member Don Marmaduke of Denver. Don has been a Lincoln owner for many years and has owned several impressive examples. Though we are featuring the Marmadukes’ Mark II, I feel that the 1930 LeBaron convertible roadster and particularly the 1934 KB Brunn Victoria convertible helped set the trend which let to the designing which became known as Continental Styling.

The Model L LeBaron has been part of the Marmadukes’ collection nearly as long as their Mark II.  It came to Denver in 1958 after several owners, the first being in of all places, Pasadena, California.  Designated the type 185, this is one of the early Lincoln convertibles.

The convertible with roll-up windows became very popular with Lincoln owners, so popular in fact, it led to the demise of the roadster.  With the convertible in production, styling efforts began to evolve to the five-place sports convertible.  Don’s 1934 represents the “continental styling” available to Lincoln owners after Waterhouse no longer supplied bodies for K series chassis.  The graceful “Victoria” roof lines are the legacy left to the modern Continentals.  This is but one of two known surviving examples of less than ten built in 1934.

Like the other Marmaduke Lincolns, the Mark II is very much part of the Marmaduke family.  Don and his wife bought it in Kansas City in 1957.  The Mark II was then only 6,000 miles old.  The Marmadukes were on vacation in KC when their late model large brand X fell apart.  On the way to the large brand X dealer to try again, Don spotted the Mark II on a used car lot.  When he returned with Ginny, she approved of the Mark II and its looks at first sight.  Of all the automobiles Don has owned, this is the one which can truly be called “their”, the Marmadukes’ car.  Today it resides in the family four-place carriage house alongside the 1930 LeBaron, the 1934 Brunn and the Mark III.  With 32,000 miles showing on the clock, the English say, the Marmadukes’ Mark II ranks among the best of the surviving low-mileage Continentals.

By Jim Farrell

Originally published in the Sept/Oct 1996 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 212)

Over the years Continental Comments has, from time to time, featured articles about Mark IIs customized in one way or another. In Comments issue #134 there was a centerfold picture of a Mark II radically modified after Alex Dryer owned it. The customized Alex Dryer Mark II was first pictured in Comments #65 and resurfaced in Comments #190. Other Mark IIs have been customized over the years, but generally to lesser degrees than the Dryer car.

Most Lincoln and Continental enthusiasts rightly assume that it’s impossible to improve on the looks of the Mark II as built. That plus the rarity of the car and the high cost of acquisition have also acted to discourage too many “hot rod” Mark IIs. It should come as no surprise to us, however, that some hobbyists see things a little differently than we do. One of those people is Gary Meadors of Alamo, California. Gary has recently completed the ultimate “American Graffiti” car. You can tell from the picture it’s a Mark II, but a Mark II that has had all the modern tricks done to it that make it into the ultimate cruiser or street rod.

Before explaining what makes this Mark II so much different than the pristine, perfect restorations we usually see at our national meets and in the pages of this magazine, it helps to know a little about Gary Meadors. Gary grew up in a small farming community in central California in the 1950s. As a farm boy, he got his driver’s license at age 14. The movie, American Graffiti is about the California car culture Gary grew up in. The closest bigger cities when Gary was growing up were Visalia and Fresno, where “cruising the gut” was the ultimate participation and spectator sport every night of the week and especially on weekends. Gary’s “thing” is cruising and he believes that practice makes perfect. Over the years Gary has graduated from his first cruising vehicle, a ‘48 Plymouth, to a Tee bucket roadster, then to a “deuce sedan” (‘32 Ford) and now to a 1956 Continental Mark II.

The ultimate luxury car of the ‘50s to many became the ultimate street rod to the guy behind the Good Guys street and hot rod car shows.

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, cruising became an art form in California, and by the ‘70s, Gary, his wife Marilyn and their two sons were cruising from one end of the state to the other. By the ‘80s the Meadors family was cruising not only in California, but thousands of miles a year to Tulsa, St. Paul, Indianapolis, New York and every place in between. Pleasure soon transformed itself into a successful business and now Gary is the guy behind all of the very successful Goodguys street and hot rod car shows you see advertised in newspapers and street rod magazines all across the country.

Since Gary’s hobby has turned into a successful business career, he has now indulged himself in what he sees as the ultimate cruiser—a custom Mark II. Gary says that when it came time to replace the deuce sedan, which was first built in 1972, he was looking for something really unique and different from what other street rodders were building. The Mark II cost $8,000 to begin with, and from listening to everything that has been done to make Gary’s ultimate street rod and who did the work, we’re not sure even Gary wants to know what the final bill was. At the very least, it’s not polite to ask, but making a statement in today’s street rod culture is certainly not cheap!

The bottom six inches of the body were found to be almost rotted away when the car was disassembled and stripped. That was repaired, but then Gary took a path different than the one taken by most of us who restore old cars. A new frame was fabricated using the same cow belly principles employed when the original Mark II frame was designed. This one, however was made to accommodate a 460 cid. engine, a beefed up C-6 transmission, and the front and rear ends from a ‘77 Ford LTD station wagon. Disc brakes all around were used. The only non Ford, component taken from another manufacturer was a late Chevrolet tilt steering column.

The original dash was totally redone and BMW late model adjustable seats were installed. A new air-conditioning system
was installed and a modern stereo system was built in.

The inside doesn’t look much like the original, but Gary says that real efforts were made to preserve the timeless exterior
styling of the Mark II. Windwings were removed, as were the rocker panel moldings and the door handles. Other body
modifications include 17 inch custom made wheels, ‘52 Ford filled headlight rims, custom outside mirrors and a custom
grill. The bottom parts of both bumpers were also painted body color. The spare tire hump on the trunk was reworked and lowered slightly. The car was painted a deep blue and upholstered in medium gray. The car has no pin stripes, flames or other ornamentation on it. Gary says it rides and drives great, except that it wants to stop at every gas station.

This club is one that prides itself on the accurate restoration and preservation of all Lincolns and Continentals, but it also
makes room for and recognizes modified custom Lincolns and Continentals. It’s probably too much to hope that those who pride themselves on the authentic and accurate restoration and preservation of classic Lincolns can ever truly appreciate street rods and customized Lincolns no matter how well done they are. Maybe the converse is also true. There is a moral to this story, however, and in a strange way it reinforces the beliefs most of our members have.

Usually the cars that have been made into the most successful street rods are the ones that have been the most radically
modified. They have been chopped, channeled, sectioned and just about everything else to become expressions of their creator’s concept of what the car ought to look like. The emphasis with most street rods has been to change the original looks of the car as much as is consistent with modern practice and individual taste. Not so with the Meador’s Mark II. The emphasis was on keeping as much of the classic Mark II look as possible, even while creating a unique street rod. That’s about as high a compliment as can be made to the original designers of the Mark II and it reemphasizes what all of us have taken for granted for the last 40 years—the Mark II is one of the most beautiful car designs ever created and it looks as fresh today as it did 40 years ago. Purists and street rodders can at least agree on one thing—if cars looked as distinctive today as the Mark II still does, the American Automobile industry would be in overdrive.

By Bob Lawton, San Gabriel, California

Published in 3rd Quarter 1994 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 199)

    Recently a fellow member, knowing that I had joined LCOC back in 1955, asked me if the Club was as enjoyable and  interesting when the only eligible cars were 1940 through 1948 Lincoln Continentals. We were interrupted before I could  answer him, but I got to thinking about his question later. I guess I would say, “Yes, but in a more informal way and on a much smaller scale.”

LCOC was, from the beginning, a unique kind of animal. It was made up of a very small number of people who, like myself, were not restorers of classic automobiles, but just ordinary people who happened to have fallen in love with one particular model of one make of car simply because it was so beautiful. Many other people who felt the same way never became  members for the simple reason that there were so few Lincoln Continentals to be had. Remember, we’re talking about a car whose annual production was, for the most part, less than a thousand units per body style.

We had to have our own club. No one else would have us! The only other clubs around at the time were the Lincoln Owners Club and the Classic Car Club. The former were the ones who collected and restored Lincoln K, KA & KB cars, and who believed that Edsel Ford had made a pact with the devil by bringing out the Lincoln-Zephyr and its upscale relative, the  Lincoln Continental, both of which had that HV-12 engine. The Classic Car Club was populated by guys in alpaca sweaters and wearing Rolex watches who had garages full of Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows, Packards, etc. Our Lincoln Continentals were technically accepted as Classics by the CCCA, but I can attest from personal experience that if you attended one of their functions someone would probably ask if you were one of the caterers. Our only real support came from the Ford Motor Company, God Bless ‘em.

LCOC members in those days tended, as I recall, to be more blue-collar than whitecollar. Most of us were in no great shape financially. I believe that when I bought my 1948 Lincoln Continental Coupe I had just gotten a raise to the magnificent sum of $350 a month! Rarely did anyone own more than one Lincoln Continental. One was hard enough to find and support. For the most part we did our own mechanical work, or found a good independent mechanic with the knowledge and  willingness to work on the car. (Lincoln mechanics would run and hide if you took your V-12 to your local Lincoln dealer for service.)

National Meets were pretty much like what we have today, although smaller in scale. During the rest of the year we took
drives to places like Apple Valley for lunch, or maybe just a picnic in a local park where everyone brought their own food and beer and we just sat around and talked about our beloved Lincoln Continentals.

A lot of us drove our Lincoln Continentals regularly. For a number of years mine was the only car I owned. (Two-car families
in the Fifties mostly lived in Beverly Hills or Brentwood, and they didn’t drive old Lincolns to work).

It may come as a surprise to many of today’s members, but engine conversions were quite common back then. We even
gave trophies for the best engine conversions, and I know personally of one Lincoln Continental that won a Ford Trophy with a flathead Ford V-8 under its hood!

If you were one of thee ones who drove his Lincoln Continental a lot an engine conversion was a real blessing. When I
bought my 1948 Coupe from a Lincoln dealer in early 1955 the engine had just been converted to a 1954 Lincoln V-8, that 205 horsepower beauty that was running away with everything at the Mexican Road Races. After blowing low gear a couple of times I had a Cadillac Dual-Range Hydramatic installed. We retained the original shift lever and did not install a quadrant. So inside the cabin there was no indication that any changes had been made. The car looked absolutely original from outside but drove like a new Lincoln. When a joint National Meet was held in Colorado Springs for all Regions, my car just sailed up those steep curving roads in the rarified atmosphere of the Rockies, while a lot of twelves were gasping for lack of air (and torque.)

Of course, we never foresaw an LCOC the size and scope that we have today. For a number of years we wouldn’t even allow a Mark II to join us. (Of course, when a $10,000 Mark II was new, its owner had no interest in membership in a club like ours. His club was more likely to be the Bel-Air Country Club.)

It’s been 35 years or more since those days, and now the LCOC is mature, dignified and has about 4,000 members who own
everything from Leland Lincolns to new Town Cars. The Lawtons now have a 1977 Continental Mark V and a 1987 Town Car. But we still get the same thrill when we see perfectly restored Lincolns of any vintage! Long live the LCOC.

From Mechanix Illustrated – March 1953

Republished in 3rd Quarter 1994 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 199)

     But how about the ‘53 jobs that cleaned up the stock sedan division of the 1,900-mile Mexican road race by finishing 1-2-3-4? For my devaluated dollar this car, that looks much the same as the all-new ‘52, can now be crowned the Grand Champion of them all. For many years, I have rated the Cadillac as America’s number one car for several reasons. First, for the amazing way it held its resale value; second, because aside from spongy roadability it was a better automobile all around than any other car made on these shores, especially in its reliable and hot engine. Today I rate the Lincoln head and shoulders over Cadillac in every department except resale value and even this margin should shrink as soon as these new Lincolns get to be better known.

     Let’s list all the 1953 Lincoln features first and work from there. The Lincoln is far ahead of any immediate American competitor in roadability and cornering. This is one of the reasons why it made such an outstanding record in Mexico. More important, its top handling properties make it by far the safest car in its price class. Until now we have rated the Hudson Hornet as the finest and safest handling American car, but the Hudson must share honors with Lincoln. In the performance department, the Lincoln is outstanding.

     The AAA officially timed this wagon out in Utah at 115.8 mph. for a two-way average and at 114.2 mph. for 100 miles. As I wasn’t at these trials, I have no way of knowing whether the car ran with air cleaners, or or an altered vacuum spark advance, or whether it was retimed to compensate for the late time of a vacuum advance unit at open throttle. In such a case, the timing would not be as specified by the manufacturer for the showroom stock Lincoln. I do feel, however, that the 1953 Lincoln as delivered at Sea Level will not go 115 mph. 110 to 112 seems to be about par for the course, but this still makes it America’s fastest car at this writing. As we go to press, I have not tested the new 210 hp. 1953 Caddie, but I will make book the Lincoln will take it. Back to the Salt Lake test for a moment. The great Utah salt flats, where many automobile records have been hung up, do not always give a true picture of an automobile’s real potential. In fact, all cars will run faster on the salt flats. Most professional speed merchants have been aware for some time that altitude plays a major part in high-speed records. The salt flats are approximately 4,800 feet above sea level and in this hangs a tale.

     As a very rough calculation, it is fairly safe to state that any American car which can do a solid 100 mph. on the salt flats will be lucky to pass 95 at sea level. This in a way accounts for some of the strange records we have questioned in the past regarding high altitude speed runs. For example, Bill France drove a Nash Ambassador in the 1950 Mexican road race for many miles at a faster average speed than the car could go for one mile in New York. He privately attributed this to the fact that the car was running at around 5,000 feet of altitude much of the time.

    Of course, in this sort of calculation, you reach a point where altitude works against speed, in a very rare atmosphere such as you find at, say, 10,000 feet, your carburetor mixture is thrown way out of kilter and the engine runs much too rich due to the decreased amount of oxygen. Oxygen is the only part of air that burns in an engine and a gallon of air contains only 21% oxygen. Naturally, as the oxygen thins out due to less density of the air, it reaches a point where it doesn’t contain enough moxie to rev up an unloaded engine to peak rpms. so that, despite reduced air resistance, speed falls off. Most qualified engine men agree that for top speed in an automobile 3,500 to 5,200 feet altitude will produce greater speed. Beyond 5,200 feet, speed falls off very fast, unless you use higher compression heads and make carburetor adjustments. So much for salt flat records. Now back to the 1953 Lincoln as you buy it.

    Lincoln also has a brand new four barrel carburetor that’s a beaut, thanks to their able, long-time ignition and carburetor chief, George Nastas. This job, unlike some of their competitors’, is a single-float gismo that shows no sign of loading and starving, all at the same time, on hard turns. The engine has been boosted from last year’s 160 horsepower to 205 and the torque has been upped to 305 foot pounds from 284. The exhaust system has been improved. Part of the real boost on the same 317-cubic inch ‘52 block can be attributed to the increase of the valve size and valve lift and the jump in compression ratio. The valve area in ‘52 was 1.74inches per valve, in ‘53 it is 1.98 inches. The valve lift in ‘52 was .3375 inches and this year it is .3545. This naturally assures much better and deeper breathing. The compression ratio has been hopped to 8 to 1 from 7.5 to 1.

    I tested several Lincolns with regular steering and found them outstandingly responsive. Then I whirled one around with power steering. You can keep power steering. I don’t want any part of it. I got a bad impression of Lincoln’s power steering when an eager beaver engineering assistant wheeled one out for a test. He came up to us like a ball of fire, cut the wheel hard and, so help me, I thought he was going to roll the automobile. This really able road car, under the pressure of his exaggerated cut, mushed like a balloon in a down draft—and I was very unimpressed. Later, when I buzzed this rig into a hard turn on the proving ground at speeds close to 90, the power steering felt very feathery compared to the solid feel I got with the other Lincolns.

    The power brakes on these cars are swell and there was little trace of fade on the hardest stops. In the looks department this year’s Lincoln is very similar to last year’s offering with a few chrome rearrangements. If you happen to be in the market for a Lincoln, try and see one without the ten buck hood ornament first. I think it looks a thousand dollars better without the gee-gaw and you save a sawbuck to boot. At this writing you can order them either way. As for comfort— here  again the Lincoln shines. From the driver’s seat you get a slight ski-slide look, similar to the Mark VII Jag, that is great for visibility. The seats are chair high, similar to Chrysler’s, but without the high roof line. The body is five inches narrower than the 1952 Cadillac which is a real feature, especially in view of the fact that the Lincoln has only two inches less seat width. This makes the Lincoln feel much handier in traffic, which it is. All the interior lines, including the instrument panel, are clean and have that good looking functional quality. The back seat is also comfortable, as it should be in this luxury item. This year there are five models, all on a wheelbase of 123 inches: the Capri four-door sedan, hardtop and convertible and the Cosmopolitan four door sedan and sport coupe.

    Some of my more ancient readers may remember when Henry I advertised that you “can buy a Ford in any color, so long as it’s black.” This year, the 50th Anniversary of the Ford Motor Company, you can get your new Lincoln in any one of 13 basic colors and 30 (count ’em 30) two-tone color combinations, along with a fairly dazzling selection of upholstery fabrics which include leather, nylon, broadcloth, tweed and something called frieze. The doors also have a new two position check mechanism featuring a halfway stop to hold them open when you dismount into one of those skinny 1953-type garages.

    In summing up, the Lincoln is a high priced car giving high-priced performance. As of now I haven’t tested the 1953 Cadillac or 1953 big Chrysler. On what I have seen to date I can honestly state that the 1953 Lincoln is America’s finest automobile.