ABOVE: The Hilgeman family with the car at Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Photos by John Walcek and Tim Howley
Originally published in the May/June 2009 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 288.)

The 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan originated in a clay done by Bob Gregorie in 1943. But the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner front end was redone after World War II to look more like the bottom grille of the 1946-48 models. Originally the car was to have concealed headlights. When that plan was scrapped for time and cost reasons it was replaced with sad, sunken headlights lined with stainless steel tunnels. The companion to the Cosmopolitan was the Lincoln derived from the Mercury body. This model came about when Ford Motor decided to build an all new 1949 Ford and bump all the other makes up a notch.

Lincoln moved away from unitized constuction with 1949 models. The chassis was a new K frame that allowed for independent front suspension, Hotchkiss drive, and hypoid gears. GM Hydra-Matic was made available on all Lincolns beginning in June, 1949. The new 337cid 90 degree V-8 engine was a dramatic move away from a V-12 for the first time since 1932. This engine was originally developed for Ford trucks but was also used in the 1949-51 Lincolns because Lincoln was nowhere near ready to introduce an ohv V-8. It had a large dual concentric downdraft carburetor and the distributor was placed on top of the engine rather than in the front.

This was the era of monocoupe engineering and design. Witness the 1948 Hudson and Packard and the 1949 Nash. The idea was living rooms on wheels. The 1949 Lincoln instrument panel was a bizarre five-piece unit with controls that looked like church organ keys. The rear doors in the four-door sedans were hinged at the rear like in previous Lincolns.

A lot of engine improvements came later in the 1950 model year. The 1949-50 vibration damper filled with silicone fluid did not work out very well. This was blamed for a lot of complaints about engine vibration Another problem was oil consumption. Lincoln had four piston rings in 1949 and early 1950, but this did not seem to stop oil consumption. Going on the theory that the fourth ring dragged they tried three rings later on in 1950 and this cured the problem. They further discovered that the vibration complaints stemmed not so much from the vibration damper as from a poorly balanced engine. Later 1950 models and all 1951s have improved engine balancing and improved vibration damping. The cylinder blocks were made with more alloy to increase cylinder bore durability. By eliminating one ring friction was reduced and the horsepower was increased from 152 to 154. Minor engine improvements included the addition of distribution tubes in the water passages for better cooling to the exhaust valves.

ABOVE: The photo on the hill of Gary’s 1956 Convertible taken in 1960.

By Wayne P. Leithner, Ormond Beach, Florida
Originally published in the May/June 2009 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 288.)

Ever since the 1956 Lincoln was introduced, my older and only brother, Gary, thought it was the most beautiful car on the road. He bought one for himself in 1960 when the car was only four years old and he was only 19. Where he found it, how much he paid for it, and how he managed to come up with the money, I don’t know. I was just 15 at the time and had little interest in my brother’s financial situation. It was such a contrast to the car he had driven before, a 1950 customized Ford convertible that was nosed, decked, dropped, frenched, and loud. Our dad could not understand why a 19-year-old would want a luxury Lincoln.

What a beautiful car it was! It was a Premiere convertible in Starmist White with a Huntsman Red and Presidential Black leather interior and a white top. I will never forget that car. We worked on it together, maintained it together, and double dated in it. Later, he even let me drive it. He called his beautiful Lincoln “The Big White” and he drove it around Westchester County, New York, for many years. It was his daily driver, his only car. The photo on the hill was taken on a day trip in 1960, possibly in Connecticut. His date is in the front passenger seat and I am in the back with my date. The girls were sisters. The Lincoln played a big part in my life during those formative teenage years and well beyond. The memory of this car and so many details of its features and styling are clearly etched in my memory.

“The Big White” was my brother’s absolute pride and joy and he took impeccable care of it. Then, one day somebody pulled in front of him and he had no choice but to hit their car. No one was hurt, but the elegant beauty of its front end was definitely diminished. She was laid up for repairs and we began our search for parts. The cars we found, however, became drivers while the convertible sat and waited. In the late 1960s I found a 1956 Lincoln Premiere hardtop in a barnyard on Route 20 in upstate New York. I located the owner who agreed to sell it for $50.

Gary with his 1956 Lincoln Convertible in 1960.

Gary came up with a friend and a tow bar and I met them in nearby Richfield Springs. He got the Lincoln home, cleaned the hay and barnyard crust from the undercarriage, replaced one tire, installed a new battery, and it was his daily driver for years. This was not bad for a $50 car, even in those days. While the car had some cosmetic issues she still looked sharp and elegant in her Amethyst and Starmist White paint. He called this Lincoln “The Pink Panther”. I later found him a black four-door sedan with a red and black leather interior.

He ended up with five 1956 Lincolns and the ones he wasn’t driving were parked on our parents’ property near Brewster, New York. When they prepared to sell their home and move to Ohio in 1978 the cars had to go. Where they went I do not know. The convertible was never completely repaired.

Gary’s love of Lincoln luxury continued. During the 1980s he drove a white Lincoln Continental sedan that he affectionately called “USS Enterprise”. Gary died of a heart attack in 1996 at age 55.

While I have always admired the 1956 Lincolns since those early years with the experiences involving my brother’s cars I never looked for one myself. However, I have always been interested in cars since childhood and since retirement I have owned a number of cool cars, most of which have been Ford products. Then, in the fall of 2004 I saw an ad in Hemmings for a 1956 Lincoln Premiere hardtop located in Schenectady, New York. After flying from Florida in January to see the car I flew up once again in February to drive it home. This one is Summit Green with a Starmist White top, factory air-conditioning, and a bit of intriguing mystery, but that’s another story. Meanwhile, the legacy of my brother’s love of the 1956 Lincoln lives on every time I cruise the roads of Florida behind the wheel of this majestic classic beauty.

POSTCRIPT: As a multiple Lincoln owner for years I am very proud to be a member of LCOC. I enjoyed my first National Meet in Columbus, Ohio, last August and thoroughly enjoyed the entire event. It was indeed a classy affair held in a terrific location with so many exciting activities. I would call it a “pretty perfect” event. Tim Wilson is to be commended for an outstanding job.

Wayne P. Leithner.

“The Pink Panther”, a Wisteria and White 1956 Lincoln Premiere Coupe found for $50 after “The Big White” was wrecked.

Three of the 1956 Lincolns that sat in their parents’ back yard until 1978.  Who knows where these cars are now.

ABOVE: Cavalcade of Lincoln Continentals parades past the Lincoln-Mercury plant under threatening skies.  166 cars turned out.

By Warner Hopkins, Jr.
Reprinted from Motor Life, January 1955, in the 2nd Quarter 1993 edition of Continental Comments (Issue # 192).

For those who have an eye for something special in automobiles, the official announcement of the new Continental by the Ford Motor Company was a double-barreled event.

Confirmation of the rumors took place, appropriately enough, at Greenfield Village, a spot Henry the First set aside (next to the Dearborn test track) for the preservation of as much American history as he was able to move.

Occasion for the historical moment was the national reunion of the Lincoln Continental Owners Club, October 15-16, 1954. This group consists of enthusiasts whose appreciation for the “last of the classics” led them to organize in 1953. Thus, there was a nostalgic air about the rosy promise of a bright future.

On hand were 166 of the 5,324 Lincoln Continentals built in the six years (1940-42, 1946-48) of production. The rare 1942 models, with horizontal-bar grilles, were present in surprising numbers.

William Clay Ford, youngest of the Ford brothers and boss of the new Continental Division, broke the news to club members in a talk that confirmed rumors more than it revealed additional details.

So great their affection for the Classic Lincoln Continental, scores of owners convened in Detroit to catch First Word (no glimpse) of the “new” one.

Elliston H. Bell presents a lifetime Honorary Membership to William Clay Ford.

Elliston H. and Henrietta Bell at the 1954 Dearborn Rallye.

The youngest Ford—he is 29—is also a Continental owner. However, he splattered up to the soggy tents during the persistent drizzle driving a $2,700 Thunderbird. To those who met him for the first time, this proved he was as smart as everyone said he was. For while the weighty Continentals spun tires on the grassy mud, the agile Thunderbird flitted about with ease.

The long rows of gleaming Continentals, sheltered by circus-type tents, undoubtedly gladdened the heart of many a purist. About one-third were pretty close to their original condition, except for tires and minor accessories.

Since no Continental enthusiast in his right mind would alter the body lines, the modified cars had all reworking confined to under-hood areas and interiors. Where engine conversions had taken place, Cadillacs were the popular choice. And the taste of a good many owners seemed to include lavish use of chrome, plus as much speed and power equipment as the cramped compartment would allow. One ingenious owner, clearly up against it, made an air cleaner fashioned out of two pie tins.

The precious collectors’ items, almost without exception, were in good-to-superb condition. A gentleman from New Jersey admitted it was only the third time he’d been caught out in the rain with his 1940 model. Another concluded that “most of us try to make them last as long as we can.”

William Clay Ford reputedly has inherited his father’s talent, that which produced the first Lincoln Continental. He already has supervised design of the New Continental which will cost about $10,000 delivered with the normal extras. ”It will be recognizable,” he said, “as a very modem version of the Continental.”

Although he did not elaborate on the styling, Ford did make some other interesting points: the name “Lincoln” will not be associated with the new car; it will be built in a plant now nearing completion devoted to its exclusive manufacture.

The Continental is not the first automobile to be reborn after a lapse of several years. As a name with an enthusiastic following, however, it stands alone. If it is built with the perfection and attention to detail the youngest Ford indicates, the new Continental may become the “first Classic of the Atomic Age.”

The cars assembled on the soggy grass at Greenfield Village.  Circus type tents protected many of them from the rain which came on and off throughout the day.