Above:  Keith & Diane Johnson’s 1957 Lincoln Premiere Landau

Originally published in the March-April 2003 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 251).
Reprinted from Mechanix Illustrated, February, 1957

Back in 1953, Lincoln swapped its stovepipe hat for a beanie and gobbled up all comers in the 1,900-mile Pan-American road race. The next year they did it again, as hundreds of little Mexican boys screamed out to the rest of the competition, “They went that-a-way, senor!”

One thing about the Ford organization (which includes the Continental, Lincoln, Mercury, Ford and next year the Edsel) is that these boys are not set in their ways. With their Mexican successes behind them—successes which were accomplished because their cars were not only fast, but roadable and the finest-handling automobiles ever produced in this country— Lincoln switched character. Like the guy who reaches for his carpet slippers after he’s won the girl, or the gladiator who sheaths his broadsword after successfully pigsticking the dragon, Lincoln took off its competition coveralls, slipped into white-tie-and tails, and emerged as a conservative, distinguished gentleman with discreetly concealed muscles. The only holdover from the hell-for-leather “Mexican” Lincolns was the car’s outstanding roadability and handling prowess.

If a big car has ever been built that can out-handle the Lincoln, then I’ve never had the pleasure of driving it. This, plus terrific brakes, makes Lincoln as safe a car as has been built to date.

Performance-wise—meaning top speed and acceleration—Lincoln no longer is making a serious attempt to be the Whiz Kid of the drag strips or the speed trials. Like a retired Derby winner, Lincoln now rests on its laurels. Size went up, engine capacity was increased, and the old champ acquired a smooth but horsepower-robbing new transmission. In 1956, Lincoln was a close contender for the finest-looking automobile ever produced in the land of Soapy Williams and Walter Ruther. The cars were still fast, but had acquired an Ivy League look that made at least one of their competitors resemble the Limehouse Button King. With the addition of Ed Sullivan’s stumping, Lincoln enjoyed the best sales year in its history.

Superb roadability plus terrific brakes make this new 300hp. white-tie-and-tails job “as safe a car as has been built to date,” according to Uncle Tom.

There are many types of buyers of cars in the Lincoln class, and they include the successful man who has made his pile and suddenly realizes he has forgotten to have fun along the way. Lincoln made its main pitch in ‘56 to this well-regulated character of taste who wanted superb and enjoyable transportation in a conservative package, a car that didn’t have to go in for hand-tooled saddlery and a garland of silver dollar decorations that shouted “money” in a loud voice.

From a performance standpoint, give or take a wheel turn or two, there has been no increase in over-the-ground rapidity from the ‘56 jobs. Zero to 60 still takes 12 seconds. When correctly tuned, these big Lincolns will just edge the 110-mph. mark. They do, though, have a way of slamming into a corner or whipping through a bend with all the steadiness of a bowling ball transversing a laundry chute at speeds that would dump some of the competition head over teakettles.

Style-wise, the ‘57 Lincoln has been sharpened up considerably over ‘56. The car is two inches longer and now boasts four headlights which give it the appearance from head-on of Paul Bunyon and his brother challenging you with over-and-under shotguns. The rear fins have been flared out and tail lights now remind you of a fire in a Gothic chapel. The long, uninterrupted hoodline could easily serve as a picnic table for the Notre Dame football squad, and the four-pronged star from the ‘56 Continental has been respoked and now appears not only on the hubs but the tail, front fenders and hood. The rear fender line, which starts just aft of amidships, produces a lowering illusion, as do the flattened-out front fenders. Anyway you slice it, this car is not quite as conservative in appearance as it was in ‘56, but the added garnishes do not detract from the overall dignity any more than a good custom-made striped shirt detracts from an expensive blue suit.

As Ford’s Engineering Division can rustle up more men on it s proving grounds on 20 minutes notice than Nassaer could produce last November for the Canal Aquatic Sports, I wasn’t too surprised to find out that some of these boys had their heads under the hood during the long summer months. The ‘57 Lincoln sports a new Carter carburetor, which is smooth but unexciting, and some other goodies which are too frivolous to note. For my little bag of dough, this is a great automobile, conservative on the performance side, but capable of becoming a wildcat with the addition of a few such things as a hot cam and a transmission that is less of a calorie-consumer. While doing this piece, I had to pinch myself into realizing that Lincoln, once the hottest road car in America just a calendar page or two ago, is reaping a bigger, heavier harvest now by appealing to the man who would rather hear the sound, substantial thud of a Chase Manhattan Bank vault door than the strains of You Ain’t Nuthin’ But a Houn’ Dog.

Originally published in the September-October 2002 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 248).

Above:  Both of Sherman Lovegren’s Lipstick Mark IVs in front of his home in Fresno, California.

My Two Lipstick 1976 Continental Mark IVs

by Sherman Lovegren, Fresno, California

Originally published in the September-October 2002 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 248).

To this day I do not know how many Lipsticks were built. They were only built in 1976. I believe there were more white ones built than red ones. What identified the Lipstick was the white leather seats with the red striping. The white with red striping was carried over to the door panels. The instrument panel was red and carpeting was red and the seat belts were red. No other Mark IVs had an interior like this. The exterior was either white with red molding on the sides or red with white molding on the sides. The shade of red, Lipstick, was used only on the Lipsticks, but the shade of white was common to all Mark IVs. And the Lipsticks did not have padding on the hump on the trunk. The Lipsticks had two choices for the top. One was called Cayman; it looked like alligator skin. The other looked just like a normal padded top. These padded tops covered only the rear portion of the roof. You could get the padded top in either a red or a white. You could get a red Lipstick with either a red or white top, or a white Lipstick with a white or red top. The most luxurious carpet is not in the Lipstick. The most luxurious carpet was found in the Silver Series.

I bought the first Lipstick Mark IV in June, 1999, and it won a Ford Trophy at the Western National Meet in Irvine, California, that same year. That car was driven right to my door. The owner knew I was in the Lincoln club, and he brought the car right to my house and asked me what he should do with the automobile. He said his father, who was the original owner, had passed away. He knew it was an unusual car with only 17,000 miles. He wanted to know what the car was worth and how and where to sell it. As it turned out, I bought the car from this gentleman.

After I bought the car, I did some research through the Lincoln Archives. I never did find out how many Lipstick models were built, I think somewhere between 50 and 500. But I found out that only two were built like this one, that is without the moldings on the side. That is, the moldings that run the entire length of the car including up and over the wheel wells and across the doors. Through my research from Lincoln Archives, I learned that these two cars were not ordered this way. They didn’t have enough moldings in production to do a complete buildout, so instead of stopping production, these two cars went off the assembly line without the moldings. I do not know what happened to the other car.

Not long after I returned from the LCOC meet in Irvine, Geoff Weiner called me and said, “Sherman, I had my Hemmings Motor News out, and there is a red Mark IV, it must be a Lipstick.” I said it must be a Lipstick unless it has been repainted. Geoff said it couldn’t be repainted, it only had 10,000 miles on it. Geoff was interested in buying the car himself, but he told me to call the seller. The car was in Kansas City, Kansas. I called there the day after Thanksgiving, 1999. The owner told me that the car at noon and I was at his house on a had been in the family since new. He said that the car was like brand new. I asked if he would send me some pictures of the car, and he did. I got the pictures the next day. I called Geoff and said I was looking at my Lipstick and looking at the pictures of the Lipstick in Kansas, and I told Geoff that it looked like the same car. I knew then it was definitely a Lipstick, however the one in Kansas had a moonroof, as well as the side moldings.

The weather was kind of nasty that day. I called this gentleman in Kansas back and said I had received his pictures. I told him I was willing to pay what he was asking for the car. I wanted to secure the car by making a deposit. The seller said the weather in Kansas was terrible, and when the weather was better in the spring to come back and get the car. That made me very nervous. I told him I had just purchased a big diesel motor home, and I had a trailer, and I said when there is a break in the weather I would be back to see him, but I would call before I came.

As it turned out, I left here on a Sunday at noon and I was at his house on a Tuesday morning. I looked at the automobile and I couldn’t believe it. The front seat still had the plastic covers on it, which the dealer put on the day the car was delivered. The purchaser of the car said he didn’t want anything to touch those white leather seats. The back seat had never been sat in. The wrappers for the seat belts in back had never been removed. The car was even more than I had anticipated. So I brought the car home and did a lot of detailing to it, especially under the car.

I took the car to several local shows. It won Best of Show at the concours and at Fresno State College. The only LCOC meet I took the car to was the 2001 Mid-America National Meet in Houston where it won a Lincoln Trophy. Geoff Weiner and I talked about that car many times and Geoff said, “I sure wish I had bought that car.” I think a lot of Geoff, and I told him that when the time comes I would sell him the car for what I had in it, and I would donate the time that I put into it. At Houston, there were some people who were very serous in wanting to buy the car, but in Houston I received a call from Geoff in Perris, California, who said be sure and bring the car by his shop on the way home. So I told these people: “I’m sorry, but the car is sold.” On the way home, I left the car with Geoff and Laura and it now has a good home.

What happened to the first Lipstick was that I had it on display at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. It was there just a very few days and one of the investors at the Imperial Palace bought the car. His daughter had a Christmas party or something going on in Peoria, Illinois. She asked her parents if they could ship it back so they could use it in the Christmas parade. The last I head the car is still back there.

We have had both of these Lipstick cars in local shows together. When you have one Lipstick in a show you get attention, but when you have two sitting side by side it creates even more attention. Another amazing thing is how close the serial numbers of these two cars are. They were built only a few days apart.

Lincolns on Route 66
Williams, Arizona to the Colorado River, where the Mother Road is still very much alive.

by Tim Howley

Originally published in the July-August 2001 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 241).

This is our second installment of Lincoln journeys on the mother of all roads. Last year, just after the Western National Meet in Scottsdale, Arizona new member Jerry James, Mesa, Arizona purchased a 1966 Lincoln Continental coupe from ?Richard Cronkhite. He has since put about 10,000 miles on the car and reports “I have enjoyed every inch.” Jerry and friend Gini  Tomas have traveled through New Mexico, Mexico, Utah and a lot of Arizona. Now Jerry shares his photos taken on old sections of Route 66 in Arizona. Our Route 66 journey with Jerry and Gini starts at Williams, Arizona, 45 miles west of Flagstaff. This was once the Gateway to the Grand Canyon” which is only 60 miles to the north. A l l / 2 mile stretch of the Mother Road runs right through the center of town which still abounds in Route 66 era motels, cafes and even a few old  time gas stations. Williams was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by the Interstate (October 13, 1984) which explains why so many of the old roadsides still survive here. At the time the bureaucrats did everything to erase Route 66 from here to the California border but the old road refused to die. Now, 17 years later, Williams remains one of the best preserved sections of Route 66 anywhere from Chicago to Santa Monica. While mostly paved over by Interstate 40 for the first 25 miles west of Williams, Route 66 still reaches, nearly untouched by time, from 14 miles east of Seligman through Peach Springs, Truxton, Crozier Canyon, Valentine, Hackberry, Walapai, Kingman, Oatman, and Topack. This is a distance of 170 miles. Through the efforts of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, Historic Route 66 markers now leave no doubt in the motorist’s mind that this is a major part of the real Route 66.

Check out that cool pink and white 1955 Ford Crown Victoria parked next to James’ Lincoln Continental in Williams.

Seligman is one of the most famous and best preserved of all Route 66 towns. While I have not passed through here in several years, I am told that many deserted gas stations can be found, and very much alive motels and cafes still thrive here. This is the hometown of Angel Delgadillo, town barber who did so much a few years ago to keep Route 66 alive in this vicinity. He has operated a barbershop here since 1950 and before that his dad operated a barbershop at the same location. He has converted the town pool hall into a Route 66 museum and gift shop. His brother Juan operates the Snowcap Drive-In, another Route 66 treat. When Seligman was bypassed by Interstate 40 in 1978 business dried up in all the old towns. It was the Delgadillos who organized efforts to promote the town and the entire area as old Route 66 tourist attractions. The old Harvey House which once was the largest and busiest restaurant in Seligman still stands, although I assume it is now deserted. Seligman is the gateway to once upon a time Route 66 which ambles on west towards California. The road here should be traveled as slowly as the Joad’s jalopy in The Grapes of Wrath because there is much to see. You way want to pull off the road at the Grand Canyon Caverns, an attraction second only to the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Around Peach Springs the road passes through the Haulapai Indian Reservation. Moving westward you will soon come upon Truxton which was established in 1951 to take advantage of a proposed railhead leading to the Grand Canyon. Like a lot of stops on Route 66 things planned never came to be but the town hangs on. 50 years ago Route 66 traffic was so busy through Truxton that traffic jams were commonplace and roadside business sprang up like tumbleweeds. The Frontier Cafe here is still humming with some of the best Route 66 meals in the area.

by Dave Cole

Originally published in the Summer 1980 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 141).

Certainly, every Lincoln Continental owner knows how that fine motor car got its start. The story of how Edsel Ford, the then president of the Ford Motor Company, commissioned his designers to build him a special convertible coupe based on the finest European designs of the late 1930s, which resulted in the first Lincoln Continental Cabriolet of 1939, has been retold countless times in the pages of this magazine over the last twentyfive years. Also, it is fairly well known among Continentalists that Edsel Ford owned a 1941 Continental Cabriolet at the time of his death in 1943, and that that car is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. But it is virtually unrecognized that Edsel Ford also owned, for probably a year or so, one of the early 1940 Continental Cabriolets. The Lincoln assembly plant record cards on file at the Ford archives do, however, include a card that describes Edsel’s second Continental. Let’s take a look at it and see just what information that card contains.

There’s no mistake about whose car it was. Right across the top of the card it says “Shipped to Mr. Edsel B. Ford” of the “Home Office.” The serial number is H-92969, and the body number is 06H56-20, the twentieth 1940 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet started. Production on these cars did not commence until December 13, 1939, and Edsel’s ’40 convertible rolled off the assembly line a couple of weeks later, on December 28,1939.

Youll remember the story about how the first Continental, the ’39, was shipped upon completion to Edsel Ford’s winter vacation home in Florida for his use there, and how his neighbors’ enthusiastic response to the beautifully styled Lincoln-Zephyr convertible prompted Ford to add the car to Lincoln’s production offerings for 1940. On the card detailing the particulars of Edsel’s ’40, you’ll see that this car, too, was shipped to Florida for Mr. Ford’s use there, during his 1940 winter vacation. Note the penned notation in the middle of the card, “800277—Jacksonville. This billing for purpose of shipping car to Florida only, 2-22-40.” Jacksonville, of course, was the district office that served all of Florida at that time. But that shipping date came nearly two months after the car was completed. Presumably, Edsel had had at least six weeks to enjoy the new ’40 convertible around Dearborn before the car was shipped off to Florida, but the surviving records are not clear on that point.

While the assembly record card gives no evidence that this ’40 convertible was structurally any different from the others built at about the same time, and lists only a radio and white sidewall Firestone tires as accessories, it does note that the paint and upholstery were all specially selected. In all probability, Edsel Ford himself picked them out.

The car was painted in Benton Gray, the only ’40 convertible to be finished in that shade. Edsel Ford often chose a shade of gray for his personal cars. Surviving records indicate that his ’39 Continental was done in Eagle Gray, and his ’41 convertible now in the Ford Museum was also finished in gray; Ditz. Pewter gray metallic lacquer. Benton Gray, the color used on the ’40, had been used by Ford before, however; it is the same shade as was used on the 1936 Lincoln-Zephyr dashboard and window mouldings—a medium metallic gray with just a touch of red and maroon in it, according to the paint formula. It appears that the dashboard of Edsel’s ’40 was also finished in Benton Gray, like the body of the car, instead of the usual Metallic Mahogany.

The upholstery in Edsel’s ’40 is noted as having been a combination of tan leather and a special Bedford cord material with the code number 2-1890. The leather was the stock tan color used in other ’40 Continentals, but the whipcord was darker than the customarily used Z-160 cord, more of a taupe color, and with wider whales. The usual whipcord used in Continentals had 9V2 ribs to the inch, while the special 2-1890 material used in Edsel’s car had 8 ribs to the inch. The top  was likewise a special material, Jonartz #5490, about which we have not been able to find any information. However, given Edsel’s impeccable taste, it would seem likely that Jonartz #5490 would have been a taupe or gray color, harmonizing with the other colors used on the car.

While no early history of this car survives, it seems likely that Mr. Ford kept the ’40 convertible for no more than a year. In all probability, he disposed of it when he took delivery of his ’41 Continental Cabriolet. One thing is certain, however; Edsel Ford’s ’40 Continental still survives! The intervening forty years have been unkind to it, but it is still in existence, and will be restored, according to its present owner, to the same specifications as when Edsel Ford first took delivery of it.

Back in 1973, Tom Akins, who runs an auto restoration service in Uhrichsville, Ohio, wrote to me, as the historian for the ’40 Continentals, and described a partially customized, badly deteriorated ’40 Cabriolet that he was trying to buy. The serial number was H-92969; the body number, 06H56-20.1 wrote back and said, “Aha, you’ve found Edsel Ford’s own personal car, have you?” and followed up with the particulars on the car as given in the records. As you might expect, Tom was thrilled to learn that the car he was seeking was of such historical significance, but he asked that no mention be made of his intended purchase until the deal was firmed up. In due time, the deal was consummated, and Tom began the long search for all the parts that will be needed to put the car back in shape. Last we heard, nearly everything was at hand, and all that was lacking was the time necessary for the restoration.

Tom sent the pictures which you see here, showing Edsel’s ’40 in the condition in which he found it. The V-12 is missing, but the remainder of the running gear is all strictly 1940 Lincoln-Zephyr, just as it should be. The body work, on the other hand, has suffered extensive modification, and even though the customizing was never fully completed, it will take a lot of time and effort to undo it all. All four fenders were leaded to the body, the rear deck was cut down and the lid leaded shut, and all trim was removed. The top bows were all missing, removed when the body was altered, and lost. Then to make matters worse, the car was left uncovered out in the open for about fifteen years, so the rust is extensive throughout the body—floor ready to cave in, and the rocker panels missing altogether. Tom is an avid Lincoln collector, however, and he has managed to gather the parts that it takes to put the car aright. It won’t be easy, but one of these days this 1940 Lincoln Continental will show up at an Eastern National Meet, looking just like it did when Edsel Ford took delivery on it back in the winter of 1940.

Above Image:  The Concept 100 Show Car was very close to the Mark VII but lacked any evidence of a centerpost.

Designing the Continental Mark VII

by Tim Howley

Originally published in the July-August 2001 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 241).

The Mark VII design originated with the Concept 90 show car done in the late ‘70s and introduced on the show circuit in 1981. This was followed by the very similar Concept 100 car. While retaining a recognizable Continental grille, this car was extremely aerodynamic and added the fluted side trim of the Mercedes. There were also styling cues from the Boxer Ferrari 365GT4/BB and BB512. The Concept 90 was very close to the Mark VII introduced two years later right down to the flush headlights, wheel covers and flush windows, It is hard to imagine that Ford would give away most of the Mark VII’s styling in a show car, but at the time Ford was trying to get the public accustomed to the Mark VII’s radically new styling. About the only difference between the Concept 90 and the Mark VII was that the earlier did not have a “B” pillar, that is it was a true hardtop.

Originally the move to the Mark VII was called Project 198X, and the idea was to develop a whole group of American cars in a European tradition with emphasis on technology, driveability and aerodynamics. Out of this Project 198X came the Thunderbird, Tempo/Topaz and finally the Mark VII. After the Concept 90 and Concept 100 there were two Mark VII designs, one with sealed beam headlamps, and the other with the body flush aero headlamps that became a Ford first. This was a very expensive way to go, but it had to be done because until May, 1983 the government did not permit the new type of headlamps.

Prior to Project 198X Ford had its aerodynamic Probe futuristic cars, but did not take aerodynamics very seriously. From the Continental Mark III through Mark VI Ford management was sold on the boxy look in luxury vehicles. But the luxury market was changing with Mercedes and BMW who were offering functional and extremely driveable aerodynamic cars. Meanwhile Ford management resisted change. Then Ford management changed to a younger group with overseas experience. This new management was much more willing to accept the new styling themes.

In an interview with Car Design magazine in 1983 Jack Telnack stated, “It is always difficult to sell a revolutionary concept, particularly in this town (Detroit) where management is surrounded by other Detroit products. My theory is that Ford has always been most successful when we didn’t follow anybody…when we went off in our own direction…provided we had good reasons for doing so.

A Mark VII type of car was first designed in 1979, even before the very square and formal Continental Mark VI was introduced. The original designers of the Mark VII were director Bob Zokas, executive designer John Aiken and design manager Allen Ornes all working under Jack Telnack, Chief Design Executive for Ford Motor Co. Telnack returned from Europe in 1977 and even before then all Ford products in Europe were wind tunnel tested.

In the late ‘70s Ford built a wind tunnel testing facility in Marietta, Georgia. Their first real aero effort in the U.S. was the ’79 Mustang.

You might say that the Mark VII was an aerodynamic anomaly because of its traditional Continental grille and hump on the decklid. There is little doubt that these features fought aerodynamics. Without them the coefficient of drag would have been lower than .38. But these were important styling cues that management felt had to be retained, especially when going through a radical styling change. Much better aero could have been obtained with no grille at all, with a completely smooth front end and the air intake below the bumper. But such a front end would have totally lacked Mark identity.

Introduced in 1983 as a 1984 model the Mark VII was never intended to stay in production for nine model years. In fact, the Mark VIII was already well along the way at the time the Mark VII was introduced. In late 1988 development was started on what might be called a Mark VII stage two. This car would have softened the front and rear end appearance without eliminating the Continental grille or decklid hump. Then mysteriously the whole project was scrapped. The Mark VII would stand in its original form until an entirely new 1993 Mark VIII could be introduced in mid 1992.