Vintage Lincoln Cars

The Vintage Lincoln Cars

Lincoln’s circle of ownership started with Henry Leland who formed Cadillac in 1902, from what was left of the original Henry Ford Company. Mr. William Durant bought Cadillac from Mr. Leland in 1909 in order to add it to his “General Motors” stable. After dabbling in the aircraft industry for a few years, Mr. Leland formed Lincoln (which he named for a famous president). After running into some financial troubles, he sold out to Henry Ford in 1922. The circle was complete, and the Lincoln name now belonged to Henry Ford.

Lincoln Cars of the Thirties

The Lincoln in the late Twenties and early Thirties were massive machines, featuring huge V-8 and V-12 engines, competing head to head with Packard, Cadillac, Stutz, and the Pierce Arrow. Some of these beautiful beasts weighed in at almost 7,000 pounds, and were priced in the $4,000 to $7,000 range. By the mid to late thirties, Lincoln was beginning to feel the pinch of the economic times of the depression years, as the “big car luxury” market was on the wane.

Ford’s answer was the was the development and introduction of the Lincoln Zephyr in 1936. Priced at about $1300 the Zephyr was very popular with the buying public, and almost 15,000 units were produced in its introductory year. With its weight being trimmed down to 3,300 lbs and its V-12 engine, it was capable of a top speed of 87mph, and produced a respectable 0-50 mph performance in 10.8 seconds.

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Fords 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

Ford in the Fifties

Henry Ford II assembled a new team of executives and designers often referred to as the “whiz kids“, (including Robert McNamara) and launched themselves into the 1950‘s with new designs,  quieter cars,  and lots of new features.  The 1950 Ford ad campaign announced to buyers, “50 Ways New, 50 Ways Better!”.

A limited edition Custom two door sedan, was introduced in 1950, a V-8 Crestliner which sported a padded top, and huge color contrasting sweeping side panels, sold for about $1700.  About 27,000 of these cars were produced in 1950, and 1951.

1951 saw the last of the true “woody wagons” for Ford, but the “Country Squire” name plate was now added to the Ford wagon line.  Ford-O-Matic was introduced in 1951 as their first “automatic” transmission. 1951 also saw the introduction of Ford’s first “hardtop coupe”, the Custom V-8 Victoria. 

1952 Fords sported a new 1 piece curved windshield replacing the two piece flat glass windshields.  The Sunliner convertible coupe was offered in 1952, priced at just over $2,000.  1953 Fords sported a special steering wheel hub medallion to commemorate their Golden Anniversary.

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Ford Car 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939

The Popularity of the 1932 Ford

By James R Shaw

The 1932 Ford ranks as one of the most popular cars in the first fifty years of automobile history, if not in the entire history of the auto. The "Deuce," as it is popularly known, is regarded as one of the first hot rod cars. The design for the '32 Ford began as a total revision of the Model A, which was fast becoming obsolete during the early 1930's. The goals for the 1932 Ford included a powerful engine and sleek art deco styling. Pinstriping, an immediately recognizable front grille, and chrome detailing are just a few of the standout features of this hot rod.

The 1932 Ford roadster was in fact faster, more comfortable, and more refined than its Model A predecessor. There are actually two versions of the '32 Ford, one with a four-cylinder engine and one with the new V-8 flathead, which offered more power. The four-cylinder model is known as the Model B, while the V-8 engine style earned the name Model 18. The Model 18, in fact, offered the first V8 engine to be commercially successful. This revolutionary engine gave the 1932 Ford immediate popularity with hot rodders in the 1930's and 1940's, and in fact this classic car remains popular today.

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Model T Fords

The Racy Model T Speedster: From Tin Lizzie To Sports Car In 1920

Author: Warren Newson

The Model T Speedster didn't figure in Ford's line-up. In fact, in the early nineteen twenties there wasn't much in the way of sports models the ordinary working guy could afford. The name "sports car" was still in the future, and so was Ford's first V-8.

Human nature and human ingenuity didn't take long to turn the Ford Model T's basic transportation into something a lot more exciting, though. So if you were around in 1920 and you wanted to make the Tin Lizzie hotter and wilder, just what could you do?

"Dyke's Automobile and Gasoline Engine Encyclopedia" tells you exactly what to do.

The best thing to do to the body was to just replace it with a raceabout type. You could build your own you could buy "a complete outfit of radiator, hood, floorboards, rear gasoline tank, and body" for around $100.

The new body wasn't just for looks; it made the Model T go faster by making it lighter, cutting down the frontal area, and streamlining it. Bodies could be just a cover over the engine with bucket seats out in the open and the fuel tank and spare tires behind like the Mercer and Stutz, or they could be streamlined from front to back, with a nicely tapered tail.

Just changing the body could add 10 to 15 miles an hour to the top speed.

Sometimes it was necessary to remove a leaf from each spring because of the lighter body, and you had to lower the steering column because the new sporty body sat lower.

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