Dar's Cars: December 2012

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On everyone's list of great Lincolns is the first Continental, the 1939 Mark I. Edsel Ford wanted a special car to drive to Florida to show off friends on his annual winter break. Working with designer Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie, the two of them starting with an already great looking Lincoln Zephyr and created the formal and grand Lincoln Continental Mark I. So popular with his wealthy friends in Florida, Lincoln immediately put the car into production.

It is no secret to those who follow the auto industry to notice that Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln brand is in deep trouble. One only needs to read monthly sales figures to see that during the current auto industry sales recovery in the United States, the once powerhouse luxury brand from Ford is having a rough time keeping up.

Sales of Lincoln vehicles are down 15 percent for 2012. Only about 70,000 units have been sold. That paltry figure compares to the high water sales mark of 230,000 enjoyed by Lincoln back in 1990.

While Lincoln falters, its luxury brand competitors, especially foreign-based Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus are selling in near record or record numbers. Long time domestic competitor Cadillac is also struggling but the recent introduction of two all-new models this past summer is pushing the once “Standard of the World” sales upward and a recovery seems to be underway for the once mighty GM brand.

So what happened to Lincoln, and is Ford doing anything about it? As with the story of any entity that takes a mighty fall, there is no one answer to the question. Lincoln, founded in 1917 by Henry Leland has had a history of ups and down, not unlike nearly all the automakers.

When Henry Ford bought Lincoln from Leland in 1922 it fit nicely into the Ford family. The Model T attracted folks in need of inexpensive transportation and the luxurious Lincoln appealed to the moneyed crowd.

Henry’s son, Edsel, 24 years old at the time of the Lincoln purchase, was given the responsibility to make something of Lincoln. The appointment was a good decision by the old man because his son is recognized today for having a good eye for fine design.

I could write pages and pages of the many fine Lincolns that were crafted by Ford Motor and brought to market. Edsel showed his genius as a man with a keen eye and a man of good taste when he oversaw the creation of two popular pre-war models that are highly coveted by collectors today.

Working with designer Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie, Edsel introduced the streamlined and affordable Zephyr in 1936 and the elegant and striking Lincoln-Continental in 1939.

Lincoln managed to thrive even following Edsel’s untimely death in 1943 at the age of 49. Notable Lincolns were introduced in the post-war era. Popular with collectors were the first all-new models since WWII introduced in 1949 in two-sizes – one based on the mid-sized Mercury.

It wasn’t until 1956 that Lincoln made a concerted effort to compete more directly with Cadillac, its long time nemesis. In 1956 Lincoln brought to market a luxury car that was an equal match to Cadillac – in size and in style. Sales still were only a third of Cadillac’s but Ford Motor made it known Lincoln was now a serious contender.

It took until the 1970s before Lincoln started to really thrive and challenge Cadillac in sales supremacy. But it was the 1961 model year when Lincoln offered a new car that set the tone for how the marque would look and be marketed for a decade to come.

The 1961 Lincoln-Continental was a landmark vehicle for Ford. Not a big seller at first but the beautifully designed and executed down-sized sedan and convertible, both with “look-at-me” suicide-style rear doors, were a slam dunk design home run and caught the public’s fancy.

The Lincoln-Continental looks hardly changed for 5 years and subsequent new models favored the severe but elegant look of the original and sales started to climb. The introduction of the Thunderbird-based Continental Mk. III in 1968 enriched the luxury brand’s lineup and pushed Lincoln to sales of 230,000 by 1990.

Then, with stiff new competition from Asian brands in the luxury market (Acura, Lexus, Infiniti) and the continual sales success of the Euro big three – Mercedes, BMW and Audi – Lincoln lost their way.

Perhaps Edsel Ford II, Edsel’s grandson, said it best on a recent television program about Lincoln’s plight when he said, “We took our foot off the accelerator.” Sad to say, in the last two decades Lincoln has faded away.

So what to do? If you’ve been reading the paper or watching television, you know that a plan to revitalize Lincoln is underway – big time. The company announced just last week in a full-page ad in USA Today a name change and a game plan. Gone is the old Lincoln/Mercury Division. Now it is The Lincoln Motor Company, just like in the beginning.

A new team is running Lincoln. Ford Marketing Chief Jim Farley is now Lincoln’s top executive. It has been announced that over the next four years four entirely new Lincoln’s will be introduced.

In 2014 the brand will enter the Chinese market for the first time. Says Matt VanDyke, Lincoln’s global head of marketing, sales and service, “Ford has been completely re-invented and now it’s time to do that with Lincoln.”

Lincoln now has its own styling studio and heading it is former Cadillac chief designer Max Wolff. Max’s first effort for Lincoln is the MKZ reaching dealers this month. Like before, this entry-level Lincoln is based on the Ford Fusion. But unlike the last MKZ, you’d never know it. It shares the Fusion platform but all exterior sheet metal and all interior surfaces is uniquely Lincoln’s.

In addition to the full-page print ads in national publications, Lincoln has introduced a brand new website and produced three new television ads. Ford has purchased a 1-minute Super Bowl ad to re-introduce Lincoln as a viable and exciting new luxury choice – hoping to reach all the buyers out there who haven’t given a moment’s thought of considering Lincoln for purchase.

So will new executives, new designers, new name, new product and new emphasis on service by dealers (a concierge-type service provided by Lincoln dealers has also been announced) help pull Lincoln out of the sales doldrums?

It’s not an easy task. Just ask Cadillac. GM has spent billions of dollars in the past 10 – 15 years trying to return Cadillac as a worthy contender in the cutthroat luxury car business and the jury is still out.

Certainly those of us who are still mourning the loss of Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac and Mercury are pulling for Lincoln. It will be nice to see the 95 year old marque rise Phoenix-like and be a major contender in the market in the years to come. Fingers are crossed.

Few luxury brands can match the beauty and elegance of the then all-new 1961 Lincoln-Continental. Reduced in size and designed using simple shapes and forms, the car helped establish Lincoln as an important new player in the luxury car class. As new Lincoln design chief Max Wolff and his styling crew work to create a new exciting generation of Lincolns, finding inspiration from the '61 Lincoln-Continental might be advisable.

Lincoln got serious in its battle for sales leadership with Cadillac by introducing the beautiful, all-new 1956 model. The car's dramatic-looking front end was derived from the 1955 Futura dream car (which later was transformed by customizer George Barris into the infamous Batmobile). Sales rose dramatically and the 1956 Lincoln remains a favorite of Lincoln collectors. This car, formerly owned by Al Dickerson of South Haven, was exhibited at an early Concours d'Elegance car show in St. Joseph in Lake Bluff Park.

Following are photos of a variety of beautiful Lincolns that graced our highways in the past. Enjoy.