LAUDABLE LINCOLN
Possessing engaging streamlined styling and the only V-12 engine in the medium-priced field, the Lincoln-Zephyr advanced the recovery of Ford’s luxury automaker in the years following the Great Depression. Those attributes made upmarket buyers take notice when it was introduced for the 1936 model year to compete primarily with the Cadillac, La Salle, and Packard One-Twenty. Priced lower than the larger, stately Model K Lincolns, the new Zephyr line would successfully draw interest and higher sales volume to the division.
In the years leading up to 1942, the Zephyr had become the cornerstone of Lincoln. The higher priced and more lavishly equipped Continental and Custom series were based on it and the Model Ks, which fell out of favor, had been discontinued. Primary competitors that year were the Cadillac Series 62 and Packard One-Sixty.
Lincoln-Zephyrs for 1942 were “massively streamlined” with a “lower, longer, and wider appearance,” according to the company. A more formal and curvaceous two-tier grille, with stacked bright horizontal bars and vertical center trim commanded attention, as did the broad front fenders that housed headlamps with now prominent bezels that also contained the parking lamps and directional signals. The front tread was increased 2.5 inches, and even the revised bumper took on a more substantial presence when compared to that of the previous year.
The side view of the 7-inch-longer body revealed the reshaping and lengthening of the
