1938 Ford Lincoln Zephyr: 04/08/2009 By MURRAY HUBBARD Take a close look at this car, for its influence on the modern automobile cannot be underestimated. 1938 V12 Lincoln Zephyr sedan It's a 1938 Lincoln Zephyr V12, four door sedan. But, it's not what's under the bonnet, or the suicide doors, that make the car significant. Up until the early 1930s automobiles were still identifiable with the carriages associated with the horse-and-buggy era. Necessities were added on rather than incorporated into the overall design. A good example was head and tail lights. In many cases the head lamps were bolted on to the mudguards. There's no doubt the French – who else – were leaders in the field of aerodynamics. You only have to look at Delage and Delahaye cars and the influence Figoni and Falaschi had over streamlining the automobile in the early 1930s. 1938 V12 Lincoln Zephyr sedan rear view We suspect this had more to do with fashion – the car as an art form – than looking for cars to slide more easily through the air. Certainly these French cars were some of the finest creations of this era. But, many people credit the Ford Lincoln Zephyr with popularising the streamlining of cars which was the start of what we now take for granted. Not the least of these innovations was the inclusion of the headlamps into the front fender, or mudguards as they are called down under. Lincoln Zephyr was not the first to do this. Other makers had already gone down this path, but the results were uninspiring. Chrysler tried it with the Airflow, but the car ended up insipid at the front end with the grille curling back towards the windscreen. It resembled a sort of bulbous bonnet not unlike that found on a Volkswagen Beetle. 1938 V12 Lincoln Zephyr sedan wheel spats When we say insipid, read butt ugly. As the Airflow name suggests makers such as Chrysler were keen to take the automobile forward, not just mechanically, but also aesthetically. The Airflow was released in 1934 and also had the head lamps incorporated into the body. After wind-tunnel testing the car was state-of-the-art aerodynamically. But, where it mattered – the showroom floor - it was a flop. Chrysler even returned to a more conventional straight up and down grille, but the damage was done. So Lincoln had the benefit of Chrysler's folly. It is interesting to digress a little into Lincoln history. There is some irony in the fact Henry Ford had an unwitting hand in the start of the Cadillac company, purchased 100 years ago this year by General Motors. Cadillac was formed from what was left of the Henry Ford Company when Ford departed, along with some of his partners and the company was dissolved. Engineer Henry M. Leland, who helped help oust Ford, was called in to appraise the assets and convinced the powers that be he could resurrect the business using his one cylinder engine. 1938 V12 Lincoln Zephyr sedan interior But, the business required a new name and Cadillac was selected on August 22, 1902 and this was the company GM bought in 1909. Cadillac went on to become an iconic brand for GM with one of its major competitors, Lincoln. The further irony is Lincoln was started in 1917 by the same Henry M. Leland to build WW1 aircraft engines. He named the company after Abraham Lincoln. By 1922 the Lincoln company was bankrupt and its assets purchased by Ford for US$8 million. So Henry Ford can claim to have direct responsibility for two of America's surviving luxury brands ... and had sweet revenge over Leland. The Lincoln Zephyr was released in 1936 and our 1938 car was a face lifted variant, with some mechanical changes, due to overheating engine problems. Aesthetically, the 1938 model had revised design ahead of the A-pillars. The wheel base was extended slightly, the mudguards were more integrated, the bonnet smoother and the V-shape tallish grille was replaced by a lower profile split grille. Even though the rear widows are split the windscreen is a single piece and is low-profile and modern. 1938 V12 Lincoln Zephyr sedan bonnet badge Up until then the front seats were encased in chrome frame, which gave way to a soft edge cushion. The 4.4 litre V12 engine was fitted with hydraulic valve lifters and the combustion chamber shape was altered. Even at first glance it is obvious the Lincoln Zephyr is a class above most cars of this era we see in Australia. It's clean lines are more indicative of post-WW2 cars, which really shows the car was well ahead of its time in 1938. While the Airflow did not excite buyers, the Lincoln Zephyr did – despite the recession – and more than 19,000 units were sold. Not bad for an up-market car. 1938 V12 Lincoln Zephyr sedan bonnet The start of America's involvement in WW2 brought an end to production of the car in 1942. After the war most makers simply re-started production of the pre-war cars. Lincoln did the same, but the Zephyr name was dropped, the car simply becoming a small or junior Lincoln. The Zephyr name did re-appear on Ford cars at a later date, including the British-built six-cylinder Ford Zephyr, a Holden rival in the 1950s and 60s. We found this magnificent example at the Maclean's Bridge Historic Car Show, south of Brisbane in May 2009.

1938 Ford Lincoln Zephyr:

04/08/2009   By MURRAY HUBBARD

Take a close look at this car, for its influence on the modern automobile cannot be underestimated. It's a 1938 Lincoln Zephyr V12, four door sedan. But, it's not what's under the bonnet, or the suicide doors, that make the car significant. Up until the early 1930s automobiles were still identifiable with the carriages associated with the horse-and-buggy era. Necessities were added on rather than incorporated into the overall design.  A good example was head and tail lights. In many cases the head lamps were bolted on to the mudguards. There's no doubt the French – who else – were leaders in the field of aerodynamics. You only have to look at Delage and Delahaye cars and the influence Figoni and Falaschi had over streamlining the automobile in the early 1930s. We suspect this had more to do with fashion – the car as an art form – than looking for cars to slide more easily through the air. Certainly these French cars were some of the finest creations of this era. But, many people credit the Ford Lincoln Zephyr with popularising the streamlining of cars which was the start of what we now take for granted. Not the least of these innovations was the inclusion of the headlamps into the front fender, or mudguards as they are called down under. Lincoln Zephyr was not the first to do this. Other makers had already gone down this path, but the results were uninspiring. Chrysler tried it with the Airflow, but the car ended up insipid at the front end with the grille curling back towards the windscreen. It resembled a sort of bulbous bonnet not unlike that found on a Volkswagen Beetle. When we say insipid, read butt ugly. As the Airflow name suggests makers such as Chrysler were keen to take the automobile forward, not just mechanically, but also aesthetically. The Airflow was released in 1934 and also had the head lamps incorporated into the body. After wind-tunnel testing the car was state-of-the-art aerodynamically. But, where it mattered – the showroom floor - it was a flop. Chrysler even returned to a more conventional straight up and down grille, but the damage was done. So Lincoln had the benefit of Chrysler's folly. It is interesting to digress a little into Lincoln history. There is some irony in the fact Henry Ford had an unwitting hand in the start of the Cadillac company, purchased 100 years ago this year by General Motors. Cadillac was formed from what was left of the Henry Ford Company when Ford departed, along with some of his partners and the company was dissolved. Engineer Henry M. Leland, who helped help oust Ford, was called in to appraise the assets and convinced the powers that be he could resurrect the business using his one cylinder engine. But, the business required a new name and Cadillac was selected on August 22, 1902 and this was the company GM bought in 1909. Cadillac went on to become an iconic brand for GM with one of its major competitors, Lincoln. The further irony is Lincoln was started in 1917 by the same Henry M. Leland to build WW1 aircraft engines. He named the company after Abraham Lincoln. By 1922 the Lincoln company was bankrupt and its assets purchased by Ford for US$8 million. So Henry Ford can claim to have direct responsibility for two of America's surviving luxury brands ... and had sweet revenge over Leland. The Lincoln Zephyr was released in 1936 and our 1938 car was a face lifted variant, with some mechanical changes, due to overheating engine problems. Aesthetically, the 1938 model had revised design ahead of the A-pillars. The wheel base was extended slightly, the mudguards were more integrated, the bonnet smoother and the V-shape tallish grille was replaced by a lower profile split grille. Even though the rear widows are split the windscreen is a single piece and is low-profile and modern. Up until then the front seats were encased in chrome frame, which gave way to a soft edge cushion. The 4.4 litre V12 engine was fitted with hydraulic valve lifters and the combustion chamber shape was altered. Even at first glance it is obvious the Lincoln Zephyr is a class above most cars of this era we see in Australia. It's clean lines are more indicative of post-WW2 cars, which really shows the car was well ahead of its time in 1938. While the Airflow did not excite buyers, the Lincoln Zephyr did – despite the recession – and more than 19,000 units were sold. Not bad for an up-market car. The start of America's involvement in WW2 brought an end to production of the car in 1942. After the war most makers simply re-started production of the pre-war cars. Lincoln did the same, but the Zephyr name was dropped, the car simply becoming a small or junior Lincoln. The Zephyr name did re-appear on Ford cars at a later date, including the British-built six-cylinder Ford Zephyr, a Holden rival in the 1950s and 60s. We found this magnificent example at the Maclean's Bridge Historic Car Show, south of Brisbane in May 2009.