Of Thomas E. Bonsall’s two Lincoln books, this one has a more boosterish tone than The Lincoln Story (2004). However, Sixty Years still includes robust critiques of Ford management.
This is an accessible but thorough history with extensive black-and-white photos — including 1939 Continental prototypes. Unlike other Bonsall books, Sixty Years does not include extensive citations. However, the appendix offers a variety of data such as engine specifications, prices, dimensions and production figures.
Sixty Years covers Lincoln from its inception in 1921 to 1981. The Lincoln Story focuses on 1946 through 2000. Some of the text is similar, but when researching the time period that both books cover (e.g., the 1958-60 Lincoln), I have tended to draw upon Sixty Years because it often offers more historical details.
For example, Sixty Years lists two reasons why the 1961 Continental’s sales “were a mild disappointment to management,” including the lack of a complete range of models and a higher price (p. 166). The similar but condensed text in The Lincoln Story only points to the lack of two-door models (p. 85). This is a meaningful omission because the Continental was priced considerably higher than the most popular Cadillac and Imperial models (go here for related discussion).
One can sometimes quibble with the fine points of Bonsall’s analysis. For example, he makes the argument that the 1961 Ford Thunderbird, which shared its platform with the Lincoln Continental, “required unibody construction due to its height” (p. 166). The Classic Car Database (2013) shows that the 1963 Buick Riviera, which had body-on-frame construction, was 53.2 inches in height; the 1961 Thunderbird was .7 inches taller. Might other factors have been more important, such as bragging rights for using a still fairly advanced technology?
The Lincoln Motorcar: Sixty Years of Excellence
- Thomas E. Bonsall; 1981
- Bookman Dan!, Baltimore, MD
“The last few K’s were sold off during the 1940 model year, but the K was officially gone after 1939. The Zephyr continued on in the upper medium price class and a couple of extremely interesting Zephyr offshoots were marketed in the fine car class: the Continental and the Custom. As far as a full range of fine cars was concerned, though, Lincoln was out of the field from 1940 until the introduction of the Cosmopolitan in 1949.” (p. 63)
“Even after its official passing, the Continental refused to die. It was the first great cult car and never fell from public favor, even though many owners ditched their V-12 power plants in favor of almost anything else that would fit. (The early Continental club used to give awards for the best conversions!)” (p. 93)
“By the time the 1959 Lincolns and Continentals were announced to the public it had become all too clear that they had failed in their prime objective: establishing Lincoln in a commanding position in the luxury car field. The 1958 models had sold very poorly, even allowing for the fact that it was a recession year. It was not anticipated that much could be done to reverse this trend in 1959. Salvation would have to await the next new body scheduled for 1961. In the meantime, the quality control problems that had plagued the early 1958 models were corrected.” (p. 160)
OTHER REVIEWS:
RE:SOURCES
- Bonsall, Thomas E.; 2004. The Lincoln Story: The Postwar Years. Stanford General Books, Stanford, CA.
- Classic Car Database; 2013. “Search for Specifications.” Accessed April 1.
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