“Our mission with Ben Mills [division general manager] and Will Scott [division plant planner] was to develop a 1958 Lincoln. Then, in that era, bigger is better, longer is better, wider is better, shock the public is better. It was a philosophy to which we designers subscribed. It was referred to as ‘Detroit Chrome’ — ‘Detroit Wildness’ by some people who were into sports cars. We liked jet airplanes, we liked flashiness, we liked power. And that was the kind of spirit [in] which we lived. Some of us who liked to keep the stately trim design off on the side for special vehicles, but the main gut vehicle had to be bold and had to be out there. . . .
[The Continental] was [a separate division] at that time. But [Lewis] Crusoe had a rough time supporting that separate arm out there financially, and, as we worked on the new ’58 Lincoln, [John] Reinhart and his group started to work on a special Continental version of it, and models were being built, and they’d come up with their own proposals of how a ’58 — and I’m sure Bill Ford was with them. So came the big clash where the ’58 Lincoln was selected, and now the Continental group had to make an offshoot [Continental] from it. And it wasn’t working, it wasn’t working. So we were asked to do an offshoot [Continental] of it.
We came up with a retractable back light, reverse back light, some of these designs, and it was generally agreed that financially it would be a good deal. . . .
Anyhow, the Lincolns were developed along with the Edsels. And it was a good time, at least we thought we had the world by the tail with the longest, lowest, widest vehicle. And as it turned out, the Lincoln didn’t fare so well on the marketplace. It had a lot of innovations on it that are still good to this day. But the general flair of the appearance was too much for a public who had started to change tastes at this time.”
— John Najjar, former Lincoln chief stylist (Crippen, 1984)
RE:SOURCES
- Crippen, David; 1984. “The Reminiscences of John Najjar.” Automotive Design Oral History Project of the Automobile in American Life and Society. Third interview conducted May 17.
BROCHURES & ADVERTISING:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Lincoln (1958)
Also see ‘1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game’
John Najjar sums up the era perfectly. 1958 seems to be the ultimate of the era. The Olds and Buicks had the chrome put on with a trowel, and the giant Lincolns and Continentals reach a level that is almost parody. Let’s not forget whatever it was that Exner was trying to accomplish with the Imperials. The story indicates that the Continental would have a completely separate body. I wonder if the badge engineering trend of the next decade was influenced by the suits trying to rein in the excesses of the designers. I would like to see some of those stillborn Continentals though.
Yup. And to give Najjar credit, elsewhere in the interview I quoted from he does offer some colorful criticism of styling in that era (here is a partial quote).
There are a few photographs of Continental design proposals floating around the internet. Check out stories at Hagerty (go here) and How Stuff Works (go here). Reinhart’s approach with the Continental was mostly more understated — and it arguably worked better than Najjar’s Lincoln. Or at least has withstood the test of time better.
The Lincoln’s terrible sales may have been accentuated by its odd styling, but numerous quality-control issues, an overly cumbersome size and an economic recession may have been bigger factors.
I never understood why Ford Engineering decided to go to a unit-body structure for such large cars as the 1958-1960 Lincolns and Continentals. I have come to put the styling of these cars into perspective…still not my favorites; but I still think that in addition to the economy, that the hint of any quality issues depressed potential sales of these massive cars. While the 1959-1960 Cadillacs were equally massive, having driven both brands of these years (city driving only), the Cadillac drove more as a solid unit, rode slightly better and was more nimble. I think quality was a big issue in 1958 following the quality issues with the last of the Packard Packards of 1955-56, and then the corporate quality issues afflicting all of the Chrysler brands in 1957. If I was spending big money for a luxury car, I would want a car with most of the bugs worked out before it arrives in the dealership. Word-of-mouth was a bigger deal then: “Ask the man that owns one !”
Dean’s Garage website has a new article by Jim Farrell on the 1958 Lincoln. Steve can review it and provide a link if warranted.
I have read the articles on how John Najjar designed the 1958-1960 Lincolns in “Collectible Automobile” and other car-buff magazines. The push at Ford in the mid-1950s from everything I have read, was to push the boundaries of the styling envelope with Edsel, Mercury (the XM cars) and the Lincoln (post the Futura), so Najjar was influenced with a horizontally elongated “X” for the front end, while mimicking the rectangular side-view treatments, all to out-Cadillac Cadillac.