(EXPANDED FROM 2/14/2023)
Since this is Presidents’ Day, let’s take another look at what I have suggested is the most influential halo car of all time built in the United States — the original Lincoln Continental.
When I first proposed this car last year it elicited pushback in the comment thread. That may partly reflect some readers using different criteria. For example, my focus is on cars that reached at least low-volume production, which would eliminate the likes of the Chrysler Thunderbolt. In addition, I am not ranking the most brilliant engineering (such as the Cord 812), but rather the halo car that has had the most long-term influence on U.S. automotive styling.
By the same token, I’m not talking about the most influential nameplate (such as the Corvette or Mustang), but rather a specific car design. Note that I am singling out the first iteration of the Continental, which was produced from 1940-41 — not the ugly facelift built from 1942-48.
This being Indie Auto, the Continental’s styling is critiqued rather than idolized. Ford got a remarkably large bang for its buck in light of the car’s major limitations. A fake design offers a few simple fixes.
Lincoln pioneers a distinctly American kind of car
I am hard pressed to come up with another design that had such a long-term impact on both an entire genre of cars as well as an individual brand. The Continental is arguably the granddaddy of the luxury personal coupe, which was one of the most distinctly American cars in the second half of the 20th Century.
The “Continental look” went a long way toward establishing the basic characteristics of luxury personal coupes, which included a long hood, short deck and notchback roofline with neo-classical trappings such as a substantial C-pillar that was often vinyl covered in hardtop form.
As a case in point, the four-seater Ford Thunderbird was inspired by the original Continental. And since the Mustang was a smaller and more affordable version of the T-Bird, it too can trace its lineage back to the Lincoln.
In addition, more than any other car, the Continental established the cachet of Lincoln during the postwar period. Although the brand’s basic styling would evolve, it still carried forward an unusual degree of continuity for a U.S. car during a time of dramatic changes.
‘Continental tire’ may be most remembered
The most widely identifiable element of the Continental’s design was arguably the spare tire mounted outside of the trunk. In the 1950s, other cars would adopt that approach with varying degrees of aesthetic success, but the term “Continental tire” shows where the inspiration came from.
The Ford Motor Company would update the Continental spare design by moving the tire underneath the trunk lid with the Mark II. Then, with the Mark III and beyond, the trunk lid’s tire hump was fake.
The Continental spare tire inspired other automakers to give their luxury cars a neo-classical look. For example, the 1964 Imperial offered a more subtle take on the Continental Mark II’s rear end.
Continental’s design had some awkward qualities
The Continental was offered in two-door convertible and coupe body styles. The coupe was advanced for its time in sporting thin door-window frames, but its styling was arguably undercut by a pillar that allowed only part of the quarter window to roll down.
It’s hard to see how full quarter windows could have been used without significantly changing the car. The Continental had pre-war sedan proportions where the back seat was positioned farther back between the rear wheels. That made it impossible for the quarter windows to roll down all the way without making the C-pillars too wide and the quarter windows too small.
A design solution could have been to lengthen the wheelbase behind the doors and move the rear seat and the greenhouse forward.
The convertible looked somewhat better than the coupe but suffered from an overly large C-pillar. As with the coupe, rearranging the car’s proportions would have been the best fix. However, the convertible could have also looked better if it had been given quarter windows. They didn’t become relatively common among U.S. convertibles until 1941-42.
Continental’s styling overcompensated for old body
The Continental stood out stylistically despite working with one of the oldest bodies in the U.S. auto industry. As a case in point, the Continental still had a flat windshield. By 1940, almost all other U.S. passenger-car brands — including the plebeian Ford and Mercury — had shifted to V-shaped windshields.
Also see ‘Lincoln Zephyr was a first step in Ford surpassing Chrysler’
The Continental was based upon the Lincoln-Zephyr body, which was introduced in 1936. Sportier proportions were achieved by keeping the Zephyr’s 125-inch wheelbase but moving the cowl farther back in the body while cutting the car’s height by three inches.
Let’s bring together our criticisms of the Continental and imagine how the car might have looked if they had been fixed.
Below are real and fake 1940 convertible models. The fake design shifts the cowl and rear seat forward, adds quarter windows and a V-shaped windshield. One could arguably do more with the shape of the quarter windows, but our fake design gives a general feel how more postwar proportions could have made the greenhouse look less ponderous.
The Continental’s best feature was among the first to go
I would argue that the original Continental’s most aesthetically pleasing design element was its fascia. The waterfall grille design was borrowed from the Lincoln-Zephyr, but it worked best on the Continental because of a lower hood.
If there were a Grille Heaven, the 1940-41 Continental would definitely be in it. Thus, it was tragic that a 1942 facelift adopted a blocky shape that had all of the elegance of industrial heating vents. Then, in 1946, designers came up with an even more heavy-handed, waffle-iron grille pattern.
It’s not surprising that designers for the 1956 Continental Mark II didn’t know what tradition to draw upon, so they settled on a dignified but fairly generic fascia.
The 1961-64 Continental represented the first and only serious postwar attempt to come up with a more modern interpretation of the original Continental’s fascia. The swept-back look and understated grille patterns were a refreshing alternative to the baroque fascias of the Cadillac and Imperial of that time.
Of course, future generations of Continentals would bastardize the basic look, particularly in the front of the car. The lovely wind-swept contours of the original and the 1961-63 Continental were traded away for a rather hackneyed copy of a Rolls Royce radiator grille in the 1968 Mark III and its successors. However, even those cars had relatively clean styling for their era by using hidden headlights and minimal brightwork.
Lincoln got an exceptional amount of bang for its buck
The influence of the original Continental is all the more remarkable given that it could be called an accidental car. A one-off custom job for Edsel Ford was so well received that it was put into limited production. Very few cars left the factory: 404 in 1940 and 1,250 the following year.
Also see ‘1961-63 Lincoln Continental was not as iconic as often described’
Even so, Thomas E. Bonsall argued that the Continental became “the first great cult car.” This was despite a troublesome V-12 that many owners replaced with “almost anything else that would fit” (2002, p. 93). Edsel’s decision to produce the Continental would prove to be one of his most long-lasting contributions to the Ford Motor Company and the U.S. automobile industry.
NOTES:
This article was first posted Feb. 14, 2023 and expanded on Feb. 19, 2024. Specifications and production numbers from auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993, 2006; 2002) and Langworth (1985).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- ——; 2002. Cars of the Fascinating ’40s: A Decade of Challenges and Changes. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL
- Bonsall, Thomas E.; 1981. The Lincoln Motorcar: Sixty Years of Excellence. Bookman Dan!, Baltimore, MD.
- Langworth, Richard M.; 1985. The Complete History of Ford Motor Company. Publications International, Skokie, IL.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- autohistorypreservationsociety.org: Lincoln (1947)
- oldcaradvertising.com: Lincoln (1940)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Ford Thunderbird (1965); Imperial (1964); Lincoln (1940)
Not sure I would agree. The Continental was certainly a unique entry, but not of the caliber of say the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg cars.
Robert, note that I’m saying influential (as opposed to utterly brilliant). So if you want to point to other cars, do explain what impact you think they’ve had on U.S. car design.
Ask the man who owns one ( WISHED I OWNED ONE) Packard (Unsure of spelling) were the ultimate definition of American Elegance!
The 1941 Continental was surely quite a step forward in halo car styling in an era when several makers seemed to be searching for something new based upon integrating forms and streamlining. In that rarefied category, I agree with this assessment. Some more mainstream vehicles like the Airflow, though quite a sales flop, reflected at their time a step too far while the Continental looked ‘right’. In my mind, though, the 1949 Ford (though obviously not a low volume halo car) was the most forward-looking and influential overall design leap I can remember with its smooth envelope sides and still somewhat contemporary design language, proportions and pillar configurations. I also feel the 1961 Continental represented a most influential turning point in popular styling taste vs what came before and redefining what was to come in US luxury car styling (notwithstanding it’s notable packaging problems), by basically superseding jet age themes and moving to sheer design and understatement in surfacing.
But what about Chrysler Thunderbolt ? The Continental could have an important role in shaping the image of a “luxury personal coupe” genre, bit it seems to me that the Thunderbolt had predicted the post-war styling tendencies in general (“envelope” bodies) to a large extent. Cars like the Kaiser-Frazer, as well as the “bathtub” Nashes & Packards, seem to be directly inspired by it, and 1949-1952 generation MoPars are, kind of, direct descendants (with some styling cues from GM, like protruding rear fenders, of course). ’49 “shoebox” Ford probably owes some of its slab-sided look to the Thunderbolt, as well.
So the question is if any other qualifying vehicles [limited production, but not one-off show cars] influenced future car design. I’m going to assume we are talking about American luxury cars here. I’m going to break this up into age groups to make it easier.
Pre-WW2 cars;
1938-42 Packard Darrin convertibles; While I love ’em, they didn’t have the effect the Continentals did. Same with the Cord 810 and 812. I’ve had a ’41 Caddy convertible and 60s sedan, but even those nice lookin’ cars can’t compare to the look of the early Continental.
1946 to 59 cars; While there were plenty of highly [perhaps the word might be “outlandishly”] designed cars during the ’50s, from the ’55-56 Packard Caribbean to the ’59 Eldorado [Ive had one of each], The ’55 Chrysler “Million Dollar Look” [I’ve owned a ’55 Imperial limo] and the game changing ’57 MoPaR cars [I owned a Chrysler 300C], nothing in my opinion comes close to the original Edsel Ford backed Continental.
1960s cars; The second half of the 1960s gave us some great looking cars, especially the ’64-66 Imperials [I had a ’65 Imperial Ghia limo], but again the Continental shines above them.
1970s and newer cars; By the time the ’70s arrived, in my opinion styling just went downhill from there.
And yet some of the various recent Lincoln front ends and grills have re-introduced the original basic waterfall concept, 80+ years later, and they actually look good. Compare them to the double kidney grill of the BMW cars. BMW was able to keep that design modern and stylish for decades, however in my opinion those kidneys have recently begun to look like a pair of lungs.
I am in total agreement with you, Steve. I was probably 12 years old when I first saw a 1941 Continental gracing the “Retrospect” centrefold of Motor Trend, back in 1971 (or ’72). I had never seen a car like it before and it made a lasting impression on me. The 1st gen Continental influenced several generations of PLC but remains in a class by itself. It was virtually custom-built, lower than typical cars of the era, incredibly free of extraneous brightwork (credit E.T. Gregorie’s superlative design skills) and gracefully bridged 1930s & early 1940s design language. The blind rear quarters and almost non-existent rear window of the convertible gave the Continental an unmistakable aura of exclusivity and privacy, a quality that was highly prized by owners then and by owners of every subsequent PLC. In this respect, Thunderbird and later PLCs owe everything to the Continental. Onlookers also recognized that the Continental was something special, that it’s owners were persons of highly discriminating tastes. I’m not sure that all of the personal luxury coupes that came after it were able to fully capture that Continental essence.
You’re right about the convertible top. Even better would be something like the Cord convertible phaeton or the contemporary Hudson Terraplane convertible.
In terms of styling, yes, the 1939-1941 Lincoln Continental (only) had lasting impact as a “halo” car for Lincoln; but underneath, the car was saddled with all of the pre-war (W.W.II) Ford mechanicals. E. T. Gregorie’s classic style was and is timeless, but the 1942 refresh was a step backwards in my opinion. The 1939 Continental kit made sense then, but I have read several observations that the copycat “Continental kits” were perhaps the most useless styling cliche of the 1950s and 1960s. I know “Indie Auto” focuses on automotive packaging and styling, but I tend to think of the car as the entire package, like the 1934 Chrysler Airflow (brilliant but ugly), the 1936-1937 Cord 810 / 812 (flawed with difficult fabrication issues), and the 1948 Hudson Stepdowns (difficult to restyle). For example, the thin “B”-pillars of Bill Mitchell’s 1938 Cadillac 60 Special was a significant styling breakthrough. While the 1939 Lincoln Continental adopted the long hood / short rear deck style of many custom bodied classics, it certainly inspired Ford (Mustang / Lincoln Marks), G.M. (Camaro / Firebird / Corvettes / 1966 Toronado / 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix and 1970 Monte Carlo) and Chrysler (the 1962 Plymouth Fury and Dodge Dart / Barracuda / Challenger), not to mention the 1962 Studebaker Avanti and the 1968 A.M.C. Javelin / AMX. I agree that Ford fed off of the Continental’s roof line (sail panels) for years, first with the Mark II and Thunderbird, then Galaxies. How Ford escaped the wild styling exercises of the 1950s to adopt the clean lines of the Elwood Engle Thunderbird / Lincoln for the 1961 Continental can only be attributed to the basic good taste of both Hank the Deuce and Robert McNamara !
I am fortunate enough to own both a ’39 Lincoln Zephyr convertible Club Coupe and a ’40 Lincoln Zephyr Continental Cabriolet. Both were designed by E.T. Gregory and Edsel Ford and in my opinion, nothing could have improved the overall design of either. As for the V-12, over the years I’ve read myriad opinions, most of them derogatory, when it comes to the reliability and performance of the Lincoln Zephyr and Continental V-12’s. I’ve found that most of those negative opinions were not based on firsthand experience but on hearsay. As for me, I find the V-12’s to be smooth and reliable performers. they do however have some flaws when it comes to oil consumption/smoking. As for overheating, no more than any other vintage car when sitting in traffic. I live in central florida and enjoy driving both my Lincolns year round.
That “Continental kit” – aargh!
It worked on the original because the exposed spare was a cultural nod to the (mostly smaller) European cars of the time with exposed spares – no room to hide ’em. And because rather then being slung way way way out back there with an expended bumper, the trunk was shaped to accomodate it within the sweep of the fenders, which are not extended. It was an integral part of the overall design, not a tacked-on thing. The trunk is shortened, and reshaped around it; room is sacrificed for the look. It had visual balance. For that reason it works. On this car only.
More influential than the details in my eyes is the proportioning. The Continental showed that a prestige car didn’t have to sit up high in the air. Sure it would have been less spacious, but the lower build and set-back cowl connoted a sense of sportiness other regular production American convertibles lacked. Sure there were Darrin Packards with special cowls and lovely proportions, and beauties they were too, but they were very much a custom body. I guess you could say Lincoln ‘democratized’ that look, making it more affordable, while adding a few twists of their own, like that Continental spare – there we go again!.
Although the Continental is a truly outstanding design I am not sure it qualifies for a “best” of halo cars. It is a fabulous stand-alone effort but it did not influence the follow-on Lincolns.
In fact, I am not sure there is a good way to pick any singular best since there are so many different ways to define what the halo car should be accomplishing. For the purposes of this discussion I will use that any potential candidate must have had some level of series production while not being a high volume “bread and butter” model and the racing homologation specials do not count as their purpose is highly blurred with maximizing wrinkles in the regulations (Dodge Daytona, Plymouth Superbird, Ford Talladega, etc.).
1. The halo car can be about changing the perception of a brand such as going from stodgy to youthful and stylish. Without any grading of “best”, just as possible examples see the 1955 C-300. One might also use the 260/289 Cobra in this definition as a show of Ford’s “Total Performance” transformation of the company.
2. Related to #1 but more about imagery of a particular model look at the 1965 Shelby GT350. That one can be argued as the “proof” that the Mustang was a legitimate performance car and not just a stylish, but no substance, secretary car.
3. A halo car can be about setting a new direction of design for a company before it is adopted across the board. With this one can go back to the 1934 Century of Progress cars with Pierce Arrow, Cadillac and Packard all showing where next was going. Pierce Arrow did make a limited production version based upon their show car.
4. The halo car to prove a point. Here one can look at the Cadillac Brougham of 1957 and 1958. As expensive as a Rolls Royce, loaded with everything GM could come up with as a feature. All to prove that Cadillac had no peers. GM took huge losses on this. The other big candidate for this would be the Continental Mark II.
5. The I am still here and viable. Here one can find both series of Packard Carribeans and the Studebaker Avanti.
6. Showroom traffic builders. Something not in the mainstream for the brand but gets people in the door only to be sold one of the mundane offerings. This is the Corvette and the 2-seat Thunderbirds.
7. The technical prowness show. Here one will find the Chrysler Turbine. Built in enough quantity to qualify but not actually available for sale.
Somewhere deserving of mention is the Packard Darrin. One article claims that the showroom traffic increased by 3005 when on display. Although that is certainly notable I find how the Darrin offered such a different sporty take on the traditional Packard is the more important point. https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1937-1942-packard-darrin.htm
Jeff, you have a quite thoughtful comment. Just know that it isn’t in response to my essay. I never said the Continental was the “best” halo car. My question: What was the most INFLUENTIAL limited-production halo car? In the third and forth paragraphs I articulate why the Continental seemed like a good nominee to me.
“Influential” should, in Lincoln’s case, also include how it carried into other of the brands cars. In this regard the Mark I was an outlier for years. A standalone great design that did not spread across the rest of the brand. Maybe if Bob Gregorie had not lost the internal political fight to George Walker things would have been different.
The Mark II suffered much the same way. Its design team led by Reinhart was an outcast group inside Ford. The Mark II (another fabulous design) was conceived outside of the normal scheme. It, like the Mark I, suffered the same problem of being an orphan to extend its influence. It also led to Reinhart leaving Ford after the Mark II.
The wide convertible C pillar of the Mark I is a throwback to the Victoria style of the 1930s. A design that still today brings a premium value in these cars. https://rmsothebys-cache.azureedge.net/a/6/4/0/5/0/a64050d51b543d3904c6a913c7ad0dae24740eb8.jpg
Still, the Continental inspired some people, like Derham who customized a 1946 Chrysler to look like a Lincoln Continental.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmentd1/35236080733
The recollections of E. T. “Bob” Gregorie on how he had to cobble together Edsel’s original Continental prototype that I believe I read in a Mike Lamb “Special Interest Autos” article are amazing, especially the part about bracing the cowl with 2″ x 4″s ! The 1939-1940 Fords, Mercurys and Lincolns all the most elegant front clips. Yet the Continental wore it best. Who at Ford was responsible for the ugly, blocky front ends of the 1941 Fords and Mercurys and the 1942 Continental ? I would like to think the 1963 Buick Riviera was an influential car, but it was not a halo car, except for Buick. The 1967 Eldorado almost qualifies as a halo car. My other favorites are the 1962 Thunderbird Sports Roadster, the 1963-1964 Pontiac Grand Prix and the 1965 Starfire coupe.
I would also count the 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special as one of the most influential. It set the stage for the “three box” sedan format that would dominate sedans from the late 1940s until just very recently.