Lincoln Continental: books - history and technology

Lincoln Continental (1961-1969) - Brooklands Performance Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the Lincoln Continental models from the years 1961-1969.

• The 53 articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

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Lincoln Continental - L'étoile de Wixom (Top Model)

Marque de prestige intégrée au groupe Ford en 1922, Lincoln a toujours rencontré un honorable succès commercial face à sa rivale historique, Cadillac. Mais l'insolente suprématie du fleuron de la General Motors exaspère l'état-major de Ford, qui décide de prendre à contre-pied la stratégie de son adversaire : autant les Cadillac incarnent un luxe extravagant et ostentatoire, autant les Lincoln apparaîtront sobres et discrètes.

S'inspirant des canons stylistiques de la vieille Europe, la très belle Continental brille par son originalité. Elle impose rapidement de nouveaux standards en matière de design et d'innovation technologique.
Le vaisseau amiral de Ford adopte en effet une structure monocoque, véritable gageure technique pour un véhicule de la catégorie full size. Plus spectaculaire encore que la statutaire berline, le convertible Continental est le seul modèle du genre à offrir quatre portes à ouverture antagoniste.

Sommaire:

Introduction (les origines)
1958 : l'année de tous les excès
1959-1960 : Dearborn joue les prolongations
1961 : la consécration
1962-1963 : des changements cosmétiques mineurs
1964-1965 : l'âge de raison
1966-1967 : le renouveau
1968-1969 : le retour du coupé Mark
1970-1971 : la relève
Caractéristiques techniques

The Lincoln Continental Story - From Zephyr to Mark II

The complete story of the original Lincoln Continental, as told in the pages of Continental Comments, the authoritative publication of the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club. Loaded with insightful stories never before published outside of this award-winning magazine.
Read about the development of the Lincoln-Zephyr and its evolution into the original 1939-40 Lincoln Continental, along with quotes from people who originally designed the car.

Includes stories on the 1949 Lincoln Continental that was never produced, and the 1949-51 era Lincoln flathead V-8s that succeeded the original Lincoln Continental. Concludes with the development of the $10,000 1956-57 Continental II, why it missed the mark, and was discontinued after only two years.

Also included are stories about movie star and other celebrity owned Lincoln Continental cars including Rita Hayworth, Mickey Rooney, Jack Benny, Babe Ruth and Frank Lloyd Wright.
This book sets the record straight on one of the most famous and misunderstood Classics in American history with articles by leading historians on the subject. This is ''the best of Continental Comments'' with the best and most authoritative articles ever written about the first Lincoln Continentals, with updated information for a complete story of this highly collectible car

High Marks: The Lincoln Continental Mark VI: A Designer's Perspective

Since the week of March, 1939 when Edsel Ford motored to Palm Beach, Florida for his winter vacation, the Lincoln Continental has continued to be an icon of American style and grace; it is a concept, not just a car. It is a statement and not just a form of luxurious transportation.
Although this first example, based on the chassis and proprietary body of the Lincoln Zephyr of 1938-9 was named Mark I by the public, it actually never carried that moniker through its initial production in 1942, interrupted by World War II, and resurrected in 1945-8. But by 1956 the Ford Motor Company essentially acknowledged the public's assignment when the Continental Mark II appeared in the late fall of 1955 for model year 1956.

After the Mark II, more Marks appeared in succession, with some later admitted jumbling by Ford of the logical descendency of numbers, until the government became proactive in dictating what manufacturer's total fleet must meet in terms of miles per gallon (CAFE). It was at this time that the Mark VI entered the market as a new from-the-ground Lincoln - every inch a Continental, even more luxurious than its predecessor, and coming down the fashion runway after a diet of over 800 pounds.

The fact that Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division was able to effect this change without losing any of the Mark's styling cues is a story that has often been overlooked - and one that rarely has been mentioned in print.

This book is conceived to bring a new understanding of this remarkable series which ran from the 1980 to the 1983 model year and in the guise of the Town Car (which took on more and more of the Mark VI's equipage) through 1989. Here is the story, presented pictorially, in researched text and intended as a framework which will allow the intriguing history of the Lincoln Continental Mark VI to be told with increasing detail, data and photographic evidence.