Lincoln Continental I photos

The first-generation Lincoln Continental was conceived as a one-off personal car for Edsel Ford, developed on the foundation of the Lincoln-Zephyr before entering series production for the 1940 model year. Built on a modified ladder-frame chassis with solid axles and transverse leaf springs, it was offered as a two-door coupe and cabriolet. Power was provided by a 4.8-liter (292 cid) flathead V12 engine producing around 125–130 horsepower, paired exclusively with a column-shifted three-speed manual transmission with optional overdrive. Design highlights included an elongated hood, lowered roofline, deleted running boards, and the trademark exposed spare tire mounted on the rear bumper. Following a brief run in 1942 with revised front-end styling, production was suspended for wartime manufacturing and resumed in 1946 with heavy die-cast front grilles and revised trim. Distributed primarily across North America, the first-generation Continental became an internationally celebrated icon of automotive elegance, setting aesthetic precedents that defined Lincoln luxury for decades to come.