1939 Lincoln Zephyr

The Lincoln-Zephyr is a marque that was used for the lower-priced line of luxury cars in the Lincoln line from 1936 until 1940. Lincoln-Zephyr and Mercury, introduced in 1939, bridged the wide gap between Ford's V-8 De Luxe line and the exclusive Lincoln K-series cars. This served a purpose similar to Cadillac's smaller LaSalle "companion car". The car was conceived by Edsel Ford and designed by Eugene Turenne Gregorie.

MODELS

• Lincoln-Zephyr V-12 (1936–1940)

For 1936, available as two-door sedan or four-door sedan, a locking glove box was standard. Radio was optional. The turning radius was 22 feet (6.7 m). For 1937 the 2-door Sedan was renamed Coupe-Sedan, a Coupe (3-Window) was added along with a formal Town-Limousine. For 1938 a Convertible Coupe and a Convertible Sedan was added. For 1940 the Coupe-Sedan was replaced by the Club Coupe, the Convertible Sedan was discontinued. Trunk space was increased in 1940.

• Lincoln-Zephyr Continental (1940) was the first time the name Continental appeared on a car from Lincoln, as a model under Lincoln-Zephyr rather than a separate model. They were partially hand-built since dies for machine-pressing were not constructed until 1941. Production started on December 13, 1939, with the Continental Cabriolet, from June 1940 also available as Continental Club Coupe. Just 350 Cabriolets and 54 Club Coupes were built.

When the last Lincoln V-12 (Model K) had been delivered on January 24, 1940, the Lincoln Motor Company was soon to be transformed into Lincoln Division, effective on May 1, 1940,  and for 1941 model year the Lincoln-Zephyr was no longer a separate marque. All 1941 models were Lincolns and the Zephyr-based Lincoln Custom replaced both the large Lincoln K-series cars and the Lincoln-Zephyr Town-Limousine. It also had full instrumentation.

The following models sold under Lincoln marque, but they have their heritage in the Lincoln-Zephyr:

• Lincoln Zephyr V-12 (1941–1942) Both years available as Sedan, Coupe, Club Coupe and Convertible Coupe
• Lincoln Custom (1941–1942) Sedan and Limousine, some with blinded quarter roof option
• Lincoln Continental (1941–1948) Cabriolet and Coupe
• Lincoln (1946–1948)

After the war, the cars were no longer named Zephyr nor did they have any other model name, they were simply known by their body styles: Sedan, Club Coupe, or Convertible Coupe. For identification purposes, they are typically referred to as the H-Series.

1939 LINCOLN ZEPHYR CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE