Lincoln H-76 Zephyr, 1939 H-76 Zephyr Pictures, News, Reviews, and Info | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Wallpaper, Pricing, Information, History

Overview

Lincoln Zephyr

Lincoln, a division of the Ford Motor Company produced the Zephyr in 1936. Its end was near with World War II needing war-related production equipment. The Lincoln Continental continued the footsteps of the Zephyr after the war. Production of the Zephyr accounted for 80% of total sales.

Styling was done by John Tjaarda and Eugene Gregory. Incorporated into the front, was a long horizontal hood, headlamps intergrated into the fenders and a grille with horizontal bars. The roofline sloped back to the rear bumper and designed into the rear of the vehicle were fender skirts.

The construction of the Zephyr was made up of a stiffer than body-on-frame unit. Powered by a V12 engine, the 3,350 pound vehicle could reach 90 miles per hour. Its performance handled itself fairly well for that generation. The British magazine, The Motor, recorded a zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) time of 14 seconds, and a top speed of 145 km/h (90 mph). In 1937 a convertible was added to Lincoln's lineup and in 1938, a new front end and a lower, two piece vertical bar grille would be the most noticeable changes.

Kyle McMullen

In 1936 Lincoln introduced the Zephyr, named and styled after the streamlined Burlington Zephyr express train. The train was an aerodynamic diesel powered streamliner that brought an end to the steam-engined trains and set many new speed-records. The Zephyr stayed in production until 1942 when it was discontinued to make way for the new Mercury line which was in a similar market segment. Since the Mercury's were derived from a Ford running gear and chassis they were cheaper to produce, Lincoln decided to cancel the Zephyr after only six years of production.
The styling was courteous of the Dutch-Born designer John Tjaarda of the Briggs Body Corporation, however, prior to production Ford's stylist Bob Gregorie restyled the front end. Under the hood was a Ford-derived V-12 that produced 110 horsepower, not enough to do justice to the Zephyr name and what it represented, but a modest amount to carry the vehicle where it was tasked to travel.

In 1936 around 15000 Zephyrs were constructed, nearly 80% of all Lincolns sold. Nearly 1500 were given coupe/sedan body-styles which were a two-door sedan configuration built on a chassis that could have accommodated four-doors.

In the year 2005, Lincoln reintroduced the Zephyr. To help create excitement at auto shows, Lincoln purchased a 1936 Zerphyr serial number H-5739, to tour with the modern Lincoln Zephyr.

Due to the onset of World War II, Lincoln switched to war-related production. Production resumed in 1946 and continued until 1948.

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