1946 Lincoln Continental

Lincoln returned to post-war civilian automobile production by introduced mildly updated versions of pre-war 1942 products for the 1946 model year. The Lincoln Continental was based on the one-off convertible that Edsel B. Ford had wowed his friends in Florida during the winter of 1938 and 1939. Its bold, elegant, and modern design battled archrival Cadillac for what was left of the American luxury-car segment. The European-inspired styling was created by Eugene T. 'Bob' Gregorie in collaboration with Edsel Ford, featuring restrained brightwork and simplistic elegance. Power was from a smooth and powerful V-12 engine backed by a sliding gear, three-speed transmission, and Bendix hydraulic, internal expanding brakes at all four wheels. A Columbia two-speed rear axle and Borg-Warner overdrive were optional. A Liquimatic transmission was introduced late in 1942.

A 1941 Continental was included in the '8 Automobiles' exhibition during the autumn of 1951 at New York's Museum of Modern art.

Lincoln hand-built just 24 examples of the Continental in 1939, followed in 1940 by 400 more examples wearing labor-intensive, hand hammer-formed custom bodies. In comparison to the Zephyr, it was seven inches lower, devoid of running boards, and made minimal use of chrome trim. Underneath, it was the same as the Lincoln-Zephyr, with its 292 CID V12 and three-speed transmission, housed in a conventional frame that was suspended by transverse leaf springs and stopped by hydraulic drum brakes.

The postwar Contientnals of 1946 to 1948 wore a slightly revised grille, heavier bumpers, and revised headlamp treatments. The name 'Lincoln Continental' was written in chrome on the side of the hood. These handcrafted automobiles were offered as a two-door convertible priced at $4,475 and a club coupe at $4,400. Just 201 examples of the convertible and 265 of the club coupe were produced in 1946 for a total of 466 Continentals.

The L-head, 305 cubic-inch V-12 engine had four main bearings, a Chandler-Grove two-barrel carburetor, and delivered 130 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. The wheelbase measured 125 inches and a length of 216 inches.

The 1946 Lincoln Continental served pace car duties at the 1946 Indianapolis 500.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020