1948 Lincoln Mark I Continental

The Lincoln Continental of 1940 through 1948 wore European-inspired design elegance and a widely emulated, rear-mounted, metal-shrouded spare tire. During a trip to Europe in 1938, Edsel Ford was impressed and inspired by the styling of European cars of the time. Upon returning to the U.S., he tasked designer Bob Gregorie to design a one-off custom convertible for his own use that emulated the sporty feel of the cars he had witnessed. The design, based on a heavily modified Lincoln Zephyr, was so impressive that it evolved into the production 1940 Continental.

The 1940 and 1941 Continentals had a pointed prow and curvaceous fender shape that was shared with the streamlined contemporary Lincoln Zephyr, along with the chassis size. 1942 production and sales were shortened in the U.S. due to the onset of World War II, however, the 1942 Continentals received new, more squared-off fenders, and the redesigned frontal ensemble shared with all Lincolns.

Production resumed in 1946 following WWII, and like most manufacturers, the Ford family of vehicles (Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln) wore pre-war styling with mild updates. The 1946 Lincolns continued the 1942 styling but with new die-cast egg-crate grille work. 1948 would be the final year of the first-generation design, introduced in 1940, and the last Continental until the Mark II of 1955.

The 1946 through 1948 Lincolns were the only post-WWII American cars powered by a V-12 engine. The 305 cubic-inch L-head twelve-cylinder unit was rated at 130 horsepower and backed by a standard three-speed manual transmission. The 125-inch wheelbase chassis used rigid front and rear axles supported by transverse leaf springs and Monroe double-acting shock absorbers.

The large engines and expensive price tags kept the Lincoln Continentals exclusive, with the Cabriolets having a base price of $4,746, which was more than two-and-a-half times the cost of that year's Ford V-8 convertible.

The first-generation Continental was featured in 1951 in the Museum of Modern Art, part of an eight-car exhibit honoring automotive design excellence. In 1959, TIME magazine listed it as one of the top ten best-designed commercial products in history.

The first all-new postwar Lincoln models were introduced on April 22nd of 1948, wearing modern, streamlined bodies with a two-piece windshield on the 9E-L series. The Series 9EL was based on the Mercury body but the top-of-the-line Cosmopolitan was a brand new full envelope body style. Series 9EL Body styles included a two-door club coupe, four-door sports sedan, and two-door convertible - all with seating for six passengers.

The 1948 Lincoln Continental
The styling and mechanical components of the 1948 Lincoln were essentially unchanged, left-over models from the previous year.

Dimension
The 1948 Lincoln rested on a 126-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 216 inches.

Engine
The 305 cubic-inch L-head V-12 engine had a cast iron block, four main bearings, a Chandler-Grove two-barrel carburetor, and a 7.2:1 compression ratio. It had a 2.93-inch bore and a 3.75-inch stroke and delivered 130 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. The three-speed manual transmission was standard, while the overdrive was optional.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2020