1936 Lincoln Zephyr

The new Lincoln-Zephyr was introduced on November 2nd of 1935 as a 1936 model and would remain in production through 1942 when it was halted (along with the production of all other American automobiles) by the Government so the factories could transition to support the war effort. When peacetime resumed, the Zephyr name was not immediately revived, with the cars simply called Lincolns. Many decades later, in 2005 and 2006, Lincoln marketed a four-door, five-passenger mid-size sedan as the Zephyr. From 2007 to 2020, it was dubbed the Lincoln MKZ.

The all-new Lincoln was named after the streamlined Burlington Zephyr high-speed express train, itself named after Zephyrus, the mythical Greek God of the west wind.
It bridged a price gap that existed between the Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Lincoln Model K. Beyond just price, it eliminated the size gap that existed between the two. It offered a higher level of refinement than the Ford but less than that of the hand-built, exclusive Model K.

The Lincoln-Zephyr had a modern and aerodynamic design with integrated fenders and a raked windscreen. It was the first Ford product to have an all-steel roof (albeit, with the exception of the late 1931 Model AA truck). The styling was inspired by a Dutch-born designer John Tjaarda, who was an employee at Briggs Body Corporation, Ford's longtime partner. He had created the Strekenburg concept studies during the late 1920s (The name 'Sterkenburg' was a nod to Tjaarda's ancestry and their Netherland origins). Intended for a rear-engine configuration with a bridge-truss integral frame, the front end was unique among its peers, being smooth and sleek. It sat low to the ground, had a raked windscreen, and rear-hinged doors. Briggs Body Co. created a mock-up that was displayed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934. Eugene T. 'Bob' Gregorie applied pre-production stylistic refinements, especially at the frontal aspects of the car. He worked closely with Lincoln president Edsel Ford, himself a noted designer.

Mechancial Specification
The use of unibody construction reduced the weight of the Zephyr, increased its rigidity, and allowed the passengers to be cradled between the axles. It had a 125-inch wheelbase, a length of 218 inches, stood 65.8 inches tall, and was 77.8 inches wide. The front used a solid axle while the rear had a live axle, with a Henry Ford-era transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension and mechanical drum brakes all round. The cable-activated brakes were replaced in 1939 with hydraulics.

The compact 75-degree V12 engine was developed from Ford's flathead V8 and was unrelated to the V12 unit powering the larger K-Series Lincolns. Its valve-in-block configuration complemented the compactness allowing for a low hood. The 267 cubic-inch unit had a Stromberg downdraft two-barrel carburetor, four main bearings, a 6.7:1 compression ratio, a cast iron block, and developed 110 horsepower at 3,900 RPM. It gained hydraulic lifters in 1938, and its displacement grew to 292 cubic inches in 1940. The transmission was a three-speed unit with a single dry plate, centrifugal clutch, floor shift controls, and a Columbia two-speed rear axle. The 23-inch wheels rested on pressed-steel, drop-center rim wheels.

Body Styles and Yearly Revisions
Body styles initially included a four-door sedan and a two-door 'Coupe-Sedan.' A division-window Town Limousine was added in April 1936. Two new body styles were introduced on October 23, 1937, for 1938, the style 760 three-passenger convertible coupe and 740 five-passenger convertible sedan. While most convertible sedans had a bustle at the rear, the Zephyr retained the four-door's smooth tail contour. These two new designs had manually-operated, spring-assisted convertible tops.

The 1938 Lincoln-Zephyr was modestly restyled, with twin grilles placed in the forward end of the 'catwalk' section of the fenders. Along with the styling benefits, this design markedly improved engine cooling. The headlamps were made flush with the fender contours and the vee-shaped nose was softened.

1939 model year updates introduced an improved electrical charging system and the use of hydraulic brakes. Exterior styling revisions came in the form of lower-body skirting that completely enclosed the running boards. The front of the car received a mild facelift to the grille and sheet metal, and the hood line was raised slightly allowing for a larger front grille opening that promoted more cooling air to flow through the radiator.

Immediately popular in the United States, the Zephyr would gain international allure as well, which may have been one reason why the dashboard was designed to be asymmetrical with gloveboxes on each end. The centrally mounted combination speedometer/instrument cluster housed oil, fuel, charging, pressure, and coolant temperature.

Production
Approximately 14,994 examples of the Lincoln-Zephyr were produced during the 1936 model year, with 1937 being even stronger, with production reaching 29,997 units. In comparison, just 1,515 examples of the Lincoln Model K were built in 1936 and 977 the following year.

The most popular 1936 Zephyr body style was the four-door version with 12,272 units built, with 1,814 of the two-door.

The Model K vs. The Zephyr
Even though the Zephyr and Model K were from the same marque, they were significantly different, with the Zephyr receiving unibody construction while the Model K employed the traditional body-on-frame method. The latter had its chassis and body built separately, with much of the strength relying on heavy steel rails to support the vehicle. Unibody (also referred to as 'unit-body,' 'unitized body', 'unitary') fully integrated its body and chassis together. This configuration is generally more rigid and lighter than the body-on-frame method, and the entire structure is a load-carrying unit. Unibody designs were used as early as 1923, but would not grow in popularity until the second half of the twentieth century.

The Zephyr had a 122-inch wheelbase while the Model K rested on either a 136- or 145-inch platform. The 267.3 CID V-12 powering the Zephyr delivered 110 horsepower compared to the 150 hp produced by the 414 CID 67-degree L-head unit residing in the Model K. The Zephyr initially used mechanical brakes while the Model K received Bendix Duo-Servo mechanical brakes. The two-door Zephyr Sedan was priced at $1,275 and the four-door sedan at $1,320. Prices for the Model K (many of which wore LeBaron, Brunn, Judkins, and Willoughby coachwork) ranged from the low-$4,000s to nearly $7,000.

Following Market Trends
The LaSalle Companion Marque
Near the close of the 1920s, General Motors had bridged the gap between the Cadillac and Buick marques with its LaSalle. This 'junior' series rested on a shorter wheelbase than that of its senior cars and wore elegantly styled bodies created by Harley Earl, a young West Coast designer whom Alfred Sloan had hired specifically to shape the new line. This was the start of an illustrious 30-year career as the company's head of design. During its inaugural year, LaSalle accounted for approximately 25 percent of Cadillac sales and by 1929, it outsold its 'senior' sibling. Through the Depression years of the 1930s, LaSalle was an integral part of General Motors' survival through its sales volume.

Initially a success, what General Motors learned was that LaSalle siphoned sales away from Cadillac. As a slightly smaller and more financially attractive package than the Cadillac, it sold in higher quantities which proved detrimental to the allure and exclusivity of its senior sibling. Forced with canceling either Cadillac or LaSalle, management decided to end the latter in 1940. Cadillac continued due to its established and prestigious legacy.

DeSoto's Airflow - Unibody Construction and Futuristic Design
The DeSoto Airflow (and its more luxurious stablemate, the Chrysler Airflow) were among the most radical, dramatic, and aerodynamic vehicles of the 1930s. The entire structure was designed for aerodynamic efficiency, with flush-mounted headlamps, a waterfall-styled grille, a raked windshield, and flowing fenders. It was simply too advanced and the market was unable or unwilling to accept such a dramatic detour from the traditional styling and construction techniques, especially during the era of economic uncertainty. Chrysler immediately responded by reverting back to traditional designs, with the DeSoto Airflow being discontinued in 1936 (two years after introduction) and the Chrysler Airflow in 1937.

The Low-Priced Packard
Packard experimented with a lower-priced model in 1932 but it failed to gain the popularity the company intended. It was called the Packard Light Eight and although it accounted for half that year's Packard sales, it proved unprofitable due to design and manufacturing costs. Packard found the series nearly as expensive to build as their larger models, as it shared the most important components with the larger cars, leading to a loss on each example sold. The series was not continued after 1932.

A few years later, Packard made another attempt at appealing to the lower-priced markets with its Model 120, the first Packard priced at under $1,000 and the first Packard with an independent front suspension. It rested on a 120-inch wheelbase (thus the name) and its eight-cylinder engine had four-fifths the displacement of the larger Eight, but produced eighty-five percent of its power. Output rose to (fittingly) 120 bhp in 1936.

The decision to move 'down market' saved the company but, arguably, ultimately damaged Packard's reputation as a manufacturer of luxury automobiles.

The Conclusion
Packard's low-priced models and G.M.'s LaSalle had proven that sales could increase with a lower-priced, less opulent model. While increasing sales, it undermined the exclusivity of its top-tier product. Although Ford's approach had been similar (the Zephyr filled the price gap that existed between the two), it differed by being its own unique product, with its own style and architecture (rather than being a smaller version priced lower).

The DeSoto had been too futuristic and its designs were not well-received. The Zephyr was also futuristic and its use of unibody construction was very advanced (just like the DeSoto), but perhaps its design was more relatable and favorable, and the market had been 'softened' by the blow dealt by the Airflow. A dramatic shift within the market would happen as the 1930s ended, with many of the top-tier manufacturers abandoning their sixteen- and twelve-cylinder engines in favor of lighter and less complicated eight-cylinder units (most notably Cadillac and Packard). Traditional styling elements such as running boards were abandoned as the 1940s embraced enveloping and curvaceous bodies with smaller wheels that rested closer to the ground. Ford had caught this wave perfectly with its Zephyr and would influence the company's models that followed for decades to come.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022