1927 Lincoln Model L Imperial Victoria

This 1927 Lincoln Model L wears Imperial Victoria by Fleetwood. Although it is not known who ordered the vehicle, there are stories that it came from Europe after World War II, believed to have been hidden from the Nazis by the French.

Reverend T.L. Osborn of Tulsa, Oklahoma was one of the earliest known American owners. Reverend Osborn displayed the car at the World Museum, part of his ministry complex in Tulsa, until 1981, when the museum closed and its holdings divested. Bill Lassiter became the vehicle's next owner and would keep it for six years before selling it to Jack Dunning. Mr. Dunning had the car meticulously and correctly restored by Ed Cobb of Washington Court House, Ohio.

After the work was completed, the car earned an AACA Grand National First Prize and, in Classic Car Club of America, became a Junior, Senior, and finally Senior Premier winner, all three with perfect 100-point scores. In 1990, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it was honored with 2nd in Class, and returned in 1996. It won Best in Class in 2003 at the Greenwich and Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance. More recently, it has been exhibited in the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020