cars, including the Lincoln’s, were halted.

When the United States entered World War II, resources were diverted to the war effort and the production of all U.S. There was no longer any point in distinguishing the Zephyr from other Lincoln-cars. This is why the marque Lincoln-Zephyr was eventually discontinued. During the first year, 80% of Lincoln’s total sales consisted of Lincoln-Zephyr cars.Ĭonsumer interest in the Lincoln-Zephyr was so huge that from the 1941 model year, all Lincolns were Zephyr-based. This gamble, however, proved to be a success. So, by lauching the Lincoln-Zephyr – a car with an even lower coefficient of drag than the Chrysler Airflow – Ford was going out on a limb. Gregorie in part based his design on Briggs Dream Car, a rear-engined concept car developed for the Ford Motor Company by John Tjaarda (Joop Tjaarda van Sterkenburg) for the Century of Progress Exhibition 1933–1934.īack in the 1935, cars with a low coefficient of drag were still rare, and Chrysler Airflow (launched in 1934) had been a market failure. In Greek mythology, Zephyrus is the god of the west wind. The streamlined design was the inspiration for the name Zephyr. By using a compact vale-in-block flathead engine, the designers could give the Lincoln-Zephyr a low hood.

The windscreen was low raked, the fenders were integrated, and the front was inspired by the prow of a ship rather than the front of traditional 1930s cars. The overall exterior was streamlined to decrease air resistance. Today, Lincoln-Zephyr cars are rare and pricey, and quite a few of the cars on our roads that look like Lincoln-Zephyrs or modified Lincoln-Zephyrs are actually lower-priced replicas rather than the real deal.ĭesigned by Eugene Turenne Gregorie, the Lincoln-Zephyr was hailed as an extremely modern car when it was first unveiled in November 1935. The Lincoln-Zephyr was also ideal for many kinds of modifications aimed to increase drag race speed. The Lincoln-Zephyr was extensively utilized by mid-century hot rod enthusiasts who lived in an era when used Lincoln-Zephyrs were affordable cars that didn’t break the bank. The marque Lincoln-Zephyr was used by Lincoln for their lower-priced line of mid-size luxury cards in 1936–1940.

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