Tag Archives: Lincoln

Reflecting Good Taste – Lincoln Capri

From 1952 to 1959 Lincoln manufactured the Capri with 4 door sedan, 2 door coupé and 2 door convertible bodies only the first generation was manufactured from 1952 to 1955 the second from 1956 to 1957 and the third and final generation from 1958 to 1959.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Powered by the all new 160hp 5.2 litre / 317 cui Lincoln Y-block that replaced the flat heads in all Lincoln’s in 1952 the Capri when tested by Popular Mechanics reached 60mph from rest in 14.8 seconds, covered the 1/4 mile in 21.3 seconds and recorded fuel consumption of 21 mpg at an average speed of 40mph.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

To mark the Capri out from it’s competitors like the Cadillac 62 series, Chrysler New Yorker and Packard 400 teams of Lincolns were entered in the last three Carrera Panamericana races that saw them win the Tourismo Internacional class on each occasion with Chuck Stevenson and Clay Smith finishing 7th overall in 1952 and 1953 while Ray Crawford and Enrique Iglesias finished 9th overall to claim class honours in 1954.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

With the strap line “Everything about Lincoln reflects good taste” the 1955 Capri was offered with a 225hp 5.6 litre / 341 cui Y-block atop which sat a 4 barrel carburetor.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

There was no Carrera Panamericana for the more powerful Lincoln Capri to prove itself as a result of the 1955 disaster at Le Mans and so far as I know the model was never seen in contemporary competition again.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Today’s featured 1955 Lincoln Capri owned by Dick “El Flaco” de Luna was competition prepared by Dennis “El Gordo” Varni who fitted a modern 425hp 5 litre / 302 cui Ford V8 and all modern safety and handling equipment to the car which is now said to handle like a 4000 lb Porsche. The duo have competed on numerous resurrections of the Carrera Panamericana winning outright in 1999 alongside numerous class awards.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photograph’s taken at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Reflecting Good Taste” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Ferrari that competed on the Carerra Panamericana in 1952 and 1953. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Continental Falcon – Mercury Comet Cyclone #4T27K546286

In 1964 Mercury introduced the second generation Mercury Comet which featured a few front and rear end Lincoln Continental styling queues on a body that does not differ greatly from the second generation Ford Falcon also introduced in 1964.

A Cyclone performance package was offered for the Comet which included a 4,736 cc / 289 cui V8 producing 210 hp in 1964, but only 200 hp the following year despite an upgrade to a four barrel carburetor for the latter.

Mercury Comet Cyclone, Silverstone Classic,

Bill Stroppe and partner Clay Smith got started running a manufacturer sanctioned Lincoln / Mercury west coast race shop after impressing Ford’s top brass at the 1947 Henry Ford Memorial Regatta with their Miss Art Hall a Mercury flat head six power boat.

Bill won an SCCA championship with a Mercury powered Kurtis 500S in 1952 and prepared four car teams of Lincoln Capri’s which swept their class on the Carrera Panamerica in 1952 and 1953.

Mercury Comet Cyclone, Silverstone Classic,

After producing police packages for Mercury’s and working with Autolite during the 1957 to 1963 ban on manufacturer involvement in racing Bill Stroppe returned to the tracks with his stock car team who’s drivers included Parnelli Jones, Dave MacDonald and Darel Dieringer that found most of it’s success on the USAC circuit and at Pikes Peak.

Bill also produced a string of successful drag racers for Frank Christman and others and even convinced Parnelli – Jones to extend his career into the 1970’s to drive his successful Baja Bronco off road vehicles.

Mercury Comet Cyclone, Silverstone Classic,

Exactly what Bill Stroppe Racing Associates involvement with Roger Wills ’65 Cyclone historic racer chassis #4T27K546286, seen in these photographs, was is not clear at this time, if you know please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Roger has shared his Comet Cyclone in historic endurance events with 2 time European GT Champion and IMSA GT Champion John Fitzpatrick, 5 times Le Mans winner Emmanuele Pirro and current works Porsche driver and fellow New Zealander Brendon Hartley.

Thanks for joining me on this “Continental Falcon” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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New Jersey Premium – Mercury Montclair

Mercury showed it’s XM-800 concept car designed by John Najjar to the public for the first time at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show and although the advanced design was said to be engineered to go into production it never did.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

However styling queue’s from the XM-800 including the hooded headlights did get adopted by the all new for 1955 first generation full size Mercury Montclair.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The premium Montclair range was only built in 4 door sedan / saloon, 2 door Coupé and 2 door Convertible form.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Power for the Montclair came from a 4.78 litre / 292 overhead valve V8, first seen in 1954, with dual exhausts, producing 198hp which was delivered to the rear wheels through a Merc-O-Matic transmission, note the motor on today’s featured 1955 example is not the original.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The Merc-O-Matic featured push button selection of the gears with the neutral button also acting as a starter button for the motor according to Floyd Clymer reporting in “Popular Mechanics“.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

A hard top Montclair was shown to be capable of reaching 60 mph from rest in a more than respectable for the period 12.8 seconds.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Options offered with the Montclair included power windows, four-way power seat, and factory fitted air conditioning.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

By 1957 the Montclair could be ordered with a 290 hp 6 liter / 368 cui Lincoln Y-Block V8 that also powered the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser that replaced Montclair at the top of the Mercury premium tree.

Mercury Montclair, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Adding the Montclair to the Mercury range boosted Mercury sales in 1955 by 27% over the previous year to a marque high of 330,000 units, a number that would not be reached again until the 1960’s.

It is believed that the Montclair takes it’s name from a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, in 1955 John Najjar’s Lincoln Futura concept was shown to the public and that vehicle went on to become to find fame in the 1960’s in much modified form as the Batmobile in the TV series staring Adam West as the capped crusader.

Thanks for joining me on this “New Jersey Premium” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Sales Dipper – DeSoto Firesweep Convertible

When I first saw today’s featured DeSoto Firesweep Convertible on the lawn outside Goodwood House a couple of months ago my first thought was along the lines of “Wow ! a convertible Batmobile.”

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

This is the first DeSoto I recall ever seeing in the flesh and it would appear to me that Virgil Exner, who was responsible for the ‘forward look’ that graced the Chrysler Corp’s models across the Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto and Chrysler brands, was himself influenced by the 1955 Lincoln Futura that became the 1965 Batmobile for the Batman TV series.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

1958 Firesweeps were offered with six body options of which the rarest was the convertible with just 700 examples built.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

One of the more interesting items on the 1958 DeSoto Options list, not fitted to this car so far as I know, was a 45rpm Hi Way Hi Fi record player, for which Chrysler also had a list of hits that could be ordered from the dealer.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In 1957 sales of the Firesweep totaled 40,000 so it must have come as a shock to DeSoto executives when sales of the 1958 Firesweeps with slightly larger and more powerful 5.7 litre / 350 cui 280 hp motors slumped to just 18,000 units.

DeSoto Firesweep, Cartier Affairs of Status, Goodwood Festival of Speed

There are numerous reasons why DeSoto sales slumped including a recession which saw unemployment in Detroit alone rise to 20% in 1958 and the same year also marked the end of the post war baby boom which would see US birth’s in decline for 11 consecutive years.

At the time of writing it appears today’s featured car, thought to be one of just twelve Firesweep convertibles known to remain, is being offered for sale by a dealer in the Netherlands, usual disclaimers, with advice to proceed with caution and plenty of your own research, apply.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sales Dipper” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Americana – San Marino Motor Classic

San Marino Motor Classic, Horton/ McNabb

The first weekend of June saw Geoffrey Horton take his Jaguar XK140 FHC seen above to the San Marino Motor Classic.

Duesenberg Model A, San Marino Motor Classic, Horton/ McNabb

Among the US vehicles on display was this 1921 Duesenberg Straight Eight also known as the Model A first seen in 1920 but which did not go into production until 1921 by which time the motor had been fitted with an overhead camshaft.

Chrysler Imperial, San Marino Motor Classic, Horton/ McNabb

Powered by a 6.3 litre / 384 cui L head straight 8 the 1932 Chrysler Imperial was also marketed as the ‘Imperial 8’.

Ford Thunderbird, San Marino Motor Classic, Horton/ McNabb

In 1957 Ford built two competition Thunderbirds with supercharged Lincoln motors and Jaguar transmissions, of which I believe only one original, the #98, still exists. The car above appears to be a copy of the #99 which was dubbed the Battlebird by the media back in the day.

Chevrolet El Morocco, San Marino Motor Classic, Horton, McNabb

I had great fun trying to figure out if the vehicle above was either a 57′ Chevrolet or a Cadillac and it turns out to be a bit of both. Cadillac owner Ruben Allender came up with the idea of offering a $1,000 conversion to turn a Chevrolet into a Cadillac in 1956. It is thought 20 examples were built in the first year and possibly 16 more in 1957 when production ceased.

Watson Offy, San Marino Motor Classic, Horton/ McNabb

Finally for today I’ll leave you with this delicious vehicle labelled as a “1961 Indy Roadster”. The #41 was carried by Johnny Boyd’s Leader Card 500 Roadster sponsored Watson Offy in the 1961 Indy 500. Johnny qualified 20th and retired at just over half distance with a broken clutch.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton and Paul McNabb for sharing today’s photographs more of which will appear on Tuesday and Friday next week.

Thanks for joining me on this “Americana” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Classic Americans – Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance

A couple of weeks ago Geoffrey Horton loaded his trailer up with his Jaguar XK140 and headed for Palm Springs and the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance. Toady’s blog features photo’s Geoffrey kindly shared of some of the US built cars that were taking part.

Lincoln L Brunn Beetle Back, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

By 1925 Cadillac founder Henry M Leland had sold the second marque he had founded, Lincoln, to Henry Ford for $8m but Ford continued to up date the L-Series first seen in 1917, until 1930. The 1925 Lincoln above features a nickel plated radiator shell first seen in 1924.

Cadillac V16 Series 452, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Need a 2 door convertible with plenty of room for occasional passengers and cargo in the boot / trunk the 1930 Cadillac V16 Series 452 is just the car you are looking for.

Packard 1005 Convertible Coupe , Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Winner of this years Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance was the 1933 V12 powered Packard 1005 Twelve Convertible Coupe seen above. The 1005 was the tenth Packard series car and shared 11 different body with the V8 powered Packard Super Eight.

Cord 812 s/c, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

1935 the Cord 810 was the sensation of the New York Auto Show, by 1937 when the supercharged 812 convertible above was built the company had a less than complimentary reputation for reliability and the following year the remains of the company were sold to Avaiation Corporation which today is part of Textron Systems Corporation.

Diamond T Pickup, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Following a tip from some quail hunters the owner of this rugged 1949 Diamond T Model 201 1 ton pickup abandoned in a field near Globe Arizona, dented and rusted it was 90% there and the Hercules six cylinder motor still turned. After restoration this Diamond T won the 2010 Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance Best Non-Passenger Vehicle award.

Packard 250, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Visiting Paris Retromobile in the 1990’s Californian Carl Schneider came across some drawings by Pininfarina of a Packard that was never built. After purchasing the drawings Carl and Peter Portugal built the likeness of the Pininfarina Packard, seen above, using a 1952 Packard 250 series Mayfair two-door hardtop as a starting point.

Scarab Continuation, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

In 1958 Lance Reventlow started building a successful series of sports racing cars, above is a continuation model.

Guldstrand Corvette GS90, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

In the early 1990’s Corvette racer Dick Guldstrand approached General Motors with a plan to build his own vehicle based on the Corvette asking for 15 chassis and a few million dollars to get him going, he got one car and GM’s blessing. Dick ended up building six of the $200,000 dollar cars, the one above is the second of them, built in 1993.

Vector M12, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Nearly three times more common than the Guldstarnd Corvette is the Vector M12 of which 17 examples were manufactured from 1995 to 1999. The Vector was built on a modified Lamborghini Diablo Chassis and is powered by a 499 hp Lamborghini V12.

My thanks to Geoffrey for sharing his photographs more of which will be seen tomorrow and next Wednesday.

Thanks for joining me on this “Classic Americans” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me tomorrow for Ferrari Friday to see a work in progress.

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Coffee, Croissant & Cars #09/13 – Avenue Drivers Club

On second Sunday’s of the week in Bristol there is nowhere quite like Queen Square in Bristol for car enthusiasts to go for the monthly gathering of the Avenue Drivers Club.

Sunbeam 14/40, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

I managed to get down there at 8:30 am for the last meeting and already enthusiasts were coming in thick and fast. Around 2850 Sunbeam 14/40’s like the example above were built between 1924 and 1926, among novelties for the period were standard front brakes.

Abarth, 500, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Amongst those I met on the day was regular GALPOT reader Colin who owns this 2010 Abarth 500 one of the earliest imported examples of the type that did not spend it’s early life on the Hertz Rental fleet.

Triumph 2500 PI Mk2, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Readers of last Tuesdays blog might remember that Brian Culcheth and Johnstone Syer drove a Triumph 2500 PI Mk2 like the 1970 example seen here to a second place on the London to Mexico World Cup Rally.

Moss Monaco, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

John Cowperthwaite designed and built the first Moss Kit Car in Sheffield around 1981, it is thought 70 Moss Monaco‘s have been built, mostly using either Triumph Herald or Ford Escort motors and running gear.

Plymouth Special De Luxe Coupe, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Plymouth’s first new model after the 1939/45 was was the Deluxe, introduced in 1946, which came with a push button on the dash to start the 95 hp straight six motor. The example above appears to be a 1948 Special De Luxe Coupé.

Ford Ranchero, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Looking like it came out of the Twighlight B&W TV series was this 1957 Ford Ranchero, which circulated the Square once before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

VW Golf VR6 MkIII, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

The secret of low riding is air suspension, this two owner Golf VR6 MkIII rides on air suspension sourced from a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) trailer.

Lincoln Continental, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Looking suitably presidential with it’s red flashing lights mounted behind the grill and suicide rear doors was this 1964 Lincoln Continental which was imported into this country in 1991.

McLaren 12C Great , Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Embarrassingly when I saw this Mclaren Great 12C I half expected Austin Powers to step out. It turns out that McLaren have been supporting an innovation initiative with these Union Jack liveried cars with the strap line, Innovation Is Great Britain.

Porsche 911 RS, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Finally rumour had it that the owner of this Porsche RS had to break out a pick axe to remove some rubber sleeping policeman his ex wife had installed in a shared drive way, just to get the RSR bodied Porsche onto the road !

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee, Croissant & Cars #09/13” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me for Americana Thursday tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a racing Corvette C2. Don’t forget to come back now !

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