1938 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe
By the mid '30s, the luxury car market was changing, and the grand Lincoln K/KB series was falling behind the times. Edsel Ford could see that in order to survive, Lincoln needed a more modern and affordable model that appealed to a broader range of pocketbooks, and on November 2, 1935, the Lincoln-Zephyr was formally introduced. Note the hyphen in the name, indicating that this new model was presented as a sort of companion brand to the classic coach built Lincoln. The Zephyr was a Lincoln, it was to be noted, but it was something more, too. The basis for the new Zephyr was actually provided by a major Ford vendor, the Briggs Manufacturing Company of Detroit, supplier of auto bodies and stampings. Under contract for Briggs, Dutch engineer John Tjaarda, (later known as John Tjaarda van Sterkenburg), had designed a stunning prototype auto that was eventually shown in the Ford exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, more properly known as the Century of Progress International Exposition.
For consignment, a car to bridge the gap between the Ford Deluxe and the Lincoln Model K in both size and price. This car was designed with streamlining in mind and was very forward thinking for its day. This car presents very nicely in its mostly restored state, with lots of curvaceous chrome, excellent paint, and a wonderful mostly restored cloth interior. This car is just awaiting a few finishing touches on the interior and fuel system. The 1938 Lincoln-Zephyr coupe kept sales strong in Lincoln showrooms and is now here in our Hallowed Halls to ignite your passion for the finer things of the Art Deco era.
Exterior
Burgundy paint bathes the exterior panels and it's hard to find a single fault in the finish. Wonderfully formed steel curves abound on this car, and with a minimal use of brightwork, one can truly appreciate and breathe in the luxurious lines of the body. Mirror polished bumpers with their bumperettes, headlight bezels, handles and mirrors are all excellently restored with no dimpling or rusting. From its horizontally ribbed V-shape grille to the semi sunken headlights this car screams streamline. For your history lesson of the day: Complaints about the '36 and '37 Zephyr's tendency to overheat were pouring in to Ford. So according to an interview with Gregoire, he measured the space between the front frame rails, and decided that the radiator would just fit between them, if mounted horizontally, (cross-flow), and quickly had it cobbled up, along with cut-outs on both sides of the front sheet metal. A quick run in a crude air-tunnel proved its effectiveness, so "Bob" Gregoire designed the delicately ribbed grille over the openings. Voil ; the first modern horizontally-oriented grille. So much so that rumor has it GM Styling Head Harley Earl was quoted as saying: "Oh my God, how did we miss on that one? That's going to ruin us". Nice running boards with excellent rubber connect the curvaceous fenders and just above the true teardrop shape of the passenger compartment of the body, which is amplified by the rounded doors. Beautiful rear fender skirts continue with the teardrop design and highlight the rear fender design nicely. Teardrop style tail lights are mounted into the pointed trailing edges of the rear fenders and frame a swooping trunk lid with another flawless bumper below. Period correct and nearly new Firestone wide white wall rubber wraps 16" steel wheels which are adorned by simple dog dish style caps with the Lincoln-Zephyr logo within.
Interior
A swing of either of the 2 doors and we see the bare steel shell and inner workings of the doors. These doors, as well as the rear sides are missing their panels, but we do note fully refinished zebra grain wood applique covered window frames. As we move inside, a couchlike bench seat within its own stylized tub, is all covered in tan broadcloth with a slight tuck and roll pattern with a few buttons sprawls across the front of the cabin. This bench is like new and has no wear or tears to speak of. The rear of the car is unfinished with a mix of black painted and natural finish plywood providing the base for whatever you'd like to install. Stamped sheet metal, finished in black and all rust free floats this interior and peering upward we see the underside of the roof in bare steel, so you can add those items to your to do list. Lest we forget the highlight of the interior which is an art deco styled dash. Grayish taupe painted steel, twin gloveboxes, and a centrally located chrome bezel white face gauges with black type flanks the factory AM radio on the left, ashtray on the right, and the factory clock below all with matching more art deco styling. An original and fully restored large cream rimmed banjo style steering wheel fronts this beautiful dash.
Drivetrain
A correct and fully rebuilt V12 with 267 cubes in flathead form is buttoned up under the long streamline hood. A single 2-barrel carburetor tops this mill, and a rebuilt 3-speed manual transmission and a 2-speed rear axle with 4.44 gears make up the drivetrain. All has been well restored and is looking better than new in its olive green finish.
Undercarriage
Once up in the air we note the advanced feature of a fully unitized chassis. Although there is still a ladder frame, it is welded to the body rather than bolted. Here we see nicely painted black for the flooring, frame, and undersides of the running boards with only light surface rust where the paint was lightly applied. Transverse leaf springs provide the ride both front and rear and mechanical 4 wheel drum brakes are seen as well, "the safety of steel from pedal to wheel", as the Ford slogan went. The fuel tank is not installed, however, our consignor notes that it has been fully redone. Just a nicely done job under here.
Stunningly beautiful paint, shiny fully redone chrome, a fancy Art Deco interior, a streamlined design, and a fully rebuilt drivetrain add up to one serious collector car. For the collector who doesn't mind turning a few wrenches and adding a few finishing details this is the perfect car for you! Show season is right around the corner, "You're New Ride Is Waiting".
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
