Lincoln Zephyr History

Introduced in November 1935 as a 1936 model, the Lincoln-Zephyr was a radically streamlined, mid-priced luxury car that brought aerodynamic 'streamline moderne' design to the showroom more successfully than the Chrysler Airflow that preceded it — its prow-like grille gave it a lower drag coefficient than the Airflow.

Uniquely among its rivals, the Zephyr used a V12 engine rather than a straight-eight or V8, and it became by far the best-selling V12 car in America. Its commercial success revitalized the struggling Lincoln division in the late 1930s.

The Zephyr's most lasting legacy was as the basis of the original 1940 Lincoln Continental, which began as a custom Zephyr built for Edsel Ford. The Lincoln-Zephyr name was dropped after the 1942 model year when US civilian car production halted for World War II.