Lincoln had clearly established itself as a producer of luxury cars equal to the finest in the world.  Edsel Ford had applied his appreciation of the finer things in life to the design and manufacture of his premier automobile.  But by 1931 a new vehicle was needed to replace the Model L.  Enter the Model K.

                                                                           1931 Lincoln K         Courtesy: Jim Vitale

    For many years Lincolns had come in only one wheelbase length: 136in.  Many custom body builders found it difficult to squeeze a limousine into these confines, so the new Model K would offer a 145in wheelbase.  The old Leland V8 was getting a little outdated so major improvements were made to it resulting in an increase in horsepower from 90 to 120, though the displacement was unchanged.  Average weight went up slightly.  Prices ranged between $4400 and $7400.  Numerous custom coachwork was available. The frame and chassis were new.  Styling changes included a lower hood and roof.

     Nineteen thirty-two brought yet further changes with a return to two different wheelbases, the first time since 1922.  The Lincoln line now consisted of two models: the KA, using the new 136in wheelbase; and the KB, using the previous 145.  Bigger news though was the introduction of Lincoln’s first V-12 engine.  Cadillac had introduced a V-16 in 1930 and a V-12 in 1931.  While the country was clearly in a Depression, seemingly rendering almost non-existent a demand for such cars, Lincoln had to follow suit.  (Both Packard and Pierce Arrow would add V12 engines to their existing eights in 1932.)  However, beginning in 1933 Lincoln would sell nothing but 12 cylinder motorcars for the next 15 years.  In this first year it would displace 448ci and develop 150 horsepower.  The KB’s, in which it was placed, were priced from $4300 to $ 7200.
 Lincoln retained its V8 for this last year in 1932 and this was the engine placed in the KA.  Not only did the KA re-introduce a shorter wheelbase to the Lincoln but made the marque available to a far greater number of people than ever before with prices ranging from $2900 to $3400.  Styling on all models was now becoming more rounded and Lincoln was hitting its peak of “classic” styling in this, the true “Classic Era”.
 
 

     The V8 had given all it could for its 12 production years.  While state of the art in 1921, even with refinements in 1931, it was by 1933 outdated.  Replacing it was a new design V12, not copied from the KB V12 introduced the year before.  This new V12 displaced 382ci (making it virtually the same size as the V8 it replaced) and produced 125 horsepower, also the same as the retired V8.   This new engine was used only in the short wheelbase (136in) KA but would in a different size become the only engine in the big Lincolns from 1934-1939.
 Styling continued to evolve into a more rounded look.  Fenders now covered more of the tires and suspension.

     Consolidation of the line was the theme for 1934.  The 2-year only KBV-12 engine was dropped and the KAV-12 was increased in displacement from 382ci to 414ci.  Rated at 150 horsepower it would be the only engine to power Lincoln’s larger cars through 1939.  The KA and KB designations were reduced simply to K.  Both the long and short wheelbases were retained.

     Nineteen thirty-five and six brought further styling changes to the K that gave them a more rounded, streamlined look.  But these would not be the most streamlined cars Lincoln offered in 1936.  The engine and wheelbases would remain the same as before.

                           1937 Zephyr                                                        1938 Zephyr

    Chrysler had attempted in 1934 to market an aerodynamic, streamlined car, the Airflow.  It had not been well-received but Lincoln experienced a different fate when it introduced the Zephyr in 1936.   Sales of the K had been dropping through the early ‘30’s.  Cadillac had introduced a less expensive car, the La Salle in 1927.  Thus, Edsel Ford authorized the building of a Lincoln that would be affordable to a much larger segment of the buying public.  By the 1936 model year the Zephyr was in the showrooms.  Combining very advanced styling with a sophisticated unit body and a V12 engine the Zephyr was an instant hit.  With prices of $1275 for a 2-door sedan and $1320 for a 4-door, the Zephyr cost a mere 30% of the least expensive Model K.  So futuristic was the “teardrop” styling that much of it was applied to the rest of the Ford Motor Company products in the late ‘30’s.  Even the ’37 K would use its faired-in style headlights.
 The Zephyr V12 engine was not a smaller version of the KV12, but rather essentially a larger version of the flathead Ford V8.  It displaced 267ci and developed 110 horsepower.  That meant 2.43 cubic inches for every horsepower.  The KV12 was 2.76, so the Zephyr engine was actually more efficient.  The Zephyr rode on a 122in wheelbase and weighed about 3350 lbs.
 

 As the K sales continued to fall, little justification could be made for radical changes.  Thus from 1937-39 only minor revisions were applied.  In 1937 it adopted the faired-in headlights of the Zephyr and this would be the last significant styling change before it bowed from the scene with the 1939 model.  Hydraulic valves were incorporated in 1937 resulting in a quieter engine and a revised camshaft resulted in more power, though the official rating of 150 was never changed.  The last ’39 K’s were sold in 1940.  A total of only 224 K’s were sold for the 1939 model year.
 But this state of affairs for Lincoln’s superluxury car was not unique to Lincoln.  In 1937 Cadillac dropped its V12, in 1939 Packard its V12, and in 1940 Cadillac its V16.  Pierce Arrow had refused to make a less expensive car and experienced such a drop in sales that it went out of business in 1938, having only sold 18 cars that year.

     The Zephyr continued to be updated through 1939.  A fancy “Town Sedan” had also been offered in 1936 but only 47 of them were produced.   For 1937 this was changed to the “Town Limousine” and a fourth model was added in 1937, a coupe.  The ‘37’s also sported a new dash.
 Confident of the demand for Zephyrs, Lincoln added two more models in 1938, a convertible coupe and a convertible sedan.  Applied to all of these cars was an entirely new front sheet metal design.  The headlights were now completely flush with the fenders and air was admitted to the radiator by two small grills one on each side of the lower half of the front of the car.  Hydraulic lifters made the engine quieter and the wheelbase was stretched to 125in.  The major change in 1939 would be the addition of hydraulics to the brakes.  And a new hood prow, or nose, would make the ’39 distinguishable at a glance.

     Lincoln had entered the decade of the ‘30’s as one of the premier automakers in the world.  They would outlast the likes of some of the greatest luxury car makers this country had ever seen, including Marmon, Duesenberg, Peerless, Pierce Arrow, Cord, Reo, Franklin, Stutz, and Auburn.  Only Packard and Cadillac remained.  To be sure, Lincoln’s survival was due in part to Ford’s deep pockets, but it was equally as much a result of the personality and commitment of Edsel Ford.  Though his life would be cut short by his untimely death in May, 1943, he still had one more crowning achievement.  The 1940 Continental.