1942 Lincoln Continental Convertible
Engine: V-12
Displacement: 305 Cubic Inches
Horsepower: 130 BHP
Cost New: $3,000
         As legend has it, Edsel Ford was on a tour of Paris in 1938, when he became enamoured with the elegant sophistication of European cars. When he returned to the United States, Edsel went to Lincoln design chief E.T. "Bob" Gregorie and asked him to build a car for him to take to Palm Beach for the winter season. Edsel told Gregorie that he wanted a car to have a "continental" style, similar to the cars he saw in Europe. Gregorie did not have enough time to build something from scratch, and decided to customize an existing Lincoln Zephyr. He and his team elongated the hood and front fenders, lowered the roof by three inches, sectioning and lowering the cowl to match. The car was a huge success and Edsel returned from his winter vacation with nearly two hundred orders for the car. The design was immediately moved to the top of the Ford lineup as their most luxurious model. In 1941, as America's involvement in the war increased, resources were shifted from domestic automotive production to war production. This led to the 1942 Lincoln models using zinc instead of stainless steel for the grill and cast iron instead of aluminum for the cylinder heads. This incredible example of the Continental Cabriolet is one of only 136 produced.