Lincoln Cars of the 1940s and The Lincoln Town Car
Dearborn’s original ‘49 planning called for a 118-inch-wheelbase Ford and a 121-inch Mercury. What emerged as the Cosmopolitan was conceived as a Zephyr. At the last minute, Ford’s policy committee, led by Ernest Breech and Harold Youngren, mandated a smaller 114-inch-wheelbase Ford, so the proposed Mercury became the ‘49 standard Lincoln and the 118-inch Ford was made a Mercury — hence the latter’s change from “senior Ford” to “junior Lincoln” in this period. The ex-Mercury Lincolns were thus much cheaper than the Cosmos, spanning a $2500-$3100 range versus $3200-$3950.
Predictably, given its wartime design exercises, Lincoln Town Car Air Suspension ‘49 styling was of the “bar-of-soap” school, but clean and dignified nonetheless. Fadeaway front fenderlines marked base models. Cosmos had fully flush fenders, plus one-piece (instead of two-piece) windshields, broad chrome gravel deflectors over the front wheel arches, Airbags and thin window frames. All models wore conservative grilles, sunken headlamps (glass covers were planned), and “frenched” taillamps. Model-year volume set a record at 73,507 units.
Lincoln’s first new postwar generation continued for the next two years with no major alteration. Offerings, however, were shuffled for 1950, as the standard convertible and the tubby Cosmo Town Sedan were deleted. This left a notchback coupe and a four-door sport sedan (with throwback “suicide” rear doors) in each series, coil springs plus a Cosmopolitan convertible. There were also two newcomers for 1950: the $2721 Lido and $3406 Cosmo Capri. These were limited-edition coupes with custom interiors and padded canvas tops offered in lieu of a true pillarless hardtop to answer Cadillac’s 1949 Coupe de Ville. Few were sold through 1951.
All 1950 Lincolns sported a restyled dashboard by chief designer Tom Hibbard. It was an attractive “rolled-top” design with an oblong instrument cluster, a format that would continue through 1957. A self-shifting Hydra-Matic transmission, bought from archrival GM, arrived as a new 1950 option; it would be standard in 1952-54. The ‘51 models were spruced up by longer rear fenders with upright taillamps (versus the previous round units), plus a simpler grille and different wheel covers.