1936 Lincoln Limousine

Lincoln Motor Car Company's flagship model in the 1930s was the prestigious Model K. When introduced in 1931, Lincoln was under the full control of the Ford Motor Company, as Henry Leland had been pushed out by a revenge-seeking Henry Ford. Henry put his son Edsel in charge and almost immediately, Lincoln enjoyed a turnaround. The flagship Model K hit the showrooms in 1931 powered by an L-head V8 engine. Power was more than adequate but with ever increasing pressure to build multi-cylinder engines such as the V12 and V16, Ford swiftly responded with the addition of the V12 Model KB in 1932, followed by the smaller displacement KA. The early years of the Great Depression meant that sales were slim, but the V12 remained the signature of the K-series through 1939. The biggest change coming in 1934 when the two available sizes of V12 engines were combined into one singular 414 cubic inch unit. Most of America's luxury car manufacturers had added entry level lines to boost the bottom line during the Great Depression. Packard had the Junior series, Cadillac offered LaSalle and, while late to the game, Ford introduced the Zephyr range to bridge the gap between top line Fords and the prestigious Model K in 1936. The new Zephyr was also powered by a V12 engine, and was surely stealing sales from its older sibling, but Lincoln continued to offer the Model K for high end buyers, who now had 17 different custom body styles to select from. For the 1936 K-series (the KA and KB monikers had been dropped), styling was tweaked with a raked windscreen, revised radiator grille and optional stamped steel wheels. On the mechanical side, the 414 cubic inch flathead V-12 engine was updated with hydraulic lifters and a revised cam shaft and placed further forward in the chassis sitting to allow for more passenger room.