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Lincoln was founded in 1917 by Henry M. Leland, a master machinist who had previously founded Cadillac. Leland named the new company after Abraham Lincoln, who he admired. The company produced Liberty V12 aircraft engines during World War I and began building automobiles in 1920, but faced financial difficulties when wartime contracts ended.
Ford Motor Company purchased Lincoln in 1922 for $8 million in a bankruptcy auction. Henry Ford saw the acquisition as a way to compete with Cadillac in the luxury market. Edsel Ford, Henry son, took particular interest in Lincoln design and was instrumental in creating the Lincoln Continental (1939), which was originally built as a one-off personal car for Edsel and became one of the most beautiful American designs of the era.
Lincoln design philosophy changed dramatically in the 1950s under styling director William Clay Ford, with the addition of the iconic of the Continental Mark II, the four-door convertible Continental, and the massive 1960s Lincolns that defined American land yachts. Lincoln was consistently the car of choice for US presidents and celebrities through the 1960s and 1970s.
[Note: Lincoln has struggled to compete with German luxury brands since the 1990s. The brand market share in the US luxury segment has declined from leading positions in the 1970s to single digits today. Lincoln has been positioned below Cadillac in Ford hierarchy and has not had a dedicated rear-wheel-drive platform since the 2011 discontinuation of the Town Car.]
The Lincoln Zephyr (1936) was one of the first American production cars to use unit-body construction rather than body-on-frame, designed by John Tjaarda with a streamlined teardrop shape that was aerodynamically advanced for the era.
The Lincoln Continental (1961) featured the first four-door convertible body style, with no B-pillars and all four windows fully retractable. The suicide-door design has never been replicated in a production convertible. The car was chosen for the 1961 presidential parade cars.
Lincoln introduced the first production vehicle with a totally keyless entry system, the Lincoln Mark VIII (1993), with a keypad on the driver door that allowed entry with a code. This system has been continuously offered on Ford and Lincoln products since.
The Lincoln Town Car was the best-selling full-size luxury car in the United States for much of its production run (1981-2011) due to its popularity with livery and limousine services. Its body-on-frame construction made it ideal for stretch limousine conversions, dominating the market.
The 2022 Lincoln Navigator introduced Lincoln ActiveGlide hands-free driving system (BlueCruise in Ford vehicles), allowing hands-free operation on pre-mapped divided highways. It also introduced a 48-inch panoramic display across the dashboard.
[Note: Lincoln has followed Ford engineering rather than developing its own unique platforms since the 2000s. The brand currently shares platforms with Ford models (Navigator/Expedition, Aviator/Explorer, Nautilus/Edge).]
Henry Leland founded the Lincoln Motor Company, named after Abraham Lincoln, initially producing Liberty aircraft engines.
Ford Motor Company purchased Lincoln at bankruptcy auction for $8 million, beginning the Ford-Lincoln relationship.
The first Lincoln Continental was created, becoming one of the most iconic American luxury car designs.
The Lincoln Continental four-door convertible, with its suicide doors and unibody construction, was introduced.
The Lincoln Navigator, the brand first full-size luxury SUV, was introduced, creating the American luxury SUV segment.
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