100 Years of Lincoln as a Ford Brand: An Evolution Illustrated
Exactly 100 years ago today, Henry Ford, with encouragement from his wife Clara and his son Edsel Ford, purchased The Lincoln Motor Company from distinguished inventor and automotive engineer Henry Leland for $8 million. The transaction set in motion the creation of an iconic American luxury brand.
Here is a photo gallery that traces the evolution of Lincoln as a member of the Ford family over the past century.
1922 Lincoln Model L
1931 Lincoln Model L. The car had become the equal to vehicles from established American brands including Duesenberg, Marmon, Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow.
1932 Lincoln Model K, which replaced the Model L.
1936 Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln's second model and the first with a unibody construction.
1940 Lincoln Zephyr Continental. The beginning of the Continental and European-style Lincolns.
1948 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet
1954 Lincoln Capri, the brand's new flagship model in the early 1950s.
1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitain, a sporty sedan designed as an entry-level model.
1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II, considered by many one of the greatest cars ever built. Continental became a sub-brand above Lincoln.
Lincoln debuted coach doors on its Continental during the 1960s.
1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III
1970 Lincoln Continental, redesigned and larger than ever.
1977 Lincoln Versailles, nearly one metre shorter than the Continental.
In the 1970s, Lincoln introduced the Continental Mark IV and Mark V (1978 model pictured above).
1982 Lincoln Continental, more compact than its predecessor and the lightest Continental since WWII.
1983 Lincoln Town Car
1988 Lincoln Continental. The Ford Taurus-based model was the first Lincoln with front-wheel drive.
In the 1980s, Lincoln introduced the Continental Mark VI and Mark VII (1988 model pictured above).
1993 Lincoln Town Car
1998 Lincoln Continental Mark VIII
1998 Lincoln Navigator, the brand's first SUV.
2000 Lincoln LS
2002 Lincoln Blackwood, the brand's first pickup.
2003 Lincoln Aviator, smaller than the Navigator.
Lincoln Mark LT pickup. This one was designed as a luxurious Ford F-150.
2007 Lincoln MKZ. This car replaced the LS and was called Zephyr a year prior.
2007 Lincoln MKX, a midsize SUV based on the Ford Edge.
2009 Lincoln MKS, the brand's new full-size sedan.
2010 Lincoln MKT, arguably one of the least attractive Lincolns ever made.
2015 Lincoln MKC, a compact SUV based on the Ford Escape.
2017 Lincoln Continental, resurrected for one final time.
2019 Lincoln Nautilus. It replaced the MKX but will be dropped in 2023.
2021 Lincoln Corsair, a rebadged MKC available with plug-in hybrid tech.