1956 Lincoln Continental MK II

Intended to be the highest-quality luxury car in the world, the Lincoln Continental MK II was created under the direction of William Clay Ford. The project started in 1952 and had an on-off existence that culminated in the car that went on sale in autumn 1955.

Some of the best designers and engineers worked on the car. The car was expensive, costing considerably more than a contemporary Rolls-Royce. Every detail of the Continental was carefully thought out and every effort was made to ensure that each example was faultless. A telling detail was that each cross-head screw holding the inside windscreen moulding was aligned so that its slots were perfectly horizontal and vertical. The cats were constructed in a plant specially built for the purpose. To reduce the possibility of flaws, leather from Scotland, upholstered the cars, which were then shipped to dealers in fleece-lined covers. Most of the Continental MK IIs made during its three-year run are in the hands of collectors today, but they have yet to make much impression in Concours d’Elegance, possibly because they are considered too recent to be classics.

These extracts are taken from Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design by Michel Zumbrunn, text by Robert Cumberford which was published in October by Merrell