How Continental Was the Mark III?

What is a Lincoln Continental?  That can be hard to determine because marketers have applied that name to different kinds of cars since 1940.  Originally, what began as a customized car for Edsel Ford entered production and was named the Lincoln-Zephyr Continental.  Once the large, expensive K-series Lincolns were dropped, the Zephyr name was also eliminated.  Original-style Lincoln Continentals were produced through the 1948 model year, but they too were dropped when postwar redesigns appeared for 1949.  Then, in a modernized form, they were briefly revived 1956-57 as a separate Continental brand, the cars being called Continental Mark II.  After that project folded the term Lincoln Continental returned and was applied to regular Lincolns for many years.  In the late 1960s the original, sporty Continental coupe concept was revived.  But the Continental name was already in use, so the new cars were named Continental Mark III, not quite a separate brand (1958 Lincolns sedans also used that name, but it was re-used here).  Various Mark numerals appeared for years thereafter when redesigns entered production, the last being the 1993-98 Mark VIII.  Recently, a Lincoln Continental sedan has reappeared.

For some Wikipedia background, you might try linking here and here. I wrote about the Continental Mark II here and here.

The present post deals with styling of the Continental Mark III and how it related to previous non-sedan Continentals.

In terms of market position, these were closer to the original Continentals than were the Mark IIs.  The late Paul R. Woudenberg in this book noted that while early Continentals were expensive, they were not the most costly cars.  But the Mark IIs were planned to be the most expensive: They were priced at $10,000, a lot back in 1956.  For example, the most expensive Lincoln Primiere hardtop coupe was listed for about $4,600 and the mid-line Ford Customline four-door sedan was around $2,000.  Mark IIIs in 1969 were priced about $6,800, more than other Lincolns.  A Cadillac Sixty Special sedan sold for the about the same amount.  But if a rich buyer wanted to spend serious money on a car, he'd have the shell out more than $24,000 for a "Große Mercedes" 600 in the late 1960s.  So Mark IIs were indeed in a similar market level to the originals, and they sold well.

Continental Mark IIIs were introduced in the spring of 1968, but essentially were 1969 models: that's how I'm treating them here.  First some side-views, then images of rear quarters.

Gallery

1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Continental Cabriolet, RM Auctions photo
The original Continental of 1939 and most 1940 versions were convertibles whose tops had blanked-out rear quarters.

1941 Lincoln Continental Coupe
This coupe design was added in 1940 and became the better-selling style.  The theme of its passenger greenhouse is retained in later versions, as is an echo of the rear-mounted spare tire.  Therefore, our focus is on these two elements rather than on the front ends.

1957 Continental Mark II, Barrett-jackson photo
The greenhouse theme is revived in cleaner form, but with a conservatively shaped wraparound windshield rather than the Lincoln-Zephyr style flat windscreen of 1939.  Also carried over is the long hood proportion relative to the greenhouse.

1969 Continental Mark III, Mecum auction photo
Proportions exclusive of trunks are retained here, as is the greenhouse theme.  Front overhang is considerable, but necessary given the body platform used (see below).

1941 Lincoln Continental Coupe
Again, the starting point.  Besides the long, comparatively low hood, what characterized original Continentals were the short, squared-off trunk and the external rear-mounted, covered spare tire.

1956 Continental Mark II
This photo is all over the Internet, but I can't locate its origin.  The back window is wider than those of first-generation coupes.  The spare tire is not mounted externally, but does lie inside the trunk bulge denoting it: functional, but annoying when trying to load/unload the trunk.

1969 Continental Mark III, Mecum photo
The top declines towards the rear, so the backlight is shorter than on the Mark II though the width is similar.  The spare tire shape on the trunk lid is largely a false element, as spare tires were normally laid flat on trunk floors.

1969 Continental Mark III, Hyman, Ltd. photo
Frontal Mark III styling.  This image is included to illustrate that these cars were built on the same platform as Ford Thunderbirds.  Compare the cowl area and the windshield design to the car in the photo below.  Mark IIIs had slightly longer wheelbases than did Thunderbirds.

1969 Thunderbird
Besides the windshields, note the front overhang that in part was intended to provide for long hoods.

Unless otherwise noted, images are for cars posted for sale.

Those Mysterious 1953 Chevrolet and Pontiac Restyles

The 1953 redesign for Chevrolet and Pontiac has always bothered me.  The idea we were given was that this was all-new, yet there were similarities to the 1949-52 bodies, plus a vague hint of other similarities.

I suppose that someplace out there is a definitive discussion of the 1952-to-1953 transition.  But all I seem to read has it that either (1) the bodies were new, or (2) they were some sort of facelift.

When all else fails, as it seems, I resort to photos to try to make a case, and I'll flesh that out in the captions below.

First, a few items: I compare 1953 Chevys and Pontiacs to some 1952 Oldsmobiles and Buicks for reasons that will become apparent.  Chevrolet wheelbases remained constant over the 1952-53 transition at 115 inches (2921 mm).  Pontiac's grew from 120 inches (3048 mm) to 122 inches (3099 mm).  The 1952 Buick Special shown below had a 121.5 inch (3086 mm) wheelbase.  The Oldsmobile Supper 88s wheelbase was 119.5 (3035) and the Ninety-Eight's was 124 inches (3150 mm).  Unless noted, the images are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

1952 Pontiac Chieftain 2-door sedan, Mecum auctions photo.  Chevrolet 2-door sedans were similar, though had shorter hoods.  Both brands' General Motors A-bodies had two-piece windshields 1949-52.

1952 Buick Special 2-door sedan.  This is a GM B-body introduced for the 1950 model year.  Windshields were one-piece.

The restyled 1953 Pontiac Chieftain 2-door sedan.  Its passenger compartment "greenhouse" is essentially identical to the '52 Buick Special's including the one-piece windshield.  The C-pillars on the Pontiac are slightly thinner, but all else looks the same.  However, the fender design is a carryover of the 1949-52 theme, the actual shaping having changed a little.

1953 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door sedan, Barrett-Jackson photo.  The greenhouse is the same as the Pontiac's, but the rest of the car is stubbier.

1952 Pontiac Chieftain 4-door sedan.

1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe 4-door sedan.  Again, these are from the final year of the 1949-52 A-body.

1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 4-door sedan, Barrett-Jackson photo.

1952 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight 4-door sedan, factory photo.  These two images show examples of 1952 B-body 4-door sedans on cars with different wheelbases.  The greenhouses are the same, but the 98's chrome trim around the C-pillar makes them seem a bit different.

1953 Pontiac Chieftain 4-door sedan, factory photo.  Again, the Pontiac '53 A-body greenhouse is virtually the same as that of the '52 four-door B-body's.  The difference is that the Pontiac rear door is not as wide as those on those Olds's.

1953 Chevrolet Bel Air 4-door sedan, Mecum photo.  The same applies to the '53 Chevy 4-door sedan.

My conclusion is that General Motors used the core elements of its 1950-53 B-bodies as the basis for the "redesigned" 1953-54 A-bodies.  The passenger compartment was the most costly to engineer, so by keeping it the same aside from minor C-pillar differences, the A-bodies were comparatively cheap to develop.  This might have been motivated by the knowledge that a totally redesigned A-body would definitely be coming on-line for 1955 or maybe even as early as 1954, so a large expense to freshen 1952 Chevies and Pontiacs didn't seem worth doing, even for the wealthy corporation that GM was in those days.

Henry Haga at the Art Center School, 1953

From this link:

"Henry Haga, (1931-1988), was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended the University of Wisconsin for one year and graduated from the Art Center School of Design. Haga began his career at the General Motors Design Staff in the experimental design studio.

"After experience in all five car division studios, he was named Chief Designer for Chevrolet Studio in 1963 and was responsible for the designs of the Corvette, Camaro, Monza, special show cars and the early Chevy II. In 1974 he was transferred to Opel at Russelsheim, West Germany, where he was Director of Design for the European passenger cars for the next six years.

"After returning to the United States in 1980, he became Assistant Executive Designer for the Chevrolet and Pontiac Exterior Design Studio, a position he held until 1984 when he was named Director of the General Motors Advanced Concepts Center in Newbury Park, California."

That's the biographical information I found on the Internet, though there are snippets regarding him here and there.  Clearly, he was talented both in terms of styling and management, having held responsible positions for many years.

What were things like for him in his early years?  A short-lived magazine from the Hot Rod / Motor Trend stable had a feature article about him around the time he graduated from the Art Center School, then located in Los Angeles.

The scans below are the best I could manage with my equipment, and I apologize for the quality.  Click on the images to enlarge considerably.

The issue cover.  The June 1953 issue was listed as Vol. 1, No. 1, and this one from a month later was called Vol. 2, No. 4 -- I have no idea why.

Extremely Rare 1935 Chrysler CW Airflow Limousine

Only 15 1935 Chrysler CW Imperial Custom Airflow LeBaron Limousines were built, and a beautifully restored survivor was on display at the LeMay America's Car Museum in Tacoma when I recently visited.

The CW was the top of Chrysler Corporation's line for model years 1934 and 1935, featuring a curved, one-piece windshield -- a technically advanced feature essentially unheard-of at the time.  I wrote about various 1934 Airflow models here.

The model's title includes the name of custom body firm LeBaron.  Given the semi-unit body construction of Airfllows, my guess is that if LeBaron was involved, their work was on the interior.

Click on images to enlarge.

Gallery

Cropped images from advertisements for 1934 Chrysler CW Airflows.  Few of these were built even though the Great Depression has already bottomed out.

The 1935 CW Limousine as seen in the museum.  Unlike the waterfall grille design of 1934, '35 Airflows were given grilles with a prow, the goal being to make the cars seem more conventional than the controversial '34s.  Note the curved windshield and the multi-bar bumper.

Museum curators thoughtfully displayed the car with doors open so that the interior could be appreciated.

View of the rear end showing the spare tire cover and the formidable, yet decorative, bumper design.

Interior view.  The front seat is upholstered in dark leather because that is the domain of the chauffeur.  Built into the back side of the seat is a tray and folding jump-seat.

The main passenger area.  There are two well-padded seats with substantial armrests.  Rear seating is upholstered with fabric, though it's hard to tell from this photo.  Note the thin decorative strips of wood and metal just below the doorsills.  Also what appears to be an entry-assistance light on the nearest passenger armrest. If you look carefully, you can see the retractable glass window atop the front seatback that separates the chauffeur from his passengers.

Oldsmobile's "Slash" Side Décor of the 1950s

Brand recognition symbol continuity can be expressed several ways, most often in the design of the grille and frontal ensemble.  But for seven model years in the 1950s, General Motors' Oldsmobile relied on a certain side trim theme to supplement a consistent grille theme.

I use the word "slash" in this post's title, but find it difficult to concisely characterize the design.  Therefore, most of the analytical content here is in the image captions below.

Unless otherwise cited, the images below are of cars that were listed for sale.

Gallery

1951 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe, Mecum auction photo
In those days Oldsmobile came in two varieties, top-of-the line Ninety-Eights and lesser 88s.  The latter received new bodies for the 1951 model year that lacked the separate rear fenders found on 1950 models.  To avoid a slab-sided look with the new fender treatment, chromed decorations were applied.  The lower rock guard plus horizontal streak is run-of-the-mill 1950-vintage ornamentation.  The new feature is the wide, angled, chrome strip.  That, in combination with the horizontal strip, become Oldsmobile's body side theme (with variations) through the 1957 model year.

1952 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe - Barrett-Jackson auction photo
The following year, the elements remain about the same -- slightly visually discrete, albeit linked compositionally.

1953 Oldsmobile Super 88 2-door sedan
Now the angled strip merges into the horizontal one, though the latter's forward segment itself is linked to the rock guard panel.

1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta, Mecum photo
The Fiesta was a low-production, expensive convertible with a dipped belt line and featuring a panoramic windshield.  This car and a Cadillac with the same features previewed GM's futuristic 1954 designs.  On the Fiesta, the smoothly merged angled-horizontal chrome piece is now distinct from the rock guard element seen in the previous 1953 image.  This is the "slash" in its classic form.

1954 Oldsmobile Super 88 4-door sedan
Shown here is a common B-body Olds 88 sedan with the slash and the two-tone paint scheme previewed in the last year's Fiesta.  Gone is the rock guard element.

1954 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe
Line-leading 98 hardtops and convertibles (but not sedans) got a different kind of slash.  The downward stroke is the same as before, but rather than transitioning to the horizontal, it reverses forward, passing along the top of the front wheel opening.

1955 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe, Mecum photo
Oldsmobile's 1955 facelift made use of the reverse-slash element seen on '54 98s.  But the downward stroke is now a sort of organic curve.  Here at its top it starts where the rear fender begins.

1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe
On 98 hardtops and convertibles, it originates at the corner of the wraparound windshield, again making these models distinct from lesser Oldsmobile breeds.

1956 Oldsmobile DeLuxe 88 2-door sedan, Barrett-Jackson photo
For the final year of that body design, 88s retained the downward stroke, but it terminated at a long, horizontal chrome strip.  The two-tone paint arrangement continued, though it's not seen on this car.

1956 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Sedan
Olds 98s departed from the slash theme to some degree, sporting this curved variation.

1957 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Coupe
Oldsmobiles were redesigned for 1957, but the slash in something like its classical form returned on all models to provide brand image continuity.  Unlike much of its competition, GM styling that year was rounded and heavy looking.  The result was reduced sales and a panic attack in the styling section.  The basic bodies could not be redesigned, so a heavy facelift happened.

1958 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe, Mecum photo
Here is how Oldsmobiles looked as the result of the panic.  No more slash, gone forever.  Instead, an incoherent collection of ornamental details.

The Outstanding 1962 Buick Skylark Sport Coupe

I suspect that most readers of this blog have warm places in their hearts for some of the cars their families had when they were young.  That's certainly true for me.  One of those cars was the 1962 Buick Skylark Sport Coupe with the body painted black and the top painted white.  Plus having a red interior.

Some background on Skylarks is here.  I'll continue the narrative in the captions below.  As usual, unless otherwise noted, photos are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

For the 1961 model year General Motors introduced a new body for Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs in addition to its standard size bodies.  These were smaller, and popularly given the label "compact" (though they were large cars in the European context of the times).  Shown here is a factory photo of a four-door Buick Special sedan.  Buick had abandoned its long-running Special name in 1959, but brought it back for this model.

Buick marketed Special coupes in addition to sedans: this is a 1961 car.  Note the very thin B-pillar.

That coupe was the basis for a mid-1961 fancied-up version named "Skylark," another name from Buick's past (the mid-1950s).  The metal window framing suggests that this is a hardtop convertible, but it isn't: there's that thin B-pillar lurking behind the chrome.

Two factory photos of a 1961 Skylark.  I find the styling very pleasing despite a whiff of fussiness at the front.

Here is a 1962 Skylark Sports Coupe, a true "pillarless" hardtop.  It's exactly like the one my family had.

Rear quarter view.

And a high side view.  Its red interior can be glimpsed.

The red interior in all its glory.

1963 was the final year for this design.  What had been very attractive styling was degraded by an attempt to mimic the facelift on full-size 1962 Buicks.  The worst elements are the blunt front end and the micro-fins atop the aft fender.

Putting '63 Skylark styling in context, this is a 1963 Buick LeSabre 4-door sedan.  It has those micro-fins, and the front also is blunt.  The grilles have the same general format but differ in detail, the Skylark getting traditional Buick vertical bars.  Front fender creases and faux-air vents are similar.