Recycled Lincoln Grille Design Themes

The present post is a slightly modified version of a post I wrote in 2013 for my Art Contrarian blog.

For a couple of decades, we in North America became used to seeing Lincoln automobile grilles that looked like these shown below.

These are Lincoln Town Cars, a model produced for many years.  The upper photo is of a 2002 model, the lower shows a Town Car from around 2011.  Their shield-like grille shape dates from the 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII, though rectangular grilles with wide chrome frames and thin, vertical bars continued on some models until the 2002 model year.

Changes in grille design rapidly accelerated by 2007 as Lincoln sales continued to dwindle from the 1989-90 peak.  2013 models had faces such as on the MKZ model shown here.

I don't like that grille design.  But I do find it interesting how Lincolns stylists raided the marque's historical parts bin, so to speak, in a search for a different theme 1993-2007 and the 20-odd years before that.

Consider the Lincoln Navigator SUV (sport-utility vehicle).  The upper photo is of a 2003 model, the lower one shows the 2007 Navigator with a different grille theme.  Where might that theme have come from?

Probably from the design Lincolns sported for the 1946-1948 model years.  Shown here in a Mecum auction photo is a Lincoln Continental Cabriolet.

Then there is the grille on the 2013 Lincoln MKX crossover SUV.  It has been around for a few model years and is similar in spirit to the MKZ shown above except that the grille bars are heavy and are aligned vertically rather than horizontally.  And where might this have come from?

Once source was probably this 1995 concept car called the Sentinel.  But we can push the idea even farther back to...

...the 1939-1941 model Lincoln Zephyrs and Continentals (above is a 1940 model Lincoln Zephyr, Hyman photo).

In the midst of this stylistic thrashing about, he find the...

...2007 Lincoln MKX (upper) whose grille reminds one of the of the 1964 Lincoln Continental (lower photo via barrett-Jackson.

Where else might Lincoln stylist care to dig for traditionally based grille themes?  I suggest these as starters:

The upper (Bonhams auction) image is of a 1942 Lincoln Continental Coupe, the lower shows the grille used on 1949 Lincolns.

BMW 328s -- Then, and More Recently

BMW built 328-series sports cars and successful racing cars in the late 1930s, as this Wikipedia entry mentions.  I wrote about some of those cars along with more recent concept versions here.

The original 328 was simply a model sequence number.  In the mid-1970s BMW initiated its 3, 5 and 7 Series numbers (more were added later).  The 3 Series included the number 328i starting in model year 1995, based on its six-cylinder motor's displacement.  328i's were produced from 1995 to 2000 and from 2007 to 2015.

This post presents a few 1930s examples along with some of the later cars.  Nothing profound here ... I simply thought it would be an interesting juxtaposition.

Gallery

1936 BMW 328 Roadster, Car Magazine image
An early 328.  No bumpers, tall windshield and leather hood straps.

1937 BMW 328 Mille Miglia "Büegelfalte" - RM Sothebey's auction image
I wonder if Bill Lyons might have used this as partial inspiration for his Jaguar XK120 design.

1948 Jaguar XK120 - factory photo
Hmm.  Maybe so.

1939 BMW 328 Cabriolet by Wendler - auction photo
More leather hood straps -- but also a typical bulky German convertible top.

1940 BMW 328 Roadster - auction photo
The front fenders are shaped to as to expose the doors rather than overlapping them.

1995 BMW 328i Cabrio M - for sale
Now for images of more recent 328s.

1996 BMW 328i sedan - factory image
Most 328i's were sedans, while coupés and convertibles were also offered.

c.1999 BMW 328Ci coupe - factory photo
A 4th generation (E46) coupé.

2013 BMW 328i E93 Convertible (5th generation)
One of the last.  It has an inline-six motor and a fine, classic BMW grille and frontal design.  A true "Ultimate Driving Machine" (I know because I drive this car often).

2012 BMW 328i sedan (6th generation) - factory image
During 2013 BMW renamed 328i coupés and convertibles as its 4 Series.  328i sedans were continued through the 2015 model year.

Styling Commentary in the July, 1955 Road & Track

Time for another change of pace.  In my possession is the July 1955 issue of Road & Track magazine -- cover below:

Note that one of the featured items is a "Styling Critique."  It occupied nine pages: an introduction; two pages devoted to "Classic Styling" (1928-1941); two pages to "Modern Styling" (1935-1951); and the rest to "Contemporary Styling (1951-1955).

The styling evaluators were Strother MacMinn (a well-respected instructor at the [then] Los Angeles Art Center School and former General Motors stylist), and Bob Gurr, who worked at Ford before becoming a designer for Disney.  He wrote the classic, early styling book "Automobile Design."  Some additional comments were by John Bond, the magazine's editor.

Below are three scanned pages that might provide some flavor of the critique.  Click on them to enlarge.

Gallery

Gurr thought "Frankly, the Continental is an over-rated piece of Styling."  Fortunately, both like Cord's design, but were ambivalent regarding the Silver Arrow (though MacMinn recognized that 1933 technology hampered its appearance).
As for "Modern Styling," they liked the Jaguar XK120 and the Bugatti 57SC Atlantique, as well they should.  Not so well-liked were General Motors' 1951 LeSabre dream car, the '51 Bentley Continental and the Porsche 356 coupe.

MacMinn thought the LaSalle II's "most significant feature in the entire design assembly is the body side being carried directly into the top form without a hard belt-line break."  Gurr also though the design was "significant."  They split regarding the Futura, MacMinn mostly liking it, and Gurr correctly (in my opinion) stating: "It's a pity that the thousands of dollars spent on cars for 'show jazz' couldn't have been used for real design improvement."

Both were impressed by the Alfa B.A.T, but were not enthused regarding the Lancia-Farina.  Some other "likes" (not shown here) were the 1955 Pontiac Strato-Star concept car, the 1952 Alfa coupé by Touring and the 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300S Coupé.

Bernd Rosemeyer's Horch 853 Spezial Coupé and Replica

Germany's Horch brand automobiles were produced from 1900 to 1940, though the initial firm was merged into the new Auto Union in 1932.  Horch cars were upscale, rivaling Mercedes-Benz.

In the 1930s Auto Union built mid-engine Grand Prix racing cars designed by Ferdinanrd Porsche.   One of Auto Union's ace drivers was Bernd Rosemeyer who was killed late in 1938 while attempting to set a speed rcord on one of Germeny's new Autobahnen.  Before his death, appreciatetive Auto Union management had a custom Horch 853 coupé created for him.  It is the subject of this post.

Part of the destruction inflicted on Germany during World War 2 was Rosemeyer's 853.  Years later, a replica was built and offered at auction in 2019 by Bonhams.  The suggested price range was $400,000 to $600,000. I do not know the result of that auction.

Its Bonham auction page is here. It notes:

"Auto Union commissioned for their star driver his own special automobile, a spectacular streamlined coupe that rivaled anything else on the road. With coachwork constructed by Erdmann & Rossi to a design by their employee Johannes Beeskow, it was built on a special shortened 130-inch, 120-horsepower 853 chassis. The body featured the elegantly tapered pontoon-style front fenders and short rear fenders of Beeskow's Spezialroadsters on the same chassis, the most enormously valuable of all Horchs."

Some information regarding coachbuilder Erdmann & Rossi is here.

Photos of the re-creation are from the Bonhams web page.

Gallery

Two views of Rosemeyer and his Horch 853.

The replica seen from the front.  Aside from the fenders, its basically contemporary Horch.

Rosemeyer's car might have been painted German racing silver.  The replica is black, which enhances sculptural aspects of its design.

Rear ends of 1930s cars were seldom highly decorated.  However, note the thin chrome strips on the top of the rear fenders -- a feature also found on the front fenders. These might have served to conceal two-piece fender construction.

The after part of the car does not have fastback streamlining, though the design is racy.

Side view showing the long hood that houses an inline eight cylinder motor.  The passenger greenhouse is quite short and its profile does not blend well with the rear of the car as seen here.  It works better when seen from the perspective in the second image from the top.

Alfa Romeo's 1995 GTV

I recently posted about the 1995-vintage Alfa Romeo Spider convertible.  Its companion coupé was the GTV, sold during model years 1995-2005.  The Wikipedia entry for these cars is here.  It mentions that the stylist was Enrico Fumia, then employed by the Pininfarina firm.

The Spider entered production a few months before the GVT, but I don't know which model was designed first.

My comments on the basic design can be found at the link above.  Here I focus on the design of the passenger compartment greenhouse and how it relates to the rest of the car.

Gallery

A for-sale 1996 Alfa Romeo Spider showing the character line that wraps from the sides around the convertible top's cover.   Note that its side angle is echoed by the side cut line of the rear bumper assembly.

Side view.

Side view of a for-sale 1996 GTV.  The passenger compartment greenhouse extends as far as the aft edge of the rear tires.  This alters the side character line found on the Spider, better blending with the crease defining the rear fender.  The effect is to make the GTV more graceful, less chunky-looking than the Spider.

High view of the rear, factory image.  The wraparound character line of the Spider is retained, but at the lower edge of the backlight window.

Two dramatic factory views of the GTV.  Below are photos of a for-sale 1996 GTV that offer a more realistic sense of the design.

Front quarter view.  The strong character line give the impression that the upper part of the car was grafted on the lower part.  As I noted in the Spider post, the convex rear fender shaping makes the aft part of the car seem fat, though the rear fender line fold (hard to see here) slightly lessens that effect.

Rear quarter view.  That character line is distinctive, but its effect is unsettling to me.  Those angled lines somehow do not seem appropriate for a speedy, sporty car.  Makes it appear somewhat static.

1988 Cadillac Voyage Concept

One of General Motors' most interesting concept cars from around 1990 was the 1988 Cadillac Voyage (background here).

Unlike some concepts, this wasn't a motorless "pushmobile."  It even appeared in the 1993 Sylvester Stallone movie "Domolition Man."

The Voyage's design was wind tunnel tested, though GM stylists used enough straight-edge and angular detailing to avoid the overly-rounded appearance seen on recent Fords.  As shown below, some of the styling spirit of the Voyage found its way onto later GM production cars.  The Voyage images are from GM.

Gallery

Front quarter view.  Being a concept car, it has small bumpers.  Windows are large, a carryover from 1970-80 "three-box" design practice.  Note the cutline above the front wheel opening.  According to the first link above, that panel pivoted when the wheel turning angle was large enough, thus fixing (with some complexity) a problem with designs such as 1950-vintage Nashes featuring skirted front wheels.

High rear quarter view.  This shows the see-through roof, a feature I hadn't been aware of until writing this post.  The rear has a nicely styled theme using straight lines that stiffen the design while serving as counterpoint to the swoopy greenhouse curves.  I like the tail light design.

Front.  I assume those green colored areas flanking the grille are sequential turn indicator lights.

Side view.  Too bad this didn't emerge as a production Cadillac.

Here is a 1992 or '93 Buick Riviera that has some of the spirit of the Voyage.

Left side view.  I include this for comparison to the views of production cars below.

1992 Cadillac Seville, photo source unknown.  Its profile is similar to the Voyage's, but the wheel openings are large and greenhouse shapes are more angular.

1994 for-sale Cadillac Seville Concourse sedan.  Wheel openings are more squared-off and the lower body faintly echoes the Voyage.

A stronger Voyage echo can be seen on this 1994 Chevrolet Impala SS (Mecum auction photo) -- especially in the region of the passenger greenhouse profile and detailing.