I’ve always been glad that, in several erratic attempts to market a little Lincoln, Ford Motor Company has not wasted the name “Zephyr.” Both the Versailles and the more recent LS seemed a little too commonplace to claim the name of the revolutionary low-priced Lincoln introduced for 1936. The Versailles was a Ford Granada with a bustle; the LS an S-Type Jaguar masquerading as a Mazda. Thankfully the Mercury Zephyr, a Fairmont with gills, was eminently forgettable. But now there is a new Lincoln Zephyr. Does it deserve the mantle?
The first Zephyr was right from outer space. Based on John Tjaarda’s streamlined “Sterkenberg” studies of the 1920s, it was given edgy lines from E.T. Gregorie’s pen. “Bob” Gregorie, the former yacht designer hired in 1932 by Edsel Ford, formed Ford’s first styling studio and was responsible for the Model Y Ford
for Britain, scaled up for the 1933-1934 Model 40. Gregorie’s cues for the Zephyr were applied to the 1937 Ford, and of course from the Zephyr sprang
Edsel Ford’s immortal Continental.
The
1936 Lincoln-Zephyr (FoMoCo hypenated it – usually) is the purest form of the design, with its
pointed prow and
sloping tail. The
spare tire hides just inside the trunk, just waiting to burst forth, Continental style (which, in fact, it must if one is to stow any luggage). The
interior is Ford gone ultra art deco, to the extent of Aiflow-like
chomed seat frames. To be a Lincoln in 1936 meant
V-12 power, and the Zephyr got a 267 cubic inch unit owing much to the
Ford V8. The little 12 had a reputation for frailty, but driven hard with frequent oil changes it gave good service.
The new Zephyr draws mixed reviews. Based on the Ford Fusion, which is in turn derived from the Mazda6, it’s hardly revolutionary. AutoWeek summed it up as a kinder, gentler Fusion. Automobile magazine (January 2006) panned it, saying the Fusion and its cousin, the Mercury Milan, are “better deals for buyers of any age.”
Which leads us to ask: What Would Gregorie Do? For one thing, he’d put a point on it. No faceless blobs for Bob Gregorie, let alone a caricature of the
’41 Lincoln grille made to resemble a
cowcatcher. No corporate Duratec V6, either. The car should have an aluminum V-12 with lots of camshafts, though perhaps not the 4.3 liters of its ancestor. Even a small V-12 is probably impractical for transverse front-wheel drive, so make it a rear-driver, through six-speed automatic. Put the spare tire in a pointed tail, and make sure the seats have chrome frames. And do it all without making it look “retro.” A tall order? Let’s ask Robert Cumberford.
