The Lincoln-Zephyr, introduced for 1936, was a streamlined, V12-powered car that brought Lincoln style to a lower price point during the Great Depression. With aerodynamic styling developed from designs by John Tjaarda, an advanced semi-unitized body and a smooth V12 engine, it succeeded where Chrysler’s streamlined Airflow had failed. The Zephyr kept Lincoln alive in hard times and became the basis for the first Lincoln Continental.

At a glance
Model years 1936–1942 (continued as “Lincoln” after the war)
Engine V12, about 4.4 litres initially
Designer Based on work by John Tjaarda, refined by Ford’s designers
Significance First successful streamlined American car

The problem: Lincoln in the Depression

Lincoln’s big K-series cars were magnificent, expensive and increasingly hard to sell after 1929. Ford needed a Lincoln that more people could afford, without cheapening the brand.

The solution: streamlining

Dutch-born designer John Tjaarda, working with the body supplier Briggs, had developed streamlined, rear-engined prototypes. Ford adapted the ideas into a front-engined car with a sloping nose, integrated headlights and a teardrop profile. The body used a strong semi-unitized structure, lighter and stiffer than conventional designs of the time.

A V12 at a mid-level price

The Zephyr’s V12 was derived from Ford’s V8 design, making it far cheaper to produce than Lincoln’s large K-series V12. It was smooth and quiet — a real selling point — though not especially powerful. Twelve cylinders at a mid-level price was a powerful marketing message.

Why it worked when the Airflow failed

Chrysler’s 1934 Airflow introduced streamlining two years earlier but was considered awkward-looking and suffered early quality problems. The Zephyr was more graceful, and buyers embraced it. It made up the vast majority of Lincoln’s sales in the late 1930s.

The Continental connection

In 1939, Edsel Ford commissioned a custom convertible on the Zephyr chassis for his personal use. That car became the Lincoln Continental, which went into production in 1940. Read the Lincoln Continental history.

Legacy

The Lincoln-Zephyr is admired today for its Art Deco design and as the car that showed Americans streamlining could be beautiful. Zephyr coupés and sedans are prized classics, and the name “Zephyr” has returned on later Lincolns and on models in China. Read the history of the Lincoln Motor Company.