Lincoln sprung as an independent luxury-car producer in 1917. Founded by engineering whiz Henry M. Leland after his departure from Cadillac, which he had helped co-found, the company was named Lincoln as a reminder of the admiration Leland bore for the now defunct state-leader. In a macabre coincidence, president JFK was assassinated just like Abraham Lincoln was. At the time of his death, JFK was being driven in a Lincoln Continental limousine.
However, before such drama occurred, Lincoln was a fairly small company that supplied Liberty aircraft engines for the Army during WWI. Having teamed up with son Wilfred, Leland converted his factory to manufacturing luxury automobiles right after the war. Despite Leland's skill and potential of his vehicles, the factory encountered several design-related obstacles and financial trouble that could not be overcome. Forced into bankruptcy, Leland sold his company to Ford in 1922 for $8 million.
Later designs, such as the Town Car and the bulky Navigator, aided Lincoln in becoming the best sold luxury car brand in the US by 1998. After a brief change of ownership between 1998 and 2002 when Lincoln belonged to the Premier Automotive Group, the company returned on Ford premises where it can still be found today.
Despite its tradition as a luxury car manufacturer and presidential limousine supplier, the company has experienced a severe setback in the last few years, having lost against Asian and European imports. This is mostly due to the lack of new models, issue that Ford hopes to solve by reinventing the brand. Lincoln's ascension is still unspooling through the release of models such the MKZ and MKX. |
