Vehicle Description
Don Draper should have driven this car.� This red 1956 Lincoln
Premiere Series hardtop coupe is everything the Fabulous Fifties
were about - forward looking, longer, lower and wider. �The sleek
�flow-through' styling eliminated any remaining hint of separate
fenders.� The Premiere Series was introduced in 1956 as the top of
the line Lincoln - a step up from the previously style-leading
Capri line.� The pillar-less hardtop coupe and convertibles took
the style to the highest level, with buyers preferring the hardtop
coupe by a margin of nearly eight-to-one. "Unmistakenly Lincoln"
read the ads and, for once, the car lived up to its expectations.�
In the mid-1950s, Lincoln was a venerable luxury brand noted for
quality engineering, high performance and understated luxury,
searching for a distinctive identity.� The striking new look of the
1956-1957 Lincolns achieved that goal, and represented the only
all-new styling in the industry when they were introduced for
1956.� The look clearly reflected elements of the 1953 Lincoln
XL-500 and the 1955 Lincoln Futura show cars and seemed aimed
directly at prosperous post-war Americans who were building
careers, families and Atomic Ranch-style houses.� The design
carried forward the nose and the sharply peaked front fenders and
elongated rear quarters the XL-500 and Futura predicted, but the
clean flow-through look had an identity all of its own.� Interiors
also met an expectation of stylish design, quality materials and a
certain amount of understatement.� The engine and chassis were same
that had dominated the big car class at the Mexican Carrera
Panamericana road race in 1952-1953-1954, with a 368 cubic-inch
version of Lincoln's easy-breathing first ohc Y-block V8 producing
275-285 horsepower and 400+ pounds of torque, riding on a 126-inch
wheelbase. This pillar-less hardtop example, finished in Huntsman
Red with a red and black leather interior accented by a black
dashboard cover, carpet and pleated seat inserts, is a very nice
older cosmetic restoration that included new paint, new chrome, a
new interior and a highly detailed engine compartment.� As
originally built, the car luxuriously includes a Lincoln �Turbo
Drive' automatic transmission, power steering and brakes, power
seat and power windows.� The unique dashboard mounts the
speedometer, warning lights and clock above the safety-padded dash
panel, with switches below the center of the dash.� Aircraft-style
levers mounted to the left of the deep-dish steering wheel control
air and temperature.� Exterior details include restrained use of
side chrome with gold-colored accents. Period-correct wide
whitewall tires are mounted on stylish red wheel rims with Lincoln
Premiere logo full wheel covers. This is an automobile that makes a
strong statement.� Don Draper didn't drive this car, but you can -
complete, detailed and ready to be enjoyed.
