The History of Lincoln car maker & VIN decoder

Lincoln is a luxury car brand manufactured by Ford Motor Company. In 2011 the sales volume of the division in the U.S. was 85,643 vehicles (a decrease of 0.22% compared to 2010). Cars of the brand are sold in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East. In 2014, Lincoln began supplying cars to the Chinese market. Lincoln Motor Company was founded in 1917 in Detroit by Henry Leland, who had previously founded Cadillac, to produce aircraft engines. The company was named after Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, for whom Leland voted in his first election. After World War I, Leland decided to organize the production of prestigious cars, but because of financial difficulties he was forced to sell the company. The buyer in 1922 was Henry Ford, who made Lincoln a division of Ford.

The first luxury Lincoln was produced in 1920 (this was the Model L). The limousine had a 5.8-liter, 90-horsepower, V-shaped eight-cylinder engine. With this debut, Henry Martin Leland made the first attempt to enter the elite environment of the American car industry, but it failed, moreover - it turned the company into a solid loss: in 1921, the losses were 100,000 dollars a month, and in those days it was a much more significant amount than today.

Analysts agree that the reason for the low level of sales was the design of the first Lincoln, which was clearly neglected by the developers. In general, this shortcoming was to some extent predictable, if you consider the personal qualities of Leland - he was a practitioner to the bone, if the thing works - nothing more is required. And he was then, by the way, already in his 70s - the ability to rebuild at such an age is almost lost in people. Hence, by the way, the advantage of the limousines he made - they were of excellent quality and had practically no technical defects. The first Lincoln had too plain a body, even though there were already companies Pierce-Arrow, Peerles and Packard, which paid due attention to design and were popular with wealthy gentlemen. As a result of this disadvantage, Lincoln Motor was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1922. In this state, Leland, still not realizing the significance of the mistake he made (which many advisors had already told him about), decided to sell the company. And the buyer was none other than Henry Ford - he literally saved the Lincoln brand, which many people were about to bury.

The deal took place in 1922 - February 4, Henry Ford bought Lincoln Motor for $ 8 million. Edsel Ford (1893-1943), son of the 'automobile king', became president of Lincoln, declaring, 'My father makes the most popular cars in the world, and I want to make the best ones'. Edsel's appointment was quite a smart move, because despite his youth for the presidency of such a large company, Edsel had a vision for good design, which was almost the only thing Lincoln lacked for success. That's why Edsel didn't touch the high quality technical part of the Lincoln, but went into design only and made it in an aristocratic style, which was what was required then, and still works fine today.

The factory buildings of the company acquired by Ford were built to fulfill government military orders, with which Lincoln Motor began its existence, it was decided to rebuild them. The quality control system at the Lincoln plant deserves the highest praise. For example, the maximum size deviation of connecting rods and crankshafts was 0.005 mm. Vehicles were subjected to more than 170 tests and measurements before leaving their 'parent'. All the necessary innovations were introduced very quickly, and at the end of 1922 the updated Lincoln L saw the light of day. In the following years, this car was modified several times - cast-iron pistons were replaced by aluminum ones, shock absorbers were replaced by hydraulic ones. The famous badge - a hound on the radiator, appeared in 1926, and Lincoln also had Perrot brakes, distinguished by their great efficiency. Later, the engine volume was increased (though this did not affect its power) to 6.3 liters, increasing torque. Chrome details were added to the bodywork to add beauty and luxury to the car. Do not forget to use Lincoln VIN decoder in order to avoid potential problems when buying a used car.

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