A 1956 Lincoln Premiere, Ready to Hit the Road in Style
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Volume 21 Issue 6 Our 20th year June 1, 2021 A 1956 Lincoln Premiere, ready to hit the road in style. John McDowall is the very proud owner of this magnificent machine. We are pleased to feature a short story about one of our member's latest acquisitions. Lincoln has produced some outstanding automobiles over the years, a few of which have clearly stood head and shoulders above the rest of the crowded field of automobiles. Most people who love cars would think about the Zephyrs of the 30s and the Continentals that shared some of the same styl- Welcome to the ing cues that set the Zephyrs apart from most other cars. Northstar News, the In 1956, Lincoln introduced completely restyled vehicles, the previously top-of-the-line Capri monthly publication of series, and an even more elegant Premiere series, which was the new top model. In another bold move, Lincoln brought out the Continental Mark II, a true personal luxury vehicle. Both the Lin- the Northstar Region coln and the Mark II were styling hits. Both models received rave reviews and were much loved of the Lincoln and by those who purchased them as new cars in 1956. Cadillac was still the dominant model in the Continental Owners luxury car segment in 1956. Cadillac produced and sold 155,577 automobiles, a significant in- crease over 1955. Lincoln came in second, producing 50,322 vehicles, including 2,447 Premier Club. We value your convertibles. A pretty good year for Lincoln. Packard, an independent company, finished in third opinions and appreciate place with sales of 28,835 units. Packard ran out of steam midway through 1956 and ended pro- your input concerning duction of what was one of America's automobiles. The Imperial division of Chrysler Motor Car this newsletter and the Company sold a total of 10,628 cars. Most of which were four-door sedan models. They also pro- duced an extremely good-looking two-door hardtop model, but only about 1,200 were sold. Mid- operation of the club. way through the model year, a four-door hardtop was introduced. It, too, was a good-looking car, This is your club. but only about a thousand or so were sold. (Continued on page 4) This Issue Contains Feature Story 1 Directors Message 3 Club Information Page 4 Northstar Monthly Board Meeting Minutes 5 Editors Message 2 North Star Events 15 Trivia 2 NORTHSTAR NEWS Trivia from the Editors Message June 2021 Internet Dear friends and gentle readers…. not quite the same. By the time you receive the newsletter, it As mentioned above, everything is open- will be June. And now for the depressing ing up a little more each and every week. We news, in about three weeks, the days will start were invited to a late afternoon dinner and getting shorter once auction sponsored again. Now, if that by our friends with isn’t a day spoiler, I the Classic Car don’t know what is. Club. There is a lot Things are slowly of overlap in both starting to open up. clubs, and this Now, if we can get event, usually a pot- all those good folks luck held in Febru- out there to get their ary, was pushed Covid-19 shots so toward the end of we can reach 70 May. As in prior percent or more, years, we met at the things would be Firefighters Muse- really good. The um in Minneapolis best way to beat this on a Saturday after- horrible disease into noon. There were Audrey Hepburn the ground is to get about 50 plus people Star of Stage and Screen as many people to there, and it was 1929 - 1993 get vaccinated as such an enjoyable soon as possible. experience. The Hepburn was born Common sense and food was so excel- Audrey Kathleen Ruston good sound science lent, and the auction or, later, Hepburn- dictate that is the mainly consisted of It is an enjoyable day outdoors. Sweet Olga is sit- Ruston on 4 May 1929 at responsible thing classic car books. I ting on the small bench that I have on the front number 48 Rue Keyen- for all of us to do. came home with a porch, watching the world go by. She is looking And as quickly as wonderful coffee veld in Ixelles, Brussels, especially fine; she just spent some time at the possible. table-type book Belgium. She was known groomers, getting her clothes washed and blow- to her family as Adri- It was such a about classic auto- dried. All girls like to look their best. You never mobiles. The after- aantje. lovely day for our know who might come to call. noon/evening was Hepburn's mother, foray up to the hin- terlands of Taylors nice and indeed a Baroness Ella van Heem- Falls, not far from the native habitat of the pleasure to escape from my home for a few stra (June 12, 1900 - Au- Johnson Clan. Some of the club met recently hours and see some long-time friends. Toward gust 26, 1984), was a at the “Drive-In,” appropriately named, be- the middle of June, we will be having a car Dutch noblewoman. cause it is a genuine Olde-Tyme drive-in, re- show at Bloomington Lincoln. Our friends Her father, Joseph plete with carhops and burgers and crispy fries there are eager to see us, it has been about two Victor Anthony Ruston in a basket. If you turn the clock back some 60 years since our last show there. Plan on at- (November 21, 1889 - Oc- -70 years or so, at establishments like that and tending, bring an old Lincoln, and your appe- tober 16, 1980), was a even in a few restaurants, notably the lower tite; Bloomington Lincoln will be serving British subject born in buck type, a lot of food was served in a basket. lunch. It will be a great day. More details on Auschitz, Bohemia, Aus- In the roaring metropolis of Duluth, where I the back page of our newsletter. Bring a chair tria-Hungary. He was spent my youthful years, there was a restau- with you to sit a spell and catch up with what the son of Victor John rant on east Superior street called the South- has happened this past 14 - 15 months. There George Ruston, of British ern. It had a rather elaborate neon sign that will be some opportunities to get together as a and Austrian back- featured a large chicken swinging a golf club. club each month through November. Please try to attend something. We look forward to ground and Anna Wels, It was a sight to behold. Their menu featured seeing you. who was of Austrian fried foods that were served in baskets, chick- en, burgers, some fish stuff. But for the most If you can, give a friend a call and check origin and born in Ko- part, it pretty much all tasted like fried chick- in with them. Most of us appreciate a real call varce. en. But, as a young kid, I just loved that once in a while and the chance to talk with Hepburn's parents sign… A chicken swinging a golf club. The fellow club members. were married in Bata- golden age of neon. Nobody can afford neon Till next month, David and Sweet Olga, (Continued on page 3) anymore. Everything is LEDs today, nice, but the Samoyed. 2 NORTHSTAR NEWS (Continued from page 2) via, Dutch East Indies, in Directors Message by Bob Johnson May 2021 September 1926. At the Most of our COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted. Our time, Ruston worked for a members discussed the consequences of the COVID-19 trading company, but soon Pandemic at our May board meeting and started to sched- after the marriage, the cou- ule region activities. We started with the CCCA again, ple moved to Europe, where inviting us to their dinner and auction. This event in Febru- he began working for a ary 2020 was the last inside event we attended, and that loan company; reportedly was 16 months ago. The CCCA has a free dinner planned, tin merchants MacLaine, and hopefully, the auction will pay for our dinner. This is a Watson and Company in start to getting back to some type of normal; whatever will London and then Brussels. be seen as we plod through 2021. The Back to the 50s As a result of her multina- event was canceled, and then after we planned our Bloomington Lincoln car show on that tional background and weekend to take up the slack, they brought back the Back to the 50s car show. That change travelling with her family caused us to reschedule our Bloomington car show to June 12. The good news is that we due to her father's job, she will have at least one region car show this year. learned six languages: Please check out the last page of this newsletter for a tentative schedule of events Dutch and English from planned for the remainder of the year. her parents, and later var- Membership Director Dave Gustafson sent letters to 29 members who have not yet ying degrees of French, Ger- renewed. Dave announced that as of May 4, 74% of the North Star membership have re- man, Spanish, and Italian. newed. Please help us complete our 2021 Membership renewal program. Hepburn's parents offi- If you do not want to drive to Michigan or Pennsylvania for a car show in 2021, our cially divorced in 1938.