Lake Shore Lincolnlines

Lake Shore Lincoln Lines Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club

March/April 2019 The Director’s Message

Hi to all, Inside This Issue Hope all of you made it through the record breaking bitterly cold weather without any major problems. ‘Round & About 2

Are you ready for old car season? More importantly, Event Calendar 3 are your cars ready? Many of us had good intentions of what we would accomplish this winter with our Ford Fun Facts 4 Lincolns, but time gets away from us and spring is rapidly (hope so) approaching, so it's time to get the cars spruced up For Sale 4 and ready to go to Lincoln events. Check the calendar on page 3 and see what is coming up soon. Our Activities Chairmen, Jason Rossi and Editor’s Corner 5 Joe Russo would be interested in knowing about car events that you have attended or heard about. Their contact information is on page 14 Upcoming Events 5-7 of this newsletter.

As usual, our Winter Party was a huge success - - 54 people attended Makray Event 8-9 and many of them left with smiles on their faces after winning one of the raffle prizes. See pages 8 and 9 for some photos of the event. 1955-57 Lincolns 10-14

Once again, our great and talented newsletter editor, Anne Zarzycki was presented the "Master Editor Award" by Lake Shore Region Board For Sale 15 member Bill Fletcher. I believe our region has the best newsletter. Congratulations Anne!! Market Place 16

Before long this winter will be but a memory and we will once again join together at events and activities with our Lincolns.

Hope to see you soon,

Barb Esdale Lake Shore Region Director

1 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Lake Shore Lincoln Lines Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club

‘Round and About…

Remember….you heard it here first!!  Lincoln facts for kids Would you believe I found a web site called Kiddle that has information for children which includes information regarding Lincoln cars? A lot of us have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that we might want to share it with. It’s never too early to start recruiting LCOC members! It’s a really eclectic site with a huge range of content that they tout as being “kid safe”. Here are the links to Lincoln cars I found on the site.

 Lincoln Continental facts for kids

 Lincoln Motor Company facts for kids

 Lincoln MKT facts for kids

 Lincoln Town Car facts for kids

 Lincoln Navigator facts for kids

 We really need to get the owners of this one to join the club! Here’s probably the most uniquely modified Lincoln I’ve ever seen. It’s the “World Famous COW LIMO”. Their website states:

 “The cow limo is your one stop destination for the funniest night of your life!”

 “THE world famous cow limo is equipped like no udder!

 “Our cow has a very interactive experience with water sprayed from the udders & smoke from the cow bum. We deliver a fully immersible cow experience!”

2 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club March

23rd Tech Meeting and lunch in Woodstock See page 6 for more information Saturday Revcore Radiator - 2308 S. Eastwood Dr. Woodstock, IL April

6th Private Car Collection Tour See page 5 for more information Saturday  Make sure to review the special directions

May

5th Lake Lawn Resort & May Fun See page 7 for more information Sunday 2400 E Geneva St., Delavan, WI.

2019 LCOC National Events

 July - Western Meet: Colorado in July See the LCOC.org web site or  August - The Homecoming: Hickory Corners, Michigan Continental Comments  September - Eastern Meet: New York for more details

 “Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and You can’t buy anyone going faster than you is a maniac....” Happiness ---George Carlin-comedian But you can buy  “It takes about 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one NUT to scatter it all over the road.” Cars ---Anonymous And that’s kind of  “If everything seems under control, you're just The same thing not going fast enough.” ---Mario Andretti

3 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Ford has had a significant impact on the automotive industry since they first started rolling out cars110 years ago. As one of the oldest car manufacturers, Ford has a rich history, filled with interesting facts that you may not know. Check out these interesting Ford facts to learn more about what makes your Ford part of a brand treasured by car owners for decades. 1. Ford is the second largest family owned company in the world. Henry Ford’s great grandson, William Clay Ford, Jr. currently resides as the company’s executive chairman. 2. The very first Ford sold was to Dr. Pfennig in 1903, for a grand total of $850. The “Model A” had a 2-cylinder engine, and could reach a max speed of 30 mph 3. Ford’s current CEO, William Clay Ford, Jr., or Bill Ford, currently owns the first Ford vehicle ever sold in 1903. 4. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were lifelong friends. As requested by Ford, Thomas Edison’s son captured Edison’s last exhale in a test tube and sealed it with a cork. Ford kept the tube as a memorial to Edison’s “life and breath.” 5. Ford’s signature blue, oval logo was not introduced until 4 years after the company had already been in production. 6. In 1914 Ford offered its employees double the current market average, creating Henry Ford’s “$5-a-day.” The new salary, accompanied by a shorter working day and company profit sharing, minimized employee turnover, and was significant in growing the middle class and fair wages movement. Henry Ford was quoted saying he wanted to help his workers to a “life” not just a “living.” 7. In 1964, after Ford debuted the Mustang, 94,000 pedal-powered toy mustangs were bought for children the following Christmas season. 8. In 1965, a Ford Mustang was transported in 4 separate pieces to the observation deck of the Empire State Building, using resident elevators, where it was reassembled and photographed by helicopter. The car was later reassembled inside the building, until it was eventually taken apart and removed from the building 5 months later. 9. The only car that Jim Morrison, legendary Doors singer, ever owned was a 1967 Shelby GT 500. 10. Chevrolet actually used a Ford SuperDuty to set up their Chevy Truck display at the Texas State Fair in 2012. 11. When former President Gerald Ford was describing his no-nonsense, style of governing, he was quoted as saying, “I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln,” comparing President Lincoln’s eloquence with Lincoln, the luxury car company owned by Ford Motor Company. 12. Ford F-Series as of 2013 (when the article was published) had been consistently ranked as the #1 selling car in America .

Article reprinted courtesy of ULMER’S AUTO CARE CENTER www.ulmersautocare.com · Anderson Location: · 6389 Salem Rd | Cincinnati, OH · Milford Location · 700 Lila Avenue | Milford, OH

4 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Hi there everybody!

Believe it or not, I’m not normally a huge fan of rodents. Not that I hate them or anything, but once I found out that Mickey Mouse wasn't real…..well let’s just say enthusiasm for rodents in general took a bit of a hit. All that said I’m REALLY hoping that this whole bit with Punxsutawney Phil not seeing his shadow on Groundhog Day is the real deal. I really want an EARLY spring!! We all do. We have some lovely Lincolns that need to see some road time! If that little guy is wrong…….well does anyone have a recipe for groundhog stew?

Be safe out there everyone! Anne

Special Exclusive Visit to the

Private Car Collection of Jim Manz The club is going to have the wonderful opportunity to visit the car collection of James Manz of Mundelein in Lake County. Years ago Jim converted the horse stable next to his home into a garage to house his 1912 Ford Torpedo roadster, 1923 Ford Speedster, 1912 Krit touring car, 1939 Lincoln Zephyr coupe, 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 sedan, 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster and 1919 Scripps-Booth roadster. Manz started collecting old cars in 1951, when he purchased the 1919 Scripps-Booth.

Don’t miss this special experience!

SPECIAL DIRECTIONS

When: Saturday April 6th @ 10:00am Then after the tour Where: Join us for lunch at:  GPS - Enter address: 21299 W. Lakeview Pkwy. Mundelein, IL 60060  Oregano's Corner Cafe

Then go past it to:  Address: 119 Gilmer Rd.  Actual address: 21375 W. Lakeview Pkwy. Hawthorn Woods, IL Mundelein, IL 60060

5 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Join us on Saturday March 23, 2019 for a look deep into radiators and gas tanks! Tech Meeting and lunch in Woodstock!

Tim Dunderdale, owner of Revcore Radiators is a true expert in all aspects of restoring our Lincoln radiators and gas tanks including proper coolant, heater cores, ethanol etc.

Date: March 23, 2019 Time: 10:00 AM Place: Revcore Radiator 2308 S. Eastwood Dr. Woodstock, IL 60098 (right off Rte. 47 about 1/2 mile south of Rte. 14, on the west side of 47.)  Please park in the gravel lot at T & K Tool, on Deikman Rd., about 100 ft. north of Eastwood Dr.

Lunch to follow at 11:30 at Culvers, about 1 mile away.

RSVP to John McCarthy 847-997-9944 or [email protected]

6 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Lake Lawn Resort & May Fun

On Sunday May 5th at 11:00 a.m. join us for a Sunday Brunch at Lake Lawn Resort 2400 E Geneva St. Delavan, WI

$26.95 brunch Plus tip and gratuity Cash & credit cards accepted NO checks Pay at the table

RSVP to Joe Russo (219) 707-6427

RSVP by April 27

7 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Lake Shore Annual Winter Party What a wonderful party! Great food and fun times! At the party John McCarthy shared the following updates from the recent LCOC Board Meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was attended by John, Dick Nelson and Bill Fletcher (as Proxy for Barb Esdale).  Paul Temple is the new LCOC executive vice President replacing Bob Johnson. Many of us have had the opportunity to meet Paul and learn what a great guy he is at the national meets over the years.  Jeff Schively is the new LCOC Comments Editor. He’s taken over the role from Tim Howley. Tim has held that role for over 10 years and will continue as a major contributor to the magazine.  The future national meets announced are: • 2019 - Western Meet: Colorado in July; Eastern Meet: New York in September and the Homecoming: Hickory Corners, Michigan in August • 2020 - Will only have one Grand National Meet to be held in Kalamazoo in August of 2020. This will be a massive Lincoln event celebrating 100 years of Lincoln • 2021 - Eastern Meet: Philadelphia; Western Meet: Palm Springs; and…………(insert drum roll here!!) the Mid-America Meet: Lake Shore Region!!!  Our club did such an awesome job last time. This next endeavor should be absolutely AMAZING!  A new class which was championed by our own John McCarthy will be added at the meets. The “New Original Touring Class” will be turned into just “Touring Class”. This will allow broader participation by members who have customized their cars.  Membership continues to decline, down to around 2,300 in the world. We all need to work toward spreading the word and placing more emphasis on recruiting new members and sharing things like the link to our club’s Facebook page.

 Coming soon: The Lake Shore Region will soon offer the ability to auto renew your membership. More information on this to follow soon.

Anne Zarzycki receiving the Master Editor Award

from Bill Fletcher

8 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Attendees: Jack Bowser, Harry E. Came, Joe & Barb Esdale, Jack & Marilyn Fletcher, Bill Fletcher & Tessa, Jim Fletcher, Matt Harbert & Angi Endicott, Jim Hubacek & Theresa Castro, Suzanne Perry, Derek Hughes, Michael & Christen Louderman & their sons Parker & Hudson, Jim Manz, Patrick Martin, Mark Novak, Charlotte Novak, John & Mary McCarthy, Dick Nelson, Tom & Madeleine O'Donnell, Charles & Fausta Reynolds, Jason Rossi, Robert Rivera, Dan & Joyce Staehle, Reuben & Emily Taylor, Tom & Jean Roche, Michael & Diana Vickery, Greg Wernisch, Jim Wiltse & Mar Robinson, Dennis Wisnosky, Nicholas & Susan Yassan & daughters Melissa, Sofia, Cecilia, Dorothy Yassan, Anne & Pete Zarzycki

9 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club by Jim and Cheryl Farrell

Lincoln advertising slogan for 1956, described the new Lincoln as A “unmistakably the finest car in the fine car field.” For once, this was a Lincoln that lived up to its billing. Dealers loved it. When they first saw the new Lincoln, they went wild. Their enthusiasm was rewarded with back orders for several months. All year, orders remained strong, and when it was over, even customers were sorry to see production end. Because the ‘56 Lincoln was such a great design, the public assumed everyone who worked on it loved it too. That wasn’t what happened. Engineering wanted a smaller car, and designers wanted a larger car. Even though engineers One of Bill Schmidt’s original renderings ran the show, designers pulled an end run to get their way. This is what happened that led to the ’56 Lincoln according to designers and clay modelers who were there. First, some background. From 1946-52, Harold Youngren was Ford’s chief engineer. His primary job was rebuilding Ford’s infrastructure, which involved hiring new engineers and designers and upgrading Ford’s facilities. (Ford was offering engineers and designers twice their current salary to jump ship and work for Ford.) Responsibilities for new car development and production fell to Youngren’s assistant, Earle MacPherson. To put it bluntly, MacPherson disdained designers who he believed usually came up with impractical proposals. The ‘52 Lincoln had been downsized to compete with Oldsmobile. Downsizing was MacPherson’s idea, and he sold it to management. Most designers felt it was a mistake to downsize Lincoln. They saw Cadillac as Lincoln’s natural competition, not Oldsmobile. They were vocal about their feelings, but MacPherson ignored them. Another of Bill Schmidt’s renderings that led to The ‘52 Lincoln was originally intended to have a three-year production run. ’56 Lincoln. It is probably closer to the design of Thus, the new model originally planned for introduction in 1955, was begun in the car than any of his other renderings. late 1951. MacPherson insisted it be the same size as the ‘52 Lincoln. Again, that decision met with universal resistance from Lincoln designers. When the studio system was established at the Ford Design Department in late 1948, Bill Schmidt was appointed head of the Lincoln studio. He remained in that position through January 1954, when Gene Bordinat replaced him as head of Lincoln-Mercury studio. Although it was technically a demotion, Schmidt remained the lead designer in the Lincoln studio. As a result of the demotion and other pressures, Schmidt felt he was being invited to leave by his boss, corporate assistant chief engineer Earle MacPherson. Schmidt’s “sin” was developing a bigger ‘56 Lincoln that could again compete in the luxury car market, which was contrary to what MacPherson wanted. For several years, Schmidt had been solicited by headhunters with good offers, and working with a vengeful MacPherson just wasn’t enjoyable anymore, so Schmidt left Ford. The area in the middle the grille as shown From 1948-55, Benson Ford was head on this early version of the Phantom of Lincoln-Mercury Division. Although not a concept car (XL-500) was eliminated on designer, he and Schmidt got along well and the ‘56 Lincoln because Engineering spent many hours together on the design of determined it compromised cooling with Lincolns. They were friends. Benson Ford a 1/2 glass top was in the Lincoln design studio “almost Late rendering by Bill Schmidt of the every day,” according to Schmidt. ‘56 Lincoln. Poor sales of the Ford Skyliner & Mercury Sun Valley meant Early proposals for the car that became the ‘56 Lincoln were heavily influenced by the the ‘56 Lincoln would not be offered recently designed XL-500 show car, which was then called the Phantom. The XL-500 had with a half Plexiglass roof.. a wheelbase of 123 inches, the same as the ‘52 Lincoln, but given the design restrictions imposed by MacPherson, Schmidt felt the ‘56 Lincoln they were asked to design didn’t 10 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club look right -- it was too short and too tall. So, in early February 1952, Lincoln studio designers blocked off an area in their studio, at that time still in the small, but open confines of the EEE Building, and began designing a low slung, full-sized clay model on a 126-inch wheelbase. This was exactly what they thought the new Lincoln ought to look like. It was done in an area hidden from general view by large moveable blackboards.

The ‘56 Lincoln was designed by Schmidt, Herb Tod, Back half of the ‘56 Lincoln. Rulo Conrad, Don DeLaRossa, John Najjar and Joe Front half of the ‘56 Lincoln designed in the Lincoln studio. Because Earle MacPherson, Achor. (Najjar was executive designer in the Lincoln Ford’s chief engineer wanted a preproduction studio) The design of the ‘56 Lincoln was When it was shown, the front and rear halves were pushed smaller Lincoln to compete with based on renderings prepared by primarily by Schmidt. the Oldsmobile Designer and Clay modelers included modeling managers Bill Leverenz together. Designing the car in two parts made it easier to hide. management chose to hide the and Gil Treweek, with Schmidt overseeing the entire designs from him. They did so procedure. Only after the exterior design was approved for partially by making it in two production, was the interior designed. It was supervised by Don Beyreis, but the impressive parts. interior in the ‘56 Lincoln was mostly designed by Stan Thorwaldson. Schmidt always claimed the car that became the ‘56 Lincoln was built in secret. While it was kept secret from MacPherson, Design Department manager Charlie Waterhouse, then assistant manager Gene Bordinat, and head of Lincoln-Mercury Division, Benson Ford, almost certainly had to know it was underway. It was DeLaRossa’s recollection that the “idea to design a bigger ‘56 Lincoln than MacPherson wanted” came from Waterhouse, and was passed on to Schmidt through Bordinat. Bordinat, in his oral history given to the Henry Ford Museum, admits as much when he acknowledged that he and Schmidt were responsible for development of the ‘56 Lincoln’s design. At that time, management permission and a control number were needed even to start a full- sized clay model. Since the ‘56 Lincoln was actually clay modeled in two parts, (front half, back half,) the need for a control number may have been circumvented. Clay modeling the car in two pieces also made it easier to keep it out of sight in the Design Department’s small area, especially since design and Engineering were at that time located in the same building. When needed, the two parts of the ‘56 Lincoln clay was simply shoved together. MacPherson liked to travel. He and his wife, Lucille, spent most of their vacations in France, Lucille’s country of birth. MacPherson was gone during much, but not all, of the time the ‘56 Lincoln was being designed, but he was certainly present when design approval was sought -- that’s when he found out about the bigger ‘56 Lincoln. It has been reported that the ‘56 Lincoln was modeled after several show cars including the Futura. The The C-pillar from the XM-800 part about the Futura was mostly a public relations blitz, because the ‘56 Lincoln was concept car became the C-pillar on designed at the same time or slightly before the Futura. the 4-door model of the ‘56 Lincoln. All except the rear of the ‘56 Lincoln was a productionized version of the XL-500. The only changes were those necessary to sell the design to management. According to Schmidt, in his oral history given to the Henry Ford Museum in 1984, “The XL-500 front end was literally taken from the show car and put on the ‘56 Lincoln.” The hooded headlights, the air vents inboard of the headlights and the perimeter shelf/character line on the sides of the ‘56 Lincoln also came from earlier versions of the XL-500. (The same hooded headlight and vents were also used on the Futura.) A late addition to the ‘56 Lincoln lineup was a 4-door model with a modified C-pillar from the XM-800 show car. That distinctive C-pillar on the ‘56 Lincoln 4- door was designed by Najjar and Achor. Schmidt claimed that Ford’s executive vice president, Ernie Breech, stumbled onto the ‘56 Lincoln by accident during a presentation made in April 1952, fell in love with it, and championed it into production. Here’s how Schmidt explained it in his oral history: “In 1956, we came out with an all-new car. This was to be a much longer car -- a bigger car to be more competitive with Cadillac. I did the modeling in the back room, behind some First full-sized clay model of the screens, of a design I thought would be a good answer. I really didn’t have authority to do that, ‘56 Lincoln at the time it was so the modelers spent a lot of time, when they would normally just be relaxing, working on that approved for production. There model for me. The day of the show came in the showroom, and we wheeled in the Lincolns that were very few, if any, changes we had ready for the show, and we had fourteen vice-presidents in top management of Ford from the way it was initially Motor Co. there. Mr. Breech said he didn’t feel they were competitive. He said “Don’t we have designed. something different -- something that really would be exciting?” So I mentioned to Mr. Breech

11 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club on the side that I had a model he might like to see in the back room. He walked back with me while the meeting broke up for lunch and saw it. It was twelve inches longer and pretty refreshing low lines. We wheeled it in the showroom. When lunch was over, they all came back in, and Mr. Breech said, “Here’s what I think should be the ‘56 Lincoln.” Mr. MacPherson objected because he wasn’t after big cars because they required bigger engines and bigger brakes and he put up quite an argument. But, eventually, it was almost a unanimous decision, and that did become the ‘56 Lincoln.” When MacPherson knew he had been out maneuvered. He was angry, but the process was too far along to reverse. He maintained that the size of the new Lincoln meant that new engineering had to be developed. He was right, but in the long run, it only delayed the ‘56 Lincoln one year. Most of the ‘56 Lincoln’s designers and clay modelers also believe that Breech was more involved in the deception about its development The ‘55 Lincoln was actually than he publicly acknowledged. During the ‘57 designed after the ‘56 Lincoln. It Lincoln program, just after Najjar had been appointed Lincoln’s chief designer, Breech was designed by extending the rear walked into the studio before a planned fender area approximately 8 inches. presentation. Najjar was not a natural pubic This photo is actually of a ‘54 Lincoln speaker, and he was almost sick with anxiety with revised rear fenders made because he had never made a major ‘A rendering by Rulo Conrad also presentation to management. Breech sensed by applying clay to those of the ‘54 made for the ‘56 Lincoln. It was Najjar was nervous and told him he’d be okay, Lincoln. furnished by his children. and to just leave it to him, that he would “take care of it.” Breech asked Najjar how brief he could make his 30 minute program. Najjar told him he could do it in 7 minutes. At the beginning of the presentation, Breech said he had already looked at whatever was under consideration, liked it, and asked Najjar to keep it short because he had to go to another meeting. Although Breech could play cutthroat, designers and clay modelers saw him as understanding enough to cover for them when needed. What happened with the discovery of the ‘56 Lincoln was typical Ernie Breech as far as its designers and clay modelers are concerned The ‘55 Lincoln was designed after the ‘56 Lincoln had been approved for production. The ‘55 Lincoln was meant to provide a design nexus between the smaller 1952-54 Lincolns and the new model, which, by design, was meant to again go head-to-head with Cadillac. Design changes for the ‘55 Lincoln were done by Rulo Conrad and Gene Bordinat primarily by clay modeling over the rear part of a ‘54 Lincoln and changing the taillights. Without increasing the ‘55 Lincoln’s wheelbase, 8 inches was added to the rear part of the car. Early in the development of the ‘56 Lincoln, a Plexiglas half roof was planned as an option, but by 1955, it was obvious the public was not gobbling up Ford and Mercury models with glass It was originally intended to make the ‘56 Side view of a proposed ‘56 Lincoln Capri roofs. Until late in the design cycle, a Lincoln Capri exterior different from the convertible. The reason for eliminating convertible model was also planned for Premiere by painting it tricolor, but the the tricolor paint is known, but it’s not as the Capri series. All Capris were also to similarity to the ‘55 Packard gave clear why a Capri model convertible was have distinctive side trim and multi-tone management second thoughts not made. body side paint. The ‘55 Packard, which came with similar trim on some models, and the realization that the Capri might appear more expensive than the upscale Premiere model led management to eliminate the exterior paint and trim differences between Premiere and Capri. As a result of the January 1954 realignment in the design department, George Walker and his staff continued as design consultants, but Walker’s liaison with the Lincoln-Mercury studios, Elwood Engel, was often locked out by Bordinat and his studio designers. That, many other problems, and a persistent George Walker finally convinced Henry Ford II and Breech that another shakeup was needed to stop the bickering and hopefully create a smooth running design department. When the plan that led to the Edsel disaster was adopted in February 1955, it included separate Lincoln and Mercury studios. In addition, a new Mercury proposal from Benson Ford was shelved when it was decided to productionize the XM Turnpike Cruiser show car recently designed by Engel and Najjar as the new ‘57 Mercury. By April, Benson Ford was out, and Ben Mills was in as general manager of Lincoln Division.

12 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club In May 1955, design became independent of Engineering and a separate department headed by Walker, who became a Ford vice president. (Walker, while still a consultant, had recommended changes to the design of the ‘57 Ford that made it the Ford that finally outsold Chevrolet. That was one of the primary reasons he got the job.) Walker promptly renamed the place the “Styling Center,” and set out to totally remake it. Bordinat was placed in charge of a separate Mercury studio, and upon Engel’s recommendation, Najjar was named head of the Lincoln studio. In June 1956, the ‘56 Lincoln was honored with a much-deserved design achievement award from the International Design Institute. Schmidt had left by that time to become chief designer at Packard, so the IDI award was made to Tod, Conrad and Najjar plus their bosses. The fins on the Futura are very similar to those In his oral history given the Henry Ford Museum in 1984, Najjar said initially designed on the ‘57 Lincoln. Engel recommended him for the job as Lincoln’s chief designer because he and Walker felt Najjar was “their man.” According to Najjar, Engel told him “That’s why you’re getting it. Because you’ve been loyal. We want to help the guys that helped us.” Designers moved into a new, much larger building across the street from the old EEE building in May 1953. Although Najjar had been an executive designer in the Lincoln preproduction studio, which was in the basement of Painting done by Richard Nesbitt, the new building with the former Ford designer of what the '57 other preproduction studios, Lincoln looked like before Najjar The Futura concept car later became the Batmobile. he was seldom upstairs in the The Futura is shown here in New York City’s Central changed it, Nesbitt's rendering is based Lincoln studio. The Lincoln on Najjar's quote contained elsewhere Park with Benson Ford (left) and Bill Schmidt. The studio had no primary Futura was built in Italy & was an operable car. in this article. It's the authors' theory designer after Schmidt left in that Walker and Engel had seen spy early 1955. When Najjar got photos of Chrysler's '57 product line, to the Lincoln studio, and into Schmidt’s old office, which was sometime in mid-May and changed the fins on the '57 Lincoln 1955, the office walls held drawings showing Schmidt’s ideas for the ‘57 Lincoln. to match what Chrysler was planning. Because of the timing involved in the production of new models, there was probably also a full-sized fiberglass model of the proposed ‘57 Lincoln in the studio. Because Najjar’s primary job was to design an all-new ‘58 Lincoln, his studio was loaded with designers, including Engel, Dave Ash, Herb Tod, Rulo Conrad, Art Miller, Bob Chieda, Jake Aldrich, Merle Adams, Joe Achor, Richard Schierloh, and Richard Karbo. The master modelers were Doug McCombs and Henry Klemick. Before Najjar’s designers could give full attention to the ‘58 Lincoln, however, they had to redesign some of the ‘57 Lincoln. Najjar describes what he found when he got there as follows: “I had inherited the ‘57 Lincoln from Bill Schmidt who put these gargantuan fins on this ‘57 job, and he took this beautiful ‘56 Lincoln creation and put these God-awful fins from the Futura on it ... He’d gotten that from the Futura. Evolution, you know of concept design. These things were several feet in the air. Great hunks of chrome around the back... So, anyhow, I This rendering was done by retired Ford designer Richard looked at this ‘57 Lincoln, and said “My God, I don’t like this, Schierloh in 2018 based solely on the quote from John Najjar what can I do?” So I talked with Elwood, and I shortened the contained in this article describing what the ‘57 Lincoln wraparound chrome below the rear fins by about two feet. Just looked like when he got into the Lincoln Studio. Please had them tucked in from the back. I brought down the top fins remember, the Batmobile was several years in the future. by about 7-8 inches, and tried to clean it up from my point of view.“

13 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club In an interview with the authors in the 1995, which was after he had retired, Najjar said he didn’t believe Schmidt prepared the drawings of the proposed ‘57 Lincoln attributed to him. Rather, he believed that, after Schmidt left Ford, Walker and Engel grafted the “blades” from the Futura and “put them on the car” to direct the design of the ‘57 Lincoln the way they wanted. According to Najjar, the fins on the supposed Schmidt drawings of the ‘57 Lincoln also gave the rear fenders a kind of hangdog look. Whether the Futura fins on the full-sized ‘57 Lincoln in the studio when Najjar got there had a hangdog overhang is unknown. (Those drawings were not saved or have disappeared as have any photos of the car before Najjar changed it.) When Najjar became head of the Lincoln studio, the big fins had already been “approved” for the ‘57 Lincoln, but he said he “was feeling his oats” and objected. The end result was that he was able to lower the fins Ford Design Center photos show several variations of and change them so they no longer drooped. The other major change covers made for the lower of the quad headlights. At Najjar made to the ‘57 Lincoln shown in the supposed Schmidt drawings the time, some states still banned quad headlights. and/or the full-sized fiberglass model was to move “forward by about 8 or 9 Very close to production someone decided to make inches the (chromed) sheet metal that was showing between the back of driving lights out of the lower lights, which solved the bumpers and the rear wheel opening.” The end result was that Najjar the problem. and his studio designers spent about five or six weeks redesigning the ‘57 Lincoln. Schmidt and Najjar were close friends. They had lunch together every day before Schmidt left Ford. Their families were close and visited often. When Schmidt left, he asked Najjar to leave with him and run Schmidt’s side design business. Najjar was a “company man” and didn’t feel he was cut out for self employment, so he stayed at Ford. Najjar and Schmidt stayed in contact, and the same designers who worked for Schmidt on the ‘56 and ‘57 Lincolns worked for Najjar on the ‘57 Lincoln. If the Schmidt drawings of the ‘57 Lincoln were doctored by Walker and Engel, it’s likely Lincoln studio designers, who Najjar worked with every day, or Schmidt, or all of them told him Schmidt wasn’t the one who put the Futura’s fins on the ‘57 Lincoln. Richard Schierloh’s first day as a Ford designer was June 20, 1955. He was assigned to the Lincoln studio even before he went through orientation. Schierloh came into the studio less than six weeks after Najjar was appointed head designer. On his first day there, Schierloh clearly remembers seeing full-sized fiberglass ‘56 and ’57 Lincolns sitting next to each other. He remembers admiring the ‘56 Lincoln as one of the most beautiful cars he had ever seen, but the ‘57, he thought was terrible with “these large fins that had ruined the gorgeous ‘56 Lincoln.” Schierloh is certain however; by that point the fins on the ‘57 had been lowered. Late in the design process, management decided the ‘57 Lincoln was to have quad headlight. The job of grafting quad headlight onto the front of the car was assigned to Dick Karbo, with Richard Schierloh working with him. They both thought the extra headlights on the front of the ‘57 Lincoln were not as bad as they could have been. But they also felt, along with the fins, the quads ruined the comprehensive design carried over from of the ‘56 Lincoln which they both greatly admired. Because it didn’t look like all states would make quad headlights legal by the time the ‘57 Lincoln started production, covers were designed for the lower headlights. Luckily, the need for covers was obviated when it was decided to turn the lower headlights into driving lights controlled by a switch under the instrument panel. , The ‘56 Lincoln was introduced on September 9, 1955, and 50,322 (a whopping 250% increase over 1955) were sold in what was otherwise a down year for luxury cars sales. The ‘56 Lincoln didn’t make profit for Ford Motor Co., but it almost broke even. In his oral history, Bordinat claimed that if Mills had only authorized building 1,000 more cars at the end of the 1956 model year, Lincoln would have made a profit. Introduced October 16, 1956, 41,123 ‘57 Lincolns were sold, supposedly at a loss of $1525 per car. But there was always next year, and 1958 was trumpeted as the year Jayne Mansfield draped over back Lincoln was going to catch and surpass Cadillac in sales. of ‘57 Lincoln Premiere convertible

14 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club I was on vacation in Florida on Christmas vacation. I was walking down the beach and I see one of my colleagues from work approaching me. "You had breakfast yet," I ask? "No." "Let's find a place." "Good," he says. "My car is right over there." I get in his car, a brand-new Lincoln, and right away I notice that it's a stick-shift. I say, "You bought a new Lincoln with a stick shift? I didn't know that they made a Lincoln like that." "They don't," he says. "I ordered it special." "I'll bet that cost a fortune," I reply. "Oh, ya. You got that right." "Why would you buy a new Lincoln with a stick shift," I ask? He says, "My kids can't drive a stick."

For Sale Lincoln Manuals For Sale

• 1942 Lincoln Body Parts list $35 * • 1946 Lincoln Body Parts List Lincoln Continental $18 * • 1952 Lincoln Cosmopolitan and Capri Body Parts $12 * Catalogue • 1953, 1954, 1955 Body Parts Catalogue $30 * • 1952-1955 Lincoln Chassis Parts Catalogue with $25 * Supplement 1 • 1952-1955 Lincoln Chassis Parts Catalogue without $20 * supplement • 1958 Continental & Lincoln Maintenance Manual $20 * • 1995 Lincoln Town car Owners Manual, '95 Owners $15 guide with Zipper case. - New condition Contact: Angela Zimmerman [email protected] or 309-253-3573 * Or best offer 15 | P a g e Newsletter - Lake Shore Region - Lincoln & Continental Owners Club Market Place FOR SALE Seller Rates: Approx. 2-½″ x 4″ space is free for two issues per year to members. After two issues and for non-members the rate is $10 per issue. 5″ x 4″ space is $25 per issue. Buyers: Items and descriptions are not verified or warranted by the Lake Shore Region or the Lincoln & Continental Owners Club. Editor reserves the right to modify layout size, text and format to fit available space.

Lake Shore Lincoln Lines is a publication of the Lake Shore Region, Lincoln & Continental Owners Club.

This newsletter is issued bi-monthly to provide information to the Lake Shore Region membership. Members are encouraged to submit articles and photos of their cars which will be utilized and edited as space will allow. FOR SALE ads are free for Region members and $10 for nonmembers.

REGION DIRECTOR Barbara Esdale • Highland Park, IL • 847-831-2544 [email protected] ACTIVITIES CHAIR & ASSISTANT ACTIVITIES CHAIR Joe Russo • Chicago, IL • 219-707-6427 ORDER YOUR NAME BADGES TODAY [email protected] Jason Rossi • Bartlett, IL • 630-606-5401 TREASURER Joe Esdale • Highland Park, IL • 847-831-2544 [email protected] MEMBERSHIP John McCarthy • Crystal Lake, IL Did you miss the first order opportunity? You can still order your magnetic 847-997-9944 backed name badges for only $7 each. The best part of this club is the friends you [email protected] meet. Help them remember you. PRINT the names you want carefully on a sheet SECRETARY of paper along with your address and send with a check payable to “Lake Shore Dick Nelson • Chicago, IL • 773-973-3796 Region LCOC”, to Joe Esdale, Treasurer, 1769 Eastwood Ave., Highland Park, [email protected] IL 60035. Order an extra set of badges to have in your car so that you can be ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS ready for fun any time! Members who have just joined may order theirs for only Eldon Hueber • North Aurora, IL • 630-701-2177 $4 each within 30 days of joining. [email protected] Terry Burns • Paddock Lake, WI • 262-206-2644 Notice: [email protected] In order to be a member of the Lake Shore Region of LCOC, Bill Fletcher • Poplar Grove, IL • 847-702-2651 you must also join the national LCOC organization. [email protected] To become a member of the Lincoln & Continental Owners Club (LCOC) call the NEWSLETTER EDITOR LCOC Membership Office at (763) 420-7829 or go to https://lcoc.org/join-lcoc/ Anne Zarzycki • Hickory Hills, IL • 708-598-2720 [email protected]

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