American History Tellers - History of the Lincoln Motor Company

Episode Date: November 20, 2018

Named after one of the greatest U.S. presidents, the Lincoln Motor Company has become as ingrained in American culture as the Statue of Liberty. Founded by Henry Leland to produce plane engines during World War I, Lincoln became a key driver of the early automobile industry in the United States and a pioneer of the luxury car market. But when Leland’s vision proved too ambitious for the nascent American car market, Lincoln was purchased by the Ford Motor Company.The Ford acquisition would prove to be a game-changer for Lincoln. It provided the young company with a jolt of capital, marketing know-how, and a secret weapon: Henry Ford’s son, Edsel Ford, who possessed an uncanny sense of style and what customers wanted. He would lead the Lincoln to build an entirely new class of automobile: something “strictly continental.” Brought to you by the 2019 Lincoln MKC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. It's early May, 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio. The air is fresh and still cool on most nights, but the faintest smell in the air tells you summer is coming. Plus, the drive-in opened last week. The drive-in. The vessel of all your dreams and longing, where you can see Cary Grant, 60 feet high, making the moves on Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember. And if you don't have curfew, stay for the second feature. Steve McQueen in The Blog.

Annetta Corsat's scream squalling through the crackly speakers. If, that is, you have a car. A car means freedom, choices, mobility. And tonight you have one. Dad let you take the Lincoln. Only took three months of asking and two months of lawn mowing. Mary Beth's eyes light up when she sees it.

But first, you have to make it past her father and his gorilla handshake. Nine o'clock. No excuses. Yes, sir. Of course. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Walking to the car, Marybeth whispers, Peter, how'd you... Dad let me borrow it. So don't spill a coke on the upholstery, okay? It's a deal. As she hops in, you feel a shiver up your spine. As you pull away from the curb in front of her house, her father stares after you from the porch. And now it's all vertigo.

The two of you are lying under a blanket on the hood of the Lincoln. As Jimmy Stewart tries in vain to stop Kim Novak from falling to her death, Mary Beth holds on to you for dear life. The movie scares you out of your wits too, but you don't show it. At the end of the night, you walk Mary Beth to her door. As you approach, you see the curtain rustle, but instead of reaching for the door handle, she turns around. Thanks, Peter. I had a great time. Me too. Is it okay if I call you next week? I'd like that. She looks at you expectantly. And then, before you can change your mind, you lean in and kiss her.

Good night. Back in the Lincoln, you lean your head against the seat, replaying the evening in your mind. Finally, you ease the car out of the driveway and head home. As for your dad, well, looks like you owe him one. Now, how on earth are you going to convince him to give you the keys again? From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. This is a special bonus episode on the history of the Lincoln Motor Company and the rise of American car culture, brought to you by the Lincoln MKC. The Lincoln Motor Company is as

ingrained in American culture as the Statue of Liberty, and it's almost as old. Named after an American president by a man who actually voted for Honest Abe, Lincoln was a key part of the brutal and deeply consequential tugs of war of the early car industry in the United States, and it was a major driver of the beginnings of the luxury car market. It defined American style and swagger at a time when the country's culture and values were just coming to dominate the world. By the 1950s, businesses built around cars were starting to employ people by the thousands, from workers on the brand-new interstate system

to drive-ins, gas stations, and fast food restaurants. But Lincoln was born in the crucible of something far more dangerous. War. Henry Leland grew up in Barton, Vermont, in the mid-1800s. Fascinated with machines from a young age, he worked for a variety of companies, taking advantage of the new doctrine of interchangeability that was sweeping the nation's manufacturing sector. Industry after industry was figuring out that by standardizing their machined parts,

they could greatly increase the number of sources that could supply them. When everyone used the same basic parts, it drove down their cost and drove up efficiency. Leland worked for the Brown and Sharp Tools plant in Providence, Rhode Island as a machinist and saw this principle in action. He saw the power of standardization to drive reliability when he went to work for Colt. The company's.45 caliber pistol was known as the gun that won the West thanks to its ability to withstand hard duty and keep going. The reliability of Colt's hardware was key to the company's success, and that reliability, in turn, relied on repeatability and standardization. But while he enjoyed working for an American legend,

Leland couldn't get his mind off the new kids on the block, the car makers. Though the first steam-powered cars appeared in the late 1700s, the first gasoline-powered engines didn't emerge until the late 1800s. Carl Benz produced what was considered the first production vehicle in 1885. In 1896, Henry Ford produced his first car. And by 1899, he'd started his first business, the Detroit Automobile Company, which only lasted until 1901. Having owned a machine shop since 1870, Henry Leland watched the nascent automobile industry

closely. His early car work involved supplying engines to the Ransom E. Olds Motor Vehicle Company, whose production cars first hit the Ransom E. Olds Motor Vehicle Company, whose production cars first hit the market in 1901. Most know the company by its later name, Oldsmobile. By this time, the Detroit Automobile Company had gone under and Ford had incorporated again as the Henry Ford Company. But the new venture didn't last long. Ford's partners, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowden, were growing frustrated with their chief engineer. They wanted Ford to buckle down and develop an automobile that they could sell in vast quantities, but he was more interested in developing flashy race cars that would make

headlines and generate publicity for the company. Frustrated by their relationship with Ford, they brought in Henry Leland to give them an outside perspective on where they could take lines and generate publicity for the company. Frustrated by their relationship with Ford, they brought in Henry Leland to give them an outside perspective on where they could take the company. Angered by what he saw as a sneaky move to go around him, Ford promptly quit the company. It's August 1902. You and your partner, Lemuel O'Boden, have brought in cantankerous old Henry Leland to take a look at your factory. But at 59 years old, he knows more than almost anyone in the world about automobiles. He walks around, inspecting everything. After a few minutes, you clear your throat. So, what do you think, Henry? I know it's not much, but what can we get for this factory and all these leftover parts? If you pardon me saying so, I don't think you should sell.

You weren't expecting that. Not sell? My kids can't eat nuts and bolts, Leland. They won't have to. You have all the makings of a full-fledged car company here. Well, we might have the company, but we don't have a car or an engineer to build us one. Why, sure you do, William. Oh, yeah? Where is he hiding, then? He's standing right in front of me. Oh, I see. We didn't realize you were available.

I think I've made enough engines for Mr. Olds. I think it's high time I made my mark in the automobile business. Well, we have to figure Ford is going to start another company. You think there's room in the market for another car brand? There's always room for excellence, William. Always. Leland managed to convince Ford's former partners not to liquidate the plant. Instead, he persuaded them to get back into the car business, only in a different sector, high-quality cars with only top-of-the-line materials and a flashy look designed to get noticed. This time, he would join them. The three men partnered to start a new car company,

named after the French explorer who founded the city of Detroit, Antoine de la Motte-Cadillac. Cadillac was born. Leland had their first cars on the road just two months later. By 1909, Cadillac was successful enough to be acquired by car industry conglomerate General Motors. The sale made Leland a rich man, but in 1917, something would happen that would change Henry Leland's life forever. The United States entered World War I. Imagine you're William Durant, the founder of General Motors. It's 1917, and you've just gotten off a phone call with the government. A nerve.

You don't usually let yourself get this worked up, but you can't help at this time. No one is going to tell you how to run your business. Passing by your door is Henry Leland, now 74 years old. He pokes his head in. Goodness, something wrong, William? The war industry's bored. They want me to shut down Cadillac's production and switch over to making airplane engines. You wave him into your office and gesture to a chair. He sits down. Well, what'd you tell him? I told him the truth.

I'm a pacifist. I'm not going to make them a darn thing. Leland suddenly stiffens. You don't want to help with the war? Not if it involves people dying. What if it involves innocent Americans dying? Women? Children? I don't know what to tell you.

I have my principles. And I have mine. At that, he stands up and heads for the door. Are we finished here? I suppose so. Where are you going, Leland? To call the War Industries Board. World War I was the first large-scale conflict to occur after the advent of mechanization,

and its parameters were different than any war that had come before it. One of the most important changes was aviation. The airplane had only been invented 12 years earlier, but it would prove to be a key strategic advancement for both sides. While there are some early attempts at bombing during World War I, planes were primarily used for reconnaissance, allowing generals to see enemy troop placement with unprecedented detail. And Henry Leland was determined to help. He left Cadillac, the company he'd founded, and immediately went to the government.

He secured a $10 million contract to build 6,000 engines. There was just one problem. Without GM, he didn't have a factory. So Henry Leland built one, and along with it, a company. The company that would become the final, defining achievement of a truly remarkable career. When he needed to call it something, the patriot in him couldn't think of a finer namesake than the first president he'd ever voted for, Lincoln.

Leland wasn't one to waste time. He and his son Wilfred immediately got to work building and provisioning a production facility. They had it up and running in no time and managed to crank out 2,000 engines within the first year. Even more impressively, they more than doubled their output in the second year. By the end of the war, Lincoln had produced more than 6,500 plane engines. Not only did these engines help turn the tide of the most devastating conflict the world had ever seen, but they were built through collaboration among some of the most cutthroat and competitive young companies the world has ever known. Buick, Ford, Lincoln, and Packard set aside their business rivalry and worked together, all making engines to the same spec.

Ford provided the cylinders that went into every one. 433,826 in all. But this cooperation in the service of the greater good couldn't last forever. When the war in Europe ended, the industrial conflict back home began in earnest. All the carmakers retooled production to shift back to producing cars. Lincoln hadn't been a carmaker before the war, of course, but Henry Leland wasn't about to let that stop him. He took out loans and issued stock to raise money to retrofit his factories for car production and got to work on his next creation, the Lincoln Model L. Its V-8 engine would be based on the V-12 airplane engines they'd

produced during the war. The first Model L rolled off the assembly line in September 1920. Leland's vision was the same as it had been when he founded Cadillac. Create the best quality product possible and the customers would come. Top quality meant higher prices, and perhaps fewer customers, but it would also mean bigger margins and a different class of customer. Unfortunately, the early 1920s wasn't the best time to shoot for the stars. Car ownership had yet to become commonplace,

and the roaring 20s hadn't yet quite started to roar. In 1921, after building just 3,407 Model Ls, Henry Leland was forced to face reality. Demand for cars was down. He was operating at a loss and rapidly running out of road. He put his baby on the auction block in bankruptcy court. Which is when an old acquaintance showed up. Henry Ford. It's 1921.

You are a 58-year-old Henry Ford, and your mass-produced Model T car has set off a transportation revolution by offering a relatively affordable car priced for the masses. Your 28-year-old son Edsel comes to you. He seems excited about something. Edsel, what are you so hot and bothered about? It's Lincoln, sir. I think that...

Did they come to see you again, Edsel? Appealing to your gentle nature. They certainly seem to know which one of us is the softer touch. Yes, but... But nothing. I told you the last time they came calling. I have no interest in becoming a charitable organization for wayward car manufacturers. With respect, sir, it's no longer a question of charity.

What's that? How do you figure? When we spoke to the Lelands, they wanted us to bail them out, to let them keep the company, while they run roughshod over the bedrock principles of capitalism. Practicality. Profit. Are those such old-fashioned notions? Well, apparently not.

Lincoln is going into receivership. Oh, you don't say. And if I may go further, picking up one of Henry Leland's factories at pennies on the dollar could be very practical indeed. Well, the man is a stickler for high standards. Always has been. We could turn it into a boutique brand, a more expensive car for a more discerning customer. Well, Leland will want to remain involved, you know. Like you said, the man is a stickler for high standards, which is another way of saying he's headstrong.

Now, I'm willing to consider it if you're willing to keep both eyes open. Meaning what? Meaning this may get Henry Leland out of debt, but don't expect him to last too long around here. On February 4, 1922, the Ford Motor Company bought Lincoln Motor Car Company for $8 million, $114 million in today's dollars. Ford's purchase of Lincoln provided the fledgling enterprise with the operating capital it needed, along with an experienced marketing operation and industry-leading manufacturing chops.

Ford had brought the assembly line into common use just a decade earlier. Now, it was being used to build an entirely new class of automobile. More importantly, the Ford acquisition added another secret weapon to Lincoln's arsenal, Edsel Ford. Within six months of purchasing the company, clashes of personality and manufacturing philosophy led Henry Ford to remove the Leland from Lincoln, putting Edsel in charge. The sole heir to his father's groundbreaking car business, this marked the beginning of a more productive partnership with his legendary father. Still, Edsel chafed at various points under Henry Ford's rigid ideas and his allergy to anything resembling style. Now, however,

even though Henry was reluctant to let Edsel make stylistic changes to his beloved Tin Lizzy, Edsel had Lincoln as an outlet for his creative juices. In 1923, Henry Ford made Edsel the president of Lincoln Motor Company. The younger Ford's mission could not have been clearer. As he himself put it, Father made the most popular cars in the world. I want to make the best. By 1924, the Model L had become the gold standard in statement automobiles, a reputation that was cemented further when Calvin Coolidge selected it as his presidential car. It would become the first in a long line of presidential vehicles made by the company. In 1930, the Model L was retired, and in

1931, the models K, Ka, and KB were introduced. A year later, Lincoln debuted a V-12 engine, and in 1933, the company abandoned V-8 engines altogether in favor of the raw power of the V-12. With all that power under the hood, it's not surprising the company would become associated with racing. Edsel Ford himself drove a Lincoln KB Murphy Model 248 two-door convertible roadster as the pace car at the 1932 Indy 500. The next few years were prosperous ones for Ford and Lincoln. Edsel had an uncanny sense of style and what the market wanted, and customers responded, with many buying multiple Lincolns in different body styles. In 1938, after a trip to Europe, Edsel returned and tasked Bob Gregory, his head designer,

with creating something whose design was strictly continental. The following March, Edsel finally saw the fruit of Bob Gregory's labors. An original, one-off Lincoln with a streamlined body was delivered to Edsel while he was vacationing in Florida. It looked sensational. It drove like a dream. It was going to be a hit. He could feel it. But there was only one way to be sure. Imagine you're Edsel Ford, tooling around Florida in 1939.

Your head designer just sent you a car with a chassis of a Lincoln Zephyr convertible coupe, but only the running boards are cut off and there's a spare tire mounted on the trunk. No one has seen anything like it. Today, as you pull up to a Miami stoplight, a stranger can't help but say something. Say, fella, what is that thing? I've never seen... Hey, wait a second. You're Edsel Ford, aren't you? If my press agent can be believed, yes. I gotta say, this is a heck of a ride you got here. Is this next year's model? Oh, this is a little something of a company secret. You see, I believe that company secret, my eye, I gotta have one of these things. It's so modern, so cultured. So continental. That's exactly what I was thinking.

How much you want for it? Oh, I couldn't possibly give this one away. Nah, go on. You can get any car you want working at Lincoln. Send me this one, huh? I'll write you a check right here in the intersection. To prove he's serious, the man pulls a checkbook out of his glove compartment. I'm terribly sorry, sir. My designers, my manufacturers, my marketing folk, not to mention my father, would all kill me if I let this thing out of my sight. You really like it, though. What do you think I've been trying to tell you? Here, I'm going to write

this check out and leave the dollar amount blank. As the light changes, he leans out of the window and hands you the slip of paper. Behind you, cars are starting to honk. Consider this my reservation of the new Lincoln... the new Lincoln Continental? Continental. I couldn't have said it better myself. All over Florida, Edsel was accosted by people asking about the provenance of his strange and amazing vehicle. By the end of his vacation,

he had 200 blank checks from people desperate to get their hands on one. By October, the company had officially announced the car for a 1941 launch. By 1942, the company had produced nearly 2,000 Continentals before it was forced to halt production outright. Lincoln, along with the rest of Ford Motor Company, was being pressed into service again for another war in Europe, this time creating engines for tanks and amphibious vehicles. Three years later, with the war won, Lincoln could focus once again on making cars. It was the perfect time to be in the car business.

Thousands of GIs were streaming home from the front, taking advantage of the GI Bill to obtain low-interest mortgages as well as free college tuition. The ranks of the middle class surged, along with their disposable income. It was one of the headiest boom times the American economy has ever seen. And as manufacturing efficiency rose and consumer prices fell, anyone with a decent job could afford a car. At the same time, President Eisenhower was preparing

to undertake a vast public infrastructure project. He had been mightily impressed by Germany's Autobahn during his time in the European theater, and so he pressured Congress to authorize the building of a massive network of cross-country highways called the Interstate System. With many more roads and many more cars to drive on them, a new culture of mobility was inevitable, and Lincoln helped make it a reality. Henry Leland had helped open the American West with the Colt 45. Now his final legacy was pushing

back the country's frontiers once again. Drive-ins, gas stations, and car dining establishments became commonplace as the car began to be seen as an extension of each driver's personality. New companies came into the market, providing consumers with even more options, while the rise of hot rod culture and its wild customizations allowed for infinite expression. It was during this era that Edsel Ford's wisdom became apparent. In a confusing world of look-alike options, Lincoln now stood out clearly as the premier luxury option. Its legacy of the Continental as the ultimate luxury car was unassailable. In 1959, Time magazine published its 100 best-designed commercial products of

modern times. The Continental Mark I landed at number six on the list alongside such iconic creations as Olivetti Latteria's.22 typewriter and Charles Eames' famous steel and bent plywood chair. In 1960, Lincoln introduced the world's first 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty. In 1968, the company shipped its millionth Continental. In the 1970s, famous designers from Cartier to Givenchy to Versace all took turns redesigning its interior. Iterations of this iconic vehicle are still being produced to this day. Through it all, Lincoln has stood for one thing,

infinite possibilities and a progressive take on American luxury. And now, with the 2019 Lincoln MKC with built-in Waze navigation, not only will you arrive in style, you'll never be in doubt as to how to get there. If you're lucky, maybe you'll even find a drive-in along the way. From Wondery, this is American History Tellers. I hope you enjoyed this special bonus episode brought to you by the Lincoln Motor Company. If you did, subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR One, Wondery.com,

or wherever you're listening to this right now. If you're listening on a smartphone, tap or swipe over the cover art of this podcast. You'll find the episode notes, including some details you may have missed. You'll also find some offers from our sponsors. Please support this show by supporting them. American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship.

Sound design by Derek Behrens. This episode is written by Scott Alexander, edited and produced by Jenny Lauer. Produced by George Lavender. Executive producers Marshall Louis and Hernan Lopez for Wondery. If you like American History Tellers, you can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.