LINCOLN

Lincoln Motor Co. (1920-1940)
Lincoln Div., Ford Motor Co. (1940-2012)
Lincoln Motor Co. (2012-present)
Detroit, Michigan

This is a Lincoln radiator emblem (c1922)      mjs
Size: 83mm wide 48mm high   MM: Unknown

Henry Martyn Leland left Cadillac in 1917 after an argument with Billy Durant of General Motors and set up the Lincoln Motor Company. He was given a contract to build Liberty aircraft engines for the US military in the First World War and when the war ended he decided to use the plant to build a new car, which would be called the Lincoln.

Like any Leland product, the new V-8 Lincoln was precision-built but its coachwork was rather old-fashioned and the car was late in arriving on the market, appearing at the end of 1920 just as the post war recession struck. By February 1922 production was only about half of that planned and the company was put into receivership against the objections of Henry Leland.

The company was bought by Henry Ford, who was interested to have a higher priced automobile alongside his low-priced Model T (see Ford). Henry Leland departed shortly after the sale and Edsel Ford took over Lincoln. Under the control and influence of Edsel Ford sales grew and the Lincoln became a beautiful car using high quality coachwork. In 1932 a new 150 hp V-12 Lincoln was introduced but the depression of the 1930's limited sales of big luxury automobiles and the larger V-12 Lincolns suffered poor sales.

Lincoln fortunes improved with the introduction of the Lincoln Zephyr in 1936. Lincoln sales soared from under 4,000 in 1935 to over 22,000 in 1936. In 1939 a new Continental cabriolet was introduced as a model of the Zephyr but in 1940 the word Zephyr was dropped and the car became the Lincoln Continental. Lincoln Continental production continued after World War II but ceased in 1948, although the Continental name was used by Lincoln on various models after 1955. In 1981 the Lincoln Town Car became the Lincoln flagship model and remained until it was discontinued in 2011. The company became Lincoln Motor Company again in 2012.

Emblems

The first Lincoln radiator emblem was a nickel plated, black enamel emblem with the inscription "Leland-Built" at the top, see example below. This Lincoln radiator emblem continued in use until the Ford take-over in early 1922 and is scarce.

This is a Leland-Built Lincoln radiator emblem (1920-1922)   mjs
Size: 83mm wide 48mm high     MM: Unknown

The following is a Leland built Lincoln hub emblem. This Lincoln hub emblem is rare.

This is a Leland built Lincoln hub emblem (1920-1922)  mjs
Size: 77mm diameter   MM: None   

After the Ford take-over, the Lincoln radiator emblem remained the same as before, except that the "Leland-Built" inscription was replaced by "Ford Motor Company", see plated example below and the polished metal example shown above at the top of this post:

This is a Ford-Built Lincoln radiator emblem (1922-1923)   mjs
Size: 83mm wide 48mm high   MM: Greenduck

The following is a Lincoln hub emblem. This Lincoln hub emblem is scarce.

This is a Lincoln hub emblem (c1923)      mjs
Size:     MM:

The following black enamel Lincoln radiator emblem was the first Lincoln emblem to use the Ford oval shape:

This is a Lincoln radiator emblem (1924-1927)    mjs
Size:76mm wide 41mm high    MM: None

The next black enamel Lincoln radiator emblem had a black enamel border, see example below:

This is a Lincoln radiator emblem (1927-1928)    mjs
Size:76mm wide 41mm high   MM: None

The following smaller black painted oval Lincoln emblem is believed to be an instrument panel emblem:

This is believed to be an instrument panel emblem (c1927-1928)    mjs
Size: 45mm wide 23mm high    MM: None

The black enamel Lincoln radiator emblem shown below was the final version of the oval Lincoln emblems:

This is a Lincoln radiator emblem (1928-1930)     mjs
Size: 76mm wide 41mm high    MM: D L Auld

A completely new set of Lincoln emblem designs was introduced in 1931 for the eight-cylinder Lincoln Model K, with a wide, oval shaped, red enamel Lincoln emblem mounted on the headlight bar and the same sized emblems displayed on the hub caps and trunk, see examples below. The red headlight bar emblem continued through 1932 with the introduction of the Model KA and the red hub and trunk emblems continued through 1933.

This is a Lincoln Model K showing headlight bar emblem (1931)  bonhams

This is a Lincoln Model K headlight bar emblem (1931)  bonhams

This is a Lincoln Model K headlight bar emblem (1931)   kmc
Size: 113mm wide 40mm high overall    MM: None

This is a Lincoln Model K trunk lid emblem (1931)  bonhams

This is a Lincoln Model K hub emblem (1931)   bonhams

This is a Lincoln Models K & KA hub/trunk emblem (1931-1933)   mjs
Size: 113mm wide 45mm high overall    MM: None (some D L Auld)

The new twelve-cylinder Lincoln Model KB in 1932 carried the same set of emblems on the headlight bar, hub caps and trunk as for the Lincoln Model KA but in blue enamel, see examples below. The blue hub cap and trunk emblems continued through 1934.    

This is a Lincoln Model KB headlight bar emblem (1932)   bonhams

The blue enamel Lincoln Model KB headlight bar emblem shown below is scarce:

This is a Lincoln headlight bar emblem (1932)     mjs
Size: 113mm wide 40mm high overall    MM: Unknown

This is a Lincoln hub/trunk emblem (1932-1934)     mjs
Size: 113mm wide 45mm high overall    MM: D L Auld

The Lincoln Model KA red enamel headlight bar was removed later in 1932 and was replaced by a curved red enamel Lincoln emblem on the top of the radiator grille, see examples below. The red enamel hub and trunk emblems remained as before. This arrangement of Lincoln emblems continued through 1933.

This is a Lincoln Model KA grille emblem (1932-1933)   ms

The red enamel Lincoln Model KA grille emblem shown below is scarce:

This is a Lincoln Model KA grille emblem (1932-1933)    mjs
Size: 102mm wide 32mm high overall    MM: D L Auld

The Lincoln Model KB blue enamel headlight bar emblem was also replaced later in 1932 with a curved blue enamel Lincoln emblem on the top of the radiator grille, see examples below. The blue enamel hub and trunk emblems remained as before. This arrangement of Lincoln Model KA emblems continued through 1934. Lincoln Model KA cars also carried blue enamel emblems in 1934.

This is a Lincoln KB radiator grille emblem (1934)   conceptcarz

This is a Lincoln KB trunk emblem (1934)  bonhams

This is a Lincoln KB hub emblem (1934)   bonhams

This is a Lincoln grille emblem (1932-1934)    mjs
Size:102mm wide 32mm high overall    MM: D L Auld

The Lincoln Model K introduced in 1935 carried a new round enamel Lincoln emblem design, which continued to 1940. This emblem was fitted to the radiator grille within a stepped chrome bezel and the same emblem without the chrome bezel was fitted to the hub caps and the luggage rack, see examples shown below:

This is a Lincoln K radiator grille emblem and bezel (1935)   ms
Size: 83mm diameter incl bezel

This is a Lincoln K luggage rack emblem (1935)   rmsothebys

This is a Lincoln K hub emblem (1935)    rmsothebys

This is a Lincoln K emblem (1935-1940)      mjs
Size: 75mm diameter    MM: None

Most Lincoln Model K cars carried the blue enamel emblems shown above but a few smaller Lincoln Model K cars used red enamel Lincoln emblems in 1935 , see example below:

This is a Lincoln Model K with red emblems (1935)   coys

This is a Lincoln K grille emblem and bezel (1935)    coys

This dark red enamel Lincoln emblem is rare, see example below:

This is a Lincoln K emblem (1935)     mjs
Size: 75mm diameter   MM: None

The following green enamel version of this Lincoln K emblem may have been used on a custom design model to match the color of the car and interior. This green enamel Lincoln emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Lincoln K emblem (c1936)      mjs
Size:75mm diameter  MM: None

The final Lincoln Model K cars built in 1940 carried black enamel emblems, see examples below. These black enamel, Lincoln emblems are very rare.

This is a Lincoln K grille emblem (1940)      sam
Size: 75mm diameter  MM: Unknown (prob None)

This is a Lincoln K hub emblem (1940)     mjs
Size: 75mm diameter      MM: None

The following red painted Lincoln emblem has been seen used as a steering wheel center emblem, see example shown below, and may have been used as a  hub emblem on some models. Red painted Lincoln emblems are scarce.

This is a red painted Lincoln emblem (c1935-1940)    mjs
Size:75mm diameter   MM: None

This shows a red painted steering wheel center emblem (1937)  gmm

The Lincoln Zephyr Series introduced in 1936 had a new set of teardrop shaped emblems, which reflected the overall shape of the Lincoln Zephyr, the fender skirts and the shape of the tail lights. The first Lincoln Zephyr emblem was a blue enamel emblem mounted in the upper right side of the radiator grille, see example below. This Lincoln Zephyr grille emblem is scarce.

This is a Lincoln Zephyr radiator grille emblem (1936)   bonhams

This is a Lincoln Zephyr radiator grille emblem (1936)    mjs
Size: 118mm wide 46mm high   MM: None

There was also a blue painted emblem attached to a die-cast trunk handle, see example below. This Lincoln Zephyr trunk handle emblem is scarce.

This is a Lincoln Zephyr trunk handle emblem (1936)  matt r kyle
Size: 108mm wide 38mm high   MM: Unknown

In 1937, the same Lincoln Zephyr emblems appeared in red enamel, see examples below:

This is a Lincoln Zephyr with red grille emblem (1937)  ms

This is a Lincoln Zephyr grille emblem (1937)     mjs
Size: 119mm wide 46mm high    MM: None

The red painted Lincoln trunk handle emblem shown below is scarce:

This is a Lincoln Zephyr trunk handle emblem (1937)  mjs
Size: 108mm wide 38mm high     MM: None

There are export versions of the blue and red enamel Lincoln Zephyr grille emblems inscribed "Made in U.S.A.", see examples shown below. These export Lincoln Zephyr grill emblems are rare.

This is an export version of the blue Lincoln Zephyr grille emblem (1936)  kmc
Size: 118mm wide 46mm high   MM: Unknown (prob None)

This is an export version of the red Lincoln Zephyr grille emblem (1937) alamy
Size: 118mm wide 46mm high     MM: Unknown (prob None)

In 1938, the Lincoln Zephyr carried tear drop emblems on each side panel just below the hood, see photo below:

This is a Lincoln Zephyr with side panel emblems (1938)  bonhams

The following are the two 1938 Lincoln Zephyr side panel emblems, which were originally chrome plated:

These are Lincoln Zephyr side panel emblems (1938)   mjs
Size:158mm wide 70mm high    MM: None

In 1939, the Lincoln Zephyr side panel emblems were reduced in size and a v-shaped "V12" chrome trim was fitted to the lower front of the hood above the grille, see examples below. The side panel emblems were originally chrome plated.

This is a Lincoln Zephyr showing emblems and V12 trim (1939) bonhams

These are Lincoln Zephyr side panel emblems (1939)  mjs
Size: 117mm wide 49mm high    MM: None

The following photo illustrates the different sizes of the 1938 and 1939 Lincoln Zephyr emblems:

These are the two sizes of Lincoln Zephyr emblems (1938 (top) 1939 (bottom))  mjs

The following shows the chrome  plated die-cast "Lincoln Zephyr" script mounted under the trunk:

This shows the Lincoln Zephyr rear script (1939)   bonhams

There was a change in emblem design for 1940 and 1941. For 1940, there was a small red painted chrome die-cast, teardrop shaped "V12" emblem mounted on a chrome strip on the lower front of the hood above the grille on Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln Continental models, see example below:

This is a Lincoln Zephry with V12 hood emblem (1940)  bonhams

This is a Lincoln Zephyr V12 hood emblem (1940)  rmsothebys

The following photo shows the red painted "Lincoln Zephyr" chrome nameplate mounted on the side panels below the hood:

This is a Lincoln Zephyr side nameplate (1940)  bonhams

For 1941, the hood emblem was changed very slightly, see example below:

This is a Lincoln Zephyr V12 hood emblem (1941)    ms

The 1941 Lincoln Continental used the same hood emblem and had a chrome "Lincoln Continental" script mounted on the rear hood sides near the rear view mirrors, see examples below:

This is a Lincoln Continental showing hood emblem (1941) rmsothebys

This is a Lincoln Continental rear hood side script (1941) rmsothebys

There was another change in Lincoln emblem design in 1942 using a shield shaped green enamel hood emblem mounted at the front of the hood above a red painted, embossed chrome "Lincoln" nameplate and a red painted embossed "12" in the top center of the grille, see example below:

This shows the Lincoln hood emblem and nameplate (1942)   ms

The green enamel Lincoln hood emblem shown below is scarce due to the small production for 1942:

This is a Lincoln hood emblem (1942)     mjs
Size: 75mm high 44mm wide   MM: None

The Lincoln hood emblem shown above is well worn and does not convey the true original colors of this emblem, which are shown below in a photo of a correctly restored emblem. The 1942 Lincoln emblem was originally finished in gold plate with transparent green enamel in the cross and in the center of the star and with silver paint behind the pegs in the dotted quadrants and on the blinds in the other quadrants. Lincoln emblems from 1942 with this design and still retaining the original finish are rare.

This is a correctly restored Lincoln emblem (1942)  kmc
Size: 75mm high 44mm wide    MM: None

There is a most interesting article by Karla Maxwell about the development of the detailed design and finish of this Lincoln emblem, entitled "Emblems that Graced the 1942 Lincolns", which appeared in the May/June 2015 edition of the Lincoln Zephyr Owners Club magazine "The Way of the Zephyr".

The following is the Lincoln hood nameplate, which was originally finished in red paint:

This is a Lincoln hood nameplate (originally painted red) (1942)  mjs
Size: 142mm wide 25mm high     MM: Unknown

There was a new red, white and blue enamel, shield shaped Lincoln emblem when post war production began in 1946. The new emblem was mounted near the top of the grille with the red painted chrome "Lincoln" nameplate mounted above on the front of the hood, see example below. This emblem arrangement was used on Lincoln Continental models from 1946 to 1949 and on Lincoln Cosmopolitan models in 1949.

 

This shows the Lincoln Continental emblems (1946)   rmsothebys

This is a Lincoln grille emblem (1946-1949)      mjs
Size: 83mm high 44mm wide     MM: None

This is a Lincoln trunk emblem (1946-1949)      mjs
Size: 95mm high 55mm wide overall (83mm high 44mm wide emblem) MM: Rex 5th Ave base

The Lincoln grille and trunk emblems shown above are the same size but have different sized knight helmets. This may be the result of different emblem makers. 

The 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan carried the same grille emblem but located within a different chrome grille. The previous chrome "Lincoln" nameplate was removed and the "Lincoln" name was placed on the front bumper and a chrome "Lincoln Cosmopolitan" script was located on the side panels under the rear view mirrors, see photos below:

This is a Lincoln Cosmopolitan radiator grille (1949)   hemmimgs

This shows the Lincoln Cosmopolitan panel script (1949)    ms

The following metal Lincoln emblem is a different design and larger than the Lincoln hood emblem shown earlier and was used as a hub emblem on the 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan, see example shown further below. 

This is a Lincoln Cosmopolitan hub emblem (1949)   mjs
Size: 93mm high 50mm wide     MM: None

Lincoln Cosmopolitan hub emblem (1949)   gmm

There was a new grille emblem for 1950 sitting within a die-cast chrome fitting located under the front of the hood just above the radiator grille. The same emblem was mounted on the trunk. The "Lincoln" name was also displayed on the front bumper and on a side panel script located under the rear view mirrors, see examples below:

This is a Lincoln Cosmopolitan (1950)    conceptcarz

This shows the Lincoln grille emblem (1950)    jill reger

This is a Lincoln grille & trunk emblem (1950)      mjs
Size: 63mm wide 58mm high   MM: None

This shows the Lincoln side panel script (1950)  mecum