Designed by Eugene T. Gregorie
Ah, the perks of being the boss's son. Edsel Ford, son of Henry, was the president of Lincoln and often had custom-made cars built for his personal use. For his 1939 winter vacation in Florida, Edsel wanted a car built to reflect the influence of European design. Eugene Gregorie sketched--in crayon--a proposal over a blueprint of a Lincoln Zephyr chassis. The car was built, and Edsel's wealthy friends in Hobe Sound and Palm Beach were so enamored of it that Edsel decided to put it into production as the Continental. It remained in the lineup through 1948, but, with their more elegant grille and headlamp treatment, the '40 and '41 cars are the prettiest.