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Lincoln Continental is a model name for a luxury car marketed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company. Along with the Zephyr, the Continental is a Lincoln nameplate that has seen use in a sub-division, the short-lived Continental division of 1956–1957. As a Lincoln, the Continental nameplate saw use for 49 years, from 1939 to 1948 (skipping World War II) and from 1958 to 2002 (skipping 1981). Serving as the Lincoln flagship for its first three generations, the Continental name conveyed special cachet in the product line. In the 1961 redesign of the Lincoln line, the three-model line was consolidated down to the Continental, which served as the sole Lincoln sedan for the next sixteen years. With the exception of the Lincoln Mark VIII, all versions of the Lincoln Mark Series of the personal luxury cars are based on a corresponding generation of the Continental. In the early 1980s, the Continental changed from its traditional role as the full-size Lincoln (taken over by the Town Car) to a mid-size sedan as Lincoln sought to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. In an effort to better compete with imported automakers, the Continental adopted the platform of the Ford Taurus in 1988, which it used until 2002. After the 2002 model year, in an effort to simplify its model lineup, Lincoln discontinued the Continental and its role was largely taken over by the Lincoln LS and the later Lincoln MKS. In March 2015, after a 15-year hiatus, an all new version of the Continental was unveiled at the New York Auto Show as a replacement when the MKS is cancelled; it is expected to go on sale sometime in 2016 as a 2017 model. == Edsel Ford prototype (1939) == The first Lincoln Continental was developed as Edsel Ford's one-off personal vehicle,〔Dammann, George ''The Cars of Lincoln Mercury'' (Sarasota, FLA: Crestline, 1987), p. 192.〕 though it is believed he planned all along to put the model into production if successful. In 1938, he commissioned a custom design from the chief stylist, Eugene T. "Bob" Gregorie, ready for Edsel's March 1939 vacation. The design, allegedly sketched out in an hour by Gregorie working from the Lincoln-Zephyr blueprints and making changes, was an elegant convertible with a long hood covering the Lincoln V12 and long front fenders, and a short trunk with what became the Continental series' trademark, the externally mounted, covered spare tire. They had front and rear transverse leaf springs and hydraulic drum brakes. The result could be considered a channeled and sectioned Zephyr, with all traces of the running-boards removed. The decrease in height meant that the hood was much closer to fender-level, and the trim was minimal. When compared to other American cars of the period, it seemed long and low, with sleek "clean" lines. The first model Continental is often rated as one of the most beautiful automobile designs from the pre-world war II era. The customized one-off prototype was duly produced, on time, and Edsel had the vehicle delivered to Florida for his spring vacation. Interest from well-off friends was high, and Edsel sent a telegram back that he could sell a thousand of them. Lincoln craftsmen immediately began production on the Continental "Cabriolet" convertible, and even a rare few hardtop models. They were extensively hand-built; the two dozen 1939 models and 400 1940-built examples even had hand-hammered body panels, since dies for machine-pressing were not constructed until 1941. The limited number of 1939 models produced are commonly referred to as '1940 Continentals'. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lincoln Continental」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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