One of my favorite cars. I love Lincoln and I am also a 51 model. Fun fact, Lincoln used three different body side moldings during the 51 model year, depending on date of production. The car featured is a late production version and a remarkable surviver.
@@What.its.like. compare the photos that you showed with the featured car that you showed and you will see the differences, if you look closely. 😉 LOL 😆.
My first car in high school in the late 60's was a 1951 Lincoln Sport Sedan. It was a great driving car with that huge flathead and the old Hydra Matic.
Awesome did it have power steering? If not was it hard to turn.. I personally think power steering is overrated I don’t have power steering in the 52 1 ton truck and don’t miss it
@@What.its.like. No, no p/s. However, like other American cars from the era, it had a really big, really comfortable steering wheel. We are so accustomed to just spinning the wheel while not moving now, that was the only time that I noticed the heaviness. Beautiful to drive. I'm guessing you know that the headlight pods are because originally it was designed to have hidden headlights and that was cancelled. Also, that massive V8 was adapted from their medium-truck line V8, which was why it was such a reliable, untemperamental unit. I loved the beautiful sound of the radio, too!
Starting at 11:30 take note of the steering wheel and horn ring. The horn ring appears to float in position to the steering wheel. This is because the horn ring attaches from behind the steering wheel. It is an interesting effect. It is more expensive to make. After this model year I do not know if Lincoln/Continental used this again before 1961. When the 1961 Elwood Engle designed Continental was introduced the first builds used the floating horn ring, but less than 50 were made as the steering wheel and horn ring were quickly redesigned to reduce cost. Imagine how rare those are today.
I read many years ago that this model was intended to have disappearing headlamps but there was a problem with development and the mechanism was not on hand to meet the production schedule, so a chromed bezel was quickly designed to fill the already existing space. Hence the oddly recessed headlamps.
@ramblerdave1339 Yes. The cover would have retracted towards the engine side of the fender, exactly where the cavity is at its deepest when you examine the bezel.
Funny thing, Jay. The minute I saw the title of the video, I thought of this song!!! And an acquired taste? Yeah…a face only a mother could love…if your mother was a manatee or a walrus.
I totally agree thank God so ugly didn’t make a note another nice one in my opinion until 55 but I think I like that one because it looks like a packard Lincoln was real hidden mess there for a long time but I have to say I am a huge Mark 5 Fan
This is the first I’ve ever saw I was under the impression that it was a line of cars offered by Lincoln but that is a huge misconception it was the name for their special top offering Only offered for 1950 and 1951 I was reading 1950 had a four-door sedan that could be had with this top but I could not find the four-door sedan and 51 so they must’ve dropped it.. different car
I’ve owned two town cars both signature series 1988 and 1989 the 88 was the best riding car I’ve ever owned I sort of want to buy another one and do a nostalgia episode with it
Buick, Cadillac. I looked at the thumbnail and thought: "If he doesn't use Lido Shuffle for this video, it'll be a crime!" You're redeemed! "One more for the show-w-w-w-!"
Which choices that Chrysler imperial is a pretty nice looking car I miss my opportunity this year to do I think it was a 52 convertible I didn’t realize how rare it was not always be next year lol
So many car companies went with this overly-smooth, streamlined styling. Ford, Packard, Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer, Nash and a few others. Of the big names, only GM and Chrysler didn’t get on board. And their decision turned out to be the right one. Personally, I’m a fan, especially of the Packard, Kaiser and Frazer. Lincoln, however… I think you have to own one to appreciate it. It seems very awkward to me, like it’s full of neat little styling treats, but they just don’t blend together to create a cohesive look. Whatever the case, what came before was beautiful and what came after was beautiful. But this one I think did a lot of damage to Lincoln. I don’t think they became a style leader again until the slab-sided cars of the early 60s. Round one goes to the Chrysler, and I think the second round does, too.
I 💯 agree, this is an acquired taste. It was never one of my favorite eras of Lincoln. I've seen pictures of them and seen them in movies, but seeing more closely and it in detail does give me a little different perspective, although it's still not a favorite, I think mostly it's the front styling, i think the rear is more interesting. The interior space was pretty decent! I would pick it though over the others in the first scenario, it would be the Cadillac in the second! 😎 Video
Totally agree might do a video on hideous cars because there was a light in this early era Edsel looks really good compared to this car.. but I’ve always liked the Edsel =) Happy you dig this video
Great Lincoln theme this week. Now if you can find the same year Ford Crestline 2 door sedan, had the sane type vinyl roof.The tunneled headlights, supposedly Lincoln designed the front to have hidden headlights, but exposed the lights due to cost. .First pick 1939 Buick Roadmaster, 2nd 1951 Chrysler Imperial.
There is a 53 Ford Crestline Sunliner it is one of 107 with the transparent hood dealership model it’s in the pipeline I’m not entirely sure when we’re gonna get to it.. It’s not high up on the priority list because we’ve already done a crescent line from 53 this one’s just is a different model
Song - Lido Shuffle, Boz Scaggs. Stupid autocorrupt, I had to retype my answer so many times, someone beat me to it! Anyhow - 1939 Buick and the Cadillac. Well done sir, thank you! ~ Chuck
Well done video. This Lincoln is definitely an acquired taste. It's not a bad looking car. It's just looks different due perhaps to where and how the headlights are located and styled. The drawback is of course the Lincoln just looks like a chromed up Mercury and not necessarily a distinct vehicle in the traditional sense. Still, it is a very impressive survivor.
Hi Jay, This must have been one of the first applications of vinyl in cars. This example, though far from pristine , looks to be very original. Your right, they are a bit ungainly, like a puffed up Mercury. If it runs ok, I’d use it like it is. Thanks for sharing. 👍😁
They had been doing full vinyl tops since at least the 1910s. The look really took off in the late 1920s. The Ford Model A leatherback sedan is a prime example, but most car companies had some version of this roof treatment, which was usually found on close-coupled/club sedans. The coachbuilder, Derham, was justifiably famous for using these roofs on their formal sedan builds.
@@terribelbliss9646 the Derham cars and some others were leather, but most of the others were a man-made material. While not technically “vinyl,” they were the same synthetic fabric used for roof inserts on most cars up to the mid-1930s. Ford never used leather on their “leatherback” sedans, for instance. Most people, including me, use the term to refer to a type of roof treatment,rather than a technical material selection. Chemical analysis would probably show that modern materials probably aren’t PVC vinyl either.
Humm, It looks like the headlights are always pointing the wrong way. Interesting that they used a split windshield but had all that bent glass in the back light. Bumpers have visable bumper bolts all over, never see a faux-pas like that on a caddy. The vent window cranks open, but the rear window is pop-out?
I think in both cases just based on the brand name, I would rather have the Lincoln. I would not be too fond of any of these cars. A second choice on both scenarios would be the Chryslers. I could really say if in the market for a new car in 1951 my first choice over all makes and models would be the Mercury and my second choice would be Hudson. This car doesn't appear to be something to write home about. These choices are based on pictures only. It would be interesting if you were to do a video of two cars of different makes from the same year and then ask us to make the choice. It is possible if after that video offered a choice of Chrysler versus Lincoln I could pick the Chrysler or maybe not.
The lido or EL Series was a Mercury from the split windshield back and even used Mercury taillights, and the Cosmopolitan had had a one piece windshield. Lincoln bought GM hydramatic for a automatic and used that transmission through 1954 i like them , they were contemporary in 49 when they came out and made a sales record that was not beat until 1972. My Aunt bought a new 50 Lincoln cosmopolitan and had it a couple years, she had trouble with the hydraulic power Windows one night and she said she never liked the car after that and got rid of it
I’ve always liked these Lincoln’s they remind me of the trains of that time with the frenched in headlights and the round frontal appearance they look like they’re doing a 100 mph 😂I’d definitely choose the Lincoln over the Cadillac and for my money I think the Lincoln looks much better than the mercury as a matter of fact the customizers from that time applied the Lincoln front end treatment to the led sled 49-51 mercury’s
Vastly outsold by Cadillac in 1951. The Caddy had a more modern V-8 and one piece windshield among other advantages. The running joke in 1951 (as told by my Dad) was that the front end has a "sad look" & that Cadillac felt so sorry for Lincoln that they let them use their transmission. Poor Chrysler, though, in 1951 only featuring the not fully automatic Fluid Drive.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information I totally agree the 51 Cadillac looked worlds better and more modern than the Lincoln but the Lincoln caught up in 55.. And the roles were reversed 55 Lincoln is a really nice looking car
The 'sad eye' Lincoln is probably the most forgotten, unloved series of its history - and certainly of the postwar era. Flathead truck engine instantly outdated by the Cadillac OHV, confused price structure, no hardtop (as noted here) etc. Good build quality, good period gas milage with overdrive. Originally intended to have hidden headlights - budget and or finance guys said no, but development was too far along so the car got those headlight tunnels instead - sad face. The taillights remind me of a 55 Merc. WYR: 1) 39 Roadmaster - but this is really a totally different driving experience and era, 2) tough one but you showed an Imperial Newport which is just rare, and looks really clean in person (makes the Caddy seem a little garish), so I'll take it, but bow the trans really hobbled the hemi.
It was lido shuffle boz scaggs someone just got it There is a Buick like that in the pipeline coming up 1932 Nash eight is next not entirely sure when that’s going to come out though I have a wedding tomorrow I’m going to try to put it together but I won’t be around for the live chat.. So I don’t know if I’m just gonna wait until Sunday for that one
Another great presentation I would definitely choose the 39 Buick for personal reasons and my second choice would be the 51 Cadillac I think caddy's from this era far out classed Lincoln
Kudos almost 9k views, and your the 1st person to take notice of that =) that matched the car color and the other images didn’t match the look I wanted so went with this one Tomorrow’s episode is on a 1932 nash special aid odds are they’ll probably be advertisements from the year prior in the year after because for whatever reason in 1932 there wasn’t that many ads for that particular car
For WYR, I'll pick the '51 Lincoln, and the '51 Cadillac. Not a bad-looking car, but I was a little surprised about the rear windows opening up vent style given its price range. It's funny you were mentioning Hudson, because I think this car is Hudson-like in appearance.
I hate to say. I can't believe that front is attached to the back end.The back end looks good.I guess you drive it backwards. I like the 51 caddy. Being a lincoln it probably drives great.
Fomoco was sadly behind the times with the '49-'51 restyled Lincolns... No hardtops, a truck flathead V8, bathtub style body. At least the tranny was modern, but only b/c it was borrowed from GM. Kind of amazing that their "luxury" brand didn't seem to even attempt to measure up with the finned Caddy that was introduced in '48. Of course, Ford had to spend heavily on their all-new across-the-board '49 offerings...and in their rush to introduce them, build quality suffered. The Ford and Merc, in contrast to the Linc, were ahead of their competition in style and saw strong sales. These Linc's were nice in their own right, arguably, with Merc, the best looking of the "bathtub" genre.
Hi Jay!: WOW you are killing me on this one! My parents actually had one of these before I came along. Pretty sure it was the Cosmopolitan Sport Sedan. My Mom says it was just like sitting in your living room! It was green, also. The design is a LITTLE strange as far as around the headlights, but it beats the pants off of the "bathtub" Packard, which is sad! KILLING me is the WYR's! I can't pick the Lincoln in either. You killed me on the first one by selecting the 1939 Buick, which I think is the most beautiful of the prewar Buicks!! #2 is the Cadillac. As much as I like the Lincoln, the Caddy has better styling and a more modern V-8 engine. I hope someone buys the one you showed and gives it a good home! It is a neat car! When you showed the side of the driver's side door, I believe that the little teardrop shaped cover is missing. You would flip it up or down to put your key in and unlock the door. Those were popular for YEARS on many different cars.
Great choices thank you so much for sharing all the insight and information as well as sharing your mom‘s experience with the car =) Might do a segment on acquired taste cars
48 Chrysler 51 Caddy I've seen pictures of these many times but this is the first time I've actually been around the real car. Thanks Jay for posting this so I can finally after all these years get a good look at one of these. As far as I'm concerned Ford made two big mistakes with this car. First, the styling on this car especially the front end is IMO just fugly. I don't know any other way to put it. How could the Mercury of the same year be such a good looking car and yet the Lincoln looks so terrible. That's surprising considering the Lincoln is supposed to be the premiere luxury brand of the Ford line. Second, I consider it to be sacrilegious to put a GM anything into a Ford product. What was Ford motor company thinking that's as much as admitting that your main competitor makes a better transmission than you do. It is nice to see one of these that's an unrestored survivor. I like that because you get a chance to see how well the original materials they used have held up. Since this one still looks pretty good on the inside we can see the materials used have held up decently. One thing I will add though are those knobs for the controls on the dash. You definitely would not want to hit any part of your body against that during a crash. Those fins sticking off of the knobs could do some serious damage.
Great choices these are very fugly cars but have their place in history Thank you so much for sharing all the insight and information They used the gm hydra matic transmission because they didn’t have a fully working automatic unit plus gm was willing to sell it to anyone willing to pay for it it was in a lot of 40s and 50s cars hell rolls Royce even used it at one point
Never liked the ultra Frenched front end of that Era Lincoln...but the same era Mercury is a hotrod favorite, and the generally French the headlights...go figure... 39 Buick 51 Caddy
The weirdest headlights ever. Originally they were considering folding headlights similar to the 42 DeSoto. But, they ended up with a new styling que for Lincoln, and they continued to have odd headlights untill 56. Those are tiny backups. That vinyl top was to detract from the fact that they still didn't have a hardtop until 52.Tho bloated IMO, a Lincoln from this period are ultimate gangster cars, especially with those great suicide doors. Druthers: only the Imperial.
Because it was cheaper to use gm transmission that was the first mass produced fully automatic transmission and GM sold it to anyone who would buy it rolls Royce even used it at one point
The main reason is the Fordomatic transmission wasn't strong enough to handle the torque of the big bore flathead and much heavier body of the Lincoln.
For 1951 Lincoln and Mercury were in their last year for offering suicide doors, although Studebaker had it for one more year. Suicide doors were as such one would get run over by the door if they stepped out while the car was moving. I would still pick the Lincoln from the first scenario, then go with Cadillac.
This car looks oooogly, even compared to a 'horse-collar' Edsel. The 51 Merc, while similar in shape and lines, wasn't as gaudy (the 49 and 50 Merc''s were better to my eyes) though. WYR is Buick and the Caddy.
Very outlandish for that time. The cigarettes smoked in that car were bigger that the exhaust system on other countries cars. The American filtered cigarette also produced more smoke, and more horsepower than the cars from other countries. Australia was importing British rubbish, as a colony would. The cars were ugly ducklings. It was a cross between a milk can, and a newspaper kiosk... 2.5 cylinder, 3 stroke engines or something. Camera won't fit in?! That's a drivers ashtray, glove boxes weren't invented yet.
That camera put on a few spare tyres over the years. If you gonna put it on a blender shake diet, make sure the electronics are on top. Just kidding. If I had a camera like that, I would take happy snaps of Martians,...on Mars!
I've never liked the front of these cars. It's like the face has been swiped off - like a burn victim. Just kind of spooky and too smooth. Something ain't raaaaht. about it.
Hudson was a beautiful car. The Lincoln you are showing in my opinion is butt ugly. But I own a Hudson, so I'm very biased. The Mercury too was a beautiful car.
I have a Pacemaker 4 door. She has 67,260 original miles. Again I'm a little biased but I think the 4 door versions have better lines than the 2 doors.
They were slow but compared to volts wagon beetle they’re still faster than a volts wagon beetle Volkswagen beetle 0 to 60 was like 36 seconds that’s with the 1600 in the 50s they were slower than that
Modern highways were few and far between back then. The freeways were not there yet. So there were no on ramps and need for rapid merging. This car was about comfort. Not speed.
I used a 50 in the thumbnail because it was the same color and when I googled 51 lido ads it came up.. but found out it was a 50 ad but still used it because it was the same color as car featured
I never liked these early 50s Lincolns. They look like an unhappy bottom-dwelling fish. For a real Lincoln, there's nothing more beautiful than a 40-48 Continental, especially the 40 and 41.
