The Lincoln Capri is an automobile that was sold by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from 1952 to 1959. A full-size luxury car, the Lincoln Capri derives its name from an Italian island in the Gulf of Naples. Introduced as a premium trim variant of the two-door Lincoln Cosmopolitan, the Capri was introduced in 1952 as a stand-alone model line serving as the premium Lincoln. With the introduction of the Lincoln Premiere (and Continental), the Capri replaced the Cosmopolitan as the standard Lincoln product line.
The Lincoln Capri was produced across three generations; following its withdrawal, Lincoln rebranded the Capri using only its division name (following a practice used from 1946 to 1951). Along with the Lincoln Premiere and the Continental model lines, the Lincoln Capri was replaced by the 1961 Lincoln Continental.
Second generation (1956–1957)
For 1956, the Capri shared a division-wide restyling and gained the new 285 hp (213 kW) 368 cu in (6.0 L) Lincoln Y-Block V8 (with a four-barrel carburetor and 9:1 compression), as well as all-new 12-volt electrical system to cope with the proliferation of power accessories. The Capri moved down-market, becoming Lincoln's entry-level model and the newly introduced Premiere based on it became the upper level Lincoln-branded model. In addition, the convertible disappeared from the model range, which already lacked for a four-door hardtop. Sales dropped dramatically, to only 8,791 in 1956. This is not to imply that over all sales did not increase for 1956. The total production for both Capri and Premiere models was 50,322. Four-way power seats were optional. The Capri's appearance borrowed from the radically different concept cars, the Mercury XM-800 and the Lincoln Futura.
A new camshaft and higher 10:1 compression boosted output to 300 hp (224 kW),. The new cam did not, however, increase compression, contrary to Flory's misapprehension. Even so, sales declined again, to 5,900 units (despite the addition of a 4-door landau hardtop). A facelifted design for 1957 featured more pronounced fins. Total production for 1957 for the Capri and Premiere lines was 41,123.
Source: Wikipedia
Reply With Quote