1959 Lincoln Premiere Sedan
The Lincoln Premiere was a luxury car model sold by Lincoln in the 1956 to 1960 model years. Positioned below the company’s Continental Mark II coupe during 1956–1957 and above the Capri which it shared from 1956–1959, it was produced in 2 and 4 door versions which could both accommodate up to six people.
The Premiere was for a short time the largest, top level 4-door sedan Lincoln offered against rivals from Cadillac, Imperial and Packard during the mid-1950s while not being available as an extended length limousine.
For 1958, the Premiere shared its chassis and mechanicals with the Continental Mark III-V sedans, until it was replaced with the 1961 Continental sedan.
The Premiere name has been currently revived as a trim level on Lincoln models.
The 1959 Lincoln Premiere was truly hulking. One of the largest cars ever made regardless of platform, larger than contemporaneous Cadillac Sixty-Specials or Imperials. With awkwardly canted headlights and heavily scalloped fenders its styling was considered excessive even in a decade overcome with it. They are the longest Lincolns ever produced without federally mandated bumpers. The 63.1 inches front and 63.0 inches rear shoulder room they possessed set a record for Lincoln that still stands to this day.
Ford completely redesigned the Lincoln line for 1958 and did so in a big way: the square and elegant Premiere was one of the largest postwar cars to ever drive on American roads. At 229 inches long, and weighing in at more than 4,800 pounds, the Premiere was available as a hardtop coupe, four-door sedan, and four-door Landau hardtop sedan, and ranged in price from $5,300 to $5,565. These were the first Lincolns produced at the new Wixom plant, and were made on a unibody platform, Lincoln’s first since the Lincoln-Zephyr. While advertising brochures made the case that Continental was still a separate make, the car shared its body with that year’s Lincoln. The Lincoln Premiere was placed between the Lincoln Capri and Continental in trim level, with a traditional roof treatment instead of the Continental’s extravagant reverse-angle power rear “breezeway” window that retracted behind the back seat. Lincoln lost over $60 million during 1958-1960, reflecting the enormous expense of developing the largest unibody car produced to date and poor consumer reception. The 1958 full-size Lincoln sold poorly in all models, compounded by the economic recession in the U.S.
This is an automobile that speaks to post-war elegance and distinction; a delight for evenings out, special occasions and touring scenic highways on fine days.
