When Edsel B. Ford II came upon the 1956 Lincoln Continental
MK II last year, he admired the long lines and elegant custom styling of the
automobile, but he didn’t immediately recognize it. Imagine his surprise when
he learned the car had, in fact, belonged to his mother, Anne, as evidenced by
the original owner’s manual inscribed with her name.
In all fairness, Edsel was just 8 years old when his father,
Henry Ford II, ordered the car for his wife, who drove the luxury vehicle for
about two years before selling it to her personal assistant for use as a daily
driver.
The car, now impeccably restored, will be among the many
pre- and postwar custom-bodied Lincolns featured at the 63rd Pebble Beach
Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 18 at Pebble Beach Resorts. The 1956 Lincoln
currently belongs to Rick Schmidt, whose father Jim discovered the dilapidated
vehicle in a classified ad. Had they not already owned a 1956 metallic mint
green MK II that had belonged to Benson Ford, and a 1956 sapphire blue metallic
MK II that had belonged to William Clay Ford Sr. — both brothers of Henry Ford
II — the Schmidts would not have taken on the project.
“It seemed only right to have the trio of 1956 MK IIs
originally owned by the Ford brothers,” says Rick, “so we bought the car and
dove into the project, taking on our biggest restoration challenge yet. It is
now a stunning car, and we’re thrilled to bring it to Pebble Beach.”
The 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will feature:
Simplex — Among the rarest of early 20th century marques,
just 48 Simplex automobiles are known to survive. Intended for only the most
prestigious clientele, these chassis, which sold for the outrageous price of
about $5,000, were bodied by the best coachbuilders of their day. The marque
later merged with Crane, replacing its sporting cars with a more luxury image.
Vanvooren — Early in its history, Carrosserie Vanvooren was
licensed to build Weymann fabric-bodied cars, but soon developed its own
elegant and refined French designs that have stood the test of time. Vanvooren
coachwork graced all the best marques of the day — Hispano-Suiza, Bugatti,
Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Delahaye. It also collaborated on cutting-edge
creations, such as the Corniche prototype done with designer Georges Paulin.
Additionally featured will be: Lamborghini, Aston Martin,
Porsche 911, BMW 507 and French motorcycles.
source: http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/show-news/lincolns-to-lamborghinis-hit-the-beach-for-2013-concours
http://www.fzrestoration.com
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