Lincoln In A Box
By Jim and Cheryl Farrell
A lot of Fords were built overseas. Some were assembled from parts sent to facilities where there was no Ford factories. Today, Fords are built almost everywhere around the world, but Lincolns are manufactured only in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and now China.Production records are incomplete.
Cars shipped overseas were not usually separated out in whatever records were kept. Available records identify about 400 1932 Lincolns shipped to Russia that year. Some 900 new 1936 Lincoln-Zephyrs also went overseas. So far, those are about the only detailed records that have been found.
Often, export model Lincolns were equipped differently (metric speedometers, high-output generators, stronger jacks, etc.) and they almost always carried heavy-duty tires, tire pumps, and other parts designed for the terrain of the destination country.
The accompanying photos show two 1947 Lincolns boxed and ready for shipment overseas. From the writing on one box, we know that it was on its way to the Belgian Congo. but that’s all we know. So far few records have been located indicating what Lincolns were shipped where.
Posted by permission.
Photos courtesy of Ford Archives.
Check out Jim and Cheryl Farrell’s book, Ford Design Department—Concepts & Showcars
ISBN 0-9672428-0-0
Book review to come.
For book ordering information, email: cfarrell57@gmail.com
In 1970 we built a group of Impalas at the Tarrytown NY plant for the Buenos Aires police department. They were all 454 engined with certain equipment added and deleted. The US police Impalas were all small block standard 9C1 cars. The BA cars were shipped unpainted, by the way.
Interesting
My father worked for Ford of Brazil in that time and told me Lincolns were received exactly like that.
It is rather amazing to think that there were 400 Lincoln buyers in Russia in 1932.
Russian millionaires buying Lincoln.
“Gentlemen, I’m as awestruck by this most incredible Website and this startling information on Lincoln automobiles travelling to far-flung countries that often had no standards to go by concerning the future of motor vehicles. It makes sense that ornery ole Henry Ford would bring a few Lincolns with him to Fordlandia of Brazil but rather have brought old Model T’s if he’d got his way.!”