This lovely Willoughby-bodied Lincoln hasn’t been offered for sale in 60 years! While some references claim only two of the seven originals exist (both well-known government-owned parade cars), this car is, in fact, a third. With a well-documented history in the seller’s family, provenance should be relatively straight-forward, but as with all valuable classics, carefully scrutinize details before purchase. Why? This rare vehicle, located in Fairfield, Connecticut, is offered here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now price of $130,000.
Willoughby & Company coach works of Utica, New York built mostly high-end bodies for Packard, Lincoln, and other chassis builders, offering white-glove treatment for wealthy customers. Custom coach-building pampered well-heeled buyers of early motor cars, though this practice had nearly vanished by the Great Depression. Only a buyer of extraordinary means commissioned a car like this in 1937. What second life might this car experience beyond official parades? Though not completely restored, the car received a $40,000 makeover around 2001 including fresh paint in the original color, black.
Handsome and purposeful, the dashboard features inlaid hardwood and artistically painted wood grain with delicate art-deco touches. The seven-passenger open touring body suggests the owner left the driving to a hired professional. “I say James, *do* try and avoid those dastardly potholes!” Sadly the seller didn’t pop for the extra $1.40 to let eBay display high-resolution pictures of this six-digit listing, so details are difficult to discern. Take a virtual walk to ConceptCarz.com to see one of the two surviving sister cars, an immaculate two-tone beauty owned by the State of California. The details on that car –and probably this one — demonstrate that Lincoln and coach builders like Willoughby & Company crafted exquisite cars for the super-elite. That car went unsold with bidding at $150,000 in 2008.
While not original to the car, the 267 cid Lincoln V12 is said to be a 1937 engine. The smooth V12 produces 110 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque, enough to get this 6000 lb land yacht up to parade speed with little difficulty. Luckily such a vehicle had no illusions of carving up two-lane mountain roads. A contemporary flathead V8 Ford would trounce this Lincoln in nearly any automotive challenge until both of them show up at “The Club,” where the Ford would be directed to the employee parking lot, and the Lincoln would be parked under the awning and polished void of fingerprints while its owner secured venture capital over cocktails at the 19th hole. If the sister car went no-sale on $150k in 2008, how do you value this fine but not-quite-as-stunning example today?
A buddy of mine has one of these engines in his yard, I studied it thinking it would be a fun start for a period looking Speedster or race car but the engine is totally uninspiring. I am sure it is smooth as glass but a good flathead 8 cyl Ford or straight 8 Chrysler makes more power. This is a lovely car off course. Henry had do be drug kicking and screaming into the luxury car market…….he was run out of Cadillac (he was one of the founders) because he didn’t want to build quality cars.
What a beautiful automobile. I wonder how he set the ask. We’ve had this discussion before but once it has been painted, had the leather redone as well as the chrome, and a arguably replacement engine, not much of the automobile ( this not a car) is as it came from the factory , i.e. original. That aside, this what a Classic automobile looks like to me.
Isn’t this close to the car that Rick bought on Pawn Stars?
Always a favorite ! Correct me if I’m wrong. But this is a K-Series car and should have the larger, and MUCH more dependable 414 CID V12. The Zephyr engine had its share of problems and has come to be known as unreliable. But the 414 was a completely different animal. The Zephyr V12 only made 110 hp compared to the 414’s 150 hp. It looks like the 414 in the photo, but I’m not 100% sure.
Thank you, Oldcarsarecool. One of the sites I used to research this piece actually had a picture of this engine calling it the Zephyr V12. !!! Poking around some more I see this is the 414 as per https://www.heacockclassic.com/articles/cylinder-wars-race-to-develop-american-v16-engine/ and this is what the Zephyr V12 looks like… http://buffyscars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1937-LINCOLN-ZEPHYR-V12-2.jpg So while they both have the shiny acorn-heads they are visibly different as you point out. Thanks again – I am learning from you all every week, and will do my best to avoid mistakes but definitely to avoid making the same mistake twice!
You’re welcome Todd Fitch. I have also learned quite a bit from this site and enjoy my time here. And regarding mistakes, I don’t make the same mistake twice. I usually make it 5 or 6 times just to be sure !
This car wouldn’t come with a 267 V12 to be out done by a ford V8! This car had to compete with the Packard V12 and the Cadillac V16! Im not sure if this is the “big block” V12 or the little one but I bet my life on it that when it was new it had the big V12 in it. But to be honest: in 1937 nothing would beat a Packard V12!
It’s a nice car, but I too wonder about the asking price. If a pristine example only brought a $150k bid, I can’t see this bringing $130k. On the other hand, 2008 was not a good year for the classic car market, so maybe this price isn’t bad. When there are only three examples left, and there going years between sales, it’s hard to get a market comparison.