In 1934, FoMoCo had a very attractively styled lineup following a 1932 refresh, and Lincoln in particular benefited from the sweeping style thanks in part to longer body lines. Just take a look at this feature car, a 1934 Lincoln KB 7-Passenger Sedan. This stately Lincoln is located in Auburn, Indiana, and is for sale here on Sotheby’s without reserve. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Doug M for the tip!
Unlike today where every car from a model line is pretty much identical save for color and maybe a few interior options, cars in the early 20th century could be extremely customized. In fact, it was common to buy just a chassis and drivetrain, and then have a custom body installed afterward. There were a variety of popular coachbuilders around the USA and Europe, which means that even within a specific model (like this Lincoln Model KB) there was a huge amount of variety. This 7-passenger sedan is one of the more basic versions, but thanks to its enclosed body it has likely survived better than a convertible.
At the time of writing, there is very little information on the history or condition of this vehicle available on Sotheby’s website. However, it certainly appears to be a survivor, not a restored example. Thankfully, there are plenty of high-quality images to look through, and they tend to show a car that has withstood almost 90 years of life. There are definitely some chips and dings in the paint and chrome throughout, but the photos also highlight details like hand-painted pinstriping, hood ornament, and intricate interior inlaid wood trim that you’d only find on a high-end car like a Lincoln. This year was also the first year to have a painted radiator.
The interior of this Lincoln is dirty, but other than a few worn-through areas of the seats it still presents well. There is a bench seat in the front and rear with 2 additional jump seats that could fold out of the way in the middle, giving a capacity of 7 people. Cars today are easy to drive, but this one has controls to manually engage the choke, adjust the spark, and advance the timing. The dashboard looks to have a bit of surface rust starting, but all the gauges are undamaged. The odometer reads just over 7,000 miles. Wouldn’t that be awesome if that were accurate? Of course, it could just as easily be 107,000. There are boxes of parts visible in the interior as well as the trunk, which should be fun for the new owner to investigate.
The engine here is a 150 horsepower, 414 cubic inch V12, paired to a 3-speed manual transmission. Lincoln engines tended to be so quiet and refined that people have claimed you could balance a quarter on end on top of the engine and not have it fall over. Whether that is actually possible, I don’t know, but the engineering of this drivetrain would have been top-notch! The engine here actually looks cleaner than I expected it to be. We don’t know if the engine runs or not, or whether any work has been done to it, but based on its visual condition I wouldn’t be surprised if it fired right back up without too much effort. This Lincoln would look great restored, but I also think it’s an excellent candidate to preserve and drive. What would you do?
Looks to be a very well maintained older restoration but I would doubt it has traveled 107k miles.
Absolutely love it! I’d sure love to get that out on the street and drive it for a little while, preferably without any close by traffic.
Don’t see woodwork like that anymore, if it is even wood.
Very Nice.I would just maintain it drive it and enjoy as-is. When a item like this shows up its so nice to see how nice it is and never restored
I wonder if John Dillinger drove this car.
“$20,000 USD | Offered Without Reserve”
Meanwhile, Muscle cars of the 60s and 70s sell for six figures. Go figure.
That looks like a great deal Hopefully true. I wouldn’t mind this beast, two issues no GREEN or PLace to put it inside.
Dress in 30’s style clothes, hire a chauffeur, ride around in the back seat with my beverage and arm candy ladies smiling from ear to ear. Oh wait a minute, I’m not Dillinger, or Capone; no I reckon it’d just be me, the car and cars and coffee to hear all the stories about what might have been. Nevertheless park this baby in my driveway next time your in Houston, we’ll have a private party, I know plenty of ladies at the Senior Center. Lol
God bless America
1. build extension on garage.
2. install a dual master cylinder and an electic fuel pump and probably replace the tires, add an aftermarket booster to the brakes, assuming it came without one, install a Columbia two speed overdrive, again assuming it came without one, battery when needed
3. drive it, assuming it now drives, to town twice a week (20 miles each way) as long as the roads were dry, park it at the far end of the parking lot.
4. clean it up, inside and out
5. depending on 4, have it repainted by an excellent body shop.
6. enter the Great Race with it. Room for spare parts, starter, generator, distributor, and camping gear for the trip to the start and the trip home.
7. take my favorite mechanic for the ride
8. put it back on Barnfinds with 117,000 miles
Wonder what it would sound like with a pair of Smitty’s?
It is not the same V12 as in the Zephyr, but, if it is anything like it, it is the best sound I have ever heard from a non- exotic car, like a Ferrari, ever. BMW with their “sound track” exhaust sounds would do well to find a good ’36 – 48 Lincoln and use that on their big cars. My 7th and 8th grade years conincided my mile walk to school with a guy commuting in a ’46 – ’48 Continental, which passed me every day, even when it was snowing. The sound was like nothing I have heard since. Smitty’s not required. My friend’s older brother had a flathead Ford with glass packs, that came in second. My father’s Chevy 6, Powerglide, came in last. Somehow the Hispanic low riders in southern California have made those Chevy’s sound “cool” to them, but it sounds like farts to me.
This beautiful design is a direct copy of the 1932 Graham blue streak. Graham had it first and the auto manufacturers went nuts . In 1933 everyone wanted to look like the 32 Graham. Check it out.
this car looks great! funny how they used straight lines but they are not
at the same time. giving that nice lowered look to it. like it is about to jump and go. i think this is why it is called a hot rod Lincoln. the sound, the looks and the go… looks fast before it goes. one thing Packard did not have. even moving fast Packard look like there standing still, a look hard to do also. i would have to flip a coin over what car is better L or P and i am a P fan all my life.I know if they made this L now i would be in line for it!
That looks like a great deal Hopefully true. I wouldn’t mind this beast, two issues no GREEN or PLace to put it inside.
Had I the funds, this would be on it’s way to my home. And, I believe the 7K miles. Back when this was new, roads weren’t what they are today, and folks didn’t drive the miles they do today. 107K miles would have left this in much worse shape than it appears.
7000 miles? Maybe, I know several Jags from the 1950’s that died from lack of oil changes, 14 quarts if I remember right, every 3000 miles, cost too much, for what was a cheap used car (my ’60 XK 150S cost $350), which is why I bought mine so cheap – woman who owned it could not afford to maintain it but at least she sold it rather than run it into the ground. So, maybe, in the ’30’s this was too expensive to maintain, or, too ostentatious to be driven around town, or lost the $ to keep the chauffeur on the payroll, and too big to park, then used too much gas to be driven during gas rationing in WWII, and then too old post-WWII when if you were well off expensive cars were able to be owner driven – even Queen Elizabeth was driving her own small Rolls back then, so this got put away. Maybe 7000 miles.