Lincoln Capri

Lincoln Capri
1953 Lincoln Capri sedan
Overview
Manufacturer	Lincoln (Ford)
Production	1952–1959
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size luxury car
Layout	FR layout
Chronology
Predecessor	Lincoln Cosmopolitan
Successor	Lincoln Premiere

Generation I
1955 Lincoln Capri Coupe
Overview
Model years	1952–1955
Assembly	Maywood Assembly, Maywood, California, United States Mahwah Assembly, Mahwah, New Jersey, United States Wixom Assembly, Dearborn, Michigan, United States Wayne, Michigan United States St.Louis, Missouri, United States
Designer	Bill Schmidt
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door convertible 4-door sedan
Related	Lincoln Cosmopolitan Lincoln Custom Mercury Monterey Ford Crestline
Powertrain
Engine	317 cu in (5.2 L) Lincoln Y-block V8 341 cu in (5.6 L) Lincoln Y-block V8
Transmission	4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	123.0 in (3,124 mm)
Length	1952: 214.0 in (5,436 mm) 1953: 214.1 in (5,438 mm) 1954: 215.0 in (5,461 mm) 1955: 215.6 in (5,476 mm)
Width	1952–54: 77.5 in (1,968 mm) 1955: 77.6 in (1,971 mm)
Height	1952–54: 62.6 in (1,590 mm) 1955: 62.7 in (1,593 mm)
Curb weight	4,300–4,600 lb (2,000–2,100 kg)

Generation II
1956 Lincoln Capri Coupe
Overview
Model years	1956–1957
Assembly	Maywood Assembly, Maywood, California, United States Mahwah Assembly, Mahwah, New Jersey, United States Wixom Assembly, Dearborn, Michigan, United States Wayne, Michigan United States St.Louis, Missouri, United States
Designer	Bill Schmidt
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop
Related	Lincoln Premiere Mercury Montclair
Powertrain
Engine	368 cu in (6.0 L) Lincoln Y-block V8
Transmission	3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126.0 in (3,200 mm)
Length	1956: 223.0 in (5,664 mm) 1957: 224.6 in (5,705 mm)
Width	1956: 79.9 in (2,029 mm) 1957: 80.3 in (2,040 mm)
Height	1956: 60.0 in (1,524 mm) 1957: 60.2 in (1,529 mm)
Curb weight	4,500–4,700 lb (2,000–2,100 kg)

Generation III
Overview
Model years	1958–1959
Assembly	Wixom, Michigan, United States
Designer	John Najjar
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door hardtop 4-door sedan 4-door hardtop
Related	Continental Mark series Lincoln Premiere
Powertrain
Engine	430 cu in (7.0 L) MEL V8
Transmission	3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	131.0 in (3,327 mm)
Length	1958: 229.0 in (5,817 mm) 1959: 227.1 in (5,768 mm)
Width	80.1 in (2,035 mm)
Height	1958: 56.5 in (1,435 mm) 1959: 56.7 in (1,440 mm)
Curb weight	4,900–5,200 lb (2,200–2,400 kg)

The Lincoln Capri is a full-size automobile that was sold by Lincoln for the 1952 through 1959 model years. It is this car that earned the “Hot Rod Lincoln” term, with cars being used in racing, having won the top four spots in the Stock Car category of the Pan American Road Race in both 1952 and 1953. In 1954, the race's final year, Lincolns took first and second place.

Competing against the Cadillac Series 62, Chrysler New Yorker, and Packard 200, 14,342 Capris were sold in its debut year, and nearly double that, 26,640, in 1953. It readily outsold its stablemate, the Cosmopolitan, each year until the Cosmopolitan's demise. The Capri had a new Lincoln 90 degree V8 engine.

In the October, 1952 issue of Popular Mechanics, a Lincoln Capri was tested. 0-60 mph time was 14.8 seconds, while the quarter-mile was 21.3 seconds. At 40 mph, fuel economy was recorded at 21mpg.

In 1955, the Capri featured a new 225 hp (168 kW) 341 cu in (5.6 L) Lincoln Y-Block V8 (with greater displacement and, at 8.5:1, higher compression than before), featuring a four-barrel carburetor, mated to a standard (Ford-built) 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic transmission. Air conditioning became an option for the first time.

Riding on a 123.0 in (3,120 mm) wheelbase and measuring 215.6 in (5,480 mm) overall, the 1955 Capri was offered as a two-door hardtop coupé (4,305 lb (1,953 kg) shipping weight), two-door convertible (4,415 lb (2,003 kg) shipping weight), or a four-door sedan (4,275 lb (1,939 kg) shipping weight).