For 1952, LIncoln shifted gears and introduced a more reasonably sized car designed to compete not with Cadillac, but with Buick and Oldsmobile.
When an all-new LIncoln appeared for 1952, it signaled a remarkable shift in strategy. While LIncoln was still the premium brand of the Ford Motor Comany, this new car was not intended to compete directly with Cadillac, the luxury class leader. Rather, it was designed from the ground up to face off against Oldsmobile and Buick in features, size, and pricing. This approach, it was decided, was a better fit with younger-minded car buyers. Lincoln’s top line in its marketing campaign that year was “designed for modern living.”
Designed under the direction of Lincoln-Mercury styling chief Willam F. Schmidt, the new Lncoln discarded the dated bathtub look of the ’49-51 models and took a fresher, cleaner approach, adopting the same lean-forward theme as the new Ford and Mercury introduced the same year. WIth its 123-inch wheelbase and 214 inches of overall length, the package was indeed smaller than Cadillac or even the larger Buicks. And with pricing in the $3100-3600 range, it just barely touched the bottom-most rung of the Cadillac price list.
1952 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Convertible
The chassis, also entirely new for ’52, featured the first ball-joint front suspension on an American production automobile. Developed by engineering vice president Earle S. MacPherson, best known as the inventor of the MacPherson strut, in partnership with Thompson Products (now TRW), the ball-joint system offered reduced stiction and improved suspension geometery compared to the traditional kingpin setup. Due to cost and supply constraints, Ford and Mercury would not get the ball-joint front end until 1954.
1952 Lincoln Capri Sedan cabin
Another big step forward for Lincoln in ’52 was the new overhead-valve V8, a first for the Ford Motor Company. (See our feature on the Lincoln Y-block V8 here.) In its initial form with 317 cubic inches, a 7.5:1 compression ratio, and a two-barrel carburetor, it was rated at 160 hp, squarely in league with the Oldsmobile Rocket V8. In the following year, a four-barrel carb and other tweaks boosted the output to 205 hp.
1952 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Hardtop Sport Coupe
The straightforward product lineup consisted of two models, junior Capri and senior Cosmopolitan. The Capri was available only in two-door pillarless hardtop and four-door sedan body styles, while the Cosmopolitan added a two-door convertible. GM’s Hydra-Matic four-speed automatic transmission was standard equipment on both the Capri and Cosmopolitan. Lincoln would not adopt Ford’s own automatic transmission until 1955.
The smaller, lighter Lincoln failed to win many Olds and Buick buyers, as sales actually fell in 1952 to around 15,000 cars. Still, the more reasonably-sized car had its admirers. The lither Lincoln was “one of the finest handling American cars I have ever driven,” gushed Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated. And as most every U.S. car enthusiast knows, the downsized Lincoln was the perfect package for La Carrera Panamerica, the Mexican Road Race, where they swept the top four spots in the stock category in 1952. However, these were actually 1953-spec cars with the more powerful four-barrel V8—which makes that a story for another day.
1952 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Sport Sedan 
La Carerra Panamerica be damned this generation Lincoln, coupled with the decisions being made at Packard, are the cars that gave the luxury field away to Cadillac – permanently. Definitely nice cars and a touch of sanity in design when the American auto industry was starting to verge on insane, this generation Lincoln was unfortunately not what the American car buying public wanted. At least not the status crazy and show-off-ish majority.
Having said that, I’m definitely a fan of the cars over anything Cadillac or Packard put out that year.
The strategy seemed sound. Impress the neighbors that you had a Lincoln but only you know it was a cheaper and lesser car than before. Ford used the same trick in 1977 when it pasted the Thunderbird name on a gussied up Torino. It worked in ’77. Sales skyrocketed. But it didn’t for this car. Oh well…
I was too young to know anything but the obvious: ’52 Cadillac and ’52 Packard looked the same as their predecessors; Lincoln looked different – more modern – than its predecessors.
Sorry to be a naysayer, but I think the 15,000 sales figure shown in the piece for 1952 was for 4-door models only. Counting 2-door models, Lincoln sold about 27,000 cars in 1952, which was about a 15 percent decline from 1951.
I had to look it up, but now plan to use “stiction” in casual conversation and impress my friends. Thanks, MCG!
Along with most Lincolns of the ’50’s, I like these a lot. They seem like very desirable cars that deserved better acceptance — retrospectively, at least.
I’ll be the naysayer and say that I don’t like these Lincolns. I’m too young to know them first-hand, but from point of view it looks like a Ford with a Chevy roof. Much too dowdy but an improvement over the 49-51 tunneled-headlight jobs. But my opinion isn’t worth much because I like little of the post-war styling up to 1955. The Kaiser Dragon and Studebaker Starliner are the only ones offhand that stand out to me.
Of course they had the Continental coming up as a halo car, allowing Lincoln to slip down a little bit. But instead of Lincoln going downmarket, Mercury should have come up. I think it was smarter to put Edsel roughly where Mercury was and move them up. Unfortunately, Ford did it with the wrong car at the wrong time.
As I say, I’m too young. Didn’t exist in 1952. And I think most of my prejudice is not this downmarket move in the 50’s, but the fact that they are in that position now and struggle against Buick. I abhor the thought of a Lincoln line-up that consists of only SUVs.
I’m very happy that Cadillac is trying to assume it’s rightful status as a brand to envy with the introduction of the Celestiq. Of course GM will discontinue it as soon as they get it perfected.
Could you help with a little context? Is this (1) “Ford announced that” [the new Lincoln was aimed at a different GM target]; or (2) “Ford’s papers reveal that” [design/marketing shift was made]; or (3) “From the evidence, it would seem that” [design/marketing shift was made]? They could all be true—but it might be #3 only…….thanks a bunch for clarifying!
My
My father purchased a new 1954 Lincoln Capri 2 DR HD, Yellow with a black roof. Multicolor leather interior, electric seat, and windows.
It was one of his most favorite cars of all time. When he bought a brand new 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria with a 312 Thunderbird engine, instead of giving the Lincoln to his parents, he kept the Lincoln and gave them the brand new Ford!
Remember that Lincoln, how thick the back of the front seat was as I stood behind my dad as he would floor the pedal trying to get me to fall back in the rear seat… it would work.
He kept that car longer than any car he ever owned. Sold it to my uncle in 1960. It was replaced by two cars, a 1960 2dr Falcon for mom and a 1960 Ford Sunliner for dad. Dad wanted his Lincoln back but my uncle said no.