In the collector car world today, the 1956-57 Lincolns dwell in the shadow cast by their glamorous Ford corporate cousin, the Continental Mark II, but they were fine cars in their own right.

In Dearborn lore, the totally redesigned 1956 Lincoln (above) came about when the Ford corporate brass decided that the previous generation of Lincolns, the conservatively styled 1952-55 models, lacked the necessary bulk and presence to compete with Cadillac, the luxury-class leader. At the time, Cadillac sales were five times the annual Lincoln numbers and Ford was determined to raise its game, reportedly investing $100 million in the redesign. This new Lincoln was a full eight inches longer than its predecessor, with dramatic styling elements borrowed from the famed Lincoln Futura dream car, including its distinctive headlamp brows. (See the Futura in action here.)

To manage the added mass, the Lincoln Y-Block V8’s displacement was bumped frrom 341 to 368 cubic inches, increasing the output to 285 hp, and the electrical system was upgraded from 6 to 12 volts.There were two trim levels, the base model Capri and the deluxe Premiere, and the usual two-door, four-door, and convertible body styles were offered (but like Cadillac, no wagon). Four-door pillarless hardtops were the hot new trend in the Detroit industry in 1955-56, but Lincoln declined to jump in right away. Its only four-door in ’56 was a traditional post-style sedan.

The ’56 body shell was largely continued for ’57, but with several notable changes. First, a four-door hardtop called the Landau was added to the lineup. Next, the rear quarters now sported a pair of severely sculpted tailfins (above) and the front end featured an advanced quad-headlamp look. But a closer inspection (below) reveals it wasn’t a true quad-headlamp setup. Rather, the Lincoln Quadra-Lite system was two conventional 7-in sealed beams with a pair of 5.75-in lamps positioned below them, with the latter wired up in a separate circuit to operate as road lamps. Real four-headlamp systems would sweep across the Motor City in ’58.

The ’56 Lincoln redesign did at least partly achieve its objective: At a little more than 50,000 units, sales nearly doubled compared to ’55. The volume was still only a third of Cadillac’s, but it was solid progress. (Sales did slip a bit in ’57 to around 41,000.) And of course, Lincoln’s sales towered over those of its Ford corporate cousin, the $10,000 Continental Mark II. (The Mark II was sold through Lincoln dealers but was the product of a separate Continental divison headed by William Clay Ford.) Only 3,005 Mark IIs were produced in ’56-’57, which is a tiny bit ironic. At most decent-sized collector car shows, it’s not uncommon to see a Mark II, but a ’56-57 Lincoln is a pretty rare sight.