In 1950, Lincoln spruced up its conservative product line with pair of fancy specials, the Lido and Cosmopoitan Capri.
Most old car fans probably know the story of the Crestliner, the sporty Ford model introduced in 1950 to compete against the glamorous pillarless hardtops from General Motors. Actually, the Crestliner was one part of a Ford Motor Company effort that included all three car brands. Mercury’s counterpart to the Crestliner was the Monterey, while Lincoln offered two special models, the Lido and the Cosmopolitan Capri.
Lincoln was blessed with two new deluxe models because it had two distinct product lines at the time: the Lincoln Cosmopolitan (0EH, 125-in wheelbase) and the smaller Lincoln (0EL, 121-in wheelbase). This junior Lincoln shared its body shell with Mercury (see our feature on the ’49-’51 Baby Lincolns here). Along with the Crestliner and Monterey, the Lincoln Lido (two photos above) and Cosmopolitan Capri shared the same general theme and features.
On the exterior, the Lido was fitted with a padded vinyl top cover, presumably to emulate the look of a convertible. With no pillarless hardops in its product lines, Ford felt compelled to try something, it’s easy to guess. Also: Fender skirts, normally an extra-cost option on Lincolns, were standard on the Lido (Ford used the gender-neutral term “fender shields” in the brochures). Where the Lido really stood apart was inside, where the interior was lined with fine wools and leathers in an exclusive two-color pattern (1951 Lido shown above) At $2,721, the Lido cost $145 more than a standard Lincoln coupe.
Meanwhile, the larger Cosmpolitan Capri (photos above and below) followed the same template: fabric-covered roof, fender skirts, super-deluxe upholstery. It carried a $239 price premium over the standard Cosmopolitan coupe at $3,406. While the Capri and Lido production numbers were not broken out, the cars were not big sellers, reportedly. Various estimates of the actual volume top out at a thousand or two. It doesn’t appear that the specially-trimmed models made even a dent in GM’s hardtop sales. And anyway, Lincoln’s best sellers in those days were four-door sedans.
The Capri and Lido were produced for two years, 1950-51. For 1952, Lincoln now had a real pillarless hardtop in the lineup so there was no need for an imitation. As the model line was reshuffled that year, the Cosmopolitan became the base model while the Capri name was given deluxe status, and it remained a Lincoln model through 1959. The name Lido was never seen again at Lincoln—unless we include Lido Anthony Iacocca, far better known as Lee Iacocca.
In the summer of ’64 I bought a well cared for 1951 Baby Lincoln sedan. It was a replacement for my 1951 Mercury sedan that was totaled by a drunk while it was parked. The Lincoln was unbelievable compared to the Merc. It sported a deadly quiet flathead with automatic trans and the ride and interior were superb. It was much slower from the stoplights but cruised with the best on the highway. I love these cars but Ford was beat off the mark with no hard-tops to offer.
The all new 1949 Lincoln made a sales record of over 75k cars that was not met or beat untill 1972
These were all very handsome cars! My Dad showed up one afternoon with a ’53 Capri. It was Maroon with a black top and interior. First car we ever had with power seats and windows! Fabulous styling for that period!