In 1970, the Lincoln-Mercury division at Ford reached back into the classic era of American coachbuilding to create the Continential Mark III Dual Cowl Phaeton.
1931 Lincoln Dual Cowl Phaeton by Murphy
The classic era of American luxury cars—1925 to 1948, roughly—featured elegant and exclusive coachbuilt body styles, including limousines, town cars, and cabriolets. But for many, the most glamorous of all was the dual cowl phaeton. A touring car with a second windshield and added weather protection for the rear seat passengers, the style signified opulence and adventure. In 1970, Lincoln-Mercury stylists took a swing at recapturing the allure with the Continental Mark III Dual Cowl Phaeton concept.
Tom Land and Steve Sherer of the Ford Advanced studio created the design, which was then executed by Kar Kraft, Ford’s exclusive contractor. While Kar Kraft is best known for its work on the Ford GT program and other racing endeavors, the talent-laden facility took on special projects as well. Starting with a standard production Mark III, the team amputated the entire roof to create the dual-windscreen look. The Mark III Dual Cowl had no provisions for a convertible top, as it was created strictly for the auto show circuit.
The extensive body modifications included extended-blade front and rear fenders to lengthen the overall profile and the rear seat moved aftward to create more passenger space. The cut-down front and rear windscreens were fabricated from scratch but naturally, the signature spare tire bump was preserved. The exterior was finished in silver metalflake, while the front and rear cockpits were upholstered in deep red leather and corduroy in the traditional coachbuilder style.
For its appearances at the Chicago, Detroit, and New York auto shows, the Dual Cowl Phaeton was displayed on an elaborate pedestal with an electric turntable. As a bonus, the custom-built one-off was also featured in a two-page color spread in Motor Trend magazine, which in the concept car business is the equivalent of a home run. Though there was little production potential for the Dual Cowl, the show car gained valuable exposure for the Continental Mark III, Lincoln-Mercury, and the Ford Motor Company. But since it was impractical for road use, we presume the Dual Cowl was eventually scrapped.
Interesting if not entirely successful concept, at least to my eyes. Part of that is me, as once you get out of early 30s styling I’m not usually a fan of the dual cowl look. The styling itself is also somewhat overdone, especially as I’m a big fan of the look of the stock Mark III.
The rims look good, & the silver metalflake body & red interior are very sharp, making me wonder what a factory Mark III convertible would look like. I think that would have worked well.
I love it when you do any articles on factory concept/show cars, so please keep ’em coming!
Thanks, we must have hundreds of them here. It doesn’t seem like we’ll ever run out.
It’s a great idea but I don’t entirely like the final product. The black sweep around the wheels to simulate classic fenders is nice but it doesn’t work as well on the rear. The overhangs are too long. It would have been stunning to get that upright grille close to the front wheel and move the engine back to move that extra length between the front wheel and cockpit. I’m not a fan of the Cadillac fins at the rear. I’d like to see the rear portion shortened and brought in tune with the spare tire hump.
But as a concept to bring eyes to the brand, it’s a strong statement and a reasonably attractive one. I think I saw this at the NY Auto Show that year. Overall though, I think the original 69/70 Mark III was one of the best designs of the 2nd half of the century.
It’s an interesting concept. but I doubt it would have had much commercial success when people tried to get in the back seat.
Looks like the second windshield was about even with the back of the door opening – doesn’t leave much room to get in and out.
Great point. The two doors say limited budget.