This original factory dealer film introduces the Lincoln lineup for 1941, including the Continental, the Custom Sedan, and the division’s volume leader, the popular Zephyr—now with directional signals.   

While this original Ford dealer film is focused on the Lincoln Zephyr for 1941, there’s a brief segment at the top of the clip touching on all three models in the Lincoln lineup that year: the Zephyr, Edsel Ford’s favorite, the elegant Continental, and the Lincoln Custom, a lengthened version of the Zephyr platform with a 138-inch wheelbase for limousine duty. The Custom replaced the old senior K series Lincoln, which was finally sent into retirement.

The Motor Company’s emphasis on the Zephyr here is only natural: Of the 22,000 cars sold by the Lincoln division in the ’41 model year, more than 20,000 were Zephyrs. And meanwhile, the Continental and the Custom Sedan were both closely based on the Zephyr platform. The three models shared the same drivetrain, chassis components, and much of their sheet metal as well.

In this clip, there’s no mention at all of the Zephyr’s remarkable but troubled flathead V12 engine, which for ’41 displaced 292 cubic inches and delivered 120 horsepower. Instead, the focus is on style and convenience features, including new trim and upholstery choices. And there’s also a short demo of the hot new industry trend of the moment: directional signals, with a handy selector lever mounted on the steering column. Buick pioneered the feature in 1939, and by MY ’41 in the Motor City it was sweeping the market. Video below.