1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan: A Unique Automotive Blend

1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Browse the article 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan

1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan

The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan was an odd mix of old and new. The latter included Lincoln's first fully independent front suspension and optional self-shift Hydra-Matic Drive (hastily "imported" from General Motors). On the other hand, Lincoln gained no prestige by trading its aging V-12 for an old-concept 336.7-cubic-inch flathead V-8 borrowed from Ford trucks. And though Lincoln's smooth but massive "bathtub" styling was new, it was clearly the stuff of the early '40s, not postwar thinking. The '49 Lincolns thus sold reasonably well, but the similar 1950-51s managed only some 25-30 percent of their volume.

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The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan's exterior design was known as "bathtub" styling.
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Still, the "bathtubs" were no less solid, refined, or luxurious than prior Lincolns, though new "junior" models were much like contemporary Mercurys, thanks to some cost-conscious platform sharing decreed at the last minute. The "real" Lincoln of these years was the 125-inch-wheelbase Cosmopolitan, which included a line-topping convertible. For 1951 it cost a hefty $3891, which partly explains why only 857 were built.

The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan offered Lincoln's first independent front suspension.

For more classic convertibles of the 1950s, see:

1950 Oldsmobile 88

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

1957 Lincoln Premiere

1951 Chrysler New Yorker

1955 Mercury Montclair

1957 Oldsmobile Super 88

1951 Rambler Custom Landau

1956 Ford Thunderbird

1958 Continental Mark III

1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta

1956 Lincoln Premiere

1958 Edsel Citation

1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham

1956 Packard Caribbean

1959 Cadillac Series 62

1954 Packard Caribbean

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

1959 Dodge Custom Royal

1955 Buick Century

1957 Chrysler New Yorker

1959 Ford Thunderbird

1955 Cadillac Series 62

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

1959 Pontiac Bonneville

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