Acquired in 1922 as a way for Henry Ford to keep his son Edsel occupied so that he didn't mess with the Model T, Lincoln was for years a premium brand, competing with the likes of Cadillac and Packard. Lincoln's first foray into the upper mid-priced field with the Zephyr happened during the Great Depression of the 1930s and was a response to Packard's downmarket 120 model.

After Edsel died in 1943, Lincoln began to drift - mostly downward. By 1952, Lincoln was being positioned as an Oldsmobile alternative, offering high performance in a smaller package than a Cadillac. Prices were in-between Olds and Caddy. Styling was unexceptional; Lincolns of the period looked like a less-flashy Mercury. Not good in showy postwar America. Sales tanked.

Meanwhile, Cadillac offered the expensive and snazzy Eldorado model in 1953 and its redesigned 1954 models featured wraparound windshields across the board, making Lincolns look even more staid by comparison. Lincoln was one of the few makes to miss out on Detroit's 1955 sales boom; sales dropped 27% to 27,222 units.

Change was needed. The 1956 Lincoln offered dramatic, contemporary styling at a size and price equal to that of Cadillac. Though ads proclaimed them 'unmistakably Lincoln', there was scarcely a trace of the stolid '55s. Wheelbase grew three inches to 126 inches, overall length seven inches to 223 inches and width three inches.

The body design, conceived by Head Stylist William F. Schmidt, won an award for its clean lines from the Industrial Designers Institute. The car's hooded headlight eyebrows were inspired by the 1955 Lincoln Futura show car, another Schmidt creation.

1956 Lincolns rode on a new chassis with a full-section box frame. Power was from a bored-out Lincoln engine with 368 cubic inches making 285 horsepower. Interiors were substantially upgraded over 1955.

Lincoln continued with two series for '56: Capri and new top-of-the-line Premiere, each with a four-door sedan and hardtop coupe. A convertible was exclusive to Premiere and was the priciest '56 Lincoln at $4,747. The Capri coupe shown in the sketch was one of 4,355 made and carried a base price of $4,119.

Despite a relatively down year for the auto industry, Lincoln sales for the '56 model year were 50,322 units - almost double those of 1955. Change was good. However, the 1956 model year was not a profitable one for Lincoln. Eugene Bordinat, then styling supervisor at Lincoln-Mercury, claimed that, if 1,000 more Lincolns had been produced and sold, Lincoln would have made a profit.

The 1957 Lincoln fared worse. Only 41,123 were sold at a loss of $1,525 per car. (posted 3/31/11)