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Details
THE FORMER PRESIDENT CALVIN COOLIDGE SUMMER CAR
1928 LINCOLN MODEL L SPORT PHAETON
COACHWORK BY LOCKE
Chassis No. 52897
Engine: L-head V-8, 385ci., 95bhp at 2,900rpm; Gearbox: three speed manual; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, torque tube drive; Brakes: four wheel drum. Left hand drive.
In the late 20's the Lincoln Motor Company professed to be shunning annual model changes. Consequently, only the very best refinements in product design were added as each proved worthy of the Lincoln, the finest product of the Ford Motor Company. The Lincoln Model L in 1928 was a continuation of the original design by Henry Martyn Leland, who founded the Lincoln Motor Company during World War I to build aircraft engines. Following the war, Leland set out to build the finest motor car possible and many feel the Lincoln Model L is a worthy candidate for that title. This lovely Locke sport phaeton is a great example of the highwater years of prosperity at the end of the Roaring 20's.
Locke & Company of Rochester, New York built sport phaeton bodies for Lincoln from 1927 to 1929. Lincoln delivered 266 sport phaetons and 150 more with dual cowl equipment in 1928, the best sales year for this bodytype. The Weesner Lincoln is a bodytype 163A without the dual cowl, but with lovely wooden cabinetry adorning the back of the front seat. In addition, the rear floor boards conceal a storage compartment and the original tool set still resides in a compartment in one of the front doors. The tonneau in the sport phaeton is set farther forward over the rear axle than a normal touring car, giving this model a short coupled sporty appearance.
Before being acquired by the Weesners, this Lincoln, along with several other automobiles, was lent by the Ford Motor Company to the White House staff during the summer of 1928 when President Coolidge and his wife spent the month of August relaxing on the Brule River in northern Wisconsin. When fall arrived and the Presidential party returned to Washington, the Lincoln was brought back to Minneapolis where Donald Weesner's father purchased the car in the fall of 1928.
The car has been in the Weesner family ever since. The odometer shows an indicated 77,602 miles and the body still carries its original two-tone paint. Within the past ten years, the leather upholstery has been replaced, and a new top was also fitted at an unknown date in the recent past. The fenders have been touched up and show some checking. The car has been in clean heated storage for 3 decades, but is not believed to have been operated during that time. Mr. Weesner told friends on several occasions that he believed the engine had a stuck valve. All together, this is a charming and sporty flagship of the Roaring 20's, which should need little effort to bring it back to life. This Lincoln is considered a full classic by the Classic Car Club of America and with its interesting and historical provenance, it would surely be a welcome entry on many of the club events.
1928 LINCOLN MODEL L SPORT PHAETON
COACHWORK BY LOCKE
Chassis No. 52897
Engine: L-head V-8, 385ci., 95bhp at 2,900rpm; Gearbox: three speed manual; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, torque tube drive; Brakes: four wheel drum. Left hand drive.
In the late 20's the Lincoln Motor Company professed to be shunning annual model changes. Consequently, only the very best refinements in product design were added as each proved worthy of the Lincoln, the finest product of the Ford Motor Company. The Lincoln Model L in 1928 was a continuation of the original design by Henry Martyn Leland, who founded the Lincoln Motor Company during World War I to build aircraft engines. Following the war, Leland set out to build the finest motor car possible and many feel the Lincoln Model L is a worthy candidate for that title. This lovely Locke sport phaeton is a great example of the highwater years of prosperity at the end of the Roaring 20's.
Locke & Company of Rochester, New York built sport phaeton bodies for Lincoln from 1927 to 1929. Lincoln delivered 266 sport phaetons and 150 more with dual cowl equipment in 1928, the best sales year for this bodytype. The Weesner Lincoln is a bodytype 163A without the dual cowl, but with lovely wooden cabinetry adorning the back of the front seat. In addition, the rear floor boards conceal a storage compartment and the original tool set still resides in a compartment in one of the front doors. The tonneau in the sport phaeton is set farther forward over the rear axle than a normal touring car, giving this model a short coupled sporty appearance.
Before being acquired by the Weesners, this Lincoln, along with several other automobiles, was lent by the Ford Motor Company to the White House staff during the summer of 1928 when President Coolidge and his wife spent the month of August relaxing on the Brule River in northern Wisconsin. When fall arrived and the Presidential party returned to Washington, the Lincoln was brought back to Minneapolis where Donald Weesner's father purchased the car in the fall of 1928.
The car has been in the Weesner family ever since. The odometer shows an indicated 77,602 miles and the body still carries its original two-tone paint. Within the past ten years, the leather upholstery has been replaced, and a new top was also fitted at an unknown date in the recent past. The fenders have been touched up and show some checking. The car has been in clean heated storage for 3 decades, but is not believed to have been operated during that time. Mr. Weesner told friends on several occasions that he believed the engine had a stuck valve. All together, this is a charming and sporty flagship of the Roaring 20's, which should need little effort to bring it back to life. This Lincoln is considered a full classic by the Classic Car Club of America and with its interesting and historical provenance, it would surely be a welcome entry on many of the club events.