MODEL 06H-76. 120 bhp, 292 cu. in. L-head V-12 engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 125"

Although the Mercury, now in its second year, was receiving much of the attention at Ford Motor Company in 1940, the Lincoln-Zephyr remained in the limelight. This was in part due to the departure of the big Model K Lincoln from the catalog. Just 139 were built in 1939, leading to the decision to cancel a new 05L model then in development. That left the $1,740 Zephyr Town Limousine as the most prestigious formal car and the $2,840 Continental as the most glamorous.

The year saw a considerable number of changes to the Lincoln-Zephyr. The bodies were all new, although they looked only subtly different. Wider and taller, they provided more comfort to passengers. The adoption of a column shift for the transmission left the front floor clear and removed the need for a center pedestal. As a result, the dashboard was redesigned, its instruments relocated in front of the driver. Outside, the nose now raked slightly forward, and sealed beam headlamps nestled into reshaped fenders, their bright bezels accommodating new parking lights. Door hinges were now concealed, and a “controlled ventilation system” placed vent windows in the front doors.

The car’s windows were larger, and the windshield more steeply angled. At the rear, the spare tire now sat below the trunk floor, rather than on the cumbersome tilt-out bracket used previously. The top on the Convertible Coupe was now power-operated with a vacuum system. Engines were bored out to 2-7/8 inches, for 292 cubic inch displacement and 120 brake horsepower.

The Convertible Sedan was dropped, and the fastback Coupe-Sedan was replaced with a notchback Club Coupe. The Town Limousine returned but on borrowed time. After 98 cars, it, like the Convertible Sedan, was gone.

The Dingman Collection’s 1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Convertible Coupe was discovered as a barn-find in North Dakota. After purchase in 2003, it was sent to Kevin Westmoreland in Georgia for a complete restoration. The result is nothing less than spectacular, and it required an investment of over $180,000.

The black paint exhibits a deep shine with no surface flaws. The top is black canvas with dark red piping; a matching boot cover is in the trunk. The seats are pleated red leather and the floor is matching red carpet. The new-style dashboard is maroon with gold-tone trim. Four instruments surround the round speedometer, whose odometer reads 45,000 miles.

The engine compartment is clean and nicely detailed. The undercarriage and chassis are painted matte black and are clean and correctly restored. Firestone Deluxe Champion whitewall tires are fitted to the wheels, which have bright trim rings. The rear tires are tastefully hidden with factory fender skirts.

The 100,000th Lincoln-Zephyr was built in 1940, one of 22,046 cars in the model year. Just 700 of them, however, were attractive Convertible Coupes like this one.