As Lincoln announced its inaugural V-12 model, the fabulous KB, for 1932, four cars were prepared for the salon exhibitions of fine automobiles held in major cities. Two of these were unique designs by Edsel Ford’s favorite coachbuilder, Brunn & Company, and one of those was this unique Dual-Windshield Phaeton. Perhaps inspired by Gordon Buehrig’s tourster design for Duesenberg or Harley Earl’s sport phaeton design for the Cadillac V-16, it featured superb proportions with a low beltline and extreme 45-degree angled windshields for the front and rear passengers. The rear windshield was synchronized to crank down into the back of the front seat, producing a smooth and seamless appearance without the use of a bulky second cowl.

This unique Dual-Windshield Phaeton was the 16th Model KB produced, using chassis and engine KB1367, as is documented by vehicle production records maintained by the Benson Ford Research Center, copies of which are on file. These document the installation of body number 4-1, the first Brunn-built body for a KB, to body style number 259, a unique style that falls within known Brunn designs in the Lincoln catalogue. This car was originally finished in Belmont Brown Dark with Laidlaw interior trim, with the special notation of “Trimmed Special.”

The Model KB was shipped on January 25, 1932, which was appropriate given its original destination on the salon circuit as one of the Lincoln show cars for those posh exhibitions during the 1932 season. Before embarking on the salon exhibition tour, the Lincoln was photographed at the Lincoln shipping dock, with the picture appearing in Richard Burns Carson’s book, The Olympian Cars (page 148). Mr. Carson notes that the design was “most dramatic…The car had an almost too extremely sloped windshield and was set apart from all other Lincoln phaetons by its crank-operated retractable rear windshield. The ‘Salon Body Types’ catalogue for 1932 described the car as ‘sporting and masculine in appearance.’”

The KB was sold on June 7, 1932, to its original owner in Long Beach, California, perhaps after the Los Angeles or San Francisco showing. It is believed to have remained in the Long Beach area for many years and was eventually acquired by a well-known local Lincoln enthusiast. By this point, the original coachwork had been removed, although reportedly the original cowl and windshield remained intact.

The remains of the car were sold to William Ruger Jr., the noted gun maker and a passionate collector of performance automobiles. Restoration work began in California, with the assistance of Hermann C. Brunn, the son of the coachbuilder and a onetime employee of the family firm, who had designed the car’s original body. Brunn personally traveled west with the original blueprints from the car, which were used to complete the body and top assembly to the specifications originally used in 1932.

Work was eventually completed by the talented shop of Fran Roxas in suburban Chicago, who finished the car to his typical perfectionist standards, in its original factory-specified color of Belmont Brown, with the upholstery in the correct original pattern and colors. The car has a 1935 gearbox fitted, which has better ratios and quieter intermediate gears than a 1932; it is a bolt-in job and could be changed out for a correct 1932 gearbox if the new owner chose. Similarly, the car is fitted with a lighter, very high 3.3:1 ratio rear axle from a Lincoln Model K, which is another bolt-on installation.

The resurrected KB was brought to Monterey for the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. There, it stunned the crowds while being driven flawlessly on the 50-mile Tour d’Elegance, and it earned similar admiration by the judges, winning both Best in Class and the Most Significant Design Award, which had been presented, most fittingly, by Ford Motor Company. It was also judged Most Elegant Car at the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance.

After acquisition by its present owner, the Lincoln has been carefully maintained to the highest of concours standards, and it presents as when it was completed by Mr. Roxas. This example is among the most significant Classic Era Lincolns in existence, as it is unique in its provenance and stunning in its appearance, and it will be a rewarding acquisition for any connoisseur of the Lincoln marque.