Lincoln does not build many cars like the Lincoln Capri: a 2-door coupe / 2-door convertible / 4-door sedan with 317 cuin Lincoln Y-block V8, built from 1952 to 1959 at the height of the post-war boom. Its designer of record is Bill Schmidt.
Where it came from
The Lincoln Capri is an automobile that was sold by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from 1952 until 1959. A full-size luxury car, the Lincoln Capri derives its name from an Italian island in the Gulf of Naples. Positioned as a premium trim variant of the two-door Lincoln Cosmopolitan, the Capri was introduced in 1952 as a stand-alone model line serving as the premium Lincoln.
With the introduction of the Lincoln Premiere (and Continental), the Capri replaced the Cosmopolitan as the standard Lincoln product line. The Lincoln Capri was produced across three generations; following its withdrawal, Lincoln rebranded the Capri using only its division name (following a practice used from 1946 to 1951). Along with the Lincoln Premiere and the Continental model lines, the Lincoln Capri was replaced by the 1961 Lincoln Continental.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 317 cuin Lincoln Y-block V8; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 4300 -. The gearbox is a 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic / 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 123.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Lincoln's history is not in doubt: the Lincoln Cosmopolitan came before it; the Lincoln Premiere followed it; it was built at Lincoln Motor Company Plant, Detroit, Michigan. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Cadillac Eldorado, the Chevrolet Corvette, the Toyota Land Cruiser. Nearby in the Lincoln catalogue sit the Lincoln First Call and the Lincoln Funeral Car.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Lincoln Capri has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.