The Lincoln K-Series V12, often referred to simply as “Ford’s K Series”, was a line of high-end luxury cars built by Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln division during the Depression of the 1930s. Specifically, Lincoln K-Series cars were built between 1932 and 1939. It was a case of a very luxury product being delivered and marketed to the auto market at the wrong time. It might be said that there are “always people with money” and it’s important to have a flagship for your brand – in this case the competition was against Cadillac V12s – yet Ford and the Lincoln division are still fighting valiantly to keep the selling price under $4,000.
The history of the Lincoln K-Series V12 model line goes like this. Sir Henry Leland had quit Cadillac in 1917, just after the end of World War I, and developed a new car for 1921 which he called the “Lincoln”. Lincoln wasn’t yet part of Ford’s empire – it was an entity of its own. This time period in terms of the auto industry in the United States and throughout the world was one of “consolidation” as smaller automakers were larger as they captured larger interests with more financial, marketing, and sales resources. Lincoln was one such entity that was acquired by Ford in 1922.
Sir Henry Ford himself was happy to allow the Lincoln division of his company to continue making small numbers of exclusives for more than ten years before designing the first “Ford Lincoln” (Zephyr). New management continued building “Lincoln V8s” for ten years, but in 1932 they announced the impressive and somewhat exclusive K-Series, one of which (specifically the KB model) was fitted with a 7.3-liter V12 engine.
These cars were beautifully made and were quite impressive rather than as attractive to look at and admire as fixtures on the road. Their careful engineering into volume production was evident, but they were just one of seven V12s on the US auto market in 1932. Hence the low sales numbers. Just over 2,000 were sold in the 1933 auto sales and marketing year. Although the V8-powered KA had a smaller 6.2-liter V12 version in 1933, it had a retail sticker price of only $2,700, Which put it at the high end of the luxury car market out of the reach of what were then considered “wealthy” (but poor) Americans. However, there was great attention to technical detail overall.
The chassis and suspension were quite traditional, but the engine was a mixture of old and new. Among its technical details were a 65° bank angle (60° was the norm at the time and would give perfect balance), side valves and detachable cylinder blocks on a light-alloy crankcase. There was synchromesh in the gearbox (All America was following GM’s example of 1928), and a freewheel feature in the setup. Surprisingly, the brakes were mechanically actuated, but had a vacuum “servo” to assist the driver or driver.
A new Lincoln model was announced in 1934 to replace the original KAs and KBs; This had a slightly smaller 6.8 L (414 cu in) engine, aluminum cylinder heads and a top speed of 100 mph. There was a significant restyling after a year out of two on the road. However, sales continued to decline and decline as the last K-Series Lincoln V12 was built and rolled out to Ford and Lincoln production facilities in 1939.
However, the Lincoln name and exclusive marquee were created by this product. Ford designed the Lincoln-Zephyr, which bore this prestigious brand name, and both were supercars that occupied a low profile in the road car market. It started selling like it was a Ford Mustang at the time. Hence, even though the Ford-Lincoln K-Series V12 was a case of great products pitted against stiff competition and a price higher than most potential customers in the market arena could afford. However, the Ford-Lincoln K12 V12 paved the way for the founding and success of the Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln division – which was Ford’s front for high-end luxury.