1955 Lincoln Indianapolis
In 1955 designer Mario Boano built this car in hopes of attracting business from Lincoln. He succeeded to the extent that Henry Ford II bought the prototype (which is why it’s around and shows up at car shows irregularly). One can see the influence in design evolution from the flat sides and single headlamps of the 1956 Lincoln:
…to the 1957 Lincoln with its echo of Boano’s dynamic side intakes and stacked lamps:
…and just how unforced the Mark II from the same era looks to us today:
The Mark II is modern but simple; designed by Gordon Buehrig, William Clay Ford and John Reinhart. it echoes the classic Mark I of the 1940s without being at all retro or forced.
Photo courtesy of Kit Foster’s Car Port and Thomas Caldwell, Photographer.
Lincoln photo by Brady (in studio, 1861 or 1862)