Out of production for almost eight decades now, the Lincoln Zephyr is a car one doesn’t come across very often. When they do surface, these vehicles are generally modified in one way or another, and even if they do look special and perform great, they lack the appeal of an original.
But not this one here, a vehicle that is probably as close to its native form of 1942 as possible. Described as a 3-window coupe, the likes of which only four others are known to exist, the Zephyr is going under the Mecum hammer in Orlando at the end of next month.
As said, we’ve seen Zephyrs before, but most of them were modified in one way or another. The last two we talked about, for instance, came with either a 4.6-liter V8 or a Viper-sourced V10 under the hood.
Those are amazing engines, of course, but they kind of feel out of place in the engine bay of a car designed from the get-go to carry a 267ci (4.4-liter) V12 that worked with a 3-speed manual transmission.
That is exactly the hardware this here gem packs, the original drivetrain comprising the flathead V12 and the 3-speed gearbox. Also original is the all-steel body.
Keep in mind though this is an 80-year old car, so some changes had to be made to keep it in shape. We’re told the Zephyr received a new interior, a new exhaust system, and new tires. The body color was changed from green to black, and some new chrome bits were fitted.
Important to note is the car comes with a copy of the original Ford build sheet, maintenance records, and 85,000 miles (137,000 km) on the clock. Even a matching set of period luggage is thrown into the mix.
Mecum does not say how much it expects the car to fetch, but for reference, a concours-condition one is valued by the specialists from Hagerty at $56,000.