In 1938 Edsel Ford requested a custom car to use at his winter home in Florida. He wanted a low, sleek convertible. The head of the design department at Ford, Bob Gregoire, set about creating a design on the V12 Zephyr chassis. As the story goes, in just one hour he had created the sketch that became what is arguably one of the most beautiful automobiles ever built. With its extended hood, exceedingly low profile, and signature spare tire mounted behind the trunk, the new car looked elegant from any angle. Edsel was thrilled with his one of a kind convertible and so was everyone who laid eyes on it. Plans were hastily made to put the car into production and it debuted as a 1940 model, dubbed the Lincoln Continental.
