Lincoln had the drop on Cadillac, then Ford shot itself in the foot

The 1956 Lincoln was the only fully re-styled, full-sized US car to emerge that year.

Ford had high hopes it would be able to take sales from decades-long rival Cadillac, which it trailed by almost five to one.

Two models made up the range: Premiere and Capri.

Both rode on a 123-inch wheelbase and boasted a 368 cubic inch V8.

The Premiere piled on richer trim, more features, and a convertible.

Stylistically, the ’56 Lincoln leapt ahead of Cadillac and Chrysler.

It nailed the shift to lower, longer, wider proportions, projecting presence and prestige through a crisp, modern shape and strong horizontal lines.

The Lincoln won the Industrial Designers Institute Award.

The two-door hardtop was especially sleek, its roofline razor-thin.

A tapered boot lid cleverly suggested towering rear fins, though they sat neatly within the beltline.

Rivals lagged behind — Cadillac and Chrysler were still using early-1950s styling cues.

Cadillac’s modest, upright fins, in fact, dated back to 1948.

Sales backed the look, surging to nearly 49,000 units — a Lincoln record.

It looked like Lincoln was finally eating into to Cadillac’s market leadership.

But then Ford kicked an own goal.

Its ultra-pricey Continental Mark II arrived at the same time, stealing all the attention.

Worse, the investment in Continental meant the Premiere and Capri missed out on a much needed four-door hardtop — even as cheaper Ford Customline and Mercury models offered one.

Then came the 1957 facelift. Fins soared, tail-lights ballooned, faux quad headlights appeared and chrome was piled on, blunting the ’56 car’s clean edge.

It finally gained a four-door hardtop, yet sales slid 20 per cent.

More trouble was brewing.

The 1958–1960 models changed styling direction completely and failed to spark interest. Sales fell to a low of 27,000.