The Architect’s Choice-Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1940 Lincoln Continental

by Wallace Wyss –

In these pages there has sometimes been discussion of why someone wants to own a classic car. On occasion, that discussion centers on what famous personage, if any, owned it.

Here’s one I can say is very significant to own for people in a certain profession–and that is architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of America’s most well known architects, (his house “Falling Water” accommodating a river running through it).

Wright ordered a 1940 Lincoln Continental and modified it, creating a significant car that most fans of his architecture would like to own. Wright had the car modified from a two door coupe after some member of his family crashed it. He decided to play car designer and re-designed it to be open in front and closed in the rear, a definitely pre-war body style called Sedanca de Ville that was never offered straight from a US automaker after the war (though Toyota offered it briefly in the Supra).

Plus he added small side windows on the permanent rear roof and then, very mysteriously, no back window. None. Research Wright and you find he was a bit of a player-having a romance with a client’s wife–so his penchant for being mysterious might be understood. But then painting the car fire engine red wasn’t really hiding it.
As expected when this car came onto the used car market, after several owners, it eventually gravitated to a Wright enthusiast. Joel Silver, the movie producer, who parked it in front of his Wright-designed house.

Back in the ’40s, the car spawned a short-lived rivalry of sorts. When Wright began getting publicity for his redesign Raymond Lowey, the French born car designer, ordered one, had a solid rear roof installed, with an open front compartment but he used a glass removable panel up front instead of cloth like Wright had. He had a small rear window, though, barely bigger than a mailbox slot.

Both cars are still seen around collector’s circles. It’s too bad that other architects after the war haven’t given their cars individual re-stylings. After all, shouldn’t their sense of proportion and retro come to the fore in what they drive? I get a kick out of Loewy copying Wright. After all, Loewy didn’t want a mere architect intruding on his turf…

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss gives his opinion on car design regularly on his show Autotalk broadcast weekly from KUCR FM Riverside.

 
 
 

Summary

Article Name

The Architect's Choice-Frank Lloyd Wright's 1940 Lincoln Continental

Description

Frank Lloyd Wright ordered a 1940 Lincoln Continental and modified it, creating a significant car that most fans of his architecture would like to own.

Author

Wallace Wyss