During the 1930s, Lincoln decided to introduce a smaller luxury lineup to fill the gap between Ford’s V-8 Deluxe and the K-Series. Introduced as Lincoln’s lower-priced luxury marque for the 1936-40 sales years, the Zephyr featured several aerodynamic and engineering milestones that were firsts for the Ford Motor Company, and the American automotive market.

Mercury was introduced in 1939, and both Lincoln-Zephyr and Mercury served the same function as the LeSalle “companion car” had for Cadillac. It was a mid-ranged luxury car that was smaller than Lincoln’s traditional fleet of cars, but it was one that also packed V-12 power.

The one-of-a-kind luxury piece, of which only 54 were coupes in 1940, were a concept of Edsel Ford’s, designed by Eugene Turrenne Gregorie. Only 404 Zephyrs were produced in 1940, and it also featured a three-on-the-tree that’s characteristic of cars from the era.

Lincoln introduced the Zephyr on November 2, 1935 as a ’36 model, and it featured such design cues as a low-cut windscreen, along with what have been described as “integrated” fenders to add to the luxury coupe’s overall, streamlined character. The Zephyr had a lower coefficient of drag than Chrysler’s Airflow, and following the Airflow’s demise, Zephyr became America’s first commercially-successful streamlined vehicle.

Aside from aerodynamics, the Zephyr was also successful in boosting dealership sales for Lincoln during the late 1930s. From the 1941 sales year on, the Zephyr marque was dropped, and all Lincoln cars became Zephyr-based. It was the first time that Lincoln had experimented with a smaller, luxury coupe market, but it would not be their last. Lincoln would try it during the ’50s with the Lido, and again much later in ’07 with the MKZ.

No doubt, the Zephyr lineup changed the face of Ford’s luxury market forever, but no matter how many times the Lincoln luxury coupe market has tried to resurrect itself, the 12-cylinder Zephyr continues to stand as the original and only success. If there was ever a true “hot rod Lincoln,” then the 1940 Zephyr was it. Only a few exist, but one of them will be making a grand appearance on the Vicari auction block, from the 19th to 20th of this month.

That’s because Vicari Auto Auctions out of Harvey, Louisiana has just announced their latest consignment, of which this original ’40 Zephyr is a huge part. Set to be up for auction at this year’s “Cruisin’ Nokona” event in Nokona, Texas, just north of Dallas, the V-12 Zephyr is sure to be the Nokona event’s biggest highlight.

The car is in “survivor” condition, and has never been restored, with the exception of an early paint touch-up at the driver’s side fender and left rear quarter. The Zephyr’s current owner bought the car in Florida, and has owned it since 1965. Vicari Auction Company president, Pete Vicari praises the hot rod Lincoln’s originality, “For a vehicle of this age and rarity, it doesn’t get much closer to original than this,” says Vicari.

Though the production numbers for any given year of the Zephyr were never huge, the cars accounted for a large chunk of Lincoln’s sales. In fact, the Zephyr sold 18,000 units during its first year, which at that time accounted for 80% of the make’s total sales.

As with the Impala SS from ’94-96 and the late-model GTO, the Zephyr was a relatively short-lived model for Lincoln, but it was one that became an automotive cornerstone. Besides, how often does America introduce a mid-range, luxury car running on 12-cylinders? Here’s your chance to own one, good luck!