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Hermann A. Brunn, founder of the Brunn & Company
mentioned earlier, had been retained by Henry M. Leland, the first
manufacturer of the Lincoln, to design bodies for the Lincoln make. When
Henry Ford bought out Leland in 1922, the same arrangement with Brunn was
carried on, and the Brunn firm, ranking with Dietrich, Judkins, LeBaron
and others of the famous American body craftsmen, devoted about eighty per
cent of its output to Lincoln chassis until the company was liquidated in
1942.
It is interesting to note that Hermann C. Brunn, son of
the Brunn company founder, is associated with the styling staff of Ford
Motor Company. He is concerned with the upholstery of Continentals, and is
responsible for the top-grade American steer hides that are pleated into
the standard upholstery of each 1963 Continental convertible.
The leather is placed on the seating surfaces with
edgings and facings of matching crinkle-grain vinyl, and is available in
seven solid colors and a black-and-white combination. The vinyl-covered,
three-ply top can be ordered in blue, black, and white, to harmonize with
the leather upholstery color selected.
Possibly the most exciting thing about the Continental
convertible is the way it has been bred to point up in a modern setting
all of the verve of its open-car forebears. With the top down, this
convertible has one of the smartest low profiles you've ever seen - it's
only three feet high at the beltline (top of the doors). With its top up,
it's only a few inches higher.
All of the hand-powered conveniences a driver was
concerned with in the early days, and those that were later thought of,
have been energized in the Continental convertible to the extent that a
total of thirty-four electric, electronic, hydraulic, and other modern,
engine-like devices have been incorporated into this car as mechanical
servants. From your position at the wheel of this car you can, by
manipulation of your controls, raise and lower the top, elevate your radio
antenna, call on vacuum motors for controlling the interior heat, activate
a vacuum system to lock your doors, shift your gears, and move your seat
six ways. |
