Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to own a Lincoln-Zephyr or Continental to join the club?
No, you need not own a car. As our brochure says, " If you are an owner, restorer, or simply an admirer of the H-Series V-12 powered Lincoln automobiles of 1936-1948, please join us. "
Can you tell me what my car might be worth?
We can't help in appraising cars. That's not our business. The value of cars varies greatly, depending on dozens of factors. There are several competent appraisers who advertise in Hemmings Motor News. We suggest you contact them.
Does the Zephyr Club have historical information on the ownership of these cars? I'd like to know where my car was originally sold and who has owned it in the past.
No, the club doesn't have any of this information. You may be able to get some manufacturing and delivery information from the archives of the Ford Motor Company. We suggest you contact:
The Benson Ford Research Center
P.O. Box 1970
20900 Oakwood Blvd.
Dearborn, MI 48124
Telephone: 313-972-6070
Fax: 313-982-6244
Email: rescntr@hfmgv.org
The Museum holds the bulk of the early Ford historical records, 1903-1950. Here's a recent reply they sent to one of our members:
"Thanks for writing to us at the Benson Ford Research Center with your question.
We do have production records for Lincoln vehicles in our archive, however, a museum fire in the summer of 1970 destroyed many archived Ford Motor Company production records. Here is a list of what we have: http://www.thehenryford.org/research/productionRecords.aspx. If you do not see the make, model, serial number or year your vehicle was made in the list below, we will not have production information for your vehicle. Please keep in mind that not all the runs listed are complete there are gaps in some of the series.
Production information varies, but may include serial and model type/number, assembly date, color and accessories. Data will be either photocopied or transcribed from a ledger to a prepared form. Shipment to a branch or dealer is sometimes noted on a record; very rarely is a buyer’s name noted.
If you'd like us to find the production record for your car, our fee for this service is $20.00 (this includes postage to you). Please include the vehicle engine/serial number as well as payment in your correspondence. Send it to the attention of the Benson Ford Research Center; P.O. Box 1970; Dearborn MI 48121-1970. Please make your check payable to "The Henry Ford" or, if you wish, a credit card number and expiration date may be provided for payment. Standard turn-around time for research, from receipt of payment, is two to four weeks.
I hope this information is helpful, if you have any further questions please feel free to ask.
Thanks and have a nice day,
Kathy"
We had a Lincoln-Zephyr in our family. Is there any way to determine if it exists today and who owns it?
The club does not have any way to do this. If you have the chassis number of the car, we do have very limited data on some cars owned by club members, but we honor the privacy of our members. We suggest you contact your state's motor vehicle bureau to trace the history of cars owned in the past.
I need to buy some parts for a Lincoln-Zephyr. Can you tell me where these parts are available?
Several members of our club are vendors of parts for these cars. They advertise in our club's magazine and Hemmings Motor News, and on this Web site in the area called Sources. We suggest you join our club to become acquainted with these sources. You might want to check with some of our advertisers as a starting point. We also have classified ads on our Web site that include Parts for Sale.
I need some technical information on my HV-12 powered car. How do I find somebody who can help me?
We suggest you join our club. You'll meet people at our meets who are very knowledgeable and eager to help you in restoring your car. If you have one or two questions, you may want to post them on our club's on-line forum.