Re: V12 engine

Posted by 58L8134 On 2013/6/8 8:03:39

Hi V8fan

No, the idea of a Packard V-12 return was a blue sky concept in '56, when just staying in business was in doubt.

The Continental Mark II design is all about a modern intrepretation of the long hood/short deck proportions of the original 1940-48 Lincoln Continental. No twelve cylinder was ever considered as power for that car.

The flathead V-12 used in the '36-'48 Lincoln Zephyrs and Continentals was an underdeveloped, underpowered, frankly lousy, engine. It wasn't much more than a flathead Ford V-8 with four more cylinders inserted in the middle. As such, it had all the engineering drawback of that engine in magnified form i.e. exhaust ported between the tiny cylinder bores and resulting overheating, short stroke in an era of low compression-long stroke torque monsters, poor crankcase venting. Commonly, the engine was replaced after a few years in service with a Mercury V8 service engine to keep the cars useful.

The Mark II was totally a vanity vehicle for the young Ford brother (no pun intended) then in charge of the company. It was never intended by them to be profitable, only to show the automotive world that Ford Motor Company could produce a world-class luxury car.

Steve