1936 Lincoln Model K 12-cylinder Three Window Coupe by LeBaron

1936 Lincoln K LeBaron Description

By 1936, Lincoln had become a very luxurious brand. Custom coachwork was available across the lineup and the designs were breathtaking. The most luxurious was the Model K 12-Cylinder cars.
If you wanted a two-door custom coachbuilt Lincoln, LeBaron was the typical choice for buyers. If you wanted a four door car, the builder to choose was Judkins.
Either way, the cars were produced in extremely limited numbers then and only a hand full of custom coachbuilt Lincolns remain today.
I am excited to offer this 1936 Lincoln Model K 12-Cylinder Three Window Coupe by LeBaron. One of a documented 25 built, it is believed to be one of only four survivors that exist today. It is a sinister looking car that has a beautiful design from end to end and an imposing stance.
This Lincoln was recently pulled from a defunct collection of cars. While it was stored in a dry climate, it was not maintained in any way and as a result, we have been servicing the car for many weeks to bring it back to mechanical life.
The early history of this car is not known but according the previous ownership, the car was restored by the Imperial Palace Collection sometime in the 1980's. The car was a rust-free and solid correct car. It was done throughout including and engine rebuild and full restoration. The car was then sold to a collection called the Holy Grill. It was a museum display car for many years. As a result of this provenance, the car was done to museum standards but not sorted. Also, lots of little things were not completed like the lights, horn, instruments, etc. It was an ideal display car but not anything that could be driven.
The car was eventually liquidated as part of an overall collection sale and I purchased it from a collector in North Carolina who had not done much other than to make the car yard drive and stop.
I had the car delivered to my shop where we did an evaluation of it and embarked on making it run and drive as a reliable car. Issues included:

• Many electrical items not hooked up. All parts were there but never completed during the '80's restoration.
• Brakes hooked up but mistakes made throughout.
• Engine rebuilt but not properly broken in.
• Improper routing of exhaust system
• Instruments not hooked up.
• Sidemount covers not installed (they are with the car)
• Broken ignition key
• Slightly damaged underside of passenger side front fender due to improper shipping at some point. That is the only body repair needed on the entire car.

The shop has done the following:

• Changed fluids, rebuilt the starter and confirmed proper compression with test firing of engine.
• Flushed the fuel system from end to end
• Properly fixed the mechanical brakes
• Properly routed the exhaust system
• Properly connected all of the electrical items.
• Had new keys made.

We are now going through the sorting process putting miles on it. The car is close to being a reliable running and driving car. It will be completed prior to the end of this auction and inspections are welcomed throughout the auction.
About the car:
It is a solid, complete and rust free car that has all of its original sheet metal with no bondo or rust repair found of any sort. The clutch, brakes and steering all function exceptionally well at this point. The gaps and panel fit are likely factory equivalent or better. The underside exhibits no rust or repairs of any kind.
The interior is in excellent restored condition. The steering column has some flaking of paint and in general, a good cleaning is needed but overall, the interior needs nothing.
The exterior paint quality at this point is poor. Improper storage and cleaning have resulted in pitting and lots of flaking particularly in the door jambs (see picture of interior and look at bottom of the image). The chrome and trim is good and if I end up painting the car, I would not need to do anything to the trim beyond polishing it.
The padded (formal) roof is perfect.
The car once sorted is really nice enough to drive and enjoy. It is not scruffy enough to call a 'barn find' but certainly too scruffy as it stands to show at Amelia or Pebble.
There is only one recorded sale of these that I can find. By Bonhams, two years ago where the car hammered slightly over $180,000. My problem is the body shop is jammed with other projects and this car has a two-year wait to be properly painted so I am offering for sale. I am pricing this car very fairly so someone can spend the $30K or so needed to properly do the paint and still be in the car at a manageable number.
Custom coachbuilt cars from the '30's are scarce. Here is a chance to own one with really solid bones and a totally quantifiable restoration budget to complete.
Please feel free to call me with questions or to come see the car. 860-883-3998. Thanks John.