1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Continental Cabriolet

Without hard evidence of Babe Ruth’s ownership, the extra $300,000 paid for this car represents a giant leap of faith

by Carl Bomstead

The Continental is acknowledged as the crowning achievement of Edsel Ford and the head of his design department at Ford, Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie. Like many great accomplishments, it was the creation of a gifted designer in a single, brilliant moment of insight.

In 1938, Edsel expressed an interest in a “special convertible coupe that was long, low and rakish.” Gregorie hit on the idea of using the Zephyr chassis for Edsel’s “special convertible” and in less than an hour sketched out the outline for the two-door, four-seat body over the outline of a Zephyr sedan. The design quickly gained Edsel’s enthusiastic approval, and work rushed ahead to complete the one-off in time for his vacation at his home in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Based on the 1939 Zephyr, the prototype was completed in less than six months and was the hit of the season when it appeared in Florida. Edsel phoned Gregorie and stated, "I’ve driven this car around Palm Beach, and I could...