Lincoln Liberty engine
Encyclopedia
Henry Leland
Henry M. Leland
Henry Martyn Leland was a machinist, inventor, engineer and automotive entrepreneur who founded the two premier American luxury marques, Cadillac and Lincoln. Retrieved December 30, 2008....

's Lincoln Motor Company was formed with the sole purpose of building the Liberty engine.

As the United States entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

 division of General Motors was asked to produce the new Liberty aircraft engine, but William C. Durant
William C. Durant
William Crapo "Billy" Durant was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry, the founder of General Motors and Chevrolet who created the system of multi-brand holding companies with different lines of cars....

 was a pacifist who did not want General Motors or Cadillac facilities to be used for producing war material. This led to Henry Leland leaving Cadillac to form the Lincoln Motor Company to make Liberty engines. He quickly gained a $10,000,000 government contract to build 6,000 engines. Subsequently the order was increased to 9000 units, with the option to produce 8000 more if the government needed them. Other manufacturers in the program included Packard, Ford and Marmon. Lincoln had delivered 6500 of the 400-hp, V-12, overhead camshaft engines when production ceased in January 1919. Although it's widely reported otherwise, a few Liberty engines did see action in France as power for the American version of the DeHaviland DH4.

With no more government contracts forthcoming, Leland announced plans to build a luxury automobile. The Lincoln Motor Company was reorganized, investors put up $6.5 million, the aircraft plant was retooled for auto production and design work commenced. The narrow 60-degree angle between cylinders of the side-valve V8 auto engine may reflect experience with the Liberty. Output was 81 hp (60 kW), a figure that was increased to 90 hp (67 kW) in 1929, and 120 hp (89 kW) for the 1931 Model K and 1932 Model KA.

The Lincoln L-series
Lincoln L-series
The Lincoln L series was Lincoln's first model. It was built in Detroit, Michigan and was introduced in 1917. The engine offered was a 384.8 in³ 60° L-head V8.- Before Ford :...

 was launched in September 1920. Sales were slow and the board of directors put the company up for bids on February 4, 1922. It was purchased by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

, which invested in the L-series, giving the engine and car a firm footing. The car was redesigned for 1931 as the Model K
Lincoln K-series
The Lincoln K-Series was a line of luxury vehicle produced by Lincoln from 1931 to 1942. While the original K-Series featured a 385 in³ V8, a V12 became standard in 1933...

, with the V8 engine lasting two more years before being replaced by a L-head V12
Lincoln L-head V12 engine
Ford Motor Company's Lincoln division began producing a V12 engine just as Ford introduced their Flathead V8 in 1932.-448:The original 448 in³ Lincoln V12 was used in the large Model KB line for 1932 and 1933. It produced 150 hp and was an unusual 65° L-head design...

.
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