Page 16 - Sample pages "Raymond Henri Dietrich" by Necah S. Furman

RIGHT: Edsel Ford eventually enticed Dietrich to Detroit to transform the homely Lincoln into an object of beauty. (DPF)
OPPOSITE: One of Edsel Ford’s primary objectives in bringing Dietrich to Detroit was to enhance the design aesthetics of the somewhat plain and stodgy Lincoln, which he did admirably. (DPF)
123 LEBARON, INC. AND THE EDSEL FORD AFFILIATION (1924)
As destiny would have it, these fortuitous events all occurred around the same time. Whereas Dietrich and Hibbard established Le Baron, Carrossiers early in 1920 [they would not incorporate until 1922], later in October of that year Duesenberg borrowed from continental design to produce the Duesenberg Model A, called “America’s earliest genuine high-performance passenger car.” Known for its jackrabbit speed and hydraulic four- wheel brakes, the Model A also incorporated an eight- cylinder in-line engine.6
In January 1920, Henry Leland, founder of the Cadillac marque, after overseeing the manufacture of Liberty aircraft motors for the government during World War I, had returned to Detroit to establish the Lincoln Motor Company. There he produced the new Model L Lincoln only months before Duesenberg came out with his Model A. An evolutionary design, the Model L Lincoln boasted an eight-cylinder V-type engine of greater capacity than his previous Cadillac designs, and it also had a larger wheelbase and chassis.7
© DALTON WATSON FINE B
© DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS TON WATSON FINE B