Which Ford Motor Company subsidiary built the original Lincoln Continental?

Lincoln Motor Company built the original Lincoln Continental.

The first Continental began as a customized 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr created for Edsel Ford, who wanted a distinctive personal automobile. Its clean design and concealed running boards attracted attention, leading Lincoln to put a production version into limited manufacture for 1940.

Lincoln Motor Company had been founded by Henry M. Leland in 1917 and acquired by Ford in 1922. Under Ford ownership, Lincoln became the company’s principal luxury marque, while Mercury served a different position in the lineup.

The Continental name was revived several times over the decades. It is important not to confuse the original Continental with later Lincoln models that shared the name but belonged to different generations and design eras.