Raymond Leowy is a name known very well by a lot of car enthusiasts.  He penned, among others, the Studebaker Avanti, the bullet-nose Studebaker Commander and Champion of the postwar era, the 1946 Lincoln Continental, the Hillman Minx, and the Sunbeam Alpine roadster.  He had an eye for style and flair, and also was the pencil behind plenty of contemporary designs of today, including even the US Postal Service logo still in use.  However, in 1941, he bought a brand-new Lincoln Continental coupe and had it sent off to the coachbuilder Durham for modifications.  By the time the craftsmen at Durham were finished with the Lincoln, it looked strikingly different.  The grille and hood were reshaped, the front fenders were shortened, and the bumpers were customized up front.  At the rear, a fin was added in the center, and an opera window and plexiglass roof were added to the top.  It was, in the end, quite a unique Continental and I had a hard time ignoring it when it was sitting at the entrance of the show this year.  Enjoy the pictures.

-Albert S. Davis