1925 Lincoln Model L ‘Beetle Back’ Roadster
When Ford acquired Lincoln Motor Company in 1922 for $8 million, Edsel Ford transformed the luxury brand into something completely different from his father’s mass-market approach.
The resulting Model L represented everything Ford’s regular cars were not: large, powerful, technologically sophisticated, and highly customizable through partnerships with prestigious coachbuilders.
This particular “Beetle Back” roadster by Buffalo’s Brunn & Company showcased the more restrained side of 1920s sporting design.
Unlike the dramatic boattail speedsters that would dominate later in the decade, this body style offered a subtler approach while still maintaining genuine athletic character. The design cleverly incorporated a rumble seat within its flowing rear section, providing practical two-plus-two seating.
The Model L’s substantial 136-inch wheelbase accommodated Lincoln’s 357-cubic-inch L-head V8 engine, known as the “Fork and Blade” design, which delivered 90 horsepower. This powerplant provided the performance expected from a luxury sports car of the era.
Production remained extremely limited, with only six roadsters built in this specific Brunn body style. Research indicates that just three examples survive today, making this among the rarest Lincoln variants of the 1920s.
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