1937 Lincoln Brunn Touring Car

Lincoln Motor Company was born in 1917 out of Henry Leland's patriotic desire to build airplane engines for the allied forces in World War I. After the armistice, Leland and his son Wilfred refashioned Lincoln into a high-end automaker. But a postwar recession forced the Lelands to sell to another father-son duo, Henry and Edsel Ford. Over the next 20 years, Lincoln grew into one of America's most admired luxury marques.

Henry Leland established Lincoln Motor Company in 1917 and, with his son Wilfred, built allied aircraft engines during World War I. When peace returned, Lincoln reinvented itself as a luxury automaker. But a poor postwar economy forced the Lelands to sell to another father-son duo, Henry and Edsel Ford. Lincoln thrived under Ford ownership, surviving depression and war, and introducing designs and nameplates that continue to inspire.

The skyscraper, ship, airplane, train, and automobile -- these streamlined forms signified modernity for Americans during the inter-war years. The Art Deco movement, an artistic style prominent during this period, celebrated the technological advancements that modern transportation embodied. The Art Deco aesthetic was applied to all areas life; from skyscrapers to dinnerware, airplanes to Christmas cards.

This car symbolizes 1950s America: a time of exuberance, self-confidence, excess, and self-indulgence. Cadillac designers drew on jet aircraft for ideas, from the sharp, swept-back tailfins to the front parking lights that resemble B-52 bomber air intakes. Under that jet-inspired skin is a 345 horsepower engine, air suspension, and a host of luxury options, including an automatic headlight dimmer. We are unlikely to ever see such cars again.