1920'S FORD BRANCH LETTERS ON STOLEN LINCOLN CARS.

[blincoln]

Ran across many Ford Branch letters to its dealers from the mid 20's where a lot of them mentioned in detail what particular Lincoln automobile had recently been stolen. They often had a long list of Lincolns stolen earlier as well. But those stolen recently were described in detail such as: the color; the model; appointments; its key number; special equipment; etc.  But for some reason most of those stolen were painted "COBALT BLUE".

Was Cobalt Blue a more popular color , and hence resulted in more sales in those days? Or was perhaps the crooks more interested in that color?  Anyone venture to guess why Cobalt Blue Lincolns were reported stolen more than any other color?

From the tone of these Branch Letters, it would appear that Ford Motor Co. made a concerted effort to alert all its Dealers of stolen Lincolns, and to be on the lookout for them.

Anyone?

Thanks, Lincoln (my name).

[John_S_in_Penna]

I suspect that that shade of blue was simply a popular

color.  Many cars from that era were black, dark blue,

or maroon, and often with black fenders.  I doubt that

criminals were very color-conscious.  It was probably just

a case of opportunity:  Would a bank robber pass a row

of green and beige cars just so he could commandeer a blue one? 

 

In a similar way, when Oldsmobile Cutlasses were top sellers,

the most commonly reported stolen car was the Cutlass.  It's 

not as if criminals went out of their way to steal Cutlasses,

or that a buyer put himself at risk buying a Cutlass.  It was 

simply a matter of numbers.

 

It was the same story later on, when Honda Accords sold in big 

numbers.  They were reported to be the cars most stolen.

 

I bet today's most commonly stolen cars are black, white, or gray.

Edited August 18, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

In those days a lot of car companies painted their cars all one color, unless you ordered some different color. Ford of course was famous for 'any color you like as long as it's black'. Others had their own favorite, or a limited selection of 4 or 5 colors. Dark blues, greens, and maroon were favorites at the time.

 

It was only in the late 20s that newer synthetic paints became available starting with nitrocellulose lacquer and pyroxilin enamel. These allowed a broader range of colors and brighter colors and pastels. You may notice in ads of the times that in 1920 - 24 cars were shown in drab, dark colors while from the late twenties on there were much brighter colors shown, and combinations of 2 or 3 colors, often a body color, accent color, and wheels a third color and possibly pinstriping besides. Even after bright colors became available many people preferred the sombre hues, or black as being more practical. I believe Lincoln owners tended to be on the conservative side, compared to say Auburn or Stutz owners.

 

A long winded way of saying most Lincolns probably were cobalt blue. And I suspect thieves would avoid a really conspicuous car like  a purple  Ruxton.

 

Edited August 18, 2017 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Guest]

The purple Ruxton should be avoided by everyone.....unless you're Grape Ape.

[padgett]

True but do not understand why, in Florida, Black is now the most common color.

[MICKTHEDIG]

Hi Blincoln,

 

It would be very interesting to see some of the early reports of stolen car.

As for the color, I have been doing research our Lincoln which was a very dark purple color when my father-in-law brought it in the 1970s. The original build listing held by the Henry Ford Museum says the color was L B when it was sold. I found an article from the Michigan Manufacturer and Financial Record from September 18th 1920 which say "The standard finish of the Lincoln cars is as follows, Body pannels Lincoln blue, ....      

Edited June 17, 2019 by MICKTHEDIG (see edit history)