Barry Wolk
04-27-2026, 07:16 PM
A fellow Mark II owner is doing some research an asked if I knew the date of WCF's dismissal. I read the letter from HFII to WCF 10 times, at the stacks of the Benson Ford Research Center, but I never registered the date. I believe it was May of 1956, about a year after pre-production began. It was harsh-enough that I would say my good-byes and move on to having a bigger hand in Ford Styling and Greenfield Village. He had his mind on Football. There was a grand dismissal, but everybody landed somewhere in Ford, according to Elmer Rohn.
By November of 1956 the Continental headquarters office building was filling up with employees of the nascent Edsel Division. Continental wasn't absorbed into Lincoln. It ceased to exist with no leader. Lincoln did take over to build out the '57s already ordered from Owasso. Knowing the end was near in mid October of 1956 why was the Mark II convertible introduced at the Texas State Fair, about 6 months from when everyone left. Doug McClure moved to a parallel sales position with Lincoln and took His Office Manger with him. Elmer Rohn moved on to Ford Engineering. Gordon Beuhrig was hired, not for the design, but as Chief Engineer. He was hired to make the design buildable. I've asked numerous times who headed the Continental Division on October 17, 1956, and where was it? I understand the Derham files exist at a western Michigan museum. Has anyone asked to see who ordered it? I always assumed WCF ordered it. I've never see that info, nor the order date. I've heard it was an effort to resurrect the Division, but that make no sense, to me, with what else was going on in Ford's financial world.
By November of 1956 the Continental headquarters office building was filling up with employees of the nascent Edsel Division. Continental wasn't absorbed into Lincoln. It ceased to exist with no leader. Lincoln did take over to build out the '57s already ordered from Owasso. Knowing the end was near in mid October of 1956 why was the Mark II convertible introduced at the Texas State Fair, about 6 months from when everyone left. Doug McClure moved to a parallel sales position with Lincoln and took His Office Manger with him. Elmer Rohn moved on to Ford Engineering. Gordon Beuhrig was hired, not for the design, but as Chief Engineer. He was hired to make the design buildable. I've asked numerous times who headed the Continental Division on October 17, 1956, and where was it? I understand the Derham files exist at a western Michigan museum. Has anyone asked to see who ordered it? I always assumed WCF ordered it. I've never see that info, nor the order date. I've heard it was an effort to resurrect the Division, but that make no sense, to me, with what else was going on in Ford's financial world.