1952 was the last year you could buy a V-8 Lincoln with a stick-shift. That was the last American luxury car built by carnivores for carnivores. You could have the trappings of wealth and still shift for yourself, proving that you were still a Real Man.

You see, the 1952 Lincoln was built by real men for real men. It was a solid, handsome car with clean, simple lines. It had a brand new body style and a brand new overhead-valve V-8 engine, too. It had a real stick-shift for real men to drive. "Wadda ya drivin', Bud?" "A stick-eight Lincoln, Chief. Want another beer?"

In the good old days, there were Real Men. Cars were built by these real men who forged iron into crankshafts and bolted heavy-gauge steel panels together with meaty, calloused hands. Men who sweated buckets at work and quenched their thirst after work with buckets of beer. And ate red meat by the handful. And smoked unfiltered Camels. And watched the Saturday night fights on little black and white TVs. And kept their feelings inside until their hearts exploded and they died.

Today, cars are made of wimpy thin steel and flimsy plastic. All of the hard work is done by robots. Nothing is bolted; it's all glued-up with thermally-activated adhesives applied by machines. The 'men' of today sit at computer terminals in air-conditioned cubicles so that they don't sweat. They sip designer water and pick at their salads and an occasional broiled cod. They watch 'Oprah' on big flat-screen TVs. They never shut up about their feelings and whine, "But you should be sensitive to my emotional needs, too." They'll probably die getting hit by a recycling truck while crossing the street to get a tall latte.

Tom McCahill (a red meat-eater if there ever was one) road tested a '52 Capri for Mechanix Illustrated and reported that this was "undoubtedly one of the finest cars ever built ... a real 100 mile-per hour car." Then he changed into a flannel shirt and took his dogs hunting in the Lincoln.

Nuff said. If you can find a '52 stick Lincoln, go buy it, pal. Be a real man. And have another ribeye steak.

Remember When: 1952

In 1952, Queen Elizabeth is crowned. Packard introduces power brakes. Crosley Motors ceases production. BOAC offers the first jet passenger service. New products include Kelloggs Sugar Frosted Flakes and Sugar Smacks, Holiday Inn motels, paint-by-numbers painting sets and chlorophyll (as an ingredient in various products, including mouthwashes, toothpastes and deodorants). New words include hot-rodder and printed circuit. New TV programs include The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Dragnet, Our Miss Brooks, Mr. Peepers and This Is Your Life. Actor Ronald Reagan marries actress Nancy Davis. The New York Yankees win the World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers.

(posted 5/23/2007)

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