Lincoln Motor Company
The Lincoln Motor Company was founded in August 1917 by Henry Leland and his son Wilfred. Among the founders of Cadillac, Leland had sold the company to General Motors in 1909, remaining on as an executive until 1917, when he left over a dispute with GM President William Durant. Naming Lincoln Motor Company after Abraham Lincoln, the first President for whom he ever voted (1864), Leland financed the company by securing a $10 million contract to build Liberty V12 aircraft engines, breaking ground on the Lincoln Motor Company Plant. To build the Liberty engines, Lincoln sourced parts from other manufacturers; along with cylinders produced by Ford, other parts were sourced from Buick, Cadillac, Marmon, and Packard. In total, 6,500 Liberty V12 engines were produced by Lincoln before the end of World War I ceased wartime production.
Lincoln Continental
Beginning with the 1981 model year, all manufacturers were required to use a 17 character VIN-code. The first three digits is the World Manufacturer Identifier which gives the make of the car. 1982–1985 Continental 4-door sedans have the separate VIN-code 1MR which designates Continental as the make instead of 1LN as Lincoln (as is the Town Car).
In 1986, the situation was clarified by Ford Motor Company as the Continental was reassigned the 1LN VIN-code to designate Lincoln as the make.