1902 Henry M. Leland establishes the Cadillac Automobile Company 1909 Cadillac purchased by General Motors 1914 Cadillac introduces V-8, sells 13,000 in first year 1917 Leland establishes Lincoln Motor Company, immediately receives contract to build V-12 Liberty aviation engines 1917 Lincoln produces first automobile, the V-8 powered luxury Model L 1922 Lincoln sells only 150 cars 1922 Ford Motor Company acquires Lincoln 1923 Lincoln sales rise 45% 1930 Lincoln phases out L series; introduces K-Series powered by 384 cubic inch (6.3 L) 60° V-8 producing 125 hp 1931 Cadillac introduces V-12 road car for $800 less than V-8 Lincoln 1932 Ford introduces 221 cubic inch (3.6 L) 90° Flathead V-8 producing 65 hp 1932 Lincoln introduces 447.9 cubic inch (7.3 L) 65° L-head V-12 producing 150 hp (112 kW); K-Series product line split into KA-Series (V-8 powered) and KB-Series (V-12 powered) 1933 Lincoln introduces 381.7 cubic inch (6.3 L) 67° L-head V-12 producing 125 hp to replace 384 cubic inch (6.3 L) 60° V-8; all Lincolns now V-12 powered.
1934 Lincoln uprates the smaller of its two V-12's from 381.7 cubic inches (6.3 L) to 414 cubic inches (6.8 L), making the same 150 hp as the older, heavier, and more expensive 447.9 cubic inch (7.3 L) V-12; Lincoln fits the engine to both KA (now denoting short wheelbase) and KB (long-wheelbase) models 1935 Lincoln product lines rationalised to a single Model K 1936 Model K limousine is Lincoln's best-seller 1936 Upon introduction the Lincoln-Zephyr range of lower-priced, midsized luxury cars is powered by the new 110 hp Lincoln-Zephyr H Series V-12, a 267 cubic inch (4.4 L) 75° engine based on the Flathead Ford V-8 1948 Lincoln-Zephyr V-12s are phased out, replaced with the InVincible 8, an iteration of the Flathead Ford V-8, across the Lincoln product line In 1932 Lincoln offered for the first time a 447.9 cubic inch (7.3 L) L-head V-12 with a seven-main bearing crankshaft and 150 hp.
The K-Series was previously available only with a developed version (bored out to 384 cubic inches (6.3 L) in 1928 and uprated to 125 hp for 1932) of the 60° V-8 which first saw duty in the 1920 Lincoln L-Series.
Its 67° architecture was a significant departure, with four main bearings, offset blocks, and side-by-side connecting rods rather than fork-and-blade.
It produced the same 125 hp specific output as the outgoing V-8 despite a somewhat smaller displacement of 381.7 cubic inches.