Ford is attempting to initiate a revival of sorts for Lincoln, renaming it the “Lincoln Motor Company” alongside the launch of the all-new Lincoln MKZ. While we have our doubts as to the success of this re-launch, there does seem to be a focus on going back to what made Lincoln great in the first place. We heartily approve of such a strategy.

If we were to contribute to the Lincoln revival, we might point Ford CEO Alan Mulally to this 1938 Lincoln Zephyr hot rod. It just oozes style and awesomeness, and RM Auctions will be selling this radical ride later this month at their annual Arizona auction.

The 1938 Lincoln Zephyr, without any modifications, is an absolutely gorgeous car from front to back. With more than 5,000 man-hours of labor sunk into this hot rod though, this particular Zephyr is on a whole ‘nother level of amazing. Chopped, shaved, and channeled, this Lincoln uses a real steel body, an air-controlled suspension, and upgraded brakes from none other than Wilwood.

The engine under the hood is sure to raise some eyebrows though. Rather than go with some powerful and modern Ford motor, the builders instead opted to go the true hot rod route, dropping a 405 horsepower LS6 engine into the engine bay.

Backed by a four-speed GM automatic transmission, this Zephyr is as much a cruiser as it is a show car. But you better have deep wallets if you want to drive away in it. Pre-auction estimates place the selling price in the $200,000 range.

Worth every penny if you ask us. We’d drive it straight to Ford headquarters and shout “THIS IS WHAT LINCOLN NEEDS!”