1963 Lincoln Continental Spent 27 Years in a Chicken Coop, Gets First Wash

The low-slung fourth-gen full-size isn't the most valuable Continental out there, but it's a classic that will fetch more than $50,000 in Concours-ready condition. Despite this, some kept a 1963 version of the luxury car in a chicken coop for almost three decades.

The car was covered with a tarp this entire time, which is good news when storage conditions are far from adequate, but it didn't do much to keep the Continental protected from dust. But the worst thing is that the Lincoln was infested by rats, which made a big mess in the cabin and even in the glove compartment.

Parked in the coop in 1995, the car was dragged out after 27 years for proper cleaning. The operation was orchestrated by the owner's sons, who wanted to surprise their dad with a detailed version of his forgotten classic.

The Continental doesn't look all that bad at first glance, but things become rather disgusting when it's time for the rat nests to come out of the car. Not only that, but the guy cleaning the Conti also had to deal with rodents abandoning the car while in the shop.

The folks over at AMMO NYC needed four days to clean the car, but the results are amazing. Sure, the red paint and the chrome trim still have issues that can't be fixed with a buffing, but the Lincoln looks ready to make a great impression at the local cars & coffee.

As a brief reminder, 1963 was the third model year for the fourth-generation Continental. These cars were built right before Lincoln restyled the full-size for 1964 and updates over the 1962 version included increased rear-seat legroom and a reshaped trunk.

All fourth-gen Continentals were powered by the 430-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) MEL V8 until 1966. Carried over from the previous model, the mill was rated at a healthy 320 horsepower and 465 pound-feet (630 Nm) of torque. But enough history for today, hit the play button below to watch this old land-yacht come back to life after almost 30 years.