The Continental nameplate has meant nothing for Lincoln ever since the final copy of the tenth-gen rolled off the line in 2020. By the looks of it, it will never return, not with an internal combustion recipe, anyway, and certainly not for the United States, where Lincoln has become a crossover-only brand.
But we're not here to talk about Ford's premium car marque's future, but rather its past, and it is all due to one specific model that recently caught our eye: the fifth-gen Lincoln Continental. We all remember it thanks to its timeless looks, as it has aged perfectly.
A true American land yacht, albeit one that featured a body-on-frame construction to keep the production costs in check, it came out in 1970 and was dropped nine years later. During this time, Lincoln offered it in three body styles and with two powertrain options. The 6.6L and 7.5L V8 units were paired with a three-speed automatic transmission that sent the output to the rear axle.
Measuring 127 inches (3,226 mm) between the axles, which is actually some five inches (127 mm) more than the modern-day Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the fifth-gen Continental was a big boy. It measured between 225 in (5,715 mm) and 232.9 in (5,916 mm) from bumper to bumper, depending on the model year, with a width of around 80 inches (2,032 mm). At over 5,000 pounds (more than 2,200 kg), it was also very heavy.
Photo: Instagram | 412donklife
There have been numerous aftermarket takes on this iteration over the years, yet not many can compare to the one shared on social media by 412donklife. It features a custom paint finish that helps it stay true to its old-timer status, has some chrome accents all around, an imposing grille, smoked headlamps, and no privacy windows. It also rocks a set of custom alloys that are on the very large side of things, which fill the arches just perfectly.
We know what you're probably thinking: these are mere renderings of the fifth-gen Lincoln Continental. And you are both right and wrong at the same time, in Schrodinger's cat-like theory, as it may have been sketched out by the aforementioned digital artist and shared on its social media, but it is also very much real. The car is owned by an enthusiast and looks almost identical in real life, as you can see on their Instagram. Congratulations, sir, you have won the internet!
Now, as much as we like this Continental, there is one that we favor over it. It is the all-black copy rendered by the same artist, which is part of the fourth-gen. A true king of the night, it is absolutely impressive everywhere, including under the hood, and you can check it out here if you haven't seen it yet. So, if you had to choose between the two, which one would you drive home?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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