Photo: Barrett-Jackson
Ever since Edsel Ford had his 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr convertible made with European styling, the name Continental meant nothing but a line of luxury cars. They are no longer around in new form, as Ford pulled the plug on the model in 2020, but Lincoln Continentals keep popping up in the news with a fury worthy of a better cause.
Weirdly enough, these things almost always surface modified instead of their original condition, as if for some reason Americans decided a stock luxury car of this kind, even very well preserved or restored, is not worth the money and they must have some sort of modification made.
There are two major auctions coming at the end of the month, and each of them features its share of Continentals. The one we have here will be sold (or not) by Barrett-Jackson in New Orleans as a beautiful 1966 example with minor yet effective changes.
A convertible by trade, the car features the classic styling of the model, with straight and long body panels dressed in black, suicide doors, and a black canvas for a top. In fact everything about the car, except for the chrome work on the two ends and the wheels, is black, and that makes it look particularly nasty. The good kind of nasty, especially when those halo LED headlights come on.
The interior, it too a pit of darkness, has leather 6-way power seats for the occupants, air conditioning, and a custom trunk enclosure for good measure.
The car has a prouder stance than it used to thanks to a 3-inch lift, the fitting of an air suspension, and the four 20-inch Mobsteel wheels. Also invisible to the naked eye, as it's hiding behind the wheels, is a heavy-duty braking system of Ford make.
That's needed because the Continental comes packing a 462ci engine rated at 340 horsepower. The powerplant features an automatic transmission and is served by a custom dual exhaust system.
The Continental is scheduled to go under the hammer with no reserve, and that means two things: first, we have no way of knowing how much the owner hopes to fetch for it, and second, we might be in for some surprises once the hammer falls.
To give you an idea of what to expect, though, keep in mind valuation company Hagerty places the price of a Concours condition one (meaning close to perfection, but not modified in any significant way) at under $50,000.
This is not the only 1960s Continental on the list for the New Orleans event. A 1965 example we've discussed not long ago is doing the same, after being born at the end of a process that cost the car's makers no less than $150,000.
There are two major auctions coming at the end of the month, and each of them features its share of Continentals. The one we have here will be sold (or not) by Barrett-Jackson in New Orleans as a beautiful 1966 example with minor yet effective changes.
A convertible by trade, the car features the classic styling of the model, with straight and long body panels dressed in black, suicide doors, and a black canvas for a top. In fact everything about the car, except for the chrome work on the two ends and the wheels, is black, and that makes it look particularly nasty. The good kind of nasty, especially when those halo LED headlights come on.
The interior, it too a pit of darkness, has leather 6-way power seats for the occupants, air conditioning, and a custom trunk enclosure for good measure.
The car has a prouder stance than it used to thanks to a 3-inch lift, the fitting of an air suspension, and the four 20-inch Mobsteel wheels. Also invisible to the naked eye, as it's hiding behind the wheels, is a heavy-duty braking system of Ford make.
That's needed because the Continental comes packing a 462ci engine rated at 340 horsepower. The powerplant features an automatic transmission and is served by a custom dual exhaust system.
The Continental is scheduled to go under the hammer with no reserve, and that means two things: first, we have no way of knowing how much the owner hopes to fetch for it, and second, we might be in for some surprises once the hammer falls.
To give you an idea of what to expect, though, keep in mind valuation company Hagerty places the price of a Concours condition one (meaning close to perfection, but not modified in any significant way) at under $50,000.
This is not the only 1960s Continental on the list for the New Orleans event. A 1965 example we've discussed not long ago is doing the same, after being born at the end of a process that cost the car's makers no less than $150,000.
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