This is a very long-term storage 1948 Lincoln Continental with V-12 power that looks like a relatively easy restoration. The car is in Rockford, Illinois, with a $15,000 asking price. The seller says that was the appraised value. What we’re told: The car “has been in storage quite a few years. Title will need work. The previous owner withheld this information from my elderly late father when he purchased it. That being said, I’m open to fair offers or trades. Paint not perfect—she’s old.” Warning: The photos are pretty cockeyed.
Indeed, she is old, 76 years, to be exact. There’s no engine photo, and the vendor doesn’t say whether it is running, but let’s assume not—it’s as found. If the 123,000 miles is correct, it has probably had a rebuild at some point or desperately needs one. The visual news is relatively good. Even the interior isn’t bad, appearing completely original (albeit with splits in the leather). You could drive it as is and consider it “patina.” The door panels, steering wheel, and instruments all look fine and have not been altered from the original. Even the carpet looks serviceable. There are no obvious body defects, and all the chrome is there. No missing parts are visible. The undercarriage is an unknown quality.
OK, so what is this car? As you may know, the genius and taste possessed by Edsel Ford, son of Henry, is what created the Continental. It started as a car for his personal use, based on the Lincoln Zephyr with channeling and sectioning. There was little chrome; it was a clean car, as were the classic ‘60s models that followed. The designer was Bob Gregorie.
Lincoln decided to actually produce the Continental that same year and essentially hand-built them. Only two dozen were made in 1939 and 400 in 1940 before the war started. The engine was a 4.8-liter V-12. There was actually a 1942, with squared-off fenders and a grille revision, but it was a short model year, and the Continental was out of action until 1946, when it was no longer Zephyr-based.
This coupe is from the last year of Continental production, 1948. It ended the reign of V-12s in passenger cars, at least at that time. The Classic Car Club of America considers these cars full classics. They were expensive then: $2,727 for the coupe and $2,778 for the cabriolet.
The seller has listed it here on Facebook Marketplace. Frankly, if it still has its original engine in the un-photographed engine bay, this could be a bargain for someone. But keep in mind that these cars are strangely undervalued. Classic.com says $31,405 for one of these ‘48s.
The only thing I hate more than a dirty car, or one that needs a gentle bath, is a seller that uses only “Batman” (angled) pictures on a dirty car. Where’s the KAPOW! BAM! OOF!
How is someone supposed to access the trunk? Does the spare swing away or do you need a velvet footstool for a high and far liftover?
Loading the trunk was the butler’s job. I wondered too. If there was a car to restomod this would be it. At least put something modern under the hood. I didn’t know the original V12 was such a load until I read it here, although I like the idea.
“Title will need work.”
That is a deal breaker, right there. Fix the title, and we’ll talk.
I think this is the 13th time we’ve seen a ’48 Continental, ( 5, 1946s, and 10, 1947s) all seem to be in this condition, except that 428 CJ one a while back. While not a lot were made, it’s clear, many were saved just because what a fantastic car they were. The comments may seem redundant, everybody has their own idea what to do with it. The most obvious is a resto-mod, because judging by the others shown, there’s not a lot of interest for an original. I certainly have to think, the designer of this, and the ’49-’51 had to be a nephew struggling through design school fresh out of the service. They were oddly designed cars. The V12 was/is a fantastic motor, but like all my posts suggest, aside from the wow factor upon opening the hood, this car would be far more useful, and appealing, with a small Ford V8 and automatic. While a V12 is mighty impressive to us old farts, I doubt many under 50 even know what that is. Remember, a 1948 Ford cost half this amount, so sales were limited to the hoi-paloi.
Yes, these seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately. Owners are realizing the effort needed to fix up/restore. And maybe “why did I buy this ugly thing!”.
with title issues in West Virginia the dar is toast as a driver. Title, bill of sale and an inspection by a state trooper, deputy, etc to verify proper ownership and vin are required. Its not worth the time especially with 15k on the line. The DMV people just look at you with a blank stare as if you should have known better.
I enjoyed the euphemistic “Title will need work”
It makes sense, if there’s no title it will be work to get one..
I’m the same age at 76. I like this car that is undervalued and appears to be all there, possibly with minimal rust. Check title issues then I would try to get the original engine to work, if possible, before tackling the brakes and other issues, drive as is. It’s a daydream, though. I need to get rid of things. Tough to do.
The odometer reading is 12,845 and I doubt it’s 128K or the body wouldn’t be this nice. Fahrvergnugen – the trunk is easily accessed from either side of the car. All Continentals of this era had rear mounted spares. I’ve aways liked the look of these cars, the earlier ones 1940-1942 had nicer lines, but the post war cars still had character. The V12’s had issues and I agree with Howard A, these cars would do well as a resto-rod. The market simply isn’t there any longer for cars of the 30’s and 40’s. And although this is a great start, IMHO, it’s priced a bit high (also considering the title issue). The cost to build a car today is doubled it not tripled what it was just 10-15 years ago. Sellers need to realize that project cars simply aren’t worth what they were years ago. This car is fairly local to me if anyone needs an in-person review.
Are the pictures intended to evoke ideas of how the car would look if it was sawn in half? Are they intended to be the “before” example in a carwash ad? How can very many people be interested in a car without seeing what the whole car looks like? These are great “artsy” photos of what may well be a 48 Lincoln. Why not wash it and take a couple of real pictures?
Maybe to prove that it is a “Barn Find”. Dust is free. May or may not be a find.
But the best exhaust burble of any non-race car ever.
Howard, I remember when I was just an old fart, now I’m a really old fart, but I still love the Lincoln Zephyrs. A friend of mine in South Africa has NINE of them including two RHD coupes, a ’37 and a ’39.
Isn’t the spare mounted on the outside -again, after the teens! – on the Lincoln Continental the origination of the term “continental kit”?