It’s on my bucket list to ride in the back seat of a Lincoln Continental 4-Door Convertible with the top down and the wind blowing through my thinning hair. I really want to experience “the ride of a luxurious open town car” as Lincoln’s sales literature advertised. Only 3,356 of “America’s Only 4-Door Convertible” were built for model year 1965. That’s probably why this is only the third one ever featured here on Barn Finds. This sleek, massive ’65 Lincoln Continental drop top appears to be ready to drive and enjoy. The seller has invested in a new paint job, convertible top, and snazzy red leather interior. He also says there are “too many upgrades to mention; email me for a list.”
With a restyling scheduled for 1966, the 1965 model year would be the last for the Lincoln Continental’s styling cycle that began in 1961. An extra three inches added to the wheelbase in 1964 meant extra legroom for rear seat passengers, and more headroom was added thanks to a new squared off roofline. Changes to the ’65 model were minimal and in the usual places: the front and rear fascias. Up front, the previous year’s convex grille that resembled an electric shaver was replaced with a flat horizontal grill. The front turn signals and parking lots were also moved from the bumper to wraparound lenses on the front fenders. To some, the new facelift made the Lincoln look more like a Mercury. The rear end received new ribbed taillights and a slightly revised bumper and trunk accents.
The Lincoln’s exterior looks very impressive. The newly repainted exterior in its factory Oxford White looks very good and accentuates the sleek, prestigious styling from Elwood Engle’s design studio team. The chrome bumpers, trim, glass, and lenses look very good as well. I really like those suicide doors and the clean look of the lowered white convertible top that’s neatly stored in the trunk. And in the “waste not; want not” department, the Continental’s rear-hinged deck lid, power-operated convertible mechanism was derived from the ’57-’59 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner hardtop convertible.
Lincoln offered new low-luster finished leather interiors on their convertibles in thirteen colors. This new red roll-over seat style looks amazingly comfortable and definitely makes a statement. Like their sales brochure promised, “Inside Lincoln Continental, you step into a world of tasteful luxury.” The provided photos of the instrument panel, dash, steering wheel, and carpet also look very good. Standard features were many on ’65 Lincolns including a six-way power seat, power windows, power antenna, power door locks, automatic parking brake release, a low fuel warning light, Kelsey-Hayes front disc brakes in the front, and more.
Under that sleek white hood is the only engine available that year: the 430-cubic inch V8 with 85,152 on the clock that’s mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission. The Lincoln is currently calling Lone Tree, Colorado home and is for sale here on craigslist. A big shout out to Mike F. for sending this rare Lincoln our way. The asking price is listed at $90,000 (the seller says it’s been appraised at $95,000). I’m guessing there’s some wiggle room baked into that price as Hagerty currently values a ’65 Lincoln Continental 4-Door Convertible in #2 Excellent Condition at $77,000. No matter what the agreed-upon price, the next owner is going to have a head turner that can be driven and enjoyed from day one.
$77,000? $95,000? So much for the notion that prices are coming down as the old car guys are aging out of the hobby.
Thank the rap stars and the custom car builders for that.
Buddy had a Lincoln w the 430. Said it was a very powerful car.
2.89 gears ⚙️ standard, Lincoln offered a bit more lively 3.11 pkg as well.
This is my favorite generation of Lincolns. After the last member of the Four Tops died ( Duke) I was looking at old photos of them and came across this photo with Levi Stubbs behind the wheel. One of my favorite ’60s Motown groups. I think this may be a ’66 but I’m not sure. Thisbone sure looks classy. Very nice find.
🎶 💯 Driveinstile perfect tunes for any drive.
https://youtu.be/xu5ynjOlnOg?si=uyFrZ8SIj-q66fCA
Hey Stan, Walk Away Renee is a great song. And I like the Four Tops version a little better than the Left Banke. Thanks!!!
Killer version Driveinstile 🎶
So glad they covered it.
“parking lot”? 😄 Anyway, it’s nice to see a restored and unmolested copy. There are design flaws in that year, however, that can prove nightmarish; but the seller apparently said he did upgrades, which makes me curious as to the extent of such upgrades. This year is not my choice year, however; ’67 is my choice year and my lifetime goal. I hope that the new owner will at least be one who has experience with these cars, and not somebody whose only qualification is an advance on his rich aunt’s will.
An eye-watering car at an eye-watering price. Oh well, there goes the notion that I will ever own one at least as nice as this.
I own an all original extremely well-maintained 66 and original condition 65 do not usually go for that much…95000 Unless perhaps they are triple black. 77,000 would be a little bit on the high side for that condition.
These cars are not aging like other cars because guys in their 20s two guys in their 60s or 70s love these so unlike stuff from the 40s where the only guys that like them are dying off… These have cachet in multiple age segments
1965 Lincoln Continental. I owned two of them. Sedans though. Both in light blue. Great driving cars. I only had 2 problems with mine. The radio on both cars quit working shortly after expiration of warranty. The transmission on one of them went out. I took it to the local franchise transmission company. They rebuilt it but didn’t hook up the speedometer cable. When that was done I drove it home, next morning all the fluid was on the ground. Tow truck took it back. It was there (at AAMCO) a total of 7 times and it never worked. I sued but the legal fees were more than the award. I finally took it to Ford and they put a new transmission in it. A very expensive lesson for me. I hope the new owner of this car has better luck than I did.
God Bless America
1965 is the least popular year of the Lincoln 4-door converts. This one is priced stupid-high. It won’t sell on here.
On One of my visits to Divers Street Rods in Sultan Washington, they were building a black 4 door with a 750 horse power Duramax diesel and Allison automatic in it.
I call these “Kennedy Cars” because not only was his limousine a Lincoln, he was photographed driving one at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, MA, a white one, IIRC.
My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that the extremely rare “split bench” seat option was only available in 1966 and ’67, and is very hard to find. At 59.5 inches tall, anyone who rides with me in front when I am driving without the split bench better be no taller than I am, or they will have their legs crushed as I move the bench seat all of the way forward to reach the pedals, LOL! Either that, or they will be riding in front assuming the “fetal position”, with their feet on the seat and their knees under their chin, LOL!
Oh and Murphy’s Law decreed that the convertible would be discontinued for the 1968 model year, just as the hardtop got the then brand-new 460 V8! Rats!
I do hope you get to ride in one of these someday. My boss had one back in the mid 1970s. He drove all of us to work in it with the top down one evening. Watching the top do its thing is fascinating, right down to all four windows automatically closing at the very end, sealing them to the top. I don’t recall seeing that feature again until I looked at a new Beetle convertible. Of course, there are about a million things that can go wrong with that mechanism, but I would still buy one if I had the money.
I actually owned one…1964 rose gold/white canvass roof with a similar colored rose interior that I swear had a sparkle. I bought it 2002 for $14k and it was in great shape. It was a dream car for me from 1978 when I saw one sitting at a local garage. Then I was selling one house while owning another (I will never do that again!!!) and had to sell to float 2 mortgages. I got $17900 for in spring of 2007. Between that and all the VW buses/campers I owned, I could retire on just them!
Makes me think of LBJ driving around the ranch in one of these scaring his guests with how fast he was going. His were always white with tan interior, I think but it’s pretty close.
I just sold my 66 at Meccum auction in Monterrey this year. I enjoyed the car, but it was a money pit. Getting the auto drop rear windows to work as well as the top was challenging.