A lot of us have had loads of free time recently and a few of us have put it to good use, tackling things on the honey-do list or cleaning out the garage or storage unit. I would have guessed that this 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible shorty was created recently, but it was done decades ago! It can be found here on eBay in Westlake, Ohio and the current bid price is $11,000 with no reserve. Thanks to Ikey H. for sending in this little tip!
The second thing I notice, after the obvious removal of the rear suicide doors, is the color combo on this Lincoln drop-top, a gorgeous robin’s egg blue with a red leather interior. Very nice. The seller tells us that an avid collector of Lincoln Continentals – they had 25 of them at one time two decades ago – took his new Continental, I’m assuming that means that he bought it new, to a custom coach shop in California and had them create this short version by removing the rear doors and other modifications.
From this rear 3/4 view, it looks somewhat normal, and I’m assuming that the custom coachworks shop did a good job in making it a safe and drivable car. The seller says that the late owner loved this car more than any of his other cars and it’s the last one to be sold. They included an underside photo but I’m guessing that most bidders are just taking a chance on this being a solid car. There is one spot that has been touched up.
The red leather front seat (there isn’t a back seat anymore, obviously) needs to be fed something fierce, it looks hungry. At the touch of a button, the top reportedly goes down and up again and I’m assuming that everything works but there’s no mention of that. They do say that it was scheduled for a full restoration and parts were ordered and they come with the sale.
The engine should be Lincoln’s 430 cubic-inch V8, although the seller refers to it as a 462 which came along in 1966. They say that this car can be driven as is and upgraded over time. Any thoughts on this Lincoln Continental shorty?
Pretty cool looking. It looks like an Amphicar in the first photo. It looks well done also. I would be interested, but I don’t think I could put that jigsaw puzzle of exhaust together. Hard to believe it will all fit under ‘Shorty”.
I’m sorry, but I feel they took the best part of this car (suicide doors) and removed them.
It might have looked better if they had removed the front doors and moved the rear suicide doors to the front.
Should’a just left the back doors if he was gonna f-up that car…
What a waste of time, ingenuity, talent, skill, and money. How could anyone do that to something as timeless as a `64 “Kennedy” Lincoln?!! I wouldn’t give ten cents for it. Stupid looking clown car is all it ended up being. And not much of one at that!
We have two 1964 Lincoln continental one in our garage and the other one behind the barn. We are at 1281 Ryan Rd Buckley WA 98321
I like it. It appears that the work that was done was done well. It’s not my type of car but, I would give it a a few minutes of my time if I ran across it at a local show.
It could fill the need until I can afford a full size one. I would hope everything works as it should. I know they are a bear to fix up. Very pricey, and very few actual mechanics that specialize in 60’s Lincolns. Good luck to the buyer.
Half of a car. I wonder how quick it is in the 1/8 mile.
Lol
The color combo is stunning…. There! I said something nice about this car
Strange, but kind of wonderful. I’ve owned two 65’s same body color but with blue interior and tops. Never would have dreamed of doing anything like this to either one. It will make a very good conversation piece at any meet. Wish the best to all concerned.
God bless America
Looks nicely done but still seems like a waste of a perfectly good Lincoln.
Here is the entire production run that fully meets the entire market demand for it. If you ever wondered, now you know and no one else ever has to do this again.
Unless… the is an entire sub-category f of “Shorty” car collectors with a club or organization where the only price of admission is owning a “Shorty” of any brand or model.
Imagine a show on half a football field with all of those short 55, 56, 57 Chevies, VW Micro buses, Lincolns, 65-66 Mustangs, school buses, B-1 Mack trucks plus the addition of new concepts in previously unshortened vehicles. Ford Crown Vics? 68-70 Chargers? I would pay half price to see something like that. Once.
“Alright, alright! Which one of you guys stole my doors!?”
Call the police! That Caddy just blew my doors right off!!!
Looks like something from a Disneyland kiddie ride.
I’ll stop now, customs are cool, but for me the killer black Lincoln demon car in that old James Brolin movie “The Car” does it for me. Actually saw that black beast at a car show years ago….remote control starter and they got me good as I peered into the heavily tinted window!
All of the near perfect proportions of that generation Lincoln Continental are ruined by the fabricator.
Sadly, it seems the one person who truly wanted and loved a car like this has passed on.
If they had taken a side on photo of this car, cut out the suicide door section and then pieced it together again, I don’t think they would ever have done this to the original car. The proportions and lines are so awful that it even makes the Amphicar look beautiful.
The fact that it is well done should be no surprise. People, whatever they’re into can do great work. I have a friend that restores those old sewing machines, does a beautiful job, however, with all these creations, like art work, many may not see the artists idea. Okay, 17 people are on board, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s a Lincoln that will fit in their storage unit, IDK, it looks silly to us that remember these cars in their entireity, but some may not even know about that, and I suppose that’s okay too.
I’m a sucker for an all red interior, especially one with patina. Kind of cool but not really my cup of tea. Looking at the profile, this car looks out of proportion. If the rear wheels were moved closer to the rear bumper (proportional with the front wheels to the front bumper) I think most people would think it to be a production car or a factory prototype.
The original owner would have been better served by buying a 2 door model and having that made into a convertible.
This car doesn’t do it for me.
One very important picture is missing and that would be a picture with the top up.
Yes I saw the picture showing the trunk open backwards, but there is no picture of the top up on the car and I think that would be one of the most important pictures to see.
That is an absolute travesty. How very, very sad.
I took one look and barffed.
While its nothing I would do or drive ,the workmanship looks great. As for ruining a beautiful Lincoln – We don’t know what shape the car was in before it was cut
up , and we don’t know exactly when it was done . If it was done in the mid 1980s this was just a twenty year old car and not in much demand .
Scotty’s write up states that it was bought new and taken to a body shop for it’s conversion into a “Shorty”
If thats a true story, then it was one of thousands of new 64 Lincolns , so one less wouldn’t have been a big loss . Of course the buyer would have to be a wealthy and likely eccentric person to want to have this done to such an expensive new car !
My Dad before he passed in 87 we have two 64 lincolns all original the white one is in our garage needs a lot of work too it someone broke the windshield trunk lid is rusted out and some spots on hood have rust holes. the black one that one my dad picked that up for the parts car thats been sitting behind the barn for 35 years right were he left it before he passed he and his brother Larry ran and owned the Atomic Auto Wrecking in Kent, WA my aunt Verla sold the business after my uncle Larry passed in 90.
I would love this as much as the guy that is passing it on. Normally I don’t like altered cars, but this one is an exception. If I had the funds, it would be coming home where it belongs.
Sorry this just doesn’t cut it in my mind. I would be like shortening a 1969 XKE.
Look up a pic of a Ford built one and you will definitely agree.I tried to paste one in but this app would not allow me to.
A set of Tru-Spoke wires would break up the blandness and maybe a change in color…..
I was going to leave a long comment here but I’ll just cut it in half and say, “What the…?”
I’ll just say “Why the ****?
Just…..plain…..ugly.
Might as well jack it up and put some 24″ (or bigger) gold-plated wire “dubs” and lots of under-carriage neon on it.
I agree on they should have at least put a “regular” two door door on it but in 64 there wasn’t a 2 door if I remember. With this much metal work, they could have grafted two front doors together to make a “long’ front door then complete the project. A “normal” looking 2 door Lincoln Vert would be nice.
I think someone did a very nice job from an idea either from the owner or some other source. I”m not a fan of red interiors because among other things Summers here are warm and red is not good in the sun. Miguel is right about pictures with the top going up and down. Let’d see it. And get the thing on a lift so we can see its bones. It’s an interesting idea and I’d probably buy it because it’s a derivative of the two seat Thunderbirds. And
with a shorter wheelbase tires are an issue as well as stabilizer bars.
I also have no room at this point but negotiations are in progress for more space.
cool. Fun. I’d drive it. Only one at the… well, only one ANYWHERE.
The WTForce is strong with this one….
“Here – hold my Dom Perignon while I light the torch….”
I can’t imagine having the money and/or the nerve to have a new Continental cut up like this. Another thing I wonder about is the steering ackerman after shortening it this much.
What has been done to this Lincoln is nothing short of sacrilegious; more money than brains. It looks like something a circus bear would use. smh…
Mom always told me that if I can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything.
WHY! Would you do this ?
No way is this cool .
Man this is a dream car for me
Anything but dont cut out the suicide doors , geeeeeees louise
To each his own i guess
This just cut my appetite lollll
Jk
Sacreligious!
@ Will Fox
Kenney’s Lincoln was a ’62
@Miguel
1964 Lincolns were not offered in a two door from the factory. Four door hardtop & four door convertible were your only options
This is the Foo mobile Lincoln style. Anybody remember “Smokey Stover the Foo Fighter” and his 2 wheeled roadster? The comic strip that ran from 1935 to 1972?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Stover#/media/File:Smokeycover.jpg
Of course you don’t, that was before 51% of Barn Find Readers were born. These short cars always make me think of Smokey. I can’t take them seriously unless they are an improvement over the original. If it ain’t broke don’t f*** with it.
Perhaps the original owner took delivery and brought it home only to realize that his garage was too short. What to do? Lengthen the garage or…or…tailor the car to fit the existing garage! Thinking outside the box, problem solved. Unconventional thinking is what keeps this country great.
Notary Sojak!
The baby blue and white walls just makes it worse. Blackwalls and black paint couldn’t couldn’t hurt it any. Maybe a Larry Watson style panel paint job. I dunno….
Can the customer coach shop put it back the way it was!! I really can’t understand why someone has to take such an iconic car and turn it into there version of what they think is cool!! The attraction to these cars for me is that it was the coolest 4 door convertible ever built!!!
TimM, back in 64 this was not an iconic car. It was just a Lincoln convertible. Perhaps it was some rich guy that wanted a two seater Lincoln. Would love to know the story behind it.
Paolo, I saw a miliary 6×6 cut down to a 4×4! At a welding shop, where I guess the owner had some extra time on his hands.
Yes, apparently shrinking M-35 6x6s down to pickup truck size is a thing. There is at least one company advertising on the web that specializes in them.
Words that come to mind: horror, abomination, clown car. You get the idea. Proportions totally ruined. What’s the point other than to say you did it. Workmanship may be excellent but who cares? Worse than the 76-79 Cadillac Seville roadster conversions. You know, the ones with the fake spare tires built into the extended front fenders. Name doesn’t come to me right now. Help!
It could be an excellent parts car for a restoration and that’s about it. Wish I could unsee it.
Bob McK, it was a “….rich guy that wanted a two seater” according to the description in the listing. He had a number of Continentals. Personally, if the rear wheels had been moved back – and I don’t know why they don’t do that with lots of the “shorties” I’ve seen – I think it would be attractive and not much different than most roadsters. Unless the complainers here are just pissed off that they couldn’t afford, or their wife wouldn’t let them buy, a four door Lincoln convertible.
..saw one of these at Barret Jackson at Phoenix a few years back. Was having a good look and a lady started to chat. Turns out her husband had just bought it….. ” no idea why nor does he ”
Very interesting to look at – and a lot of work had gone into it but not for me
Never forget that dry comment though !
Here’s the skinny on a 64 Lincoln: my father Niles Walton purchased this car after It was a no sale atthe Labor Day auction in Auburn Indiana circa 1984
My father was a former fabricator in the United States Navy and also a lover of classic 2 door Thunderbirds-
One day he approached me with the idea: wouldn’t it be fun to cut this continental and a half and make it look like a T- bird ?
He found a local fabricator to assist and over one weekend they cut the body into 3 pieces and got to Weldon’!
It was a fairly straightforward reassembly- i recall there was a bit of trouble getting the driveshaft reconnected but aside from getting the wiring connected the fuel line reattached There wasn’t much else to prevent the assembly from going along smoothly
Surprisingly cutting the convertible top and reattaching the top latches to the shortened frame was an easy task task
The car is a little bit Squirrley on sharp turns probably because of the change in geometry but other than that it Road and drove just like a full-size Lincoln
My father kept the car until about 1989 or 90 and then sold it to someone local ( at a profit)
Over the years I’ve looked for this vehicle and now here it is… It’s been found… and confirmed by the the Balboa yacht club decal LOL
The car’s nickname was the goonygoogoo Mobile! And I hope its new owner continues to call at that!
Sincerely Dereck Walton Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Although there is no accounting for taste, it is mutually exclusive from amount of wealth. Here is a beautiful 1964 Lincoln Continental hacked into a clown car. This is one that deserved to remain in the barn and rust into pieces. I did see another shortened Lincoln Continental on the internet, and I understand why that 1962 model (with 1961 grille) looked smart and elegant. The work was much better proportioned and professionally executed by the established coachbuilder Derham Body Company, renowned for its work with Dusenbergs, Packards, and Cadillacs in the 1930s. That model is a hardtop with some additional space behind the doors. Still, a two seat coupe version of the Continental would look best with a less severe removal of girth.