I believe this color is what Lincoln called Palomino Buff, a perfect name for all of the 1950s cowboy shows. This 1955 Lincoln Capri is located in Spokane, Washington, but I guess a person could still put a set of Texas steer horns on the front of the hood. The seller has it posted here on craigslist, and they’re asking $19,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Curvette for the tip!
This car was around $3,900 brand new in 1955. That’s a steal, not just because $3,900 is hardly a drop in the bucket today, but that equivalent to only $48,747 today. That’ll hardly get you a new… anything, let alone a loaded luxury car. Wait, I mean, a luxury SUV. Do they even make cars anymore? The first-generation Lincoln Capri was made for model years 1952 through 1955, and then things got space-age, really quickly. Here’s a 1955 Lincoln brochure, and another one.
The seller says this car is rust-free, but being a staunch doubter of almost everything, especially ads where someone is trying to sell you something, those deep scratches and pits under the paint above the left rear wheel (shown without the rear fender skirts) sure look like bodywork to me. It must be something else, since they say it’s rust-free. What do you think? Technically, an “unrestored” vehicle could still have some paintwork here and there. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see even a passing glimpse of the passenger side exterior, not even a thumbnail or a reflection in a mirror. Nothing. It would be great to see that side.
The interior looks really nice, and Lincoln offered what they referred to as the Turbo-Drive automatic transmission. It also has one of the oddest dash views that I’ve ever seen. It almost looks like a 1930s car or something from Russia. This doesn’t scream luxury dash to me. It’s really weird. Sorry to all of you die-hard Lincoln Capri fans, but dang, they really could have done so much more here. Maybe that’s the point: less is more? No, it’s weird, sorry. Lincoln referred to this car as having “flight deck instruments,” so maybe they’re meant to be understated like the cockpit of a fighter jet of the era. The leather seats look almost perfect, both front and rear.
I hope the air cleaner is in the trunk. The seller lists this engine as a 351, but it would originally have had Lincoln’s one-year-only 341-cu.in. OHV V8, which was rated at 225 horsepower and 342 lb-ft of torque when new. They say it has a C6 transmission, but it would have originally been backed by the smooth-shifting BorgWarner-sourced Turbo-Drive three-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels. The seller doesn’t say anything about how this nice-looking car functions, but at this asking price I’m assuming it works great. Hagerty lists the high value for a 1955 Lincoln Capri as $19,433: how much would you pay for this apparently modified ’55 Capri?
Lots of questions here, but this looks like a pretty decent start, (potential) warts and all! Nice find!
Ok. I know I’ve said this before. But one of my all time favorite cars AND Movies is this ’54 Lincoln from Moonshine Highway. Its interesting that in ’54 you got the 4 speed Hydramatic sourced from GM, but then as Scotty already mentioned for ’55 the 3 speed Turbo Drive automatic. These are handsome cars!
In the movie “The Long, Long Trailer”, scenes with the trailer being pulled in the mountains used a 1953 Lincoln Capri convertible. As I recall it looked pretty similar to this car, even a similar color.
now I’ve goy to go back and watch that movie again but I thought Dezi was driving a yellow Merc in the picture. Of course my well over 80 memory might be “fading”. since it has been more than 70 years since I watched that movie.
There was some difference between the car used to haul the trailer through the mountains and the one used in other scenes, but I don’t recall the details other than that more power was needed in the mountains. The main thing that has stuck with me from that movie over the decades is “TRAILER BRAKES FIRST!!”
That’s a great movie. I liked the part where Ricky tries to back the ” t r a i l e r” into Lucy’s family’s driveway and destroyed bushes and the awning. Needless to say they had to forget taking the wedding check from them!
this is awesome, the string started out discussing a car but now we’ve become movie critics. Wonder if Siskel and Ebert will tune in (from above)?
…and I get a kick out of watching vintage TV series, like ‘Emergency’, ‘Adam-12’, ‘Perry Mason, etc….just for the banquet of cool old cars in the backgrounds.
Plus, all those programs are from California so you see even older cars in good shape.
Well come on Terry, what’s your favorite part of the movie? I think this movie came to people’s minds because of Mercurys great designs of these cars, not to mention that beautiful long trailer. Which I may add would have been very expensive back then.
since you asked, John, probably the funniest and most memorable scene is where Tacy (Lucy) fall out of the trailer into the pool of mud and Nicky (Desi) asks her “What’s the matter honey? Can’t you sleep?” — just for the record, I had to google the scene to recall that last part–
I believe the main car in the movie was a 1953 Mercury convertible in yellow, black top. I usually notice things like in one scene is a ’53 Merc, in another scene it’s a ’54 Lincoln or some such nonsense, but im not too sure about this movie. I’ll have to watch it again to see.
I know in the movie “The Sixth Day” with Arnold Schwartzenegger in a chase scene he’s driving a 1957 Cadillac which morphs into a 1958 Cadillac and then back into the ’57.
It was kind of obvious because the ’58 has duel headlights where the ’57 doesn’t and the ’57 has forward slanted fins and the ’58 has pointy rear slanted fins. About the only thing they share is the roofline.
In Stephen King’s “Carrie” John Travolta is driving a red ’66 Chevelle which changes into a red ’68 Firebird convertible then into a ’70 red Chevelle, which he flips over several times.
I guess directors feel that the average person won’t notice.
A later model w351 under the hood on this one. Don’t know well enough if you can bolt a C-6 behind a small Ford 8.
Dash is odd to say the least. This Capri is nice but as mentioned, with doubts about its originality, needs an in person visual. Price is excessive with what little info is in the ad.
Personally I’d rather find that windsor in it a plain jane 54 2dr post ford, with a 4spd.
Nice looking Capri though bottomline.
Now back to movie memories.
if everything is original but the motor it looks fairly decent. don’t know the market on these so i not sure on the prices. i know most 50s cars are starting drop in price. if the motor was installed with quality, it should be trouble free.
OK Movie buffs, let’s get back on topic!!!!!! I question the word “unrestored”? Obviously it has been modified.. That is a later engine as in that era Ford was using the Y block with the distributor in the back. This one is up front and looks like a newer electronic module. SO only an inspection will tell you what transmission is behind it??? It is possible that the seller does not know what he has?? That vacuum boosted dual master cylinder looks new. What other brake work / upgrades have been done??? I am thinking(???) that Lincoln was involved it that 1000 mile race in Mexico?? This looks like an “all there” car, a good body inspection would be necessary. I would consider this car a great (possibly turnkey?) entry into the classic car hobby in NON concourse events. Since it is priced at the top end of Haggerty a serious inspection and some dickering will have to be involved in the actual purchase price. Possibly the modifications and upgrades will bring the price back up depending on what the buyer wants to do with the car???
I like these Lincolns. They ain’t no Cadillac but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
This is one nice looking car. The only thing I see that is missing is that’55 must have”, that wrap around windshield but I would not kick this out of my driveway.
I had to Google a brochure of the dash (since it was brought up). All I was able to see was one sideways shot of it on one panel. Looks just like this one, but with radio knobs.Guess they thought the outside would sell (or maybe less is more…). They did produce a magnificent car this cycle. But, I would go to sleep behind the wheel.
Take a peek at some of the Interior photos available online…the ’55 Lincoln Capri dash is really quite elegant- looking.
When will the name of the site be changed to “Curvette’s Barn Finds”?
Milt, if you notice, the 1955 Lincoln is only basically a 1954 with raked-back tail-lights. The 1955 Ford and Mercury also were based on the 1952, but they were more heavily modified to hide that fact, because they would have to ride on until 1956 on that 1952 body shell. But I think Lincoln went all new for 1956, a year ahead of Ford and Mercury. But I remember my shock when the ’55s came out, and Lincoln lagged behind as a warmed-over ’54; as you pointed out, not even a wrap-around windshield! The 1952-’54 Fords, Mercurys, and Lincolns, all looked like close cousins; then in 1955, Ford and Mercury branched-off to become distinctively themselves, and not a by-product of each other. But Lincoln, for some reason, stood pat for 1955 as an extension of 1952-1954. Go figure.
Very valid point. I didn’t think about that.
Not sure why it’s called “unrestored”. The engine, transmission, and brakes are not original. I guess not being original makes it not restored.
GOOD POINT!!!
The Texas longhorn suggestion really mooooved me, so I’m all in Scotty. It already has kind of a fierce looking front end anyway and I think it would be great, if one lived in Texas anyway. ;-). On a more serious but somewhat unrelated note, you reminded me of the time I bought some really ones back in the day and hung them on my living room wall in Maryland because I was really missing the wide open spaces of northern Colorado. Unfortunately my wife wasn’t impressed, and it did kind of clash with our furniture anyway, so it didn’t hang there long.
Is ’55 too late to be a Road Race Lincoln? You’d think being a carry-over from previous years would help, but the Carrera Panamericana didn’t run after 1954.
Thanks!!! My memory bank for that era is real shy..
Great looking ride! Does the big brake booster and double master cylinder imply that this car has had disc brakes added?