Seemingly the perfect mechanical attire for a booming business man, the Continental MK II’s are stunning cars, offering posh looks and exclusivity. Often difficult to find for sale, and typically having a lofty price tag, this by far has to be one of the cheapest Continental MK II’s I have witnessed for sale. Offered for $2,300 for a “quick sale” before winter, this Conti’ is certainly worth a look. Check it out here on Hemmings out of Collinsville, Connecticut.
The 368 “Y” block V8 has definitely seen some moisture exposure as there is a lot of corrosion going on in the engine bay. The fender liners look nice, but the engine has quite a bit of surface rust and oxidation on the valve covers. Also the firewall has a fair amount of surface rust, and the brake master and booster nearly appear as if they were plucked from the ocean. Beyond the surface rust, there is no apparent rot which is great, and even better news is that this MK II is a factory equipped air conditioning car! Certainly a rare feature that would be so well appreciated in this modern day and age.
Inside you can almost guess that this once business savvy coupe smells like a moldy wet dog. Although very complete, this poor car’s time spent in storage was not particularly kind. Described as being stored in a leaky barn, it is clear that moisture took its toll on this beauty. The carpet and upholstery in still in place and it seems a bit heart breaking. It would seem that this was a relatively solid and complete car when it went into storage. Imagine the heart ache of finding what time and moisture did to this deluxe two door. There are a few holes in the floors, and there is plenty of surface rust to be seen in the door jambs, as well as on the peeling dash.
The exterior is a bit uplifting, as it would seem that there isn’t too much rot to be seen. Granted the photos aren’t exactly the best, and this is by no means a cream puff, but for the price and values of these cars, it would seem there is enough of something here to work with. Surface rust is scattered over the body, and while there is some rot, it is small and located in typical areas. The lower part of the driver front fender has a small area of rot, and the end of the rocker before the wheel arch on the same side has some rot as well. The driver rear quarter also has some rot, but the worst of the rot is on top of the driver rear quarter near the rear window. The passenger side of this Conti’ is not shown in much detail, but I would assume a similar condition. Although a bit heart breaking to look at, this MK II would be a great restoration candidate for someone who has always dreamed of owning one of these beautiful cars. Are you a fan of these Continental MK II’s?
Poor car that may not be evan be good as a parts car. Take the front bumper and grill then most of the rest is scrap. The MK II has a known issue with a week spot in the frame. From the looks of the engine compartment and trunk the frame / suspension are shot. What a waste of a of a car
So,
You think the rear trunk lid, rear bumper and light housing are junk? You obviously never sourced parts. I could go on and on concerning what IS salvable on this beauty.
My Dad brought a ’35 Caddy back to a 100 point Classic Car that looked worse than this. Oh, he had 3 parts car to complete his.
It needs help, but its mine mow and that’s all that matters to me
Congrats If you still have it,you have a very desirable car.
I want it, but I can’t go to Connecticut to get it and don’t have a trailer to support the weight of this beast. Great styling still showing through, tho!
Oh, and the sound it must have made when the spring shackles gave way and the whole rear of the car dropped to the ground. Sad.
There will be nothing “Cheap” on the resto of this car. Although it deserves to be saved as they are rare someone with deep pockets will need to take this one on.
What would you speculate the final tab to be?
So sad…..bring a lot of money and time.
So the question is: would you rather have your 401K acount or this car fixed up to show condition? Hint: you can’t drive or ride in a 401K.
What a great high end restomod builder. Scrap the drivetrain, most of the interior, build a frame with high end suspension and a LS3 and have an awesome ride. They use this formula on so many other cars, why not something this cool and otherwise unsaveable.
I saw one in Newport Beach just last month while on vacation. Restomodded…but not overly so.It was gorgeous.
“What would you speculate the final tab to be?”
Over $100K for a 100 pt restoration. There is so much pitting of the interior chrome, its very hard to find good parts. Why waste time this one when they start in the mid teens and for $30K you can find a decent driver.
This is a sad case.The owner or past owners,
must never have known what these are worth
restored or in nice condition,or Iam sure some effort
would have been made to preserve it better.I would definitely
resto rod this,and not feel too guilty!Really cool cars and styling,but
just like when they were new,it still requires an “affluent”client—
read that as –“Wealthy investor” or-“rich s.o.b.”to own and maintain
a car like this,let alone restore it.
To start with, how in the heck do you fix the dash pad? By the way, my neighbor has one of these in about the same shape cosmeticly but with very little rust since it came out of Kingman, Arizona. The engine compartment on his is many times better
It has stayed under a tarp for minimum 15-20 years. What a waste. Shame on that guy there put it there 😟😟😡
Not worth it…I had a 56 and there are no parts to be had..Was happy to get 9K for it…running and driving with no serious problems..
What kind of a sick person could do this to such a beautiful car? So So SAD!!!
Great as a static display car. repaint her and fix the interior and use her as a display.
Looks like a horrendous rust and fabrication nightmare to me. This is a classic example illustrating the wise advice: “buy the BEST car you can” to start with!
80-100K to restore to #1, IF you can find parts. This is so close to being a parts car, why bother? Salvage the few things that are left and count your blessings you still have your 401K for the next car that comes along that is better.
gone………you sissies………
Two years, lots of elbow grease, under 15k with good not great paint, non o e m interior, and a damn fine slow cruiser or ride to beach driver you would have
IF, FRAME NOT SAGGING AND CRACKED.
Not less than $100k to restore, (well) and some parts will be very hard to source. These did rot in the frames, most commonly around the extra vacuum tank welded into where the front sub-frame is joined to the outer frame rail on the passenger side. These cars had a remarkable story; sold for over $10k new, and Ford lost $1k on each one. Just don’t call it a Lincoln!
I had a co worker whose Aunt had a Continental like this. His Aunt and Cousin took it to a Lincoln dealership and the owner offered them any new car on the lot for a trade. They chose a Mercury Marquis. They had no idea that old car was so valuble. They probably thought they made out like bandits.
Big sad rusty mess ready for the crusher, so sad how people allow this to happen to such a beautiful car :(
My grampa had one identical to one in my pic from the net, he used to take us kids for rides on Sundays …..
there wuz some kinda Olds from the same era that wuz a beauty too – rocket 88 or sompin?
A collector near here has 1 of each (among his 11 vehicles, another is a Nomad, “JFKenedy Lincoln” w/the same square mesh grill as above Conti w/rear suicide doors). They all have that same great vibe: good times, power, sex, comfort, mobility…
I say all this eventho my faves R mid/late ’30s thru ’50 or 51/2~
I’m with Karguy James. It is too far gone to restore to stock. I’d rescue the body and the dash and drop it on a Crown Vic police interceptor chassis and add a Ford Coyote engine. Make it look close to stock outside, restomod the inside, completely covered in new red leather. Found this one on a Google search. A perfect match.
The “T” must be silent. I’ve never heard of a “Conti.” Connies, yes; Contis, no. Whatever, the MK II is a favorite of mine.
I think not. It looks like it’s right on the edge of a parts car. My eyeball estimate to get it civilized and to driver status, not concourse, is probably $75,000.00. Be prepared to keep it for a long time, if one is waiting for appreciation to match cost.
I agree with those who’ve suggested a tasteful restomod. No concours restoration could be accomplished for less than its value once completed – but it could still be quite special!
I’d love to see a Coyote 5.0 under the hood, muffled down to a nearly imperceptible rumble. Exterior should be completely stock – gloss black – and I would match the same one-off mods chosen by Henry Ford II’s wife, Anne, for hers: black Haartz cloth roof, the interior upholstered in gray wool broadcloth, contrasting black leather on the door panels and dash… and no hood ornament. Perfection.
I own this car now after finding it right around the corner from me. Let me tell you something. This car is rough. 😊 I’m not scared
Congrats, Mike (I think!) Glad to hear you have a spirit of bravery about this one… it does look like a series of chronic headaches, but deserves to be brought back to life. Just keep imagining the dozens of men and women who hand-built it, more than a half century ago, and how proud of you they would be!