Here’s one we haven’t covered often: a 1950 Lincoln Six-Passenger Coupe. When I first spied this listing, courtesy of Rocco B., I didn’t immediately recognize it – the front-end styling really threw me off! Anyway, this resident of North Fork, California, at first blush, appears to be in nice shape, so let’s dig in and see what this “New Concept of Time and Distance,” as Lincoln referred to themselves, three-quarters of a century ago, is all about. Here on craigslist is where you’ll find the listing, and it’s available for $17,000.
Lincolns came in two flavors in ’50: Standard and Cosmopolitan. While not stated specifically, our subject appears to be a Standard coupe, one of 5,700 assembled so many long years ago. The only other Standard body style was a four-door sedan, referred to as a Sport Sedan. Lincoln’s total 1950 production was 28K vehicles, placing it in sixteenth place in the great domestic auto production race – Packard, Chrysler, and Cadillac all outpaced Ford’s top division. The seller states, “Paint could use some help, and there is some minor body damage, else wise (sic), it is pretty darn good.” There are only three exterior images, and they all present this Lincoln in a very positive light. The finish has excellent depth, while the chrome and stainless steel items shine with a nice luster. The chrome reverse/baby moon wheel choice seems unusual for a car of this stature – it creates a bit (small bit?) of a lead sled/fifties hot rod vibe.
A 152 gross HP, 336 CI flathead V8 engine, paired with a GM-sourced Hydra-matic automatic transmission, provides the get-up-and-go. Curiously, Lincoln called the automatic gearbox “the proven automatic transmission.” Sound praise for a competitor’s product! The seller adds, “Has the original flathead V8. Starts right up. I recently drove it on a 150-mile round trip at highway speed, and it ran great.”
The seller claims that the interior is in great shape, and based on the two accompanying images, I would agree. The camel-hued cloth upholstery is probably a redo, as it shows no indication of wear, discoloration, or the general agedness that old interiors eventually reveal. I find the sweeping instrument panel to be more modern in its bearing as compared to the typical arrangement commonly found in cars of this era. This is a non-seatbelt-equipped Lincoln, and I find that pre-seatbelt cars are retrofitted only about half the time.
Once again, even though this is a neat find, I’m wondering who will be the likely buyer for such a rig? I imagine it’s a limited market. Anyway, let’s talk price; at an ask of $17,000, is this Lincoln priced right or not quite?
Need to put in some time and detail that engine bay. Sort of surprised me to see the pics of the shiny paint but then a dirty engine? Elbow grease needed! GLWTS