Who remembers the Lincoln Futura concept car of the 1950s? If you were growing up a decade later, you might recall that it inspired the George Barris Batmobile from the 1960s TV show, Batman. And it also provided a lot of design and styling cues for the 1956-57 Lincoln Premiere. Lincoln’s cars were all-new then and were lower, longer, and wider than before and their new Premiere was now top-of-the-line stuff. Which would have included this 1957 2-door hardtop that has been out in the woods in Edmond, Oklahoma for quite some time. Although not running, Mother Nature looks to have been somewhat kind to the body of the car. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,400. Thanks, Channing, for the tip on this one!
The Premiere was sold by Lincoln between 1956-60. The two generations of the car had a way out, futuristic styling that was typical of many of the late 1950s automobiles. The Premiere was replaced in 1961 by the more conservative-looking Continental. The ’57 Premiere can be distinguished from the 56 by its big blade-like rear fins and four headlights instead of two. Those peepers were known as “Quadra-Lites” that used regular 7-inch headlights with 5-inch “road lamps” underneath that were turned on and off by a separate switch. This was done in order to make the car street legal as true quads weren’t legal in all U.S. states until 1958.
This 1957 Lincoln Premiere somehow found its way out in the woods where it currently lives. From the single photo, the seller provides of the engine compartment, one of the valve covers is off, suggesting a problem with the motor likely caused the car to begin its dormancy. If original, this Premiere would have been fitted with a 368 cubic inch Y-Block V-8 that put out 300 horsepower using a 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic. All this oomph was needed to move the car which weighs in excess of 4,300 pounds. Lincoln sold 41,500 Premiere’s in 1956 and another 35,200 for 1957.
Considering that this Lincoln has been outside for what may be a long time, the body appears to be in fairly good condition. In fact, if you cleaned off all the dirt and grime, the Willow Green paint below all that might be presentable. There isn’t any blatant evidence of rust in the sheet metal, although from where it sits, all kinds of blight could be brewing from the chassis up. The chrome and glass seem to have held up the best they could. We’re not certain about the interior, though. The dark photos of the passenger area show a lot of leaves being inside the car, which would have had an entry point, like a door left open. So, thorough visual scrutiny would be in order prior to making a financial commitment.
Back in 1957, the average price of a new Premiere was about $5,000, so it wasn’t a car for those who were counting pennies. That equates to some $46,000 in today’s money. Also, in today’s coin is Hagerty’s estimate of resale values. $11,000 will fetch one of these cars in Fair condition, while $45,000 is the number in Concours shape. Besides the cost and effort of restoring this car, there are the logistics to consider of getting it lodged from where it sits. It looks as though the forestry has begun to grow up around it and the nearest paved road may not be nearby.
For those who don’t exactly remember the Lincoln Futura concept car, here’s one of the images of it or one of the many replicas that have popped up over the years.
It’s a cool find, but here’s a ’56 Premier you could probably buy for $15K, which I’d guess is half of what it would take to bring the ’57 back.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-Lincoln-Premiere-1956-LINCOLN-PREMIERE-2-DOOR-COUPE/274629648244?hash=item3ff133df74:g:MqAAAOSwF2tf61py
Looks like a lot of good metal and glass for someone in need of a panel or two, and for paying for the privilege of hauling it out of the woods for the seller, who prob doesn’t have the title any longer unless the mooses got into the glovebox where he done put it.
When I see one of these late 50’s Lincolns, I then think of how dramatically different their styling was as compared to the cleanly-styled 1961 model. Can you imagine the styling studio discussions when the 1961 was in development?
I agree, this might be a good parts car but a long shot to be restored.
The styling of these is sooooo cool. What a great cruiser! And the one Rex sent on e-bay has orange leather!!! Modern stylists are pathetically boring or just incompetent.
Let’s see….Cruise in a 57 Premier or a groundhog faced new BMW for 3 times the price…hmmmmm.
One of my favorite ’50s cars, and one-year-only styling if you want the fins. Nice one, Russ! Running and driving specimens can be had for under $10,000, so I’m not sure the view is worth the climb on this one at $2400, but I hope someone takes a chance on it.
The Futura didn’t just inspire the Batmobile, it actually became the Batmobile.
The original Futura was lime green. Our neighbor who worked for the Lincoln-Mercury dealership, brought the car home when it came on tour, and gave us all rides in it. It was in the Ford Rotunda when it burned in 1962, and George Barris bought it fire damaged, removed the glass dome, added the center fin and voila: The Batmobile.
Body looks great, but what does the undercarriage look like? I think there’s a that’s what he said joke in there. What does literally everything else look like actually. Such a shame that someone would park a seemingly solid car in the woods. Maybe buy it for $500 just for the satisfaction of power washing it.
Btw, glad they clarified that it’s not running.
Ha! Surprised they had to say that, no foolin’? Who knows why people do or did what they did. These are mostly parked initially with mechanical problems and just never got to it. They’ll be lucky to get $500 bucks, I’d think too. Parts alone be worth it.
The late 50’s Dodge sweptline pick-ups used the quarter panels from the 2 door hardtops and / or wagons to get the “fleetside” look. It wood be pretty cool to see someone take these quarters and build a ford pick-up in similar fashion.
Haven’t seen one yet!
Geez, is it always just about the money? Is that all there is to it? This is a car you’d buy for the challenge and the satisfaction of saving it. Who cares if when you’re done it’s worth marginally less than what you could have just gone out and bought one for?
This would be a great project and very worthwhile. It will hinge on 2 things – what it will take to get it out of there, and whether or not the frame and undercarriage are beyond saving.
For the price it’s a steal. Buy it ,wash it and sell it for another g.
Remember man that you are rust, and unto rust you shall return.
An eternal bit of wisdom, Steve. There’s bound to be rodent damage as well.
I agree with cyclemikey if the frame is still good what a great project.
If the frame is still good…..since they’re available in running condition for a fraction of what it would take to get this into decent condition, it might be a cool candidate for an Art Morrison frame, LS engine, and otherwise modern upgrade. It would cost a lot, but it would be unique.
This car probably has been sitting for nearly 50 years and when it broke down it was parked because at the time, it was an unloved $50 car. If it was in New England that long, the frame would be rusted away. I’m not sure about Oklahoma’s weather , but there sure would be a lot of one year only parts for someone !
Not a typical Y Block, but the big -Lincoln Y Block. 368 cubic inches.
We found a 57 Premier in the early 70’s on a farm near Pittsburgh and made a figure 8 car out of it. If I remember correctly the battery was underneath the floorboard on the passenger side.
This seller has listed other cars with the same story; dads cars. 64 AMC was the last one I remember.
God bless America
I have to agree with Howard, this is likely a $500 to $800 parts car. Somehow the interior was easily accessed by larger animals, likely some family dogs. Since it’s got power windows, I doubt one of the windows was down, so that means one or both of the doors were left open for years, in a typical moist wooded area. We all know what that will mean for floors, both front & rear.
Plus with flat tires and rims sunk into soft earth, the frame has probably been the sole support for the rest of the car, and the frame is likely toast all along the bottom.
eric_13cars summed it up nicely. This extravagant body style is a great base to create a great modern street rod with new frame and mechanicals.
About parts cars:
Many people who decide to part with a car in this condition, delude themselves into believing it’s got a huge value in spare parts. They fail to understand the drawbacks of obtaining and keeping a parts car.
First, one has to have a place to keep a parts car, a place they ARE NOT paying $50 or more a month to store it. So you have to already have available storage, either on a larger plot of land or a friend’s farm. Second, If you don’t have the room, then you need to somehow create a place to strip the car of the parts you will need for the car you already own.
I would estimate that 95% of collector car owners DO NOT have a place to keep a parts car on their land, much less under cover [shed or barn], protected from vandalism or theft. Theft? Oh Yes, a typical 1950s luxury car’s 100% copper radiator is worth a “fortune” to someone willing to take [steal] it for scrap. To a scrapper, it’s the most valuable piece on that car. In my area, clean radiator copper is currently between $2.50 and $3.00 per pound. When was the last time you found an abandoned older car that still had a radiator? [Tatras, Corvairs, rear engine VWs, and Franklins, don’t count!]
And finally, if the buyer is in the parts business, it’s very unlikely they will pay more than a couple of hundred dollars for a car in this condition. And they are then faced with the 2 problems I list above!
Bill and others — if I’m not mistaken the rear fender fins on the 1957 Lincolns were made of fiberglass and added to the 56 bodies as the new model year “enhancement.” Looking back on the first days of this example’s retirement my guess would be the woods weren’t there when first parked. As this owner’s Rambler was also enshrouded in saplings, this Lincoln shell will likely clean up well enough but mechanicals and soft trim you’ll want to leave well enough ALONE! Pass.
Little_cars,
It’s been 30+ years since I last worked on a 1957 Lincoln, but I don’t think the fins were an add-on fiberglass fin over the 1956 fender. We did a total high quality body & paint [it won impressive trophies in judged shows]. Had the fins been fiberglass, they would have been removed and refinished as separate parts. We never removed them, so I’m pretty sure they were steel.
When I look at photos of these cars, I note that there is no chrome trim along the bottom edge of the fin, where it would have been joined to the body if it was fiberglass. The actual side trim piece on the rear fender is a couple of inches below the base of the fin.
In the mid 1950s, the technology involving a blending point between fiberglass to steel didn’t exist, so a fiberglass part had to be a separate part attached to the steel panel. The only place this could have been done to the production ’57 Lincoln and not have it show, would be below that side trim piece. That strip of stainless steel is far to thin to allow a fiberglass fin to attach to the steel ’56 fender and not be seen.
I’m 99.9% certain the fins have to be steel for those reasons. But as it’s been 30+ years since I took a close look at one, I’m not able to say it’s 100% NOT a fiberglass fin. And of course since the McCoskey family and the Murphey family have always been close friends, the moment I say it’s 100% not a fiberglass fin, someone will show me I’m wrong!
The 757 fins were NOT fiberglass. I don’t recall anything on that car as being fiberglass or plastic except maybe a control knob. Even those were mostly metal as on the radio. My upholstery was all leather since it was a convertible except the top and that was canvas and cloth. The 56 was for one year and the 57 was for one year only. True the 57 had a lot of features of the 56 Futura but that was it. One time only and all steel including my continental kit on the back. Beautiful car by any standards and this one will run again.I wish I had a place to keep this car as I’d be on my way to get it right now.
I know this car as it a mile from me and I have known the owner for 20 yrs the car is in pritty good shape pulled 67 396 Chevelle out next to it so it be worth you contacting the seller I would buy but wife said 20 cars are ENOUGH
I’m telling ya, this is a great buy. Stop worrying about the frame and all that. The parts alone are worth way more than the asking price. I would even bet that the engine will start even without the valve cover which,by the way, is in the back seat on the floor.I would drain the oil first and replace it with new.