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.
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