Continental was a marque originally commissioned in 1939 by Edsel Ford who wanted a coachbuilt convertible to attract potential Lincoln buyers. Since then, the Continental created the “personal luxury” market–big cars built more for the sake of comfort and standard features than handling and performance. Over ten generations and a few hiatuses along the way, the Continental nameplate has been pretty much consistently at the top of the Lincoln model range. This fifth-generation facelifted two-door 1975 model can be found here on eBay.
Under the hood, the Ford 460 V-8 engine looks to be in decent shape, and it ought to be with just 11,204 actual miles. This was the first Continental to be fitted with catalytic converters so filling it up is not going to be cheap. A vehicle that requires premium fuel, shaped like a brick, with 7.5 liters of engine displacement, only a three-speed automatic, and rear-wheel drive is not a cost-conscious combination for someone who would want to daily this.
But even if you are a billionaire and can afford this car’s drinking habit, inside you’re going to be rewarded with automatic climate control, power everything, and plush leather bench seats–each with its own ashtray. Because it was 1975, and if you weren’t less than two feet away from an ashtray, then why even bother? The back seat is cavernous, with more legroom than most SUVs of today, and both bench seats can fit three across. You’ll get tired of saying “of course my coupe can seat six large adults and all their luggage in complete comfort, why wouldn’t it be able to?”
The seller says it’s a barn find, and on the spectrum of “complete basket case” to “Concours-ready,” this big coupe sits somewhere closer to the latter than the former. There are no pictures of the frame, but given the spotless condition of the almost bottomless trunk, an area usually used and abused, I’m sure the frame is fine. This car has lived a pampered life, only racking up 11,204 miles, and though this would make a truly excellent highway cruiser, I’d feel too guilty watching that odometer climb and the fuel gauge drop. Maybe this car’s new destiny is to be a Sunday driver you take to the beach three times a year, rather than something someone can drive all day every day.
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