Update 4/30/20 – The seller of this Lincoln has dropped their asking price by $6,500! Will that be enough to find a buyer though? Find it here on eBay where it’s listed for $11,500 or best offer. Thanks go to Ikey H. for the tip!
From 1/23/20 – It’s always refreshing when an ad for a “found” car actually has a photograph of the car in “as-found” condition. The seller says this 1957 Lincoln Premier convertible has been stored in a Texas barn/shed for at least 20 years. It can be found for sale here on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $18,000. Located in San Antonio, Texas, there isn’t a ton of information in the ad, but we can piece together the overall condition thanks to the photos. Take a look and thanks to Ikey H. for the tip on this cool find.
The drivetrain consists of the original 368 cubic inch V8 with an automatic transmission. The engine isn’t running, but the seller says it cranks over no problem. Obviously the gas tank and fuel pump need to be addressed since it has sat for so long. If you think a 368 isn’t going to motivate this heavy car very well, check out this one that made 463 horsepower! Obviously a crate engine swap would probably be less expensive, but you could still build decent power with this old y-block.
There are a few pictures of the interior. It is a little hard to piece together the overall picture, but this car will likely need a full restoration. The upholstery on the rear seat looks pretty good, but the front is heavily damaged. The seller says the “body is in excellent shape with a few rust bubble in some areas of the paint.” The convertible top will need to be re-done as well. The nice thing is the trim is mostly accounted for and anything that isn’t mounted on the car is in the trunk. The car features power windows, seats, and top, which is great. Overall, this would probably be a nice car when done, but it will take quite a bit of work. What do you think?
I think the seller’s stuck with this Lincoln, given the lack of photos and information. At $18K, he’s dreaming. Given what these take to restore, I think this is very likely not worth more than $12K or so. He needs to push it outside & take a few more detailed photos if he expects to sell it.
Will, I couldn’t agree with you more. This seller is off in LaLa Land.
I have been buying cars since 1980’s.. love them all but I don’t get this whole “Barn find” thing.. I have never ever let a car even get dirty under my ownership.. I maintain them clean them even the one’s that sit are kept on tender and always cleaned and started regularly. I don’t think they should be called “Barn finds” .. I think they should be called “lazy owner finds”..It is the equivalent of going to a house that is in terrible shape and abandoned… they got a word for those homes.. “Money pits”..
“lazy owner finds” is just a bit harsh…we should be thankful someone saved this car instead of it being scrapped into washing machines or rebar! Not my kind of car, the price seems optimistic, but hey there’s a seat for every you know what!
There was a nice ’60 on the last auction that only reached $57,500 that was in perfect condition that didn’t sell. No way is this worth 18 K!
Looking at the pictures on EBAY–gives a person more to see. The seats don,t match.Needs a top and alot of work and money. I think the saler has been out in the sun way too long. Way too much money for the shape it is in. If he is thinking about its worth AFTER its fixed all up. He should see what all it cost and time to fix it all up. Then figure the price . It could be made into a beautiful car again. Wash it will make it look alot better. Quit being lazy and show some inniative.
The buyer will need very deep pockets. Lincoln’s of this vintage are very exclusive. Don’t expect much to interchange with Ford or Mercury. Simple parts and mechanical assemblies are very specific.
Check out that crusty Master cylinder and vacuum booster. You will need one. After 60 years guess what? They are even harder to find. The motor and power steering are all exclusive. You are in luck. The few parts dealers that deal in Lincoln know too.
Buy this and hand them your a blank check please
I agree with Will Fox. This will be a big number to get it back to its former glory, and I don’t think it would be worth it unless you are a Lincoln freak and want to own this as your weekend driver.
Even though this is a fascinating find, I agree with those that have said it’s going to be difficult to “bring back”. Truly an act of love for something unique. Seller says: ” 90% of chrome in trunk”. Wonder what odds of finding missing pieces are ?? As bad as parts for the lovely Continental of one year earlier ? And how many of the existing parts, especially things that can be “killed” by heat are usable. I’ve been to San Antonio a number of times and WOW !
It has good possibities depending on what you want. If you want show car it will take a PILE of $$$ and you would probably be lucky to break even if you want to sell. It can be cleaned up, made to run and a new top and other odds and ends and you could have nice to cruise around in , take to local shows and not worry about being in the hole for a big pile of $$$. Of course you still have to get the car for a decent price to make things work. As for parts, mechanical parts are no big deal. For instance the master cylinder/booster assembly can be rebuilt by lots of places and look very nice. If you want to drive and maybe a local show things like missing trim or imperfect trim are not as big a deal.
Unless someone is already restoring one of the behemoths and in need of specific parts I’d surmise this tank will meet one of two fates, parts or crushed. I just can’t imagine there’s a single person out there that would consider taking this on as a project. As mentioned above parts are nearly unobtainable and the seller is totally clueless as to real market value, not that buying the car even a fraction of the current price would be motivation enough to motivate. Close the barn door and forget it’s in there!
These huge old 50s cars have probably reached the pinnacle of their potential value. I’d say this one isn’t worth restoring to pristine original, but may be worth a modern drivetrain swap, paint and interior to make a fun driver.
Okay, guys, I’m double-dipping. How about Richard R of Gas Monkey fame getting there & buying for “his” reasonable price and then building a charming restomod like the ’47 Caddy featured in a current Hemmings. Then he could sell it at one of the many auctions and none of us would have to do the work….
I see this as a restomod due to the lack of available parts it’s best to do a custom interior and maybe push it around with a crate motor or even a coyote under that hood!!! Heck while your at it put it on bags and slam it to the ground!! Some nice wheels and tires and it would probably be cheaper than going with an original restoration!!!
Pretty low production numbers, just 3,676 drop tops built.
Too say the least, finding the unique parts may be a big challenge.
Every single piece of this car needs restored. Every nut, bolt and screw. From end to end, top to bottom. This car will have to be completely disassembled cleaned, chromed, painted and stripped before re-assembly. Many parts will need replaced. The cost of such a job will be astronomical. You really got to love this car if you take this on.
God bless America
Sorry, but I don’t see 11k here. Maybe 4-5 tops. I also think that there is an enormous amount of bondo on this car, too bad.
Original paint? Lincoln put the data plates on after they were painted, and this one has over spray on it. I’d day he needs to be around $5k for a car that almost is a parts car at best.
I agree. The Seller is dreaming. This car needs a much lower price and it’s true that the Seller should get it out of the barn or whatever it is, put a hose to the car so we can see it in broad daylight. If he/she/they won’t, why not?
Might be a good parts car…if he can find a buyer.
Check the front bumper back in those days they didn’t bend so easy,well with those dents in it I would check for right front frame damage looks like a solid hit.
U.G.L.Y even when new. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.
I photographed one of these last summer. While the ’56s are more to my liking (single headlamps) and the “Road Race” ’52-’55 cars even moreso, I really fell in love with the details. It was an original, untouched Pennsylvania car with wide-whitewall snow tires still in the trunk. Despite that, it didn’t appear it had ever been in road salt. Absolutely gorgeous. This, like the ’58-’60 cars, is something that doesn’t look quite as good in photos as it does in person. They’re actually quite handsome.
Also, hats off to Ikey H. Seems like 8 times out of 10 when I click through on an e-mail, it’s to look at something he found.
I KNOW first hand how much these cars cost to restore. I’m 99% done with my 2 dr coupe. They are RARE and hard to find parts for but are available if you know where to look. And since the model is not very desirable the parts are pretty cheap usually compared to let’s say a Cadillac of same years (Which i’ve also restored). It’s all in what the person is looking for. The price these people are asking makes me wonder what type of pills they are popping?!!?! Probably some dummy that opened the barn door of a house they purchased and saw “oh, there’s an old car in here, let’s get our pension secured selling it” not all that’s old is gold! It’s in the eye of the beholder. These cars were superior to the Cadillacs in handling (remember, mid 50’s Lincolns won the Panamerican races etc) these big heavy bastards are no different, they handle extremely well for such an old boat! They were also on top of their game with all the electric bells and whistles of the day and a “power luber” was also available which was pretty neat!