It’s hard to believe, but little old ladies did indeed motor around town in vehicles as big as a classic Lincoln Continental. For those of us of a certain age, it should come as no surprise that this garage-find 1979 Continental belonged to the seller’s grandmother; when land yachts roamed the Earth, older adults had a strong preference for buying the biggest car they could find which was likely a mixture of nostalgia and safety that prompted such a purchasing decision. This Continental is in good overall condition with just a spot of rust beneath the vinyl roof to be concerned with. Find the Lincoln here on eBay with bids to $4,700 and the reserve unmet.
The seller notes that the family held onto the car after their grandmother passed away, and kept the car fired up and moved every six months. Of course, these are pretty robust machines even if left to sit, but you’re always glad to see a seller that kept the fluids moving and the engine rotating every few months. One can assume that the Lincoln has been in Georgia most of its life, so rust is near non-existent; however, those vinyl roofs love to trap rot, and this car is no different with a small but concerning spot near the edge of the right side where the roof meets the trunk section. It should be repaired before too long, and then you’ll be free and clear.
The white leather interior is notoriously hard to keep clean, but I’ll bet this one would really pop with a re-dye. The red carpets are quite clean still, as is the woodgrain trim in the dash. Mileage is listed as being just under 40,000 which the seller confirms as accurate; that’s hardly a surprise for a car used by a grandma in her later years whereby most trips were likely pretty short and sweet. All electronics are said to work but the seller notes the air conditioning does not blow cold any longer and the vacuum-assisted headlights no longer open unless moved manually – two very common faults on a Ford product of this era.
The acres of hood and engine in front of the seller’s grandmother would likely provide a nice cushion in the event of a collision, but I sure hope the other driver isn’t driving a Civic. Of course, a gigantic front end and engine compartment don’t necessarily guarantee one’s safety, but it provided comfort to those who knew they were growing increasingly vulnerable. The Continental is a classic, and one can already imagine firing up the eight-track and cruising down backroads with the windows wide open, freon be damned. The current bid price doesn’t seem all that far off from where it should end up, but hopefully grandma’s pride and joy gets the respect its due when the auction closes.
I’ve had many automobiles over the years and quite a few with white interior. I found the white interior to be the easiest to keep clean. Instead of rubbing more dirt into a dark fabric, the white was either clean or needed more attention….no in between. and always looked sharp!
You’re such a Kidder. Mr K
Ever shop a K-Mart ?
Backseat is heaven. Acres of room, for 2 , with a cooler 🧊 🍺 in the middle. Ashtrays 🚬 , Opera windows 🪟 🎵
I think this was the last year of full size lincolns?
Not even close dude….the early 1990’s Lincoln Town Cars were huge.
I use to get chauffeured around in one. And I wasn’t dead in a box ! lol
ok, tough guy, what were the exact measurements?
I’ll take one in Black, one in Silver and one in White please !
Grandma had a cb! I can hear her now, 10-4 big bruser, bring it on up. No smokys here
But she probably drove a Valiant, Dart, a Chevy or a Matador.
Put the Metal to the Pedal….granny !
Aw, I like CBs! I mean, when somebody nukes Earth orbit and fries the internet, how else will people be able to communicate?
By that year, pedal-to-metal was required just to get going from a traffic light. Every engine in the industry was tuned down to 1930s standards, woefully inefficient and consequently sluggish. Sadly, Lincolns were no exception; the 400-cid in ’79 put out only 159 hp, which makes for a terribly inefficient mill, especially when it’s trying to carry 4,800 pounds of car plus the collective weights of passengers.
But, in a time when a national mandate slowed speeds to 55 mph, nobody noticed. Nowadays, people would notice.
A nice looking land yacht but as often, for todays demands too
big in any way. I would use black interior which is easier to
maintain then the demanding for cleanliness white.
Tastes are different.
Beside its quirkyness some things to note about this big cars:
These cars don’t have defined impact zones. This means that
in the event of a collision, the entire impact energy in a collision
zone – a.e. at the front, side or rear – is not decelerated down but
passed on directly to the passengers. A bent body is the result.
This is dangerous. And the seat belts usually do not function
after certain time as they should, or only to a very limited extent.
The head restraints are too low placed, in a rear-end collision it
often resulted in broken necks. Finally, i do like it but i dont want it.