The Lincoln Continental was introduced originally as a custom one-off for Edsel Ford in 1939, but after realizing its potential as a production vehicle, it was launched for the 1940 model year. The first-generation Continental was produced from 1940 through 1948, and this 1947 example is a claimed original survivor. It can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with an asking price of $19,000.
Measuring over 18ft long and weighing approximately 4,130 pounds, this car has some presence! Only 1,596 examples were built in 1947, and they each cost over $4,000 when new. For context, that was four times the price of a basic Ford Club Coupe. This Lincoln is sporting black paint that looks to be in excellent condition. While I do wish the photos showed the car a bit closer, the only issues I could spot under the dust were some chipped paint along the top of the front fenders where they meet the hood. I didn’t see any rust or damage, and imagine that with a wash and buff that paint would shine up well. Also, notice the intact continental kit perched above the rear bumper, first introduced on (and named after) the 1942 Lincoln Continental.
The interior is a tan color, but unfortunately there are no photos. We can’t see the dash, carpets, or seats, and there are also no images of the top in the up position, so those are definitely questions any potential buyer would want to ask. However, we are told that they are the original leather seats, the convertible top is in good working order, there are power windows, and the carpet is in great condition.
The 1947 Continentals were equipped with a 292 cubic inch V12, which would have had 125 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque. They also came with manual 3-speed transmissions with overdrive. Again, no up-close photos here, but from what we can see the engine appears to be complete and well-maintained with only a light coat of dust. I’d really love to see some before/after photos from the next owner that show this car all cleaned up! The seller states that the car runs, looks, and drives great. If that is true, I personally think this would be a fantastic car to keep in original condition, while still enjoying it.
About as dodgey as an old car ad gets
That’s a gangster car if I ever saw one. I can see them rolling into Vegas to check out their new casino, spend time with the ladies, and off some competition. All the while, looking fine in this fine automobile.
Just watch out for ducking toll booth attendants and lots of men with Tommy Guns
Clean it up, fix anything that needs fixing and find a parade to put it in.
I like this one a lot, but I’d want to do a personal inspection.
Got an identical ’48 out in the garage (with modern running gear). Gets a LOT of attention. This could be a great deal if it cleans up well. Original cabriolets can command 40-50K restored.
Just noticed the ad says “starting bid 19K” and calls it an “auction”…
Hum this car is really something. In the market for a car to work on and enjoy? 19k is not much to spend on this one
Gorgeous car at a fair price.
Wish there was someway to contact him without having to sign up for FB.
Man, that is one BIG vehicle, this one can have the continental kit because it originally came with it. That hood is so long you could land a plane on it. How could you not feel special driving this car? Big, Black, and Beautiful.
just a note,push button door handles could be repaced at no cost to buyer as they froze shut in cold weather and no handle for driver to hold on when passenger was gitting out,
Handsome cars, well built, and fun to own. The only caveats are the underpowered 12’s which were known to consume oil faster than you could pour is through a sieve and the hydraulic power windows can be a challenge when troubleshooting, akin to whack a mole diagnostics. I hope the new owner of this classic has some institutional knowledge of these beasts. They can be a challenge to recommission. Probably will sell in the $13K to $15K range with much money to follow.
A car I have wanted since I was 7 years old, back in ’48. I had a toy car of this, they were so rare in New England that I don’t think I knew what it was until I was 11 or 12 when one appeared in our small town. It had the most wonderful exhaust sound, and note that Fords with Glasspaks were all the rage back then. These cars are enormous, like the Grand Canyon, pictures do not do it justice.
Surprised no one has said it yet, but this is NOT a Lincoln. It’s a Continental. They didn’t become Lincoln Continentals until the late 50s.
Is that a 12? I can’t see twelve spark plug wires…
It looks like the V12. I counted 10 visible plugs from both banks. The remaining two are probably hidden by the water outlets. And, the vee angle of this engine appears to be the 75 degree design, whereas the Ford V8 was a 90 degree.
I have this strange urge to buy this car and restore it. Drive it to Miami, take the auto ferry to Cuba (oh wait, that stopped in 1960), drive to my summer home in the Miramar Yaht Club neighborhood (oh wait, the comunist government nationalized all of the homes and stripped bare many others for materials).
Maybe I could just get a hotel room and sight see the country after its brilliant communist transformation (oh wait, Americans aren’t allowed in Cuba – except for special circumstances, $ and American credit cards are no longer accepted). Oh what happened to my beloved Cuba?!?!
Glad no one has complained about them, as the skirts look great on this car, and belong on it. Ditto the “continental” kit. Wish I had the funds to pick this up.
Back ijn ’69-’70 I had a ’47 Continental Coupe – maroon type and white body. Lordy but I loved that car. Sold it in Houston as I was preparing to leave for Vietnam. Shore do wish I had kept it.
The continental kit looks right since it was an integral part of the design, the “trunk” was shortened, and the rear fenders swept out beyond the middle of the spare. The “add on” kits of the ’50’s stuck on after the rear of the body work and so, to today’s eyes, look weird.
The basic design was done in 1939 and 1940 when many high priced cars still had the spares in the front fender or both fenders. A friend’s ’40 Buick was so equipped. And all sorts of cars had them attached to the rear, outside the bodywork. The evolution of the “bustle back” made that difficult, but there was now room in the trunk for the spare. And wrestling the fender mounted spare off my ’39 MG just added to the effort of tire changing which was a much more common chore than it is today. Self sealing tubeless tires, better roads, and better tire construction, has made life so much easier that many cars now do not have a spare at all. See Tesla.
As a young mechanic my first job with Lincoln Mercury was new car prep for Lincolns..I was the V12 specialist..
ALWAYS loved them.. Give me a sensible price; will it drive to Reno??