This 1962 Lincoln Continental has only covered a claimed 29,000 miles in 53 years; less than 500 miles per year! While I was initially skeptical of the claim, the original interior looks too nice for that to be 129k, so maybe it really is only double-digits. It’s located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada and is on offer here on eBay where bidding is currently at $4,000 with no reserve. The seller speaks of $20,000 in receipts over the last 20 years, that the car runs and drives “great,” and that it has “power everything.” The interior really does look presentable and the carpet has already been replaced. There are a few rusty spots around the edges of the car, but nothing that scares me too much. Would you like to see what its 430 V-8 could do under your right foot?
The Lincoln’s of this era were just pure class. This car needs to be saved!
I’m inclined to believe 129k. The drivers side of the front seat is well worn, the trunk has seen way more that 29,000, same as the engine compartment and if you look at the weather stripping around the doors in the interior pic’s it looks pretty ratty. I have a VW Jetta with 539,000 km on it and my interior looks in better condition. Then the question is. Why replace the carpet and water pump at under 30k? $20,000 in receipts in 20 years. That’s a $1000 per year. Maybe those are gas receipts.
“….Maybe those are gas receipts..”..
now that’s funny….thanks for the chuckle…
I was in Florida in 1975 and it was a coin toss between my brother and myself as to who rode back to New England in a 63 Lincoln, and the bus…
needless to say, it was the last time I ever rode on a bus…(dang it…the ol’ double headed coin trick)
Definitely 129k for the reasons Kenzo listed. We had a neighbor when I was growing up that had a RED ’65 Continental. They would live in AZ for the winter and had a driver shuttle the car back and forth each year. The last time I saw that car in the ’90s it only had about 45k on it and was nearly immaculate.
What is that on the dash?
My guess for the dash item is possibly an auto headlight dimmer. I had an older caddy that had one. didn’t work but it was there. Don’t know if it was an option or on a higher trim level which this seems to have with the partial vinyl roof.
The thing on the dash is indeed the auto dimmer, and was first offered in ’62. The vinyl roof is aftermarket and was never offered as an option in ’62. Someone added the Continental stars to the front fenders, not original. Wheelcovers are from ’70-’73 Continental. Looks too ratty to be 29,000 original miles, unless it was never garaged and the owner just trashed it.
Yeah, 129K for sure. At $4000, that’s like 59 cents per pound!
Beautiful cars, to be sure…mechanically simple except for the “power everything.”
What you have to worry about, and what I can see even in the small picture, is the rust. These bodies are ridiculously expensive to restore, which is why the market value has been kept low, they just are too easy to get upside down. There is a ton of filler in that body and a ton of filler in the ad too…29K nosirreee
Greetings All,
Vinyl roofs not original? While I’ll agree that Lincoln never offered them, you have to wonder if be dealers did? Dealers would sell anything to make the sale.
Years ago Lincoln decided that the look of the “fake convertible vinyl roof” was no longer going an option as they didn’t like the image it projected, plus it seemed to turn off the younger buyers just by association. Something about window framed doors don’t help the illusion.
The marketing people called this the “Full Cleveland” and forbid their dealers to offer it in an aftermarket option on the new cars. Lincoln had the juice to carry out the threat as warranty issues on this option were now not covered.
When the average age of your customer is 72 or 74, the need to take drastic measures seems logical.
Regarding non-working options, Cadillac has them all beat. GM was always known for offering the latest and greatest options over tried and sometimes truer examples that Ford used. If you owned a Ford, you knew you never had something newer than GM, but it probably still worked 14 months later.
One odd thing I’d read about all of the 60s Lincolns is that the interiors changed every year. So you can’t interchange a door panel for a 63 with one from a 64.
Better ones available. Rust around wheel wells and left front fender tip is a bad sign. Very large, very heavy unibody car means rust is a big problem. If it’s this obvious in these spots, it’s very likely present underneath in the structural areas. No repro panels available so as Achman says these are very expensive to restore.
These aren’t mechanically simple. If one part would do, the Lincoln engineers used three. And many of the parts are unique to the Continental. Fluid driven windshield wipers, vacuum door locks, power seat transmission that likes to stick, crank driven power steering pump, rubber isolated steering box mounts, complicated vacuum driven HVAC controls, power antenna, dual mufflers and dual resonators, 14″ tires that must handle 1,300 lbs each, and more. Great cars, and they always attract a crowd. But you need a lot of skill and deep pockets to keep them in good shape.
– John
Fluid driver wipers? Wow, and I thought I knew all there was to know about this era.
Fred, As I recall, the wipers were driven by the power steering pump and fluid.
And the power steering pump is driven by the crankshaft!
Love those suicide doors, though. Even the convertible had them. I think there was one in the Dallas tragedy which sent shock waves around the world. I remember that day like yesterday.
Had a ’63 in ’75 or so. Absolutely perfect condition. $750.00. Drove it from New Orleans to Colorado . In Oklahoma picked up some hitchhikers one of whom had an epileptic seizure on my beautiful blue leather seats. Dropped her off at a hospital and continued on our merry way. Kids can deal with anything! My autronic eye worked by the way. Also had a Craig eight track mounted on the front hump!
Greetings All,
Woodie Man, You are correct on the Lincoln being used in Dallas. That car along with a few other Presidential rides is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum,all of them impressive.
The irony about that event was that the “Bubbletop” was passed on in favor of Kennedy using the open car. The Kennedy people thought it made JFK look more available to the people of Dallas, for whom he had been down in the polls with at the time.
Hmm this looks like one of those classic “Coming or Going?” Cars but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I’m sceptical about the mileage though, from what’s been said it’s apparent that the carpet(s) have been replaced which, to be done properly, is a seats out job, it may be cheaper to work out a package deal where both ‘re-upholstering and ‘re carpeting were done at the same time by the same person and it would certainly be time saving. If the seats weren’t taken out for the refitting of the carpet then it is not likely to have been a top quality job.
Definitely 129K. Owner is sadly trying to pull wool over unsuspecting amateur buyer.
That Lincoln was my car, It did not come with the electronic eye on the dash, I added it from another 62 Lincoln and it worked fine. I owned it until 1997 when I traded it to my friends father for a 69 Mark III. Anyways I rebuilt the engine in 1996 and the mileage is 129,000 not 29,000. I also replaced the trunk lid from a convertible as that one rusted out.
Pic below of car I traded it for in 1997