“Slant-Eyed Monster” was the nickname of the 1958-60 Lincoln Continentals in Ford’s design studios. To me, the cars looked like a big Japanese insect heading your way from a 1950s B-grade movie. And yet, the Edsel and its “horse collar” grille got all the bad press. The seller has a third-year, third-generation Continental coupe that looks good overall and has a rebuilt 430 cubic inch “MEL” V8. From Lafayette, Colorado, this land yacht from the heyday of American automobile styling is available here on craigslist for $13,000.
The Continental was part of Lincoln’s arsenal from 1939 to 2020. It returned as a new unibody car in 1958, positioned to go up against the Cadillac Eldorado and Imperial LeBaron, which all also had over-the-top styling. At 227 inches in length, the 1960 Continental’s 131-inch wheelbase was the longest ever made by FOMOCO. Besides the slanted peepers, the cars had a reverse-slant roofline that could accommodate the retractable “Breezeway” rear window that Mercury would also use in the 1960s. For all three years, production numbers for the Continental hovered between 11-12,000 units, with 1,500 being the average number of coupes like this one produced each year.
We’re told this Lincoln originated in California, which could help account for its lack of corrosion after 66 years. The body is good, the paint okay (original?), and the interior passable, with some upholstery needs probably waiting (for example, the blanket over the wide front seat). The 430 V8 has been refreshed and sports a 4-barrel carburetor. The seller says other recent work has been done but does not indicate what that includes.
If you’re a fan of these slant-eyed monsters, this Continental could be one of the nicer ones left. The car has 72,000 miles, which explains why there was a need to go into the engine (they didn’t run 200,000 miles back then like they do today). The asking price may be negotiable, and the seller has no interest in taking in a trade. Thanks for the cool tip, Barn Finder Barney!
Man, this is one BIG car. Californy, you say? Hey, this wasn’t a car for the boom mike guy, who knows what famous person rode in this car. I doubt an actress, they would have a limo. Some big shot producer however. What the author doesn’t say, is what a colossal loss these were. I read, Ford lost money on every one they made, and Ford lost an estimated $60 million( $650 mil today) from ’58-’60, right at the worst time with the Edsel fiasco. It’s was not the best time for Ford, even considered axing the brand, but the ’61 restyle changed everything.
I’m not sure how practical this is for today, more like for a display with a velvet rope around it as visitors pass by, we actually had cars like this when excess was king. I’d dare say, the last of the truly fabulous cars.