The 1958-60 Lincoln Continentals were big and garish with their slanted headlights and tailfins. Enter 1961 and these luxury automobiles went the other direction, becoming conservative and subtle in appearance. That approach better positioned Lincoln to compete with the #1 car in the field, Cadillac. This design would last through the balance of the decade, so the 1969 Continental here was the last of its era, suicide doors and all. Located in an open structure in Westminster, Maryland, this one-owner cruiser has been inactive for at least 30 years. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,000 or $4,500 as both prices are listed. We appreciate the heads up on this tip, William Troup.
Lincoln Continentals of the 1960s may have been the largest autos on the market that used unibody construction. That would change with the all-new models in 1970, going back to body-on-frame construction and losing Lincoln’s signature center-opening doors on four-door models, which dominated sales (for two-doors, Lincoln buyers had begun to migrate to the stylish Mark III). In the middle of the year, an engine swap took place as Ford replaced Lincoln’s 462 cubic inch V8 in these big cars with “corporate” ones that displaced 460 cubes instead. 29,351 copies of the 4-door sedan like the seller’s car were built in ‘69.
This forlorn-looking Continental (also called Connies) has apparently been in limbo since around 1990. That’s when the original owner parked it and the Lincoln’s been there ever since. 60,000 miles are showing on the odometer and the car has been listed by a friend on behalf of the owner. Reading between the lines, it sounds like the owner may have passed away and the friend was recruited to help get rid of it.
While the interior looks quite good, the same can’t be said for the body and burgundy paint. There are loads of surface rust and the vinyl top looks to be coming apart in pieces. No mention is made of any more serious corrosion, which you would expect to find after being exposed for 30 years. We assume the car doesn’t run and it would be a fair guess that’s why it was parked in the first place. These cars had wiring everywhere due to all the electric accessories and it can be a pain to repair if any critters decide to mount an assault.
A world of pain…..
That’s a lot of money for a mouse infested parts car
Took my road test on a car like this, a ’68. It was surprisingly easy to drive, not to mention, I think I impressed the examiner,,,”who’s NEXT?,,a Lincoln, nice!” Passed 1st time, natch. It still was a BIG car. We used to turn the air cleaner cover over for added performance. At 5100 lbs., it just made more noise. It did wicked burnouts.
Again, cars like this are incredibly hard to restore. Electrical gee-gaws and miles of wiring make it a challenge. Still, it’s not a Rambler Marlin, and lots of folks remember these cars as just the best America had to offer. I rip on the old man, but as hard as it is for me to admit, he knew what to drive. I suppose I should have told him that before he died,,
One other thing about these cars is that you’re looking at a large unibody construction. They will rust inside and I’ve seen them literally buckle in the floor pan area. Considering where it’s spent it’s life even if the car’s external appearance was near flawless I’d have to look closely. You could take the lower rocker molding off and find nothing underneath. Ziebart couldn’t get into everything to protect it.
In the early 60’s, my mother was a bookkeeper (they weren’t called Accountants yet) for a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealership in small town Iowa. Every year they would do an indoor car show of the new models, and owner ALWAYS had a 4 door Lincoln Convertible for his driver. I fell in love with these great land yachts. Ended up owning a ’66 2 door, a ’68 and 69 w/suicide doors, and the last, a ’70 Continental. The ’70 was a land snail as they dropped down to a 400 c.i that couldn’t get out of it’s own way. 3 of them before I was 30! Everyone else wanted the 57 Chevy’s but I loved the ’69 Continental best. The Chevy’s were faster in the 1/4, but I blew they’re doors off around a 130. Not to mention the girls LOVED the big back seats! Archy Bunker said it best, “Those were the days”.
Last year of suicide doors.
Show sale pending, so pictures not presently available.
So can’t tell if it’s the MEL 462 or the 385 family 460.
As at least parts for a 460 are more readily available.
And you then can hot rod your Lincoln.
Wondering if the blemish on the driver side front bumper is chrome peeling or a rust through?
The stench is coming through my monitor…
I can’t believe I stumbled across this post. Don’t even know how I ended up to this page……but,
I am the new owner of this car and I was hoping I could give you an update on this.
There car cleaned up really nice and the I am proud to say, it is running, and running really well.
Take a look here
https://youtu.be/iwv_Mq2s1m4
I have alot more pictures, history and video walk through of this car if anyone is interested.
Thanks for the update Mark!!!