1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Coupe — Fallen Riches

When this car was new in 1959, it was one of the most luxurious, most powerful, most optioned, most lushly trimmed, “ultimate dreamboat” American cars you could buy–and it had that magic name:  “Continental”.  It was also the longest standard car on the road, and more expensive than most Cadillacs!

And now, 66 years later, it sits by the side of a main road near Doylestown, Pennsylvania;  a curious, enigmatic sight to the many motorists who drive by it each day.  Most of these incredible Lincolns were unceremoniously fed into the squoosher half a century ago, but this elegant black coupe has somehow beaten the odds, and has survived well into the twenty-first century–a little worse for wear but surprisingly intact!

And it’s for sale!  Yes, you can actually own this mid-century modern descendant of the great Lincolns of the classic era, if you’re so inclined.  Let’s take a closer look:

A little patina here. Those lower bumper sections were susceptible to damage.  When people used the factory bumper jacks, the cars were so heavy that the metal bumpers creased under the load!

The reverse-angled, power operated rear window makes the rear deck extremely long!  To see it in person is quite awe-inspiring.  The bumper and trunk edge trim form a graceful ellipse, fortified with terrifying diagonal bumper points.  The six taillights are mounted in oblong, chromed pods–very “retro-future”.

There’s some wear on the seat upholstery, but maybe it could be spruced up?

A very luxurious place to be–that’s tufted Bridge of Weir white leather with contrasting black fabric.  Could we do some stitching and innocuous patching of that front seat back?

Door panel:  Trim quality was of a high order.

Not happy with the condition of the dash.  I would want to replace it with another unit from a parts car that’s in better condition.  Would that be an easy or hard job?

This is what it looked like when new.  You can see that everything on these cars is so finely made.  The pale gold over yellow gold gauge cluster looks truly rich and special!

Engine bay shot.  This car has factory A/C, which the seller claims blows cold.  This was a unique and very elaborate air conditioning system which was extensively described on CC in an earlier post.  It has the unfortunate effect of making the engine compartment quite crowded.

Here’s the inside of that cavernous trunk.

Data plate (gold, of course!)

So our subject car is showing its age, but I wouldn’t turn it down because I actually love these cars!  I would buy it, work on a few cosmetic and mechanical details, and then tool around in it because it is just so cool!!!

But now let’s take a detailed look at these extraordinary Continentals when they were showroom fresh and new:

While luxury competitors Cadillac and Imperial were offering far-out, incredibly finned spaceships, these Lincolns and Continentals have a certain upright “dignity” while looking very modern at the same time.  Driving a black Continental coupe like this is sort of like the equivalent of wearing a shiny top hat and tails!

Yes, older classy people in the ’50s still wore clothes like that!

The factory photos for the 1958-60 models were truly fabulous!  Here we have a Continental 4-door hardtop in Glacier White over Linden Green.

So many beautiful color choices in 1959:  solids and two-tone combinations.  What color would you like for your new Lincoln?

Lincoln tried to position these latter-day Continentals as direct descendants of the very exclusive Continental Mark IIs of 1956-57.  And in fact, if you see a Mark II and one of these 1958-60 models in person, there is a certain “family resemblance”.  Especially in coupe form (and especially in black), a person at that time who didn’t know much about cars might easily believe that this new Continental is in fact on the same level as the previous Mark IIs.  I remember reading in one of Popular Mechanics’ “Owners’ Reports” that a buyer purchased a 1958 Continental Mark III for $8,000 out the door, thinking he had made a great deal since the Mark II retailed at $9,966!  He then discovered that these later Continentals were simply high-trim and slightly re-styled Lincoln models.  If he had known that, he later admitted, “I wouldn’t have bought it.”

Original styling mock-up.  I’m all for chrome, but I’m glad those front fender louvers were ultimately dropped!

You may be wondering what these monster Lincolns are like to drive.  I actually got to drive a ’60 around the block once, but that was a long time ago.  Contemporary magazine drive reports came to the general consensus that the Lincoln feels smaller and easier to handle than you’d expect, despite its gargantuan outside dimensions.  Acceleration was quite brisk, with Road & Track managing to bang out 0-30 in 3 seconds.  At high turnpike speeds, the Lincoln remained “rock steady”.  I’m sure the 430 cubic inch/375 horsepower V-8 just loafs along much of the time, running like a silent turbine.

The 1958-60 Lincolns get a fair amount of criticism for their avant-garde styling, particularly the front end design with its diagonal quad headlights.  Of the three model years, I like the ’58 the best (the purest, original form);  the ’59 a little less so, with ’60 being my least favorite.  (That’s progress!)  I actually love ’em all, it’s just a matter of degree.  I will also state that there is a very big difference between seeing a picture of a car, and actually standing next to one and seeing everything visually interact in three dimensions.  And based on that live experience (which is what really matters) I think these Lincolns (like other cars of the ’50s) are quite amazing to behold, and possess a charisma that many later car models seem to lack.

Also the 58-60 generation (though highly sculptured) is free of imitative styling affectations, like the rather silly spare tire “hump” on the Mark II (which I don’t think the car needs).  Later Lincolns piled on the cheese-y “broughamtastic” stuff like the plastic fake wood (which fooled nobody);  imitation “Rolls-Royce” grilles, and other pseudo-luxury tack-ons.  I give credit to the 1961 Lincoln Continentals for being a “pure form” without fakery, using real wood veneer on the dash, and maintaining a level of craftsmanship that was close to what had come before.

Ford product planners apparently thought that the way to beat Cadillac was to exceed Cadillac in every way:  build a kind of ultra-deluxe “super-car”–make it the longest, lowest luxury car ever;  install the biggest, most powerful V-8 in America;  give it unitized body construction for extra solidity;  trim the interior to the highest standards;  and finally, emblazon it with the glorious name, Continental–but price it “just above the fine-car field” so it remains within reach.  Yes, it was over-ambitious–and there were some faults in the execution.  But as Niccolo Machiavelli once said, “Make no small plans, for they have no power to stir men’s souls.”