In-Motion Classic: Postwar Lincoln Continental

Some months back I was running errands for my family when I spotted this gorgeous black beast pull up next to me near LAX.

There were / are a few hints that there may be more to this Lincoln than meets the eye. Its bouncy ride, hunkered-down stance, and relatively flat cornering indicate that this car’s chassis isn’t strictly stock anymore. Who knows what lurks under that curvaceous body?

 

When the light turned green the car zipped away effortlessly, with far more gusto than its stock flathead V12 would ever be capable of. I would love to know what’s in that thing- a heavily reworked flathead? Later Y-block? Trusty old Windsor? The ubiquitous small-block Chevy? The new-school-cool GM LS? Perhaps something totally unexpected?

Thanks to the wonky driver’s side window in my F250, as well as the line of impatient drivers behind me, this is the only shot I could get of the front end. The grille denotes this car as a 1946-1949. Earlier prewar versions had a more delicate ( and better-looking in my opinion ) vertical waterfall-style grille.

 

I have to admit that I was never a huge fan of these. To me, the styling seems to be an odd mishmash of prewar and postwar, American and European styling cues. Even so, I’m happy to see this one being carefully preserved and enjoyed by its owner. Several years back I saw a news clip where one of these was destroyed in one of California’s many wildfires. It was a heartbreaking sight. Hopefully nothing like that ever befalls this Lincoln or its surviving brethren.

Bonus pic: check out the mid-90’s Honda Accord doing a CC photobomb 🙂 .