From the beginning in 1940, the Lincoln Continental was always a high quality and very good looking sporty car. Fastforwarding to 1958, Lincoln made a bold move in switching to unitary construction for the 1958 models, but the result was somewhat underwhelming. The largest Lincolns to date and the hugest unibody cars ever, they came across as massive and interesting, competitive at first but pretty dated by 1960.
The new, clean design for 1961 started out as a Thunderbird concept and so it was created around a Thunderbird cowl. But it was Robert McNamara, Ford general manager and future company president, who suggested it become a four-door Lincoln Continental. This caused quite a stir, since an evolutionary Lincoln, based on the 1958-60 design, was already in process. But Engel's design prevailed, and went into production in November 1960.
The Industrial Design Institute awarded it a coveted Bronze Medal which is very difficult to achieve for an automobile. 15 inches shorter than its predecessor, the new Continental was designed for ease of passenger entry: the lack of a wrap-around windshield and use of "suicide" rear doors aided in this. And truly modern for the time was a four-door convertible body style.
Design changes were made over the first three years, but were very small changes. The changes for 1965 and 1966 were a bit more substantial and in a good way. The biggest changes were made in the design of the grille, the body a bit updated and front disc brakes for 1965 and 1966. These Lincolns are still to this day super cool and in vogue.
Offered here is a superbly well preserved 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible that has had only two owners from new. Sold new in 1966 in West Hartford, Connecticut where it would remain until only a couple of years ago when it would be sold to its second and most recent owner. The exterior still retains most, if not all, of its original maroon paint and it has perfect original upholstery. The Convertible top is in perfect condition and it goes up and down as it should. Looking down in the rear lid mechanism you can see how well preserved this car really is. Under the hood the 462 cubic inch V8 is in perfect running order and is detailed and serviced. Overall this car is a fantastically original car that runs and drives really nicely. If you are looking for a great original Continental convertible this is a super example. Ready for top down driving or show. Contact us today for more information. Asking: $37,500
