Vehicle Description
The Continental offered here is one of 452 Cabriolets produced in
1948, the final year for the first-generation design and the last
time the Continental name appeared until the Mark II was introduced
as a standalone marque in 1955.
Edsel Ford was well known for having a rather keen eye for style.
While his father before him was a pragmatic businessman with little
time to devote to frivolity, Edsel knew that there was plenty of
room in the market for stylish, beautiful cars and knew how to sell
them. Edsel had a habit of commissioning special one-off cars based
on production models to test out new designs. Before the days of
the big auto shows, Edsel would simply take his special cars on
holiday to show off to his wealthy friends. For 1939, he
commissioned Ford's chief stylist, Bob Gregorie to pen a "personal
luxury car" based on the V12 Zephyr chassis. Gregorie delivered a
gorgeous design with a long hood to cover the twelve-cylinder
engine, teardrop headlamps and unadorned slab sides with no running
boards, sitting low and long on the chassis. It was a beautiful
design, one that proved an instant hit with Edsel Ford's friends
who immediately wanted their own. He may have used different
tactics from his father, but Edsel Ford was still a very crafty
business man who knew more than a thing or two about selling
cars.
The Continental, as this new car became known, went into production
in 1941 and remained a mainstay of the Lincoln lineup for many
years, albeit with a gap during World War II. It went through a
series of minor stylistic changes and mechanical refinements
through the years. The Continental proved to be a very successful
model, but with the death of Edsel Ford in 1943, FoMoCo was
reorganized by the board and with that, Bob Gregorie departed soon
after in 1946, thereby ending his remarkable run as the head of
styling. As part of that restructuring, the Mercury brand was added
which eliminated the need for the junior Lincoln Continental, with
the final units leaving the line in 1948, making it the last
American car to feature a V12 engine.
This attractive example is from that final year of production,
wearing desirable convertible bodywork and presented in a pleasing
shade of dark blue over a maroon interior with a tan canvas top.
Most recently part of a large collection of important Ford Motor
Company products, it has been restored to a good standard of
quality, showing some minor signs of use and wear since completion.
The paint quality is good, with deep gloss laid down on nice,
straight panels. Brightwork and exterior trim have been well
restored and have aged gracefully, with wide whitewall tires,
chrome trim rings and wheel skirts completing that classic
Continental look. The maroon upholstery presents very nicely,
particularly against the blue paintwork and the interior trim has
been restored to very good condition. The distinct dash features a
large speedometer echoed by a big, bold clock on the passenger
side, with a grand chrome radio fitted between. The style just
hints at the extravagance to come in the 1950's.
As it should be with any classic American personal luxury car, this
Continental features power operated windows and a power convertible
top, all of which function as they should. The 292 cubic inch
flathead V12 engine runs strong and is the epitome of smoothness,
delivering its 125 horsepower and 180 ft.lbs. of torque through a
flat curve - returning effortless top-gear performance. The ease of
use makes the Continental a very popular choice for touring and
road events, and as an added bonus, it is the very last car to be
awarded Full Classic status by the CCCA. Well restored and
thoroughly usable, this Continental will make a fine companion for
weekend excursions.
Call 314-346-6039 to purchase or with any questions.
314-346-6039
