Vehicle Description
1973 Lincoln Continental 4 Door Sedan
"In tests conducted by Nationwide Consumer Testing Institute for
smoothness, steadiness, and quietness, 60 out of 100 owners of that
other American luxury car said the Continentals had a more
comfortable ride. 1973 Continentals. The best cars we've built.
Luxurious near the point of perfection. Designed to be even quieter
than the 1972 models." From the 1973 sales brochure.
For consignment, a 1973 Lincoln Continental 4 door sedan showing an
unverifiable 59,476 miles. A two owner car in a classic 1970's
color combination. Check your garage land yacht fans, this baby is
230 inches long. Frank, Elvis, James Brown, Bonnie Raitt, and even
Frank Lloyd Wright all enjoyed their Lincolns.
Exterior
This was the era of earth tones with shades of brown, gold, and
green being among the most popular car colors. And here we are with
a behemoth Lincoln dressed in gallons of Dark Brown Metallic that
if you popped some UPS stickers on, no one would be the wiser. Long
and luxurious, the enormous hood has a slight rise in the middle
while the flat trunk tops the square so smoothly, you could
probably balance a nickel on its surface. In profile, the rising
shoulder line is the only thing that veers from straight lines and
its size really does define the land yacht era. Fender skirts add a
sleekness to the rear quarter panel while sharp right angles up
front created a battering ram for a face with squinted eyes in the
form of headlight door adornment, their design picked up in the
eggcrate grille. Out back, long and low tail lights are embedded in
the chrome frame of the rear bumper. A matching brown vinyl top is
above the square body and tall windows are encased by it. Some
checking and chipping at a spot near the edge of the vinyl top is
the only imperfection we find in the single stage brown paint.
Interior
Oh yeah, now this is what I'm talking about! Just peering into the
car puts the Barnaby Jones theme in my head for some reason. It's
so period fresh! In a color Lincoln calls Medium Ginger, a brown
with some gold undertones, it covers the robust doors and all four
look stunning with stitched inserts, carpeted bottoms, faux
woodgrain control panels, and metal accenting. The split bench is
leather and channel tufted with some minor patina creasing on the
driver's side but holding up very well 51 years later. The back
bench and its pull down armrest is nearly pristine while faux
woodgrain greets the driver in the steering wheel. Moving down the
column, we find the shifter which leads to the horizontal
speedometer above a series of square gauges in a plastic bezel that
hints of the previous generation Lincoln configuration. An AM/FM
radio resides in the middle of this dashboard, which is clean,
nicely arranged, and luxurious for the times. Plush brown carpet is
protected by vintage Lincoln mats and the perforated headliner is
fully intact and holding on to the shoulder belts. The massive
trunk is finished in gray cloth panels and the spare is covered as
well.
Drivetrain
Hoist the hood up and the show quality of the car continues in the
engine bay where the 460ci V8 wearing Ford Blue, is rated at 219
horsepower and fueled by a 4-barrel carburetor. A C6 3-speed
automatic transmission is behind it and pushes power to the Ford 9"
in back with 2.79 gears. Power brakes are supplied as discs in
front and drums in the back.
Undercarriage
Mucho surface rust underneath and some of it is pitted, but we're
not seeing any structural issues nor invasive rust. There are two
holes in the rear panels that look like something ripped them open.
There's a bit of oil on the transmission and oil pan, and some
grease build up on the knuckles, but no major leaks and not a lot
of road dirt either. A single exhaust pipe travels through a stock
style muffler and a resonator on its way to exiting discreetly
under the car just behind the rear bumper. Coil spring suspension
is found up front and a 3 link with coil springs and panhard bar is
out back.
Drive-Ability
Large and in charge is the theme here and this big ship makes its
way onto the tarmac like the Queen Mary on a maiden voyage. It
rolls along, daring the imperfections in our blacktop to cause a
shudder and of course, with 75 series tires with an early 2023 date
code, the bumps are no match for this luxury cruiser. It's got
power, sure, but you're not going to win any red lights, nor should
that be the goal. Sit back, relax, and just let it cruise. That's
where the money is! The rim blow circuit of the steering wheel horn
is disconnected so it is not working. All other functions work as
they should! While Classic Auto Mall represents that these
functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot
guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your
purchase.
This was the era of All in the Family, Kojak, Hawaii Five-O and
Lawrence Welk. And yes, these big Lincolns would appear on
television and occasionally, depending on what neighborhood you
grew up in, on the street near your house. This was the pinnacle of
opulence in this time period when "the bigger the better" was an
acceptable preference just before an oil embargo would have us
reconsidering the size and weight of cars. This is a show quality
example from 1973 and deserves further preservation. Are you the
next curator?
3Y82A891926
3-1973
Y-Wixom, MI Assy Plant
82-Continental 4 Door Sedan
A-460ci 4bbl V8
891926-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 53A-Continental 4 Door Sedan
COLOR 5F-Dark Brown Metallic
DSO 31-Buffalo
TRIM DF-Medium Ginger Leather
DATE 29C-March 29
TRANS U-C6 Automatic
AXLE 3-Ford 9" 2.79 Gears
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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