1964 Lincoln Continental

The Lincoln Continental is a model name that has been used several times by the Lincoln division of Ford for thier top of the line luxury cars. For most of its lifetime, the Continental nameplate referred to the four-door Lincoln flagship. In 1981 the Continental's reign as the Lincoln flagship ended when the Town Car, a trim-level up to then, took over as the new flagship.In 1961, the Continental was completely redesigned by Elwood Engle. For the first time, the names Lincoln and Continental would be paired on a car other than one in the Mark series. The design was originally intended to be the new 1961 Ford Thunderbird, but the concept was enlarged and slightly altered before being switched to the Lincoln line by Robert McNamara. One of the most striking features of the new Continental was its size. It was two feet shorter than its predecessor. So much smaller was this car, that advertising executives at Ford photographed a woman parallel parking a sedan for a magazine spread. The new Continental's most recognized trademark, front opening rear doors, was a purely practical decision. The new Continental was a unibody design, and there simply was not the structural strength to front-hang the heavy rear doors in the convertible model. To simplify production, all cars were to be four-door models, and only two body styles were offered, sedan or convertible. Therefore, the rear doors were hung from the rear and opened from the front. This "suicide door" style was to become the best-known feature of 1960s Lincolns. The 1961 model was the first car manufactured in America to be sold with a 24,000 mile or 2-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.

The car was stretched 3 inches in 1964 to give more rear-seat legroom, and the roofline was squared off at the same time. The dash was also redesigned, doing away with the pod concept. Side glass was now flat to provide more interior room. The gas tank access door, which had been concealed at the rear of the car in the rear grille, was now placed on the driver's side rear quarter panel and the exterior "Continental" script was changed. The convex 1961–64 grille was replaced by a flatter, squared-off one for 1965–69. The car was given front disc brakes for the 1965 model year to improve stopping time. This is the only year that the front parking lamps and turn signals were integrated into the front quarterpanels, and not in the bumper. A 1965 Continental was featured prominently in the TV series Green Acres and the Matrix Trilogy Movies. The 1965 Continental Convertible is also featured in the opening credits scene of the HBO Series Entourage.

A Certified Milestone Car these are arguably the finest cars produced during the 60's. They have exceptional engineering and build quality, and legendary styling. They are rapidly rising in value, although they have always been collectible.

This Exceptional orginal example has just 59,000 miles from new. We purchased the car out of a museum collection who bought the car in 1983 from the original owner. According to the records it had traveled just over 250 miles in the 24 years they had the car. Since we have had it we have had the entire front end rebuilt, rebuilt the carb and cleaned the fuel tank, and installed a new rear exhaust section. The car has all of its original documentation including the protecto plate. This car is a time capsule! The stunning Maroon paint is on eof the most desriable color combinations. If you want a nice Lincoln this is an excellent choice, a car that has been taken care of its entire life.