The other day someone asked me a simple question. "What's your favorite 50's era FoMoCo body style?" Oddly, I couldn't come up with an answer right away. Shoe...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Beautifull car... But you are right, it needs to loose the Continetal bulge off the Decklid. And about a 1.5" Chop...
It is a beautiful design that did everything but sell. Way ahead of it's time. Growing up in a working class city I don't think I saw one in the flesh until the 60's. Imagine one in flat back with 17" red steelies, wide whites and air bags. Kool.
Ohhh, it sold... They were all sold before they were built. I'm trying to imagine one in flat paint with red wheels and it's hurting my feelings a bit. This car deserves so much more than the typical. If I had unlimited funds: 1. Redo the deck lid as mentioned... 2. Might... just maybe... chop it 1.5 inches. This one would take some restraint for sure. 3. Nice even stance. Low, but not too low. Bags aren't necessary I don't think. 4. Stock wheels and wheel covers... wide whites... 5. Perfect body work and black paint... Might also look pretty damn nice in a british green color - only darker.
Yeah, a very slight Chop. ( a Gentleman's Chop... ) Dont think you can do a lot to that car without fucking it up. Just clean up whats there already...
I do remember a light blue car with a white fog maybe? In any case, I think Alex is right - it would be really easy to take one of these too far and lose it's original character/idea.
I think most of those would have come in darker colors , I really like the idea of dark green, but what Id like to see the most would be one in bright white and red interior, it doenst have a ton of chrome so I think a lighter color would work ok, It would have to sound good too, not like a race car but just a tiny bit of performance exhaust.
im all for cutting up a car for modification, but this car would be hard to touch. Ive always lusted after the markII , even with the decklid. Now if i were to hit the lottery i would buy two, leave one and never modify a damn thing on it. The other if i were to cut it, would get an inch chop and for the decklid if anything i would make it more subtle like the mark8 (another lincoln i love), but there is not much you can do to improve the design.
Yeah, too much... Wrong color... But I do like the skinny Bumpers though ( at least from that angle...)
I agree with you Ryan, except I think bags would work... I'm not the biggest fan of the light blue one posted.. I think the chop would have to be really really done well and maybe less than 1.5 inches.. I think this is the only body style I would trade my continental for (I have a 60) -Juan
Very mild chop would[/B look good- I also like the 2 convertibles that Ford/Lincoln made. Just really simple, but beautiful lines on the MkII!
Amazingly these beautiful works of art can still be had for fairly reasonable money. A fine addition to any stable.
ANTIQUE CARS: LINCOLN Continentals: 1956 Mark II, $70,100; 1962 convertible, $33,000; 1968 Sedan, $15,500; 1974 Mark IV, $17,500 and a 1963 Cadillac convertible, $35,000. this listed just today,, check it out , little chop and section ,on a 70 grand car, here is the paper it is ,listed in search thr auto section and find the number i dont need to post the number http://homemagonline.com/classifieds/?loc=detail&main=Automotive
Ryan, A few people have built these as customs such as Gary Meadors and they were done conservatively. I remember taking a pic of one these 56 models in Raven black @ a NSRA Appreciation Day in Castaic in like 89 and it was the slickist ride there and it wasn't even a Rod or Custom,Just bone stock and a clean long sheet of metal chrome,leather & rubber. It looked great already & I thought it resembled a lengthened 55 Bird. Personally I feel that a 55 is the cleanest design of the Tri-Birds. So naturally I had a long look @ this model Conti and I was in awe!-Not a whole lot of cars do that to me anymore. I'm glad that you picked this for a topic. It refreshing to see this clean design and I still feel that one of these would be great in my garage.
If memory serves, there was one built back in the day when it was a new car, that had a bubble top and customized body. Gold color. I think the owner was a broadcaster or something. Rikster probably has a picture.
When I was a kid I had a neighbor that had two of them, one runner and one for parts. Wonderful styling, very restrained. Apparently, Mr. Pininfarina liked it also. http://www.250pfcoupe.com/index1.html Kurt O.
All-in-all I think Ford had some good ideas through the 50s. Another car from that era that had some real style (despite the lack of popularity and the bad reputation) is the 58 Edsel. Again, a nice lower stance and a few minor body mods and it could be right up there (even though it isn't nearly as classy as the Continental). The changes into 59 and 60 seem to be what was a desperate attempt to reinvent the line after it flopped in the first year. Thanks for this blog Ryan, I really dig gettin a history lesson, especially of a car I was only vaguely familiar with!!!
I'm probably the last guy to ask, but I think ya gotta lay that back window forward with the chop, otherwise it looks to boxy/abrupt. There isn't much crown to that roof. Getting rid of that lump in the trunk is a good move, too. Beyond that just a simple all around shave (door handles, wipers, bumper bolts, etc...) ought to do it. Hard to top black - maybe a deep dark oxblood? Thanks for the reminder on this one. I really like the 58 Caddy Biarritz, too, but this one is much more classy and timeless.
No thank you.. More on the blue one.. http://www.rickdorekustoms.com/portfolio.cfm?status=VEHICLES&manufacturer=KUSTOM CC
Hey, The first time I saw one of these without any paint on it was in 1973. I nearly shit! All of the exterior panels were what looked to be gas welded with heavy use of lead to fare in the panels. A rebuilt total? nope, a factory kustom. These were not built in the Lincoln shops, but by a sub contractor,Mitchell-Bentley of Ionia Michigan. A number of automotive design gods were re- sponsible for the final shape, but with John Reinhart of Packard Motors, and Gordon Buehrig the father of the 810/12 Cord on the design staff, how could they loose? Zocchi should have been shot for what he did to one of these! It's like fuckin' with a '32 grill shell, ya just don't! Swankey Devils C.C.
Good design and quality craftsmanship allways endure. This car was the result of William Clay Ford, John Reinheart, and Bob Thomas having a clear objective and following through with superb execution. Perhaps they over estimated the market for a conservative, high quality coupe in the mid 50's but at least we are still able to find some that have been preserved by people who understand and appreciate the car. There must be some custom versions still out there, and hopefully this discussion will bring some pictures out to view.
Ahhhhhh... to be young... I think dark colors, minimal chop, lose the bump, and above all shiney... very shiney...
I worked a couple of days on Gary Meadors Lincoln. It started up here in Washington. I removed the glass, and all associated pieces, neatly bagged and marked it all, so replacement would go well. Last I ever saw of it or $.
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