A friend of mine named Meredith snapped these pictures for me of a Lincoln Continental parked on the street in Philadelphia. I believe this is a 1973 Continental coupe; if I’m wrong, someone here will be able to tell me exactly what it is. What’s notable about this scene, besides the fact that the car is sporting Connecticut plates in Pennsylvania, is that this Lincoln is parked at the very top of a steep hill in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, and what’s keeping it there.
Those who have been to the region may know that Manayunk is partly a working class town, but also a trendy place to live, full of high end shops, fine restaurants, art galleries and happening bars. When it was new, this Lincoln probably would have fit right in with the more well to do patrons, but nowadays this car is definitely a fish out of water, in this sea of narrow streets and small parking spaces. Then again, this classic Lincoln probably works with the hipster scene too.
Also notable about Manayunk is its hills; it’s an old mill town wedged into the side of the narrow Schuylkill River valley. Many of the side streets head straight up the steep hill from the River. At the top of one of these steep hills sits the 5,000 plus pounds of potential energy that you see here, topped off with chrome battering rams on both ends. Preventing all of that mass from becoming kinetic energy are two little chunks of schist (abundant local rock), and hopefully a working parking brake.
The glare made getting a good interior shot tough, but we can see acres of white leather split bench comfort in there looking actually somewhat restrained compared to the pillow top excess that would soon follow. This one also may just have the base interior; admittedly, I’m not up on my 70’s Lincoln trim packages. I’ll leave that for the comments. Judging by its condition, this car did not spend much of its life outside, and didn’t do much driving in the winters in Connecticut, or here in Philly. Given the open headlight doors, one gets the impression that it hasn’t run much lately either, a claim that is verified by Meredith’s assessment that the car is always there every time she walks the dog.
Anyhow, here’s hoping that those wheel chocks hold, and that its owners manage to keep it on the road, or at least find a nice garage for it.
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Think I’d rather leave it on top of the hill and save the town!
Out of control Continental kills 7 and destroys 3 local independent coffee houses, Film at 11.
Sadly, no MkTs, MkSs or any other current Lincoln was flattened in the melee.
Great looking car, in my opinion the 2 door continental was much nicer looking than the Mark IV, and It looks so much better here in ’73 trim before the bumpers got huge in ’74.
Nice find! I’d love to hear its engine burble.
Looks like a 73. In 74 the front bumper was a little bigger and the rear bumper a lot bigger. I liked the 73 bumpers on most cars better than the 74 or even 72s. Pinto and Capri bumpers looked best in 73. Even cars like the Porsche 914 looked best with 73 bumpers.
This model year Lincoln still had that cool dash with the middle row of gauges. It has dual exhausts so probably the 460-4V. The 460 was the best smog controlled engine around. Nice survivor!
It depends on the company how well they handled ’73 and ’74 bumper regs.
When It comes to GM I will take the ’72 version every single time, so much better looking than the black rubber strips all across the bumpers.
For me the bumpers on most cars by 72 had become too dainty like on the Mark IV. They were nothing more than chrome moldings. One of the early 70s GMs though, I think it was a 72 Olds 88, had this TV commercial where it showed the front end hitting a wall or post at 5mph. It was in slow motion and it was before the bigger 73 bumpers for sure.
I was a little kid and don’t remember the details except that it was an overhead shot and you could hear the sound of the bumper hitting the wall. I thought it was a great engineering effort and had a good opinion of GM from that young age.
Anyone else remember that spot? I’d love to find a clip of it some day.
I think this is what you are talking about…
Yes that’s the one! Everything is so analog lol.
Seems long for a TV spot I wonder where I saw it? Maybe at school. Back then they used to show us educational films a lot.
Thanks for posting I haven’t seen that in 41 years!
Its doubtful that would have appeared on broadcast television. Most likely would have been in an educational setting, as you describe, or a dealer training video and the like. Most GM media then was on Super 8mm, they switched to a laserdisc like system about 1980 until the mid 80s when they went to VCR then eventually DVD.
The 74 Grille was completely different. 72 and 73 are pretty close. The bumper on this 73 was very nicely done, perhaps one of the nicest that FoMoCo ever did. I wonder why they did not continue down this road instead of the chromed railroad tie.
It’s because in ’74 the front bumper had to meet height standards along its full length, I think; the pair of little vertical overriders on the ’73 weren’t sufficient.
The upholstery is the pattern of the standard Continental, which was cloth in the base car, leather for extra cost. I especially loved the rear leather seat of this generation (we had a ’72 ex-dealer demonstrator sedan with black leather). Much nicer than the “pillow”-type upholstery.
We just did an article on one of these cars a few weeks ago – you don’t see the two doors much like the Chryslers because most two door buyers bought Marks.
Speaking of hills, I once bought a 89 Cadillac Eldorado (ironically in the same red) from a guy for $300 mainly because while the car was generally in excellent shape it had the infamous early design Teves Mark II ABS unit. Of course this was 2002 and even then you couldn’t find anyone to touch it and if they did new units were $1000. Well to make a long story short, when I went to look at it was parked on the road. I agreed to buy it, told him I would come back tomorrow and pick it up. So I did but this time he had parked the car in the driveway up a steep incline. Why he did that I did not know but trying to back the car down a 15% grade (no joke) with limited braking power I managed to knock over his plastic generic one piece mailbox. Well of course he got mad and normally I would have immediately offered to get him one (although it was not broke just needed a little tidying up of the hole) but asked him why he parked the car on the driveway in such a fashion knowing about the brake problem. Well he got livid at that point and said something to the effect “You bought the car and it your problem getting it down the driveway if you didn’t know how to drive the car you shouldn’t have bought it.” Well I tidied up the mail box and other than some scratches was no worse for wear and he called me about two weeks later and asked me if I had fixed the car (when we were negotiating I could tell he wanted to keep the car but was at a loss to fix it) and I promptly told him “Yes I fixed it I sell it to you for $1500 + the cost of a new mail box.” He said “you don’t have to be an a*shole” and hung up.
When you are in a public facing occupation especially in a mainstream occupation like automotive you encounter all kinds from people that take customer service meaning the world revolves around them to people that just can’t think to some those thinking defies logic. Thinking back, I wish I should have said “I will buy the car but you have to bring iot down to the road.” if he had taken out the mailbox I am not sure if I couldn’t have not laughed.
This story made me laugh, but also makes me happy that I don’t deal with these people on a daily basis anymore. People do now expect the world for customer service, don’t they? I recall one time when I was selling an 88 Honda Accord (in like 2006) and the guy was going over it with a fine tooth comb and looking at service record reciepts in it’s glove box, then asked if I could warrenty it. I tried reminding him that he was looking at a quite rusty, and nearly 20 year old car with 150,000 miles on it, that I am not a car dealer, and that I was only asking $600 for the thing. He ended the conversation by telling me that he’d have to check with his accountant to see if he could afford it. Was very happy that he never came back…
Yea really after this all was over I wondered to myself if this guy just had a stupid moment and parked the car on the driveway without thinking or once he found a buyer he was playing a game for some final fun before losing the car. For me its not so much the expectation I give 100% and my customers know I give 100% but its when people defy logic that I wonder…
As for your Honda story, I do have to wonder why the guy needs to consult his account if he can afford $600. Most people that really need accountants $600 isn’t enough to justify a consultation. Unless he was referring to his spouse…
“Unless he was referring to his spouse…”
Could be that I didn’t get the joke, but he seemed pretty serious. He was talking to me as though I was a Honda dealer, not a guy who was just trying to get rid of an old car that I had accumulated, but no longer needed. Ultimatley, it did find a home with a guy in Maryland who was down on his luck and needed a car to get to work. So that made me happy that it was going to someone who really needed it.
Driveway was like this…
The car was a good deal for me and a fairly easy fix so I completed the buy but when I saw the car at the top of the driveway I thought about backing out.
Craig,
Did the Eldo run well after you fixed it?
My old physician in my hometown still owns a 1990 Eldorado that he purchased brand-new, right off the showroom floor. That car now has 235k miles on it, and amazingly it still has the original engine and transmission. And it has survived salty Vermont winters for 20+ years.
Yes car was generally fine. It had about 140K on the clock when I got it and had a list of mostly small items but the bad ABS unit was the big one. It turned out that the ABS unit mostly needed a pressure switch that cured most of the problems. I ended up replacing the accumulator ball with one I found at a junkyard which helped a little bit more. If you really really hit the brake like a panic stop at 50MPH the ABS light would come on but in normal driving it was ok.
The a/c fan relay was bad, the driver’s door window motor switch was bad, one of the motor mounts was loose, the trunk lid motor got a piece of carpet in it and jammed, I had to replace one tire, none of these things I wasn’t able to repair within a week at minimal cost. I drove the car for about 6 months and sold it. It was a Biarritz and dark red so when I polished it up it looked good. It was a small Cadillac so it wasn’t the same kind of experience that you would normally expect but it was pretty fast given the 4.5 V8 in that body style. The 91s with the 4.9 are real fast not quite Northstar but considering.
The only real complaint that I had with the car, other than it was a baby Cadillac, was that room under the hood was extremely tight so bad that virtually anything behind what was mounted to the intake or immediately visible had to be reached via the wheel wells or by lifting the car.
Yes, this is the base model as 1973 was the first year for the “Town Coupe” option package. The “Town Car” package was available starting in 1970.
When I was kid the neighbors down the street had one of these. This car meant you had money.
Now it means $90 worth of gas every 200 miles…
My 500 ci Cadillac is in that club too- the $75 gas bill when you hit the station is a killer. Luckily I usually only need to fill up once a month.
“5,000 plus pounds of potential energy that you see here, topped off with chrome battering rams on both ends.”
So, are you saying that this car could single-handedly bring about an energy crisis? 🙂
I have gushed on at length before about these early 70s 2 door Connies. I still consider 1972-73 to be the high point, and would be happy with either. I simply *love* this car.
Very interested in your opinion as to why you rate a ’72 or 3 US car higher than an earlier model of the same exact type.
My experience has been the opposite. I never buy anything past ’71, and certainly never ’73 or newer due to it being the first year for recycled metal that rusts wildly, and because of those sinfull girder bumpers.
My ’71 Town Coupe was one of the best floats I’ve ever had. Love the simpler grill and trim on the ’70-’72s. They don’t weight 5000 lbs though I don’t think.
I have just always liked the looks of the 72-73 better. The 70 and 71 front ends just never really did it for me. I will agree that the 70-71 engines would be preferable, but the 72-73 hits a styling sweet spot for me. As for the bumpers, somehow the 73 Lincoln and the 73 Imperial got through that year with relatively minor styling changes. As much as I like the overall look of the 74, it gets demerits for the log bumpers and for the tightened emissions systems.
Gotchya.
Agree on the ’73 Imperial for sure.
I remember seeing a 4-door version of this car, battered and bruised, with a healthy dose of patina, with personalized license plate: INRTIA. How appropriate.
Parking brake? What’s that? No one (but me, 100% and religiously) is smart enough to use them anymore. I value my transmission, motor mounts, CV joints and general frame integrity, so I let my rear wheels hold the car. No one teaches or wants to learn this. They would rather try to text or talk instead of knowing what is going on with the second most important thing in their lives (their transportation, I mean.). They don’t bother to learn how to drive, either.
I agree Kev. I use my parking brake 100% and it goes on first before the car goes into park. I have a friend with a fairly new Silverado and he never uses his parking brake, even when parking on some rather steep hills and inclines. I cringe everytime that truck rolls forwards and catches on the parking pawl.
Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC
Count me as another devoted user of the Parking Brake who doesn’t understand why folks would trust the wobbly P to hold their car. Maybe it’s because I started out driving stick. And like Kev, I consider driving a serious discipline, instead of a distraction from iPhoning.
One thing which irritated me about the MGB was its weak parking brake, which I could never tighten enough. That despite light weight & huge drums in back.
This can be tricky if you have a pre-1960 Chrysler product (with the brake on the transmission output shaft) …
1960 and ’61s MoPars had’em too.
I use my parking brake pretty regularly. About the only time I don’t is when I park on level ground. I always get nervous when I park and the car rolls a bit when I take my foot off the brake. That’s the cue to engage the parking brake!
“The rock is gonna fall on us! Run or you’ll be crushed!”
With apologies to Harry Chapin.
http://youtu.be/vB23m0VxClk
Far too dangerous for some one who does not know the cars destructive potential. I will gladly take it off their hands in the interest of the safety of all the children in the neighborhood. THINK OF THE CHILDREN! 😛
This is a beautiful car – the coupes were rarer than the sedans and much better looking in my view.
They were very well built – the workers at the Wixom plant (recently closed) knew they were putting together Ford’s top product.
Agree with all the comments on the 460 – it is one of the best engines of the 60/70/80s.
While it’ll cost to fill it up, with a little care these cars will run forever.
Always use that parking brake. My Dad taught me to and I always have!
The DVD of Alfred Hitchcock’s last film, “Family Plot,” contains a “making of” feature that shows Hitch arriving at his office at Universal in a nearly identical model (in green I think). While it may have been just the vehicle to transport the portly director, I’m sure if Edsel Ford was aware of the devolution of his beloved “Continental” brand he would be spinning in his grave.
Hello,
I just found this article and this is my car!!!!
I’ll answer a few questions,
This car is 1973 coupe with optional leather interior, and power package. It has a 460 motor and c6 transmission.
I am a 24 year old male, who lived in Manayunk from 8/12-6/13.
Yes, the parking brake works. I just put the rocks there purely out of paranoia.
This Lincoln (I name her Ursula) is a great car. It is reliable, never has broken down on me, and gets 9-15 mpg. Despite what the article says, she is driven weekly. She cost only $3K, and has 65K miles. This car is originally from texas, but I keep it in garage in CT. I took her down to Manayunk to move some very large speakers and also just for fun.
Its too bad you never saw me because I would happily given you a ride down Kelly drive.
Peter