We’ve seen a number of examples of this vintage Lincoln over time, a car that was the end of an era for big bodies, delightfully large displacement engines, and bold appearances. They are truly a car with either fans or detractors; there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground.
All of these featured Lincolns possessed a certain dignity and age immunity to them, which to me often seemed reflective of their lives having been somewhat easier, and perhaps more pampered, than most. Then I found this particular Lincoln, a car that appears to be making a bold claim of having had more swashbuckling adventures than any of the others. If one is so inclined as to believe its dignity has been compromised, this Lincoln certainly compensates for that in perseverance and stubbornness.
This Continental was parked near one of those stores in which one can procure an abundance of life’s little necessities for the princely sum of one dollar. Being out running errands in a decent rain shower is certainly more adventure than its siblings were experiencing when captured in pixels as all the others have been found on sunny days. Would any of the other Lincoln owners have deigned to drive their Lincoln around town in the rain to purchase toilet bowl cleaner or razor blades? It seems unlikely.
There was a distinct yet unquantifiable something about this Lincoln that vehemently disagrees its sunniest days are well in its past. It’s argument makes sense; if it’s sunniest days were indeed over, somebody would not have gone to the effort to replace at least three different body panels. Can you imagine the weight and awkwardness of carrying that hood? Or the fun of lifting it into place for mounting onto the hood springs? Somebody truly loves this Lincoln, and they love it for what it is.
As I photographed our tri-toned Continental, I was very curious what sort of person was the current caretaker. Male or female? Young or old? Every possible scenario I could think of made a degree of sense in one way or another.
The setting presented some irony. A Lincoln, a 1970s symbol of success but now in a condition that isn’t, parked at one of a countless number of faceless strip malls helping the owner carry on with life. A Lincoln, faded from its initial glory, looking longingly at the world headquarters of the Bass Pro Shop, another 1970s success story that is still in its ascendency. A Lincoln, its tarnished luster abundantly clear to anyone, still doing what it was meant to do. Perhaps the destinations had changed but there is little doubt this Lincoln carried its loving owner to the store in smoothness and utter silence.
Contemplating all this while sitting in the car and waiting for my wife to finish in a different store, this Lincoln smoothly and silently cruised by in front of me. This Lincoln is twice the age of its male owner; something about seeing this tells me this young man is well on his way to success, his Lincoln being a formidable tool to aid him in reaching, and achieving, all his destinations in life.
Found March 29, 2019
Corner of Sunshine and Campbell
Springfield, Missouri
Nice! Hope the owner has the resources and desire to repaint the replacement parts. Big barges aren’t for me, but I am happy to see one still getting some love.
Hidden headlight covers seen to be working. Glass wheels, and vinyl roof look intact, no obvious leaks or dents….engine and trans are probably bulletproof…looks like it’s ready for many more years of front line duty.
What in the world is a glass wheel? I have never heard that term in my entire life.
One paint job away from being nice…
I grew up in an autobody shop in the ’80’s .Replacing the hood was a pain. Get a second pair of hands to help you. Although Dad taught me how to do it alone if he was away. I think I did pretty OK for a 140 pound high school kid.
Edit… this car would work pretty well as a pick for my choice of Big Sedan from the ’70’s.
This car is a survivor, I hope it gets a good, classy paint job, maybe even a two tone theme with some rust prevention. Missouri uses a lot of salt on it’s roads.
From this vantage point, the replacement panels look as if they’d been fitted at the factory, or perhaps even better than that looking at that considering the gap on that right rear door. The left side rear door isn’t _quite_ as bad but the gap’s there too. For you younger guys, this was normal back then. We would fit chrome trim on the doors, as much to hide the gap as to add a little bling. When an uncle bought his first japanese car, I don’t remember the make or model, around 1979 – he was amazed by how precisely everything had been fitted. We weren’t used to that!
Some irony there for me personally regarding fit and finish. My 2007 Mustang has no such alignment issues between panels (and much better paint) than my 2016 Honda Civic.
Perhaps in my case, it’s price point difference between the cars. The interior of the Honda seems to be put together better than the Ford however.
Regarding the subject car, I’m kinda diggin’ the multi tone look. And those turbine wheels…. a favorite on these big Lincolns!
Lincolns of this era certainly do have a dignity that is unaffected by age or condition. It’s always a study in contrasts to see one in an everyday setting. Just recently, in fact, I saw this Mark V in a Hy-Vee parking lot and thought very similar things as you did here:
Damn, that’s a big car. But I guess it’s no bigger than the bro-dozer, full-size, crew-cab pickup monstrosities that litter the streets and highways of today.
Take two of these Lincoln bodies and stack then one on top of the other for proper thickness. Put fuel injection and plastic covers all over the 460. Add 20-some-odd inch rims with all terrains and a bit of lift. Pull off the trunk lid and Line X the inside of the trunk.
Brodozer.
Although I never liked the large Fords of this generation, the Lincoln stands out and the styling just seems appropriate for such a car.
I trust this car has found its way to a good caretaker. In an alternate reality, the young fellow is doing his grandpa a favour by taking his car out for a drive to stretch its legs, something the old Lincoln doesn’t get enough of any more. The replaced body panels are a sign of encouragement that this car is destined for continued loving hands.
As I’ve said on CC before, I drove an ’82 or ’83 Town Car for a weekend on one occasion, and it would make a fine choice for a big car of the 70s or the 80s.
A most excellent find indeed!
Nice find. It looks like someone with a Dove Grey 78 Lincoln took the fenders and front bracket off my 78 Champagne Mist model…
Hope the young gentleman spruces it up and joins LCOC…
Joining the LCOC is always a smart move if you’re going to own a classic Lincoln, lots of good information on parts, maintenance and a group of good folks and good cars to keep you company!
So this old Lincoln is a young man’s pride and joy? Pretty much the ideal fate for an old car. A neighbor of mine has a similar Lincoln, painted the same shade as the featured car’s driver-side front fender, and in even better shape. Some cars have all the luck. Some get totaled the day they leave the dealership, while others, like this one, last long enough to get a second lease on life.
You don’t have to sell me on this one. This is one car that I liked when new and like just as much now. I remember really liking that dove gray paint when it came out on Lincolns in the late 70s, it had a very retro vibe about it that harkened back to paint jobs from the 40s. I liked the dove gray interior even more – light (but not white) leather interiors have tended to be my favorites. However, light gray insides have sort of been done to death lately.
What a great catch and wonder why only those two panels had to be replaced? I was expecting more panels to be mismatched.
This color was available on the last couple of years of Chrysler NY Broughams also, and on those looked equally understated and classy. It’d be a tossup to choose between the two, but I’d probably opt for the Mopar, though these cars have incredible presence.
I love all kinds of cars, and what I love about these is that, out of necessity, really, one automatically adopts a laid back and relaxed driving style. One certainly doesn’t proceed to do a white knuckler down a back road with Mom, Sissy and Buddy aboard one of these. And nothing is better, quite so soporific, as cruising home to a Martini after a hectic day at work, or travelling the boulevards in a car specifically designed and dedicated to doing so in ultimate comfort and tranquility, in an impregnable, hermetically sealed and temperature controlled conveyance of 5000 lbs of glass steel and rubber. After the frenetic 1960s, perhaps it was just what the doctor ordered!
This is a ’78 or ’79, not a ’77 because of the mostly open rear wheel (although it actually did still have a tiny skirt (miniskirt?) to provide a lip. 1978 was also when the proper, elegant, wall-like Lincoln dash was replaced by a generic ’70s Ford dash.
Great post. I really hope the owner can afford a decent respray! As for the three exterior colors on this Lincoln, as-is, it’s giving me a calico cat vibe. I like that, too.
I love seeing examples of the old luxury guard (like this one) out there.
My first thought was Lincoln Harlequin. Being a Lincoln the colors are more subdued.
I’m very impressed that the headlight doors are closed. The headlight doors on my Dad’s 1978 Mark V Cartier, bought new, began failing in less than two years and were repaired several times during his ownership. That vacuum system is just too complex and vulnerable to breaks in the lines. There were quite a few other equipment failures. The 460 and transmission were flawless.
The turbine wheels really make this car. I always loved them on the Mark.
These cars certainly are big, but that’s what gives them their dignity. They are what they are. Not like the tragically downsized Mark VI or mid 1980s Cadillac De Villes. These models came off as a parody of their former selves. It’s true that many of these cars were pampered over a very long life with the original owners, who usually had the resources and large garage to keep them in. They make a great find for the collector or hobby car owner. Preservation is the word.
The fact he took the time to replace those panels is very encouraging. It shows he knows what he’s got and wants to preserve it. I shudder to think what kind of tragedy struck this classic that necessitated the panels being replaced in the first place. The fact he could find good examples is somewhat miraculous, given the survival rate of these wonderful beasts. I love that dove-grey color.
I attached an image of the same car, same year and color, but with the wire spoke hubcaps that you don’t see that often.
Big, bold-and understated. That`s the way I like them.