Early evening has long been one of my favorite times of the day, when there’s still enough light outside to see things plainly and clearly, and with various lights flickering to life on buildings, street lamps, and passing cars. I’ve been a sucker for things that light up since childhood, and for this reason, I find vintage lighting of any kind captivating, whether in a domestic or outdoor setting. The size and shape of automotive taillights has often fascinated me. I found it particularly “dishonest” when (the appearance of) a wide swath of red- or amber-tinted plastic was illuminated by just a few, dinky bulbs. One example that readily comes to mind is the J-Body Chrysler LeBaron, thanks to a recent feature by Brendan Saur. And then, there was the 1976 (and ’77) Chevy Vega that, despite the presence of an amber section on its taillamp lenses, signaled a turn with the red portion. Go figure.
I like the placement of the round, sealed-beam headlights and integrated turn-signals / side marker lights on this ’68 Continental two-door, which I had spotted not far from where I had photographed a baby blue ’79 Town Car about a few weeks prior. I had started to think that perhaps this neighborhood, Rogers Park on Chicago’s north side, was some sort of haven for vintage Lincolns. I haven’t spotted any classic Lincolns since then (that I can recall), but I did consider this a happy coincidence. I can’t remember how many two-doors I had seen within the last decade or so, as most Continentals of this era were four-doors.
Production figures from ’68 would confirm this ratio to be very skewed, with about 9,400 two-door sold versus 29,700 four-doors, with the former accounting for just under a quarter of total Continental production that year. Even with the introduction of the Mark III personal luxury coupe for ’68, two-door Continental production, then in the third year for this bodystyle, dipped just 14% from the ’67 tally, so it would seem that most Continental shoppers simply wanted their chariots with four doors.
With so much mid-century modern architecture lining this section of North Sheridan Road, the sight of this Connie against this backdrop made me feel almost as if it was the late-’60s for a few moments. As I was snapping these pictures, I might have been listening with my earbuds to the soulful sounds of organist Jimmy Smith on his Hammond B-3 or the jazz guitar of Gabor Szabo, while this Aspen Green beauty’s 340-hp 462-cubic inch V8 hummed steadily, moving this 5,000-pound coupe along at a good clip. While waiting for the 147 bus to carry me home from Rogers Beach, the fading, summer sky, the throaty exhaust note of this Lincoln’s V8, and the smooth melodies coming from my earbuds combined to reassure me that sometimes things can come together unexpectedly for a perfectly orchestrated moment that can seem completely random.
Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois.
Friday, August 3, 2018.
As always, Joseph, you manage to turn a couple of very nice photos into a story. That’s an aspirational car for me!
BTW, why Continentals of the ’60s had those RHD-style wipers?
I remember reading The National Geographic Magazine as my almost lone source for American car ads as a kid in the ’70s (my parents had suscribed around 1951) and already noting that and also that Cadillacs and Imperials had hidden wipers befor Continentals.
Large American cars either had them opposed or the other way round. This has always intrigued me.
I always wondered about that as a kid too. It’s funny how we can fixate on certain things that just don’t seem “right”, or “normal” and wonder about them seemingly for a lifetime. In addition to having the same prejudices against “dishonest” automotive lighting as Joseph cites, I was quite perplexed by the “backwards orientation of the wipers on these Continentals. What was equally confusing to me was the fact that the radio antennae on these were also mounted on the driver side, making all of the “accessory/jewelry” pieces on these cars just….”wrong”.
I remember being even further confounded as a tween in the mid ’70’s when the Seville was introduced with…wait for it…a power radio antenna on the “wrong” side. I can specifically remember thinking that Cadillac was just trying to emulate “The Lincoln Look” by putting it on the driver’s side to make the Seville even more “special”.
Some days I’m thankful that I found CC to hang out at. Otherwise I might have lived my whole life thinking I was the only whackjob who ever contemplated such things.
Exactly the same here. My brothers, friends, and later my children made my “irrelevant data banks” a laughing stock. Come on, how can you possibly forget that Uncle’s Peugeot 404 D came without a glovebox door in 1975? I was 9 and you were, what, 18? No way!
Rafael and MTN, I love that the CC community is one which car fans like us can unashamedly thrive on minutiae. Cheers, gentlemen!
Rafael,
Pontiac introduced the “hide-away” wipers on it’s full sized cars in 1967 and got the customary GM one year exclusive. Cadillac didn’t get the “hide-away” wipers until 1968.
Those early “hide-away”s were no bargain either. The park position was a piece of stainless steel, so the wipers had to drag off the glass and come to rest on said piece of stainless. This action really ate up the wiper blades.
Not to mention the affect of snow packing into the cowl and freezing the wipers onto the steel. Even in the winter, the windshield might be warmed by the defroster, but the steel wasn’t, and this generally created ice on the wiper blades, limiting their swept area.
Stylistically, GM’s hidden wipers and hidden radio antenna looked great, but in reality, they really weren’t ready for prime time.
I do not know the answer to your question, but wonder if it had to do with the 61 Lincoln’s partially shared cowl with the 61 Thunderbird. The bird had opposed wipers, and I wonder if some combination of windshield shape and shared components led to a common passenger side wiper system modified with a parallel wiper on the drivers driver’s side.
The Avanti also used a backwards sweep, but that was due to the raised section of the cowl in front of the driver. I am not aware of that kind of limitation here.
Parallel wipers were still quite uncommon in 1961 when this Lincoln setup first showed up. Maybe someone thought it was a better solution?
Dishonest tail lights are also a peeve of mine. It’s one of the things I appreciate about my ’67 Imperial.
My MN12 Cougar HAD dishonest taillights from the factory, where only the small outboard sections had bulbs with the entire trunklid section in between being a huge reflector. LED ribbon strips to the rescue!
Nice! I remember being irritated by the OEM setup in Cougars, thinking that they were fancy enough cars to justify a full-width tail light (unlike, say, a K-car). Maybe I should try something similar in my ”94 Town Car, which has a non-illuminated panel between real tail lights.
Or the dishonest amber turn signals. I think that was Escorts or Tracers in the 90s, maybe just on wagons or maybe excluding wagons. I could also be completely wrong, but I know Vegas had them.
Also, it said I’m posting too fast when I hadn’t posted before and it didn’t keep my post. This is frustrating and needs to get fixed.
@ XR7Matt – Interesting… Both of my MN12 T-Birds (94 & 97) lit up all the way across. They were an early adaptation of LED(s). They didn’t work as brake lights in that section, but at least they lit up.
Like your Cougar, only the outside lights worked as turn signals and brake lights.
Yes Thunderbird’s used LEDs those years, in 1989-1991 the Tbirds used only the outboards as well, with the trunk panel a huge reflector like on the Cougars.
I started on this point in one of my comments about the 1972 Continental article so this is a great example to elaborate. The transition from 69 to 70 is much less of a downgrade when you look at these coupes instead of the sedans. Not to say these are unattractive cars by any stretch, but it goes to show just how important the suicide door sedan body was to the image and character of this generation Continental, in coupe form it just doesn’t have what made it special, other than the extra heavy unibody construction.
I much prefer the chiseled-looking ’66-’67 coupe. I think the 1968 coupe restyle to a more “formal” look was a mistake.
+1
I think Ford made the same mistake with these as they later would with the 1988 Continental and restyled 1988 Mercury Topaz sedan – other than the frameless windows the whole roofline is identical to the bottom of the barrel 1966 Falcon coupes and Fairlane/Comet 2-door sedans of the same year.
I don’t find ’66 Falcons anywhere near as attractive any of the model year Falcons (1960-63, 1964-65) that preceded it. The ’66s still had the round taillights, but the whole ‘look’ of the car was far inferior to my picky eyeballs. Hood longer; trunk shorter . . . meh. The 1960-65 models all look like a work of motor art to me but it stops there.
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In regards to the 1968 Continental coupe featured it has the same color as my ’67 Lincoln did. I never did try to find out what shade of green that was. It looks like ‘Olive Green’ to me, but I still don’t actually know. Anyway, Lincoln did a nice job integrating the side-marker lights in to the style of the car. You can also see the now-mandatory shoulder belt harness coming down from the ceiling of the car. My ’67 had the set-up for where the shoulder belts would go, but they were not mandatory for the 1967 model year and the original owner of my Linc didn’t select them as an option.
Lincoln kicked the hood ornaments off the hood for ’68. When I had the ’67 my girlfriend liked to bend the ornament sideways because it was a lil’ bit loose so she had fun being mischievous. “Say, Carter, what’s going on with your hood?” she would ask knowing full well why it wasn’t standing upright. (I’m amazed it didn’t break off before I had it fixated).
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Certain among y’all have mentioned taillights. Besides the enormous ‘Like’ I have for FORD’s old-timey round, red taillights (afterburners!) on my Falcon there’s plenty of other old cars whose taillights I fancy. ♦Most notable♦ The 1968 Chevrolet Bel Air and Biscayne models with the two half-moon shaped taillights on each side embedded in to the back bumper. I really dig those. The Impalas and Caprices had 3 lights on each side and those look almost as good, but I like the ‘less-is-more’ slightly better.
Appears it was called “cameo green”.
http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/NA/Lincoln/1967_Lincoln/1967-Lincoln-Continental-Brochure/1967-Lincoln-Continental-22-23
Thanks. I had a beige-y colored vinyl roof to go with the Cameo Green paint job.
+2
Not a Lincoln fan, particularly, but a nice photo and write up that helped me appreciate them more.
And, I got distracted learning more about the Hammond B3; I love the sound but didn’t know much about it. Turns out that Laurens Hammond, the inventor, worked in the auto industry including Gray Motors, which became this company https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_(automobile) See, there’s always a link between cars and music!
Dman, because of your comment, I spent a considerable amount of time on the internet last night reading about the history of the Hammond – and so I thank you for (in turn) leading me to learn more about one of my favorite jazz instruments.
Shirley Scott did some great stuff with the B3, as did Count Basie from time to time.
My gosh – Shirley Scott on organ and then-husband Stanley Turrentine on alto sax… musical alchemy!! 🎵🎶👍
Hammond hated Leslie speakers. They give the distinctive sound that completes the classic sound, but the inventor wouldn’t even allow Hammond dealers to offer/sell Leslie’s.
Rachel Flowers is an amazing talent. Read wikipedia for her physical challenges she was born with, and Keith Emerson allowed her to use his modular Moog. Here she is playing “Tarkus”.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DFLT3Cb96-Mk&ved=2ahUKEwjSqqSb9oPeAhXkMn0KHdyTB74QtwIwB3oECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0t2WDe0gxaGm3ft0gvelF7
My people!
Ditto the ’94-’96 Ford Escort sedan, and the ’93-’95 Dodge Spirit, and the ’12-’17 VW Tiguan, and sundry others. Yeah, that’s a pet peeve of mine.
Daniel, I think the worst thing about the taillights of the later Spirits and J-Body LeBarons were that the amber portion stretched across the *entire* rear panel – the first cue to total unbelievability.
(Great article in your link, by the way. Nicely done.)
Thanks kindly! »doffs cap«
The later J-bodies at least had amber rear turn signals. The Spirits just had “dead” amber plastic and flashed the brake lights as turn signals.
Now: what is your opinion of the early Cadillac Catera or the late Chrysler LeBaron sedan? No amber plastic, but full-width red-and-smoke to match the red (brake/tail) and smoke (amber turn signal) compartments of the taillamps?
Hmmm… While I had cited the early J-Body LeBaron two-door as an example, and while the style of taillight on the LeBaron sedan was similar, I actually like the look of that red-and-smoke. It still kind of does it for me. I just wish the whole tail-panel lit up! (Looks way better than the red-and-amber lenses that came later on the J-Body.)
As for the early Catera, I also like it – functionality be darned. I liked the full-width-look lenses better than the smaller units that came later.
I live in RP and never see cool cars like this! Nice work!
Nice to see another Chicago CCer here.
We get a decent amount of nice cars here in Ukrainian Village but Joseph is like the Chicago Car Whisperer, I swear.
Thanks, Ryan and CJC. I think a common factor in many of my CC spottings is North Sheridan Road, which seems to be something of a classic car-magnet… at least through October.
Handsome Lincoln, but IMO the ‘66 – ‘67 two doors did have a better look. Ford clearly wanted a more formal look for ‘68 – it was nearly a twin roofline to the Mark III. I think the ‘69 Lincoln 2dr looks better, maybe it’s because of it’s more formal grill. The suicide door Continentals are my favorites.
I was a little surprised that all the big Chrysler fuselage designs had hidden wipers in ‘69, the big Ford & Mercury obtain hidden wipers in ‘71, Lincoln got hidden wipers in ‘70, Pontiac was first in ‘67.
The fake amber turn signals bother me too!
I wonder if the 1968-69 Lincoln Continental 2 door coupe was the inspiration for the 1969-70 Mercury Monterey coupe because both cars look alike, I agree the 1966-67 Continental coupe’s were much better looking and has more of a sporty look to it, I even like the 1970-73 Lincoln Continental 2 door coupe over the 1968-69’s because of the hidden headlights.
Your first picture shows clearly how modern cars have returned to the ’30s. The Continental was the extreme point of a trend in the ’60s and ’70s. The outer bounding box expanded WAY beyond the footprint of the wheels in width and length, while the passenger compartment shrunk to a minimum. The modern car to the left has very little overhang in either direction, and the passenger compartment fills the footprint.
Lovely car. I owned a ’67 Lincoln coupe for 13 years and regret selling it. Their unit body structure was interesting engineering for the time. They were actually a bit flimsy for their size and you could feel the structure twist if driving slowly on rough terrain.
This 68 coupe probably has a 460 Lima block, as the 462 MEL engine was discontinued part way through the ’68 MY production run. I liked the MEL engine, very solid and rugged, but very heavy. The 460 was a good upgrade.
I had the ‘462’ in my ’67 and it had 340 gross hp and the ‘460’ that replaced it had 360 gross hp. I had the 4-door suicide Lincoln. I miss it, but I just didn’t drive it enough. And so it was sold . . .
Yes! It’s funny you mentioned the 460, because when I did a little research for this blurb, I did see that the engine did change midyear. What I couldn’t find was any reference to any external clues as to how to tell a 462-equipped car from one with the 460.
I just love the style of this machine, though. It just exudes all-around class.
Now that is a car! My sons and I have taken a few rides through the North Side on the weekends just to see the sights and sounds. I would love to cruise in that Lincoln. I love the two door and don’t recall ever seeing one in person. Only been in a Lincoln (’72-ish Mark-something) once as a small child. The back seat was better than any bed I’ve had. A big change from the ’72 Torino with the weird black rubber seats that my mom had. God that car was awful. And I liked almost all cars.
Lincoln’s of the 60s really were such understated luxury cars. I see much of that in the new MKZ and Continental. I fear that the target has moved since then.
The Lincoln coupes were really cool, but the suicide doors on the sedans were so appealing that I’m not surprised that they were more popular. My Dad had a powder blue ’63 sedan with blue leather interior that was just Heaven to my grade school eyes. Later he had a light green ’68 Coupe that I used for my wedding car. I had a ’66 sedan years before. Although I preferred Coupe de Villes when it came to Cadillacs I think those old Lincoln sedans, nothing conveyed Class like suicide doors.
That Lincoln is riding too low. Typically the leaf springs in the rear sag and that is cured with overload shocks with coil springs around them or bolt on extra leaf. Of course replacing them or having them retempered would be best. But that example is also too low at the front, and the coils do not normally ever sag as far as I know. Maybe someone cut them at some point?
From stylish past to mundane present, as evinced by the black Camcordima in the shot.
But the old timer’s taking the lead! LOL!
What a fabulous follow-up to the 72 we saw a day earlier.
I suspect that the 2 door Lincoln’s sales suffered a lot when the Mark III came out midway through the model year. 2 door luxury cars seemed to appeal to a different buyer, one that appreciated flash and style. Cars like the Coupe deVille and the Mark III hit the target with those folks. Lincoln (and Imperial) buyers seemed to be more about substance than style and their sales of 2 door cars reflected that.
What a thrill to see one of these underway in the wild. And like you, I love seeing this one lit up at dusk.
Nice find. I have yet to find an image on the net for a ’67 Continental 2 door with black vinyl top like dad bought new, must be a rare combination. Found 4 doors and convertible versions only.
Great find to see any ’61/’69 Continued still being driven on the streets today.
Meant to say in silver mist color with black vinyl top.
Joseph, you have excellent taste in automobiles, architecture, and music.