“Cooler By The Lake” read some of the banners in my Chicago northside neighborhood of Edgewater. This could be a reference to how the breezes off nearby Lake Michigan keep things nice and cool in the summer, but it also refers to the beautiful multiculturality and artful, relaxed feel of this area. It could just as accurately symbolize the car-spotter’s haven it is during warm weather months. The sighting of this ’66 Continental convertible at the end of this past September was only one such example of many this year.
The whole idea of a four-door convertible from a mainstream, luxury automaker exudes opulence. Cadillac may have had the volume in the ’60s, but in my eyes and for style and with the exception of the brilliant ’67 Fleetwood Eldorado, the decade belonged to Lincoln. I’ll admit that any classic car that’s decades old will automatically have built-in prestige and exclusivity by dint of its survivorship and relative rarity, but I’d argue that even without that (and it really is impossible to know), this Lincoln says “money” more and better than anything else currently on the new-car market. No Navigator or Escalade can touch it.
I also like the idea of a four-door convertible taking away the excuse of at least a few people who wouldn’t want to go for a ride because a convertible would be “too cramped” in the back. Rear seat passengers get their own pair of doors, and there was also the three-inch wheelbase stretch for ’64, up to 126 inches from 123″, that had contributed significantly to rear legroom back there. What good is all this luxury if the owner can’t share it, at least when he or she wants to? I remember wanting to show off my new-to-me ’88 Mustang to friends and relatives and wanting to take them for a ride. The rear seat wasn’t a complete torture chamber from what I can remember (when I had given someone else the keys to drive), but I could see how ingress and egress in my little Mustang hatchback might not have been the easiest things for my aunts and uncles who were, at the time, in the same middle-age bracket where I am now.
I imagine that when new, a car like this Lincoln might have been owned by a fifty-something business owner and his wife, whose children were by then adults themselves and out of the house. This would be the perfect car for a long drive after the extended family had gotten together for Sunday “dinner”. (That’s lunch for most people; dinner is called “supper” in some parts of the Midwest, or at least it was in my family of origin.) Everyone can fit, including a couple of grandchildren on laps. Wind buffeting wasn’t an issue, because no one was in a hurry to go anywhere in particular. The joy was in the journey. The occupants of this beautiful Continental were traveling at a leisurely pace – seeing and being seen. Look at my prosperity and gaze thee upon the beauty of my automobile. Hey, if one could afford a rolling sculpture like this, would it be so wrong to want to bask in the glow in the admiration of others? I’m sure that for some, that was and is the whole point.
I had been aware of the greatness of these Continentals of the ’60s starting in my adolescence in the ’80s, but being able to easily identify their yearly changes had largely eluded me. Even prior to sitting down to write this, it hadn’t even occurred to me that the ’66 had featured fully restyled sheetmetal. It was a larger car than the ’65, not only in length, which had stretched about four and half inches (from 216.3″ to 220.9″), but also in width (from 78.6″ to 79.7″). Height remained about the same as before at around 54.5″.
Now that I’m aware of the ’66 being something of a generational bisector for this generation of Continental, it’s easier to notice at a glance the more sculpted sheetmetal that also included a full-length beltline character line just below the greenhouse that stretched from stem to stern. Taillamps were also now set in the bumper, a dubious styling trend that I’m glad had had its place in time and then gone away, though their placement here doesn’t really detract from this car’s overall look of elegance.
These cars were also extremely weighty, with the 5,500-pound starting weight of the ’66 convertible being only within around 8% of the starting weight of a new 2026 Navigator SUV (which weighs a full three tons), a much larger and much more usable vehicle. It’s worth pointing out that the four-door hardtop weighed 400 pounds less than the convertible, and the hardtop coupe was 500 pounds lighter. All of the structural reinforcement required for the convertible chop had to manifest itself in some kind of way. In addition to its increased physical dimensions over the ’65, the Lincoln’s 430 cubic inch V8 was bored and stroked to 462 cubic inches, gaining 20 horsepower (340 vs. 320) in the process.
Sales of the big Continental convertible had averaged about 3,200 annually from its introduction for ’61 through ’65, and about as many were sold for ’66. The next model year would be the last for the drop-top Connie, but curiously, only about 2,300 found buyers. (The convertible’s best sales year was ’65, with close to 3,400 units sold.) Apparently, few Lincoln buyers cared that much that one of the most unique body styles among all vehicles for sale at that time was going away. And thus, one of only a handful of factory-produced, four-door convertibles available for purchase since the end of World War II became a footnote in my automotive encyclopedia, but what a fine-looking automobile this Continental was and still is.
Coincidentally, it was the first year of this design for ’61 in which the convertible had accounted for the highest percentage of total Continental sales, at 11% of about 25,200 cars, or just under 2,900 units. By ’66 and despite an overall sales total that had increased dramatically thanks in large part to the introduction of a new, two-door hardtop which sold close to 15,800 units and also a $600 price drop for ’66 (about $6,000 in 2025) for similarly contented cars, the convertible accounted for just under 6% of that year’s overall tally of 54,800.
For me, though, it all comes back to the sheer presence of the four-door Continental convertible. To look at pictures of it somehow doesn’t do justice to its majesty when one sees one moving in traffic. Suddenly, you feel like you’ve just witnessed the arrival and departure of a dignitary. On the surface, anyway, this is exactly the way a luxury vehicle is supposed to make onlookers feel – like what and who they have just seen, however briefly, were larger than life.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, September 28, 2025.
Brochure pages were sourced from www.oldcarbrochures.org.
Click the following links for reading on the 1966-67 Lincoln Continental convertible and also on the ‘65 Lincoln Continental.
I always called these “Kennedy Cars”, given that the 1961 version (with a 1962 front clip) was what JFK was riding in on the fateful Friday in Dallas, TX, on 22 November, 1963, when I was just four (4) years old! The stretched version JFK was riding in had been modified by Hess & Eisenstadt, with an extra pair of jump seats behind the driver that Texas Governor John Connolly and his wife Nellie were riding in on that tragic day. Governor Connolly was also struck by gunfire that day, and spent several weeks recovering from his wounds (see link below).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_state_car_(United_States)#Kennedy_X-100_(1961–1977)
The convertible went away in 1967, but in 1968, the Ford MEL 462 V8 was replaced with the then brand new “385” V8, which displaced 460 cubic inches in the Lincoln Continental. Ford produced a new suicide-door, limited edition Lincoln Continental in 2019, with a limited production run of just 80 cars (see link below), called the coach door edition!
https://www.howtogeek.com/forgotten-american-luxury-used-car-feels-like-rolls-royce-smart-buy/
Thanks for this, Robert. When I was mulling over angles with which to write about the subject car, the Kennedy association did come up a few times. I knew about the Hess & Eisenstadt connection, but not that the ’61 featured a ’62 front clip. That’s interesting – I’ll have to check out that link.
Thank you for featuring this beautiful 66 convertible. The wheelbase on the Continental was lengthened for 1964. It was widened for 1966, but the wheelbase remained the same.
You are absolutely right – the wheelbase stretch happened for ’64, not concurrent with this restyle. Thanks for pointing this out. Some word “reengineering” is warranted.
One might have thought that Ford would have considered changing the design of these Lincolns more substantially after 22 November. However it wasn’t their fault this happened, so I understand not wanting to spend the $$$ for a radical redesign.
I too was just a kid when this happened. Such a tragedy, it shook the world.
LBJ was also partial to Lincoln convertibles, he had several…
The picture below is of LBJ and Ladybird Johnson with their dog Yuki in a 1966-’67 Lincoln Continental convertible…
And one of his ’64 convertibles sold several years ago for $172,000.00:
Whiskey, Politics, and a Lincoln: LBJ’s Favorite Convertible
https://www.diehlauto.com/whiskey-politics-and-a-lincoln-lbjs-favorite-convertible/
“Unlike the official government-issued limousines used in Washington, D.C., Johnson purchased this 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible for personal use through his company, The LBJ Co. This classic car was a regular sight at the LBJ Ranch, where Johnson often entertained guests, political allies, and members of the press. The vehicle was more than just a mode of transportation—it was a mobile extension of Johnson’s character… He frequently used it to drive around his Texas ranch, often accompanied by Secret Service agents, political allies, and journalists… “
As a young man, every year I collected car brochures, I remember that Continental one. 1966 was the best year of the 1960s for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, IMHO.
Nice – I did like ’66 for FoMoCo, but the arrival of the ’67 Cougar would definitely influence my preference of favorite year for Ford in the ’60s.
I love these convertibles and happy I lived in a time when these were new. I have been amazed how the T-Birds and Lincolns rolled down the same assembly line at the Wixom plant. Sure they had some of the same features like unibody construction but were mostly very different autos. These T-Bird and Lincoln convertibles are not for a driver that wants to be inconspicuous. Any time I drive my 1966 T-Bird conv. I ware a neutral shirt and dark sunglasses so as not to distract from the car. Reason: people like Joseph snapping pictures (LOL).
Haha – Alfred, I will say that sometimes and when I can, I will wave to the drivers and/or occupants of my moving subjects just to indicate that I am a friendly person. It’s not quite as easy to convey that with nonverbal communication when the subject vehicle is, say, less apparently desirable. So I both wave and click.
The Frazer Manhattan would take issue with the Continental being the only post-war four-door convertible.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/auction-classic/auction-classic-1951-frazer-manhattan-four-door-convertible/
Also, depending on how you define it, the 4-door Jeep Wrangler probably qualifies as well.
Oh, snap – Tom, you are absolutely correct. I’ll have to think about how I want to edit this, because the (beautiful) Kaiser Manhattan still had those pesky window frames (and B-pillar window) to break up the lines.
UPDATE: Okay, Tom. I fixed it. Thanks for pointing that out.
It is a beautiful car and those folks riding in it seem to be having a swell time on a beautiful day. I will say though that these actually look best either parked or proceeding at parade speed. Looking at your photos of the car executing that turn (which I would imagine is NOT at a particularly rapid speed) with all of that body lean and diving, wow. Yeah, let’s just keep it in a straight line.
Speaking of parades, whenever I see one of these I immediately think of Flounder’s brother’s car in Animal House. Which of course was a 1964 (in the movie) and didn’t start out as a convertible, although it wound up as one. Sort of.
Okay, so Jeff, the very first words that came to my mind when I saw that picture were “Ramming SPEEEEEEED!!!…”
I always think of the couple in my neighborhood growing up who had one of these. This was in the mid 1980s… and the couple were a doctor and his wife. Like your hypothetical owners in your article, they were fifty-somethings whose children were by then were out of the house.
Anyway, they were pretty affluent for the time, and Mrs. Doctor told her husband that she’d love to have a convertible (since convertibles were making a comeback in the ’80s). The Good Doctor decided to surprise his wife and he bought her – a white ’66 Continental. It was absolutely beautiful, and looked showroom new, but that car wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.
At the time, I loved Continental convertibles and I remember talking to Mrs. Doctor about her “new” car. She was very gracious, and didn’t want to upset her husband, but I remember her saying she didn’t enjoy driving it because it was so dang big. She was a petite woman and said she felt miniaturized by driving such an enormous car.
From what a recall, they kept the Continental for about two years, and sold it to get (if I remember correctly) a LeBaron convertible. More to her liking.
Ooooo… A J-body LeBaron convertible would have been to my liking, as well! I had this image while reading this description of a nice, little lady peeking through the steering wheel of that big Lincoln Continental convertible like in that scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Excellent.
Saw a 62 convertible, in white, at the National Auto Museum from the old Harrah’s collection. Looking at it I can immediately see the difference in size from the side profile. The one above looks like it is taking a leisurely cruise down the street yet exhibits quite the lean on that left turn.
Yes, that lean was very apparent, and they were not speeding in that left turn onto Broadway from Granville.
The Lincoln, as well as the Thunderbird convertibles of this era lost most of their luggage space when the top was lowered into the trunk. They did look cleaner than the average American convertible since there was no visible top stack behind the passenger area. I imagine that it made it difficult to stow luggage for a weekend getaway. Lincoln owners were probably loathe to pile their belongings in the backseat. This might have contributed to the low sales numbers. I had a ’64 Cadillac convertible and it had plenty of room in the trunk, a big backseat, and was fairly easy to climb in, especially with the top down. I also had a ’66 Lincoln sedan and it was a spritely performer and it stopped quite well with front disc brakes. I would say the quality of the Lincoln interior was superior to the Cadillac, with heavy cast chrome fixtures and quite substantial upholstery materials. There seems to be more interest in these Lincoln convertibles as I’ve seen several in local C&Cs and many offered for sale. The top mechanism is related to the old Ford hardtop convertible and is very complex. Jay Leno featured a Lincoln in one of his garage episodes. Nowadays I make do with a Mustang convertible, and load up the back seat.
Thanks, Jose. It’s interesting to me that Ford engineers didn’t do a little more for these premium cars to make the trunk space more usable with the top down. It would be something I would just expect – that I would be able to take a trip somewhere and enjoy top-down driving at the same time.
Somehow, in all my years contributing to CC, I have yet to capture a 61-67 Continental convertible in the wild, so my hat is off to you! This is doubly frustrating because the earlier version of these is the only American luxury car from the first half of the 60s that has eluded me as an owner.
It’s that second part of your comment that has me doffing my hat to you, Sir!
The pic I posted in my previous comment did not show up, here it is…
Below are LBJ and Ladybird Johnson with their dog Yuki in a 1966-’67 Lincoln Continental convertible
This is great – thanks for persisting!
I feel like I don’t know that much about LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson (outside of her highway beautification efforts). Reading this comment and another one further up makes me want to at least see what Wikipedia has to say about them.
I’m old enough to remember his Presidency, he was an “outsize” character, sometimes given to crudity, and the complete opposite of the “respectable” East Coast Establishment that was prevalant in US politics at the time… unfortunately, the Vietnam conflict wore him down…
This is from the link I posted above, he would roar around the LBJ Ranch in his Lincolns, often with terrified guests – including world leaders – aboard:
“Johnson was notorious for his love of Scotch, and according to Joseph A. Califano, Jr., his Special Assistant, the president had a unique way of ensuring his drink was never empty:
“In the early afternoon, the President, with me next to him in the front seat, took his white Lincoln convertible, top down, for a drive around the ranch. It was incredibly hot; the dust clouds made it hard to breathe. But there was relief. As we drove around, we were followed by a car and a station wagon with Secret Service agents…
The President drank Cutty Sark scotch and soda out of a large white plastic foam cup. Periodically, Johnson would slow down and hold his left arm outside the car, shaking the cup and ice. A Secret Service agent would run up to the car, take the cup and go back to the station wagon. There another agent would refill it with ice, scotch, and soda as the first agent trotted behind the wagon. Then the first agent would run the refilled cup up to LBJ’s outstretched and waiting hand, as the President’s car moved slowly along…”
Wow. As a recovering alcoholic myself (five years sober and counting), I am not at all triggered but this, but damn.
I spotted this Red ’66 somewhere in Downtown Chicago in 2004. Wonder if it is still roaming about?
That’s a cool shot, Dan – I hope that Connie is still out and about. I can’t believe how long ago 2004 actually was – but I was here in Chicago.
The 1961 Continental caused a lot of consternation over at Cadillac. While living in SE Michigan, in the Cadillac & LaSalle Club, we had a few retired Cadillac designers in the club. The clean sides of this Elwood Engel model made Cadillac rethink a bit. You can see this on the 1963-1964 models. While still retaining fins, the overall design was much cleaner. The 1965-1966 Cadillacs matched Lincoln in overall styling excellence, I think. No fins, clean sides.
Compare the 1961 Cadillac and Continental: big advantage to Lincoln…
Currell Pattie
Currell, thank you for this perspective. I don’t think I would have noticed the relative stylistic restraint of the 1963 & ’64 Cadillacs until you had pointed it out. It’s cool that you got to visit with some of the former Cadillac designers. That’s something I would have enjoyed, having at one time wanted to be a car designer myself.
Thanks, Joseph.
As an aside, I had the privilege, while employed by General Dynamics, to work with Bill Mitchell on the design of the crew cab for a military vehicle, believe it or not. This was in 1983, after his retirement from GM, when he had his own design company. He was exceptionally kind to me, and I look back at that with great appreciation. His company also was working on a redesign of the Goodyear blimp! He had various renderings all over his office walls. They did not look like sausages, for certain…
Anyway, back to the discussion re postwar 4 door convertibles. Lincoln and Kaiser have been noted. If you allow me to look beyond the US, here is a list:
50s-early 60s Mercedes 300 sedan (“Adenauer”). Both the original design, and the freshening.
BMW 501/502. Very low production here, body by Baur and perhaps Autenreich. The “Baroque Angel”, and BMW almost went ba-roke (bad pun) trying to sell these things.
VW Thing.
The astonishing Nisson Murano Cross Cabriolet. Yes! An SUV. Readers, please Google this. I actually saw one in Alexandria Va about 10 years ago, and chatted with the owner. It was his second, as I recall.
There are a couple more converitible sedans post WW2,, but I cannot come up with them. Maybe a fellow CCer can help here.
Currell Pattie