There’s so many Lincoln posts going up this week, I’m feeling (pleasantly) redundant. But I don’t want to come off like a slacker, so here’s one little contribution.
It even curtseyed for me.
Lincoln Week Outtake: Little Wheels
– Posted on June 19, 2013
Wow – they even have these in Oregon! Didn’t this guy get the memo – teeny wheels are out and HUGE wheels are in.
I am going to stick up for this generation of Town Car. (Someone has to). When these came out, this car said 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan to me. True, there may have been more inspiring examples to draw from, but that doesn’t make it any less of a Lincoln.
I just wished that these had contained the same level of trim and equipment as the earlier cars. I think it was the decontenting inside that turned these into livery cars, not the styling.
I remember riding in the back of one that belonged to my mom’s neighbors. I get that ashtrays and lighters are no longer de-rigeur but could they at least have kept the power points?
You Paul, a slacker…no way!
Here’s the thing…back in the 50’s and 60’s…aftermarket wheels – for the most part, combined style and function. They could improve the performance of a vehicle whether by less unsprung weight, a wider rim allowing a wider tire…or as was usually the case back then, both.
Today, when aftermarket wheels are placed on older vehicles, they’re often several inches larger than the ones they replaced, so unsprung weight is increased putting extra strain on the brakes and suspension components. It’s the 2013 equivalent to 5-inch shackles in the 70’s. Looks cool, but makes your car dangerous.
Even loud mufflers have for the most part become nothing more than pretending. Hot Rod’s done a few muffler tests over the years and found that Cherry Bombs actually take a back seat to many quieter but better-flowing units. I almost always put a cat-back system on my vehicles, but I shop carefully to buy something that actually improves performance.
JP, I see the resemblance to the old Cosmopolitan. Remarkable.
Oh dear.
Money can’t buy you taste
How long have you been sitting on this pic Paul? Shucks signage has been gone for at least a couple of years now around here.
After several years working in the medical field I feel compelled to share a secret for the first time. Those wheels are required when one has undergone a lobotomy or lobectomy. Seems the reaction time is reduced which is compensation for the loss of acuity and reduced mental response.
If you need to know any more just ask. Btw, I am not going to send any pictures of the wheels on my truck.
This may be one of most favorite post on this website. I knew there had to be a reason for those tires other than a lawn mower.
Seriously, they should be illegal. The car is not designed for such and I will likely be the guy it slides into on a rainy night.
Thats just all wrong and matches the sidewall free wheels on that piece of crap Seville I found nearby the stupid wheels and chain steering utensil are why I didnt shoot it.
Those undersized tires on a Lincoln look just as pathetic as the oversized farm tractor tires that I saw somebody put on a Jaguar Sovereign one time.
…or a late model Camaro w. the full donk treatment. Saw one recently when it passed me & then went around a corner. Talk about HUGE wheels! How it made it w/o tipping over is beyond me.
Goes to show there will always be people w. more money than sense.
To me, the undersized wheels craze is even sillier and more pointless than the oversized wheels craze. This Lincoln seems to want to be a low-rider and a hi-riser at the same time. It deliberately exposes unsightly wheel-well area the way sagging pants deliberately expose unsightly underwear.
If you don’t like the size of the wheels your vehicle came with, you can change them as long as you stay within an inch or two, plus or minus (preferably plus). Beyond that you’re asking for trouble. And ridicule.
No no no no no!
Ugh…
Here, have some of my eye bleach. 🙂
Curtsey? No…it was getting EXCITED! BOUNCING up and down like a Jack Russell terrier that got into your stash of White Crosses.
Somewhere near San Diego, twenty years ago, someone had a “bounce car,” full-on hydraulic bouncers, and started doing his thing at a stoplight. He was actually creeping sideways towards me…with four feet of air, I marvel that his frame didn’t bust. Woulda busted my Caravan panel truck, though, if he’d drifted my way…those weren’t overly sturdy.
About 20 years ago, the undersized wheels and tires craze was in full swing in the deep South, along with having the wheels mounted way out beyond the fender line.
I’m with LeBaron and others…they change the handling dynamics in a way that’s dangerous to the driver, passengers and other vehicles, and they should be illegal. Freedom of choice be damned.
Spotted this in Houston, The hood was adorned with steer-horns:
Don’t let this “Texas Criminal” within a mile of Carmine!