Before I go any further with my coverage from last Sunday’s Mooneyes Street Car Nationals in Odaiba, I really have to show you guys this Lincoln Continental. It was, hands-down, my favorite car of the event.
I’ve always been a massive fan of these big old boats, possibly due to the fact that up until just a few years ago I’d never seen one up close. You know how it is, the whole mystical feel of a car that you never really see growing up as it just belongs to another time or culture. Well, that’s what the Conti’ has always been to me.
But then a few started popping up here and there at Mooneyes shows and meets, and that’s when that love for this model really intensified. The proportions of the Lincoln alone do it for me; the body is impossibly long and wide, yet the cabin can almost be considered cramped, despite the fact that you can squeeze in six passengers on the two bench seats.
The Continental has a real sinister feel about it; it’s almost eerie and dumped onto the ground like this one is those qualities only intensify.
This is a 1962 model and it has the best front and rear grille out of all the other production years. There’s something rather modern about the rows of chrome triangles rectangles; it just looks so fresh, almost how you’d expect an aftermarket replacement grill to look.
Another little aspect I love is how the large chrome corner bump guards recess into the bodywork. From the profile it looks like some custom fabrication was needed to get the tucked-in look, but the car actually came like this from factory.
My only pet peeve with this car is the gigantic size of the wheels. To me, they just don’t have the right feel, but at the same time I can see why the owner went for them. The Continental has enormous wheel arches, so running anything small you’d end with a lot of empty space between the arch line and the wheel and tire. At least the wheels used have a period-correct feel; I’m guessing they are somewhere around the 24-inch size, but there was no way to check as the writing on the tire sidewalls had been shaved off.
The smooth and uncluttered design continues at the back; it’s imposing no matter what angle you view it from. And just check out the roof line, which looks like it came with chop from factory.
In case you don’t know what you are looking at, the chrome badges on the rear fenders will point you in the right direction.
Of course what made this model extra special were the rear suicide doors for easy entry, just what your local mafia boss craved for in 1962.
I don’t know if I spent more time looking at the simple interior or taking whiffs of the leather, wood and combination of plastics and glues that have been thoroughly aged for the last 56 years. This car smelled like the ’60s all the way, absolutely glorious!
Air ride, wheels and a clean 1962 donor Conti’ – perfect execution all the way. What do you guys think about this? The ‘Don Dino’ can’t stop thinking about it.
Dino Dalle Carbonare
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dino@speedhunters.com