Lot 124: Lincoln Continental Convertible

First seen in 1961 the new Lincoln was the first mainstream model to be given the Continental title. This had previously been reserved for a separate division but with sales on the floor in 1960 a whole new approach was required. If Paul MacNamara had been listened to, the Lincoln brand would have been quietly dropped in 1960 but fortunately, he was not.The designers at Lincoln were given a brief to produce a design that would reinvigorate Lincoln sales but they had little time and even less money to achieve this miracle. The car that appeared actually started life as a Ford Thunderbird design study, which was significantly changed and converted into a four door convertible. The suicide or clap-door arrangement owes little to design and more to practicality, because the central or B pillar was just not strong enough to hang the huge door from, so it became a rear hinged door.When launched in 1961 the car was received with rave revues and was presented with a design award from the "American Institute of Design", the only motor car to have ever won such an award. The advertising for the model was heavily biased towards the extraordinary attention each car received during production. Every engine was individually tested, every car was taken on a pre-delivery test drive and the cars were offered with a 25000 miles or 24 month warranty. This was unheard of in 1961.The 1961 to 1967 Lincoln Continental was the most tested car of its time and out performed all of its rivals, including the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, MKX Jaguar and Mercedes 600. Where the Lincoln scored heavily was the fact that it was available as a convertible and a 4-door, 6 seat convertible at that. It was also one of the most expensive American cars of its time.Offered here is a 1965 example, which was imported from Scottsdale, Arizona in June of this year. It is equipped with a new, fabric, power hood, power windows, power quarter light windows, power steering, power antenna, automatic transmission and 430 cubic inch V8 and 100 spoke, chrome wire wheels.The car is offered complete with a UK MoT certificate through to August 2008 and is duty and VAT paid. The car merely requires registering, which costs around £50.A fabulous piece of 1960's design and a wonderful vehicle to drive. Owners can entertain crowds of people by demonstrating the fully retractable hood mechanism, which is a work of art.