When I was a kid about 1966 there was a 58 Mark lll abandoned behind a Flying A station, it was powder blue with light blue green interior. I'd open it and sit and dream of driving it someday. I absolutely loved the roll down back window it was my favorite thing and I always wanted a Merc or Lincoln with one. Now that I see your video I want one again! Thanks a lot! lol
Just try to imagine for one second a 1960 Lincoln, a 1960 Cadillac, and a 1960 Imperial all stopped at a Stop light back in 1961 when these cars were New! WOW 🤩
Maybe not at a stop light, but routine at country clubs all over North America at the time. Buying a new luxury car every year was routine then for the rich.
Superb video. The ‘58-‘60 is one of those designs that provokes strong love it / hate it responses. Adam smoothly weaves around all that with his passion for cars generally and with his encyclopedic knowledge that drills down to interesting elements of a car that can be appreciated however one feels about the design. Best of luck finding a clean sample for your collection; as you note, not many survive. Thanks Adam!
As the recent buyer of a 58 Premiere Landau, I can say it really is a kick to drive. The car feels very light on its feet. When accelerating, especially from a stop, the rear end raises up slightly. It feels very fast, almost as the car is being pushed. Cornering is better than you would think as well. A complicated and in some instances a tough car to maintain but it is worth it. Also plenty of leg and head room for my 6'7" bod.
Watching these videos in some ways make me sad because I know we’ll never see such creative features and designs in the cars of our lifetimes. While the safety and mechanicals of today’s vehicles may be superior, the stylistic “WOW” factor just isn’t there……😕
The 58-60 Lincoln Continentals were indeed the quirkiest Lincolns ever!!! I think that the styling is over the top gaudy, but over the years it has grown on me. I do like the rear "breezeway" rear window!!! Thanks Adam, for sharing this fun video!!! 👍👍🎃
I felt the same about the styling until I saw the beautiful white on white Mark III convertible featured in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest with a view of Mt Rushmore in the background..
Lincoln also offered a very pricey option for the radio, an FM multiplex unit that would allow stereo reception in the car, BFD in 1959 and 1960! Additionally, the D1 and D2 ranges on the automatic are just like the original Mustang automatic. It was explained to me that D2 was good for getting out of snow or mud since it started in second instead of first gear. Anyone with a three on the tree learned that early. Great video, an unappreciated period for the maker.
This is very true; 2d gear comes in very handy for such conditions. It is by no means the most economical position where fuel consumption is concerned, but it can get one out of a stuck-y situation, and even prevent one from falling victim to a slippery situation. People these days are not taught that; if they were, there would be far fewer loss-of-control crashes in rain and snow. I'm not even sure whether owner's manuals printed today make mention of it...not that it matters, because I don't know anyone besides me who has actually opened, never mind studied, the owner's manuals to their vehicles.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 It seems most American brands cars don't have a optional 2nd gear start. My 2009 Volvo C70 with ac5 speed auto can start in 1st, 2nd or 3rd. As in requards to spinning out. Tire designs make a huge difference. Most people can't justify putting on Winter tires for Winter only. I live in the NW and see too many Winter tires running all Season. I just put on new M&S tires on my 2009 Volvo because I don't drive over Mountain Passes or drive aggressive. I have over 27 years of Commercial trucking experience and talk about Winter driving all day
@@BeingMe23 Yes, I too run M+S tires on my battleship. I learned that rating to have a difference from typical "all-season" tires when I was in Germany, where they mandated changes from summer tires to winter tires upon a certain established date, punishable under law if ignored. The only exception they allowed were for all-season tires that specifically showed "M+S" on them. You have a point about 2d-gear starts being absent; that was also the case with the 1989 Audi Series-80 I had when I was in Germany, one with an automatic transmission. I can remember, if I shifted it into 2d gear, it would actually start in 1st and then go up to 2d. Still, that helped me avoid any spin-outs in the three winters I spent over there.
@@sunbeam8866 I'm not sure. Some brands have historic firsts to their credit (e.g., Packard for A/C, Chrysler for cruise control, Cadillac [possibly] for dual-hydraulic brakes), but I don't really know who could claim credit in America for the first car-installed FM radio. I was surprised when I first learned that FM radios were offered as optional extras on Lincolns that far back.
Adam, the chassis greasing system, or at least the concept, was not new. Cars of the '20s, at least, had a contraption made by Bijur that held a quantity of oil that would flow to multiple chassis points. My grandfather's 1927 Packard was so equipped. Granddaddy loved it!
@@ScottALaFollette I'm sure they did. Rolls-Royce also had it, I think until the mid-50s. My grandfather seemed to think it was the best invention since the wheel!
The 61 and 62 also had a 2 barrel and only 300 horsepower. One of the reasons was a quest for more silence than Cadillac. Ford automatics operated like this up into the 80s. The Thunderbird switched to leaf springs for 1959, so Lincoln, being related, switched in 60. Motorists complained about excessive squat and rear end wonder in their 58 Tbirds, and sagging rear ends in their Lincolns. Many people did not buy these because they wouldn't fit in the garage. Many garages before the 70s were not that big, and more than a few had Setback regulations and minimum distance from your neighbor's house.
Yes, I had read those complaints about the rear suspensions of the '58/9 models. They did that to make an easy swap for an optional balloon suspension should a customer ask for that option, to compete with Cadillac's own balloon-suspension offering. But it just was not worth the headaches the design caused, which was why they resorted back to the leaf-sprung rear suspensions by '60 and stuck with it through '69, dropping it again by '70 with the new body-on-frame bulldozers. I suppose somehow the coil/trailing-arm setup worked better for them on framed cars...although I have also seen references to the later Mark III's "unscheduled foray into rear-wheel steering," caused by the numerous rubber bushings and cushions wearing out over time.
Ford changed over from the "Green dot drive" to the Select Shift in the 1967 model year, it was used until the advent of automatic overdrive in the 1980s but the select shift C-6 was still used in certain Ford trucks and vans until the 90s. The only real difference between the green dot and select shift was the valve body in the transmission. I would have to knock out the back wall to get this or any late 60s/1970s land yacht in my garage, and this house was built in 1969
I love Lincolns. I have 2 town cars, a 99 Cartier and a 07 Designer. Rides like a big cloud. I was talking cars before and I said Idk why more company's didn't use a system like Citroën did. I rode in a late 60s I think it was and man what a soft great ride it had. Maybe the best I've ever felt. Including new cars. Yes a few may get pretty well great or even better but the simplicity of them and the cost knock new vehicles out the park. Plus if u get a flat, it can ride on 3 wheels safely and pick up the flat so u can change it easily. A few had a built in type jack. Now they don't have a spare. We go backwards sometimes trying to move forward too fast.
@@donreinke5863 Yes; if my information is accurate, the engineers had to redesign the internals of the valve body to make the C-6 Select-Shift. I had retrofitted a '67 transmission into my '66 early on, not knowing then about the valve-body design difference between the two years, but mainly because the old one had been drowned long ago and would have cost too much to rebuild at the time. I also retrofitted a '67 tilt column, even though my car already had a tilt column; partially because I had seen complaints about the Saginaw design used in '66, and because I thought the '67 design just looked nicer, more modern, less dated. When I later learned about the different shifting attributes of the C-6 between those two years, I realized that column swap had a much-greater significance than mere aesthetics.
@@jasonchristopher2977 I know, right? I grew up with Lincolns. My grandmother had two of the '60s, the first a '63 and the second a '67, then later an '82 (the smaller humpback version that looked like a restyled Seville). Growing up with that sort of motorized conveyance, it stands to reason that I'd have to have my own. I have ridden in a Citroën before; a higher-up NCO I worked for in Germany had one, a Xantia. Despite the initial appeal of the hydraulic suspension for those who never experienced one, the experience was anything *but* appealing. The roads in Kaiserslautern are not known to be skating-rink smooth, and every bump that car hit was a punishment to the tailbones, especially in the back seat. It was like that car had the suspension of a grocery cart! Thankfully I only had to ride in his car a couple of times when I couldn't drive myself; otherwise, I might have been medically chaptered out for lower-spine injury...not even combat-related, to boot.
My first experience with one of these cars was when I was 15 and I saw the old Hitchcock movie "North By Northwest." When I saw the "Continental" script plate on the front grille, I couldn't believe I was looking at a Lincoln.
A couple of observations (or corrections). My 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria came with a Town-Country radio. It was an automatic station search feature. The country setting increased the sensitivity in the expectation of fewer and weaker signals. The town setting was less sensitive, to help the radio sort out the stronger signals. Regarding the Continental's transmission, the reason for the D1 and D2 options had to do with traction. Normally you'd drive in D1 and go through all three gears, but on snow or ice, you'd go to D2 and lock out low gear, to reduce the tendency to spin the tires on start. It was a good feature for those of us who drove in snow country.
Another great posting. Being an old Ford nut I recall our neighbor's '55 T Bird had an automatic transmission ...perhaps the 'Fordomatic' at the time, that had the PRNDrLo shifter. It WAS a 3 speed, but Dr always started in second gear. Ist gear was engaged only if you floored it from the start, or manually shifted to Lo. I believe 1958 was the first year of the Cruisomatic with the D2 and D1 option, and full 3 gear shifting from start when in D1. If you put the shifter into L while coasting, it would drop into second gear, and then when you slowed to about 20-25 mph, it would abruptly drop into first. Our '59 Galaxie had it. In the old days you could compression start automatic Fords if the battery were dead (usually by rolling down a hill!), coasting the car up to speed with the ignition on, and dropping the shifter into Low. Compression starting was no longer available, either by 1965 or 1966....I know our 1966 wasn't capable of it...by then Ford had eliminated the rear pump in the transmission that made it possible to do that...about the same time generators were replaced by alternators. Ford shift patterns went to PRND21 with the 1967 model year.
I have loved this generation of LIncoln since my parents gave me George Dammann's "Fifty Years of Lincoln Mercury" back in the mid 70's when I was a boy. I still have the book.
Thanks for this video. Another one bringing back memories. Before my father changed over to GM vehicles, we had Mercurys. One was the 1957 Turnpike Cruiser hardtop sedan. I was quite young then, but remember the push button transmission selector, the rear window that went up and down, plus fresh air vents near the top of the A pillars facing forward. I think the radio had the town and country thing and a floor button to change stations that you mentioned. (Might have been on the '59.) I have a vague recollection of that. I know the car was fast, and had the largest V8 available for the '57 Mercs. Then he traded it in on a 1959 Mercury Park Lane. Sort of a dusty rose color. I don't really remember that car very well. He didn't like that one, and went over to GM cars after that. My mother drove a 1955 Merc Montclair sedan with a V8.
Correct me if my memory is wrong, but I recall the Turnpike Cruiser had cool little grilles at the tops of the windshield posts, each with a centered spiky antenna gizmo. Just styling, I realize ... but unique and appealing to the boy's heart inside the men who bought those cars.
@@rogerb5615 Those vents were actually functional. One could open them, and lower the rear window, and have fresh air flow through the interior, without opening any side window. The little antennas were decorative only
Always fascinated by these behemoths. And when I discovered the Convertible roof could collapse in it’s own compartment. I thought that was the coolest. Always wanted a ride in one of these.
I drove one (and gave my then-girlfriend a ride in it) as well as did transmission service on a 1960 convertible back in 1983, it was owned by a guy who owned a used car lot a block away. The back glass would retract and then the convertible top would drop. It was unlike any other "land yacht" I had driven many of them, including Cadillacs and Imperials, but it did not have comparable performance to the 429/472 equipped Cadillac and 413/440 Chryslers despite the 430 ci "MEL" series engines they had. (as I recall it had only a Carter two-barrel carburetor) It was where I first learned about the "auto lube" feature, although I dont know if it still worked on that unit.
Wonderful video! I’m currently rebuilding a 1958 430. Another interesting note is that the combustion chamber is in the block, and the head is flat on the underside, similar to a Chevy 348/409. The intake ports, exhaust ports, and valves are all enormous, even by big block standards.
Thank you Adam for another interesting review, I learned things I never knew. It’s my understanding that the 1969-71 re-use of the Mark three nomenclature was because Ford was somewhat embarrassed at the garishness of the 58-60 models that they “reset the clock“ in 1969. Whether that’s true or just speculation ultimately it doesn’t matter. The original Marks three, four and five deserve to be remembered from an era of excess.
There *is* some degree of truth to that; I have seen that very explanation more than once from more than one source. They were in fact embarrassed, as these cars just did not move off the lots; Iacocca wanted to see those three years buried and never dug back up when he reset the Mark enumeration. But you are right; these cars deserve to be remembered, just as the surviving Edsels deserve to be remembered (and no, that is not meant to be sarcastic). I am fascinated to see one whenever I do see one, whether it be in museum condition or junkyard-fodder condition (I've seen examples of both). It would be cool to see one actually rolling on the streets, under its own power.
@@MarinCipollina The one more-pristine example I had seen, I saw first at a vintage-car dealer in Copperas Cove, TX, in 2002. The next year, after coming back from Iraq to PCS to Fort Hood, I saw that same car at the Processing Center; apparently, a Soldier had bought it and was out-processing at the same time I was in-processing. I never had the chance to meet him, much less see that car rolling down the streets. That would've been cool. Somebody told me very recently that there is a car museum in Manhattan, KS, just a half-hour from me, that has a '58 Lincoln as one of its exhibits. Now that I finally have my car running properly, I need to go and find it.
Adam, your videos are always so interesting and historically informed. Thank you so much! I was born in 1960 and my grandfather was a Ford dealer. I've been looking for years for a solid 60 Galaxie or Edsel Ranger convertible.
I remember a television ad where a pro golfer made a chip shot through the open back window of one of these Lincoln Mercury cars. I guess that showed everyone why it was such a great feature!!
2:52 The HVAC control reminds me of those single-knob pressure-compensated shower controls, though even most of those have a separate diverter button on the faucet; I believe Delta has one line with the diverter and temperature controlled by a single knob. Maybe they got the idea from this car.
This is a uniquely beautiful ole gal. The styling is just an example of those fertile minds of the designers of the time. The 50s were a great creative time for the American car companies and they could build something so outlandish.
6:55 That's the only car I've noticed being photographed on an obviously carpeted floor, genuine 1970s sculpted carpeting no less. I wonder if any Lincoln showrooms were decorated that way.
Ford automatic transmissions still retained the 2nd gear hold feature at least until they did away with a real shift lever. Even my 2001 Econoline 4R70 will start in 2nd gear when shifted to 2nd manually. This is great for starting on slippery surfaces, snow or ice especially without traction control.
I'd say "obtuse" is putting it mildly; "bizarre" would be a more accurate adjective. They make the Edsels look conservative. I mean, it's neat to see from a nostalgic perspective; but, yeah, the exterior styling was extreme even for the late-'50s. John Najjar, the head designer for this series, was initially proud of the design, actually; he said in a 1995 interview that he never liked cartoons, and he did not consider this design to be a cartoon, but instead what the market was calling for (which may have been the case in '56 when the final design was approved for production...but, like the Edsel, the aim was right until the target moved). He did concede in that interview, however, that maybe it *was* in fact a real-world cartoon of a style.
Love these quirky Lincoln's. Nice job explaining the unique features of this beautiful beast. Jay Leno has one, and you both have done a great job describing them.
I think the design of the rear is the best looking part of these model year Lincoln’s. Certainly reminds me of some of the ford dream/show cars of the 50s
Another anomaly was the split evaporatve coils for the HVAC in each fender. An innovation was the use of the arm rest as a air duct for the rear passengers.
1958-60 Lincolns and Continentals have two evaporators, two expansion valves, two heater cores and two blower fans. These were essentially two complete, separate HVAC units on each side of the dash. The ducting allowed to the rear seats through the door armrests with directional registers. Imperial and Chrysler wagons of the era had dual air systems, but those were conventional air conditioning in the dash, and a separately switched trunk unit or roof mounted wagon unit and did not have dual heat. 1961 Lincoln Continental used dual heater units with two heater cores and two blower fans, all mounted in similar fashion as the 58-60, but went with a separate centrally located air conditioning unit.
We had a 1960 Continental Mark 4. Black with the red brocade interior. Talk about a land yacht OMG. I put Porter wall white walls on it without realizing the radial tires will just chew them up and they were falling off and shreds and chunks. LOL what a mess. But it was a lovely car everything worked on it including the Breezeway window. Thanks for sharing this one.
I always heard that the change from 4 bbl to 2 bbl was for fuel economy. I also heard the switch to leaf springs was for durability, to have two mounting points to put less strain on the unibody. They had a hard time in development keeping the rear quarters from buckling.
Love this series of "odd and quirky" features. With cars today being so homogenized is fun to remember and realize just how we got where we are today. It's hard for kids today to even comprehend that things weren't always computer chip driven. As for the car itself, I have truly come to love the look, the bronze example at the end is simply stunning. You wopuld do right to add one to your collection. I stand these up next to the later box style Continenta;s and the "bullet Birds" as some of Ford's most iconic ides.
The rich sheikhs had these automobiles & as a teenager I recall how fascinating it was to see one drive past when they were occasionally taken out for a spin. Even in the early 70s these cars were eye poppers
Our 60 Rambler Rebel has the Flash-O-Matic 3sp auto trans with push button control. It works the same as this continental. D1 is all 3 gears, D2 is 2nd and 3rd only and L is low only. I believe ours is a Borg Warner unit. Cheers 🇨🇦
To paraphrase Butch Cassidy, who is this guy?? I'm impressed with Adam's encyclopedic level of knowledge! Iv'e enjoyed his presentations immensely because of the depth and detail on so many cars iv'e known and loved. Adam is a finance guy but must be at a high position based on the number of cars he's owned? How about a Bio about our favorite "Car Guy" !
That Heater-AC control is somewhat like a old tv tuner, you would twist the knob to where you wanted it. Remember the "click" "click" "click" Hmmm, 0 to 60 in eight seconds in a 58 Lincoln - - - was the gas gage "balanced and blueprinted" Another fun watch of automotive history thanks to Adam.....
One of the TV manufacturers even rigged the VHF and UHF tuners so that one knob and fine-tuning-ring controlled both. Pretty slick for the days before digital tuning.
Really neat video history of the Forgotten Marks. Seeing one of these cars now, either in museum condition or organ-donor condition (I've seen examples of both), is fascinating to me. On the other hand, I can see the reasons why Ford felt it best that those cars should have met the fate of the Edsel. People, even some who consider themselves "expert automotive historians," just love to lampoon the Edsel for its looks. To be fair, Edsel did have a lot of problems, such as having a dubious identity making it difficult to place it in the hierarchy of Ford cars, several novel mechanical applications that were not fully tested for reliability (i.e., the pushbutton transmission controls, which were a very neat touch but apparently troublesome at best), and a flash recession that just all but torpedoed the appeal of the bigger-is-better pitch. Styling, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the list of the Edsel's problems; park a '58 Lincoln next to a '58 Edsel, and you cannot help but notice that the former makes the latter look *conservative.* So, enough lampooning of Edsel's looks, unless you add the contemporary Lincolns to said lampooning. It apparently was too much for many people to handle; some critics apparently dubbed it "The Chinese Look." One Ford designer who worked there at the time recalled in an interview a training meeting where somebody had said that, what they should have done with the first several thousand '58 Lincolns they built, was to push them into the Rouge River. That said, these Lincolns established a milestone that nobody thinks of: These are *the largest* unibody cars ever built (in fact, the largest cars built at that time, period, save for a few non-volume limousine conversions by other makes). Anybody who is not familiar with these cars, or Lincolns in general, would be stunned to know this (I still get shocked looks when I explain to people that my own car, a '66 Lincoln, has no separate frame). Now, these cars had their problems with this engineering milestone: The advantages of unibody construction (as opposed to body-on-frame construction) usually diminish as the size of the car increases. For a car of this size there really are no advantages, and certain unique problems do arise. These cars apparently turned into very shaky tuning boxes when driven, partially due to the output of the high-performance Y-block (dubbed the MEL series), partially to the rear-suspension design which was meant to accommodate an optional balloon suspension, *and* partially to inexperience with unibody construction since the first Zephyrs. To complicate matters, according to the same aforementioned Ford designer, the automated welding equipment at the plant they were built in was not working properly, forcing customers to return their cars to have the welds repaired. For a time nearly all the rental welding equipment across the country was tasked out to Lincoln dealers, struggling to fix what the Wixom plant botched. Apparently, even a few states threatened to require truck lights on these cars because they exceeded the width limits set by state laws back then. But that is all history now. Ford learned lessons about unibody construction very quickly and applied those lessons to the next generation of Lincolns, which have a very different historical image from the last of the '50s. The survivors of the lost three years have most likely been through all of that and are still here. Others that have not fared so well can be revived and restored, as long as they don't have terminal cancer at their structure points (something that plagues many new vehicles today, apparently). I will admit, seeing one of these on the road would have to be an intimidating experience for even the most narcissistic road-ragers...which can be an advantage for the owner/driver of these monsters.
Cool car. I was actually born in a 1964 mercury Monterey that had a electric rear window like the continental. Rode on the back shelf as a young child many times. Who needed seat belts...lol
There’s a Season 3 Perry Mason episode of Perry and Della pulling into a very rutted out dirt driveway in I believe a ‘60 Mk V convertible. You should see that giant front end modulating over those ruts. Could make someone seasick!
These cars also showed up in a number of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episodes, though around the time the show expanded to an hour, the show started getting some of its cars from Chrysler, with a number of Imperials showing up in the later episodes.
@@pcno2832 Also in Hitchcock's movie North by Northwest, where the villain (James Mason) and love interest (Eva Marie Saint) drive a white 1958 Continental Mark III Convertible. You can see it in the Mt. Rushmore part of the movie and later when Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint meet briefly in the woods.
I believe the auto-lubrication system was available across the FML lineup, or at least I remember it being advertised for Ford models in the early ‘60s. My ‘65 Mustang had the select shift transmission that started in 2nd gear and then upshifted to 3rd. It was useful for starting out on slick surfaces.
That was commonly known as a "Green dot drive" and was used in both the Cruiseomatic and new-for-1964 C-4 transmissions, and was a one year only feature in 1966 for the just introduced C-6 heavy duty tr ansmission introduced that year. Starting in 1967, the actual select shift was used which had full auto only in the "D" position, "1" would lock the transmission into first gear and "2" position would lock into second with no upshift. The "white dot" position on the 1966 and earlier transmission would permit an automatic upshift to third. By contrast, it was not possible to get either the GM Hydramatics or Chrysler Torqueflites to start in second gear. The original Fordomatic, designed by Borg Warner (then owned by Ford) would evolve into the Cruiseomatic, FMX/MX, the A0D/A0DE and finally the 4R70W/4R75W used into the 2000s Variants of the Cruiseomatic/FMX were used in Studebaker, American Motors and International Harvester light trucks as late as 1971, as well as the Thunderbolt Fairlane factory drag race car.
Central lubrication goes back a long way in auto history. I believe the first cars (luxury) offered central lubrication back in the 1920. In stead of pushing a button, there was a small handle that the driver would pump a few times. I grew up in a town in New Jersey where the Bijur Manufacturing company was located. Bijur made all kinds of lubricating systems for industry, automobiles and aerospace. Back in the day they made central lubricating systems for Rolls Royce and Packard.
Unless and until Adam has his own warehouse with high levels of security, I doubt we’ll ever see such a video, or even know the exact size of his collection. And I don’t blame him. 😉
@@Primus54 : He has given us hints as to the overall size of his collection and has mentioned some cars in passing that have not been featured yet. In addition to the couple he can keep at his new house, he appears to have at least 2 separate storage locations, which is smart. Unless it is a newer purpose built warehouse / museum with built in security and fire suppression systems it's not smart to keep his over 50 but under 100 car collection in 1 place anyway. I was raised to NEVER keep all your eggs in 1 basket. Also it's not hard to get a good idea of what he has....you just have to be someone who has watched every video and paid close attention to what he says and what you see. In my opinion, it's one of the, if not the nicest non musclecar oriented classic car collection's in the country. I love musclecars but but everyone wants musclecars these days. Thats why a $3,500 car new now costs $200k. I don't think there are many collectors out there of his size who go after what he does. That why I think his channel is so great, he finds the best examples of these cars left in the country, and some with mind boggling low milage!
Good video. Informative and well produced. A couple of points: the Imperial in ´73, as all cars, had the federally mandated 5mph front bumpers. It wasn’t a choice that any one manufacturer made on their own, or as you stated, added extra bumper guards, seemingly just because. The other thing, as for horsepower moving the car, it’s really all about the torque of the motors. It would be great to have quoted the torque numbers as well, as that is what is responsible for getting these behemoths off the line as they were able to. As the old saying went, “horsepower sells cars, torque wins races”. But yes, one obviously needs copious amounts of both. 😎
Great video, thanks Adam! My '71 Ranch Wagon would start out in 2nd and shift to 3rd when "2" was selected. The dealer said Ford's thinking was that was for starting on snow so as not to spin your tires. I've also heard the reason for the front hinging hoods was for cooling, so when you're pulling your Airstream across the Mojave Desert (or whatever!) you could crack your hood to help with cooling.
The forward opening hood was deadly. It would spring open blocking the view with little or no warning. I was in an accident with one. When I told the judge I drove a '57 Fairlane, he said, that's the one with the forward opening hood dropped one charge ageist me.
I never really liked the looks of the Lincolns of this era as well as the 1958-60 Thunderbird, but at the same time I appreciate how distinctive they are. I also didn't realize the 430 could propel one of these 0-60 in under 8 seconds. Just imagine rolling up next to someone's malaise-era Corvette in almost three tons of Lincoln and blowing their doors off.
Very interesting vid. As a kid, I drove a 1964 Thunderbird with the same "dual range" transmission and the one thing starting off in second was good for was snow and ice. It really allowed me to modulate wheel spin much better than starting in first.
Great video on these majestic beasts but they just can't hold a candle style-wise to the 61 Continental which was such a breath of fresh air after the 1950's excesses. Lots of cool 'O-matic' features. Had no idea these were unibody!
Thanks for the informative video! I think many would also put the styling in the "strange" category, but in an era of gigantic finned (and bumpered) Cadillacs, overly chromed '58 Buicks and notorious looking Edsels, strange styling wasn't unusual. I've come to really like the styling. The transmission makes me think of the "green dot" transmission from Ford a few years later. It could be made to start out in 2nd gear, too...I think that was intended to help mitigate tire spin on icy or wet surfaces. As far as the high output engines from these cars in '58, it's also worth noting that the most powerful American production car of the 1950's was a special version of the '58 Mercury Marauder. As I recall, it had a very similar engine to this Lincoln. It had multiple carbs and was the first American engine to produce 400 horsepower from the factory. Like the Lincoln, the power rating went down in the following years. That Mercury had what I think was maybe the coolest looking air cleaner of all time.
love these videos !! my younger days were spent cruising in a 67 olds 98...mint condition what a ride....i love the land yachts.....later i had a 78 sedan de ville ...never forget the am/fm/cbradio.....my ride now is a 11 toyota avalon limited....it sure reminds me of those old land yachts.....
Scott LaFollette's comments before me are correct to my understanding as well. The 1969-'71 re-use of Mark III nomenclature was because Ford was somewhat (maybe more) embarrassed at the garishness of the '58-'60 models (also using the Mark IV and V too) that they 'reset the clock' in 1969 to give them a dignified fresh start as successors to the '55-'57 Mark II, giving the line an understandable 'do-over' or 2nd chance. It may not matter today, but it did then. The '58-'60 is an interesting car for many reasons. (continues) Some reasons good, others not so much. After the beautiful '56 and '57 Lincolns, Ford had a real problem with continuing the '58-'60 Lincoln body styles as such beyond those years as they were very dated; the 2nd gen T-Bird of the same years also. Both dead ends. This was the height of the gaudiness and excess which had to go. New, clean designs that would be evolutionary would replace them. The switchover from IKE to JFK (then Johnson) was DRASTIC in the looks of everything across the board, and the new Lincoln's and T-Bird's (along with GM's '61 cars) arrived just in the nick of time. I'm glad though that the Turnpike Cruiser and '58-'60 Lincoln rear window feature continued on '61 & later Mercurys.
I saw one of these at a car show in Florida. I was amazed at how far forward the engine was mounted; You could pretty much see the entire bellhousing of the transmission with the hood opened. Great video!
The caption on the mystifying HVAC control at 3:03 has some on-point but probably unintentional sarcasm quotes going on. "You just turn the knob and watch a pointer on an 'easy-to-read' dial indicating heater and air conditioner setting." :)
I think Mercury/Lincoln should have kept that back slant rear window, particularly on the 80s/90s version. The drop feature as well - ultimate flow through ventilation. That HVAC knob is truly weird, particularly with the labels with warmer/cooler arrows pointing in the same direction. Sick lemon yellow valve covers and air cleaner, eh? Love that bowtie front bumper and the front wheel well trim.
I remember as a kid my parents friends had a 68 Mercury with the rear window that would go down. I always thought that was a cool feature like a station wagons rear window.
These were indeed related to the 58 - 60 Square Birds, which were also unit construction and made at Wixom. PS: We never said "HVAC" before the 2,000s.
The 430 engine used in the Lincoln was an option in the Thunderbird (although a rare one) and I believe it was only available in the 1960 model year. The vast majority of "square birds" were 352 equipped, and I know of two that have three speed manual transmissions from the factory. Manual transmission 'birds (according to the Ford shop manual) were equipped with 3.70 rear ends, although the one I did restoration work on had 3.10s (possibly swapped in by an earlier owner). The original Borg Warner "crash box" 3 speed had long since been replaced by a stronger Ford "3.03" fully synchronized three speed. (General Motors used this Ford transmission in Buicks Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs from 1966-71, they called it the "Dearborn 303" as they were loath to admit they were using Ford components) Allegedly only one 1960 Thunderbird was built with a 430 and three speed manual.
@@donreinke5863 It was available in 59 as well. I have seen them. I didn't know that a 430 car had a manual trans though. Are you sure only 2 352 cars were built with a manual? That makes me want one all the more! There are rumors that the 58 was supposed to have been available with the 430, but only a prototype has been found.
@@donreinke5863 It was available in 59 as well. I have seen them. I didn't know that a 430 car had a manual trans though. Are you sure only 2 352 cars were built with a manual? That makes me want one all the more! There are rumors that the 58 was supposed to have been available with the 430, but only a prototype has been found.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Sorry...I should have stated that I personally know of two 1960 Thunderbirds with3 speed manual transmissions, and not that only 2 were made. According to the president of the local Thunderbird club, only 2% of 1960 production had three speed manuals from the factory, one of those was 430 equipped. While rooting around in his garage attic looking for parts to restore his 1960, I found a COSE code Carter AFB 4 barrel which research revealed was from a 1960 430 Bird, he didnt even know he had it. 352 cars apparently came with a Ford manufactured F4 (4100) carb, an extremely simple and reliable unit. Both the Ford F2 (2100) 2 barrel and F4 4 barrel use the same power valve as Holley Performance carbs, enabling them to be tuned for altitude and fuel enrichment. One of the other club members has a 430 equipped 1960 as well as a 1968 429 equipped Bird (among many others) and he claims that the 429 car will easily beat the 430 equipped 1960, but he only tunes them according to factory specs and not for performance as I do.
Wonderful presentation! A few Edsel comparisons: Edsel for ‘58 also offered its own “Dial a Temp” single dial control for all heating/ air conditioning, a “Power Lube” device, 410 cid version of the same Continental 430 (in the Mercury chassis-based Edsels) and a “Town and Country station seeking radio. Not to forget the “Teletouch” push-button shift mechanism in the center of the steering column. Sorry, I couldn’t sift through the tons of comments to see if I was duplicating previous comments. Great video of one of my favorite cars!
Adam, I wish you'd have mentioned ford's obsessive fascination with quick maximum heat. This car generation and on into the 60s used dual heater cores on each side of the passenger compartment. And even more extraordinary these three years utilized dual evaporators as well.
Adam, in response to the 2nd gear start, Pontiac Grand Prix's (sedans) had this feature in the 90's (maybe 93-96) with the standard V6 engine. We used to promote that feature in the snow-belt as it helped in slippery weather.
Hey Adam, I really appreciate the fact that you've put up this car and shown everyone about it. I can recall as a boy seeing one of these things thinking YUCK! One of the UGLIEST cars in the world, ever made. But now being older having toned down some, I (because of your show) am able to look at this car and really look closely and appreciate it! Thanks so much!
And hardtops, not just the 'verts. All the Continental models of those three years had that "Breezeway" window feature. Note: *Only* the Continentals, not the Capris or Premieres.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 Good point. To me, the sum total of the retracting glass and the folding top on the convertibles is particularly entertaining.
@@OnkelPHMagee That it is, for sure! I'm impressed that they even designed it to be hidden away under hard body panels, like in the '60s, instead of having an exposed pit that needed a tarp secured to it, like almost all other 'verts of the time. Considering that the back window was glass, a major step ahead for that time, I now see the plastic film used in '61 thru '65 a bit of a step backward, although they were fitted with a zipper to open them with the top up. But then they went back to glass in '66, only to drop the 'vert after '67; I think Lincoln was the first of the American marques to do that. Pity. But my life dream is to acquire a '67 'vert to go with my '66 sedan.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 When I look at the Skyliner, 1958 Continental, T-bird convertibles, I see how Ford was more daring in folding top systems than GM or Ma Mopar. (I belong to a 1970 Fury convertible.)
Something I found fascinating at about the 5:04 mark, was something extra there.. It was about the burgundy convertible in the top left corner. The caption read: "The well-remembered convertible sedan shown above was crafted by Lincoln as the official car for the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England on their royal visit to the United States in 1939. This lincoln is on display in the Henry Ford Museum, Dearorn, Michigan." That was very Cool. 🙂
The rear coil spring and control arm suspension was way ahead of its time but I think they had some kind of problems with it and went back to leaves. The one knob HVAC continued with the '61-63s, as well as having two heater/defroster units (one for each side) with hot air going through the front armrests to the back seat.
9:51 It's hard to tell from what I can see of the brochure if those buttons control the sensitivity of the signal seeking function, or of the receiver itself, to prevent overload when near broadcasting towers, a feature (usually marked LOCAL/DX) I remember from some aftermarket radios. I wish some modern radios had an adjustment for the seek function; some of them stop in nearly every position if there is a lot of interference in the area.
My aunt that lived in Elpaso had one of these that drove easily from Elpaso to the ocean front of VA Beach. The bumpers were so heavy it took 3 large guys to take them off and it had pneumatic windows!! I thought it was grand!!!!
My cousins had a '58 don't remember if it was a premiere or continental. But it was a lemon. Nothing worked right on it. When they came to our house, I remember the neighbor kids would play with the power windows and my dad would chase them away lol
The only car feared by tornados. It has a magnificence about it, but the ‘61+ completely reset the style approach and remains a masterpiece of smooth, cohesive luxury.
I had a 1961 Lincoln Continental, which I still think was one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. One day in the rain, I was parallel parking the beast, and when I cut the wheel to its stop, the windshield wipers chattered. I realized the wipers were hydraulic. My parents 1966 Continental had the same set-up.
I used to have a 1994 Saturn, and it did the same thing. If you put the gear selector on 2, it would start in 2nd gear. It was great for when the streets were slick from rain.
Adam, I thoroughly enjoy your presentations and knowledge of automobiles. I have heard you say on several occasions that the Continental Mark III was manufactured from 1969 through 1971; you are omitting 1968.
I have had two 1958 Lincoln Premiere cars, and two 1960 Continental. Outside mirror was adjustable from inside car. Windshield wipers was working with vacuum air, from air intake of the motor.
With regards to horsepower, Robert S McNamara was influential in downsizing the late 1950'ies Lincoln luxo barges to what would become the Continental of 1961
McNamara actually wanted to kill Lincoln like they did Edsel, I think the Ford family might have said no. Yes he was responsible for it being smaller and that's why they did the suicide doors because it made it easier to get into the smaller back seat area and also only coming in a 4dr , not so many models made for less production costs
Many of the features you highlighted in these cars were also standard or available on the 58 Edsel. Dial Temp climate control was very similar although it had a separate fan speed control. The town and country radio was an option as well as the power lubricator. The MEL 410 in the Edsel also interchangeably used the Vickers direct drive power steering pump or a belt drive one depending on availability. The performance numbers for the MEL 410 were also impressive for the time at 345Hp and 475ftlbs of torque. Of course Edsel had the Teletouch transmission control to go with the 3 speed automatic which was not available in the Continental. All Edsels were the more traditional body on frame construction with front coil springs and rear leaf springs.
And power antenna and power trunk and 5 cigarette lighter/ashtrays! I loved my 58 Premiere! It was white with red and black interior. Bought it for $850 in 2007 when I was 17 and learned a LOT on that car! Sold it in 2012 or so, hopefully its still on the road. For a big car it definitely scooted!
In these dark days for so many people, it nice to just sit back and enjoy these beautiful cars. Lets hope and do all we can for better days in 2023.
When I was a kid about 1966 there was a 58 Mark lll abandoned behind a Flying A station, it was powder blue with light blue green interior. I'd open it and sit and dream of driving it someday. I absolutely loved the roll down back window it was my favorite thing and I always wanted a Merc or Lincoln with one. Now that I see your video I want one again! Thanks a lot! lol
Just try to imagine for one second a 1960 Lincoln, a 1960 Cadillac, and a 1960 Imperial all stopped at a Stop light back in 1961 when these cars were New! WOW 🤩
Maybe not at a stop light, but routine at country clubs all over North America at the time. Buying a new luxury car every year was routine then for the rich.
This was an excellent review. You've activated my "I want one." response. Thank you,
Superb video. The ‘58-‘60 is one of those designs that provokes strong love it / hate it responses. Adam smoothly weaves around all that with his passion for cars generally and with his encyclopedic knowledge that drills down to interesting elements of a car that can be appreciated however one feels about the design. Best of luck finding a clean sample for your collection; as you note, not many survive. Thanks Adam!
Well said. 🎯
The artistry used for the illustrations are fantastic! What a great welcome to the Saturday morning cup of coffee.
The convertible top with the slanted rear window like the coupe is also quirky. And who doesn’t love a convertible that disappears into the trunk?
As the recent buyer of a 58 Premiere Landau, I can say it really is a kick to drive. The car feels very light on its feet. When accelerating, especially from a stop, the rear end raises up slightly. It feels very fast, almost as the car is being pushed. Cornering is better than you would think as well. A complicated and in some instances a tough car to maintain but it is worth it. Also plenty of leg and head room for my 6'7" bod.
These cat-eyed darlings have grown on my over the years - the original dash had a nice mid-century look to them.
Watching these videos in some ways make me sad because I know we’ll never see such creative features and designs in the cars of our lifetimes. While the safety and mechanicals of today’s vehicles may be superior, the stylistic “WOW” factor just isn’t there……😕
Cars will never have the charicter that they used to.
The 58-60 Lincoln Continentals were indeed the quirkiest Lincolns ever!!! I think that the styling is over the top gaudy, but over the years it has grown on me. I do like the rear "breezeway" rear window!!! Thanks Adam, for sharing this fun video!!! 👍👍🎃
The "breezeway" was stolen from Dick Teague's concept for the never-built '57 Packard Predictor.
I felt the same about the styling until I saw the beautiful white on white Mark III convertible featured in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest with a view of Mt Rushmore in the background..
Thank you for posting this....these Lincoln/ Continentals are so underrated.
Lincoln also offered a very pricey option for the radio, an FM multiplex unit that would allow stereo reception in the car, BFD in 1959 and 1960! Additionally, the D1 and D2 ranges on the automatic are just like the original Mustang automatic. It was explained to me that D2 was good for getting out of snow or mud since it started in second instead of first gear. Anyone with a three on the tree learned that early. Great video, an unappreciated period for the maker.
This is very true; 2d gear comes in very handy for such conditions. It is by no means the most economical position where fuel consumption is concerned, but it can get one out of a stuck-y situation, and even prevent one from falling victim to a slippery situation. People these days are not taught that; if they were, there would be far fewer loss-of-control crashes in rain and snow. I'm not even sure whether owner's manuals printed today make mention of it...not that it matters, because I don't know anyone besides me who has actually opened, never mind studied, the owner's manuals to their vehicles.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 It seems most American brands cars don't have a optional 2nd gear start.
My 2009 Volvo C70 with ac5 speed auto can start in 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
As in requards to spinning out. Tire designs make a huge difference. Most people can't justify putting on Winter tires for Winter only. I live in the NW and see too many Winter tires running all Season.
I just put on new M&S tires on my 2009 Volvo because I don't drive over Mountain Passes or drive aggressive. I have over 27 years of Commercial trucking experience and talk about Winter driving all day
@@BeingMe23 Yes, I too run M+S tires on my battleship. I learned that rating to have a difference from typical "all-season" tires when I was in Germany, where they mandated changes from summer tires to winter tires upon a certain established date, punishable under law if ignored. The only exception they allowed were for all-season tires that specifically showed "M+S" on them.
You have a point about 2d-gear starts being absent; that was also the case with the 1989 Audi Series-80 I had when I was in Germany, one with an automatic transmission. I can remember, if I shifted it into 2d gear, it would actually start in 1st and then go up to 2d. Still, that helped me avoid any spin-outs in the three winters I spent over there.
Some German cars offered FM and even Shortwave by 1957. Would this have been the first American FM factory car radio?
@@sunbeam8866 I'm not sure. Some brands have historic firsts to their credit (e.g., Packard for A/C, Chrysler for cruise control, Cadillac [possibly] for dual-hydraulic brakes), but I don't really know who could claim credit in America for the first car-installed FM radio. I was surprised when I first learned that FM radios were offered as optional extras on Lincolns that far back.
Adam, the chassis greasing system, or at least the concept, was not new. Cars of the '20s, at least, had a contraption made by Bijur that held a quantity of oil that would flow to multiple chassis points. My grandfather's 1927 Packard was so equipped. Granddaddy loved it!
It’s my understanding that Dusenburg‘s had that feature also.
@@ScottALaFollette I'm sure they did. Rolls-Royce also had it, I think until the mid-50s. My grandfather seemed to think it was the best invention since the wheel!
My grandparents 56 Mercury Montclair had a power grease option, so even Ford offered earlier than 58.
"Eleven inches short of 20 feet" In other words, 19 feet long.
What a remarkable, entertaining, and easy-to-listen-to commentary on these terrific automobiles. Thank you! I learned a lot.
If I'm not mistaken the '58 Edsel had similar HVAC control system called Dial Temp that used a single dial to control all functions.
Absolutely they did…with a separate blower switch. Mercury offered a similar unit (Climate Dial) in 58-60. So simple and easy to use.
The 61 and 62 also had a 2 barrel and only 300 horsepower. One of the reasons was a quest for more silence than Cadillac. Ford automatics operated like this up into the 80s. The Thunderbird switched to leaf springs for 1959, so Lincoln, being related, switched in 60. Motorists complained about excessive squat and rear end wonder in their 58 Tbirds, and sagging rear ends in their Lincolns. Many people did not buy these because they wouldn't fit in the garage. Many garages before the 70s were not that big, and more than a few had Setback regulations and minimum distance from your neighbor's house.
Yes, I had read those complaints about the rear suspensions of the '58/9 models. They did that to make an easy swap for an optional balloon suspension should a customer ask for that option, to compete with Cadillac's own balloon-suspension offering. But it just was not worth the headaches the design caused, which was why they resorted back to the leaf-sprung rear suspensions by '60 and stuck with it through '69, dropping it again by '70 with the new body-on-frame bulldozers. I suppose somehow the coil/trailing-arm setup worked better for them on framed cars...although I have also seen references to the later Mark III's "unscheduled foray into rear-wheel steering," caused by the numerous rubber bushings and cushions wearing out over time.
Ford changed over from the "Green dot drive" to the Select Shift in the 1967 model year, it was used until the advent of automatic overdrive in the 1980s but the select shift C-6 was still used in certain Ford trucks and vans until the 90s.
The only real difference between the green dot and select shift was the valve body in the transmission.
I would have to knock out the back wall to get this or any late 60s/1970s land yacht in my garage, and this house was built in 1969
I love Lincolns. I have 2 town cars, a 99 Cartier and a 07 Designer. Rides like a big cloud. I was talking cars before and I said Idk why more company's didn't use a system like Citroën did. I rode in a late 60s I think it was and man what a soft great ride it had. Maybe the best I've ever felt. Including new cars. Yes a few may get pretty well great or even better but the simplicity of them and the cost knock new vehicles out the park. Plus if u get a flat, it can ride on 3 wheels safely and pick up the flat so u can change it easily. A few had a built in type jack. Now they don't have a spare. We go backwards sometimes trying to move forward too fast.
@@donreinke5863 Yes; if my information is accurate, the engineers had to redesign the internals of the valve body to make the C-6 Select-Shift. I had retrofitted a '67 transmission into my '66 early on, not knowing then about the valve-body design difference between the two years, but mainly because the old one had been drowned long ago and would have cost too much to rebuild at the time. I also retrofitted a '67 tilt column, even though my car already had a tilt column; partially because I had seen complaints about the Saginaw design used in '66, and because I thought the '67 design just looked nicer, more modern, less dated. When I later learned about the different shifting attributes of the C-6 between those two years, I realized that column swap had a much-greater significance than mere aesthetics.
@@jasonchristopher2977 I know, right? I grew up with Lincolns. My grandmother had two of the '60s, the first a '63 and the second a '67, then later an '82 (the smaller humpback version that looked like a restyled Seville). Growing up with that sort of motorized conveyance, it stands to reason that I'd have to have my own.
I have ridden in a Citroën before; a higher-up NCO I worked for in Germany had one, a Xantia. Despite the initial appeal of the hydraulic suspension for those who never experienced one, the experience was anything *but* appealing. The roads in Kaiserslautern are not known to be skating-rink smooth, and every bump that car hit was a punishment to the tailbones, especially in the back seat. It was like that car had the suspension of a grocery cart! Thankfully I only had to ride in his car a couple of times when I couldn't drive myself; otherwise, I might have been medically chaptered out for lower-spine injury...not even combat-related, to boot.
I love the back window that goes down. I bet that you would feel amazing driving that!
As a kid and teen in the late 70s-80s I didn’t care for these, but today I find them unusual and quite stylish. Nice video
My first experience with one of these cars was when I was 15 and I saw the old Hitchcock movie "North By Northwest." When I saw the "Continental" script plate on the front grille, I couldn't believe I was looking at a Lincoln.
Wow! What gorgeous cars!
A couple of observations (or corrections). My 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria came with a Town-Country radio. It was an automatic station search feature. The country setting increased the sensitivity in the expectation of fewer and weaker signals. The town setting was less sensitive, to help the radio sort out the stronger signals. Regarding the Continental's transmission, the reason for the D1 and D2 options had to do with traction. Normally you'd drive in D1 and go through all three gears, but on snow or ice, you'd go to D2 and lock out low gear, to reduce the tendency to spin the tires on start. It was a good feature for those of us who drove in snow country.
Another great posting. Being an old Ford nut I recall our neighbor's '55 T Bird had an automatic transmission ...perhaps the 'Fordomatic' at the time, that had the PRNDrLo shifter. It WAS a 3 speed, but Dr always started in second gear. Ist gear was engaged only if you floored it from the start, or manually shifted to Lo. I believe 1958 was the first year of the Cruisomatic with the D2 and D1 option, and full 3 gear shifting from start when in D1. If you put the shifter into L while coasting, it would drop into second gear, and then when you slowed to about 20-25 mph, it would abruptly drop into first. Our '59 Galaxie had it. In the old days you could compression start automatic Fords if the battery were dead (usually by rolling down a hill!), coasting the car up to speed with the ignition on, and dropping the shifter into Low. Compression starting was no longer available, either by 1965 or 1966....I know our 1966 wasn't capable of it...by then Ford had eliminated the rear pump in the transmission that made it possible to do that...about the same time generators were replaced by alternators. Ford shift patterns went to PRND21 with the 1967 model year.
I have loved this generation of LIncoln since my parents gave me George Dammann's "Fifty Years of Lincoln Mercury" back in the mid 70's when I was a boy. I still have the book.
The D1 and D2 later had the "white dot" and "geen dot" on the selector on Fords with 3 speed automatics.
Thanks for this video. Another one bringing back memories. Before my father changed over to GM vehicles, we had Mercurys. One was the 1957 Turnpike Cruiser hardtop sedan. I was quite young then, but remember the push button transmission selector, the rear window that went up and down, plus fresh air vents near the top of the A pillars facing forward. I think the radio had the town and country thing and a floor button to change stations that you mentioned. (Might have been on the '59.) I have a vague recollection of that. I know the car was fast, and had the largest V8 available for the '57 Mercs. Then he traded it in on a 1959 Mercury Park Lane. Sort of a dusty rose color. I don't really remember that car very well. He didn't like that one, and went over to GM cars after that. My mother drove a 1955 Merc Montclair sedan with a V8.
Correct me if my memory is wrong, but I recall the Turnpike Cruiser had cool little grilles at the tops of the windshield posts, each with a centered spiky antenna gizmo. Just styling, I realize ... but unique and appealing to the boy's heart inside the men who bought those cars.
@@rogerb5615 Those vents were actually functional. One could open them, and lower the rear window, and have fresh air flow through the interior, without opening any side window. The little antennas were decorative only
Always fascinated by these behemoths. And when I discovered the Convertible roof could collapse in it’s own compartment. I thought that was the coolest. Always wanted a ride in one of these.
I drove one (and gave my then-girlfriend a ride in it) as well as did transmission service on a 1960 convertible back in 1983, it was owned by a guy who owned a used car lot a block away. The back glass would retract and then the convertible top would drop. It was unlike any other "land yacht"
I had driven many of them, including Cadillacs and Imperials, but it did not have comparable performance to the 429/472 equipped Cadillac and 413/440 Chryslers despite the 430 ci "MEL" series engines they had. (as I recall it had only a Carter two-barrel carburetor)
It was where I first learned about the "auto lube" feature, although I dont know if it still worked on that unit.
Wonderful video! I’m currently rebuilding a 1958 430. Another interesting note is that the combustion chamber is in the block, and the head is flat on the underside, similar to a Chevy 348/409. The intake ports, exhaust ports, and valves are all enormous, even by big block standards.
Thank you Adam for another interesting review, I learned things I never knew.
It’s my understanding that the 1969-71 re-use of the Mark three nomenclature was because Ford was somewhat embarrassed at the garishness of the 58-60 models that they “reset the clock“ in 1969. Whether that’s true or just speculation ultimately it doesn’t matter. The original Marks three, four and five deserve to be remembered from an era of excess.
Maybe that's the same reason they didn't call the FOX-body Mustang the "Mustang III".
There *is* some degree of truth to that; I have seen that very explanation more than once from more than one source. They were in fact embarrassed, as these cars just did not move off the lots; Iacocca wanted to see those three years buried and never dug back up when he reset the Mark enumeration. But you are right; these cars deserve to be remembered, just as the surviving Edsels deserve to be remembered (and no, that is not meant to be sarcastic). I am fascinated to see one whenever I do see one, whether it be in museum condition or junkyard-fodder condition (I've seen examples of both). It would be cool to see one actually rolling on the streets, under its own power.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 The last time I saw one of these being driven in an ordinary manner was in 1979 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
@@MarinCipollina The one more-pristine example I had seen, I saw first at a vintage-car dealer in Copperas Cove, TX, in 2002. The next year, after coming back from Iraq to PCS to Fort Hood, I saw that same car at the Processing Center; apparently, a Soldier had bought it and was out-processing at the same time I was in-processing. I never had the chance to meet him, much less see that car rolling down the streets. That would've been cool.
Somebody told me very recently that there is a car museum in Manhattan, KS, just a half-hour from me, that has a '58 Lincoln as one of its exhibits. Now that I finally have my car running properly, I need to go and find it.
Adam, your videos are always so interesting and historically informed.
Thank you so much!
I was born in 1960 and my grandfather was a Ford dealer. I've been looking for years for a solid 60 Galaxie or Edsel Ranger convertible.
I remember a television ad where a pro golfer made a chip shot through the open back window of one of these Lincoln Mercury cars. I guess that showed everyone why it was such a great feature!!
2:52 The HVAC control reminds me of those single-knob pressure-compensated shower controls, though even most of those have a separate diverter button on the faucet; I believe Delta has one line with the diverter and temperature controlled by a single knob. Maybe they got the idea from this car.
This is a uniquely beautiful ole gal. The styling is just an example of those fertile minds of the designers of the time. The 50s were a great creative time for the American car companies and they could build something so outlandish.
6:55 That's the only car I've noticed being photographed on an obviously carpeted floor, genuine 1970s sculpted carpeting no less. I wonder if any Lincoln showrooms were decorated that way.
Ford automatic transmissions still retained the 2nd gear hold feature at least until they did away with a real shift lever. Even my 2001 Econoline 4R70 will start in 2nd gear when shifted to 2nd manually. This is great for starting on slippery surfaces, snow or ice especially without traction control.
My '65 mustang had this feature.
They still have it on most vehicles. Even some of the ones with the dial can be started in 2nd
@@dmandman9 Thanks. That's good to know. I've never driven one of those with either the rotary knob or the push button shift.
Thank you Adam for another great review.
As obtuse as the exterior styling is on these, I was taken aback at how straightforward, almost modern, the dash was. Insightful video, again. Thanks!
I'd say "obtuse" is putting it mildly; "bizarre" would be a more accurate adjective. They make the Edsels look conservative. I mean, it's neat to see from a nostalgic perspective; but, yeah, the exterior styling was extreme even for the late-'50s. John Najjar, the head designer for this series, was initially proud of the design, actually; he said in a 1995 interview that he never liked cartoons, and he did not consider this design to be a cartoon, but instead what the market was calling for (which may have been the case in '56 when the final design was approved for production...but, like the Edsel, the aim was right until the target moved). He did concede in that interview, however, that maybe it *was* in fact a real-world cartoon of a style.
Grotesque design
Love these quirky Lincoln's. Nice job explaining the unique features of this beautiful beast. Jay Leno has one, and you both have done a great job describing them.
I like these. In one of my Lincoln books, they are referred to as Misunderstood Giants.
I think the design of the rear is the best looking part of these model year Lincoln’s. Certainly reminds me of some of the ford dream/show cars of the 50s
Another anomaly was the split evaporatve coils for the HVAC in each fender. An innovation was the use of the arm rest as a air duct for the rear passengers.
Good call!
1958-60 Lincolns and Continentals have two evaporators, two expansion valves, two heater cores and two blower fans. These were essentially two complete, separate HVAC units on each side of the dash. The ducting allowed to the rear seats through the door armrests with directional registers.
Imperial and Chrysler wagons of the era had dual air systems, but those were conventional air conditioning in the dash, and a separately switched trunk unit or roof mounted wagon unit and did not have dual heat.
1961 Lincoln Continental used dual heater units with two heater cores and two blower fans, all mounted in similar fashion as the 58-60, but went with a separate centrally located air conditioning unit.
We had a 1960 Continental Mark 4. Black with the red brocade interior. Talk about a land yacht OMG. I put Porter wall white walls on it without realizing the radial tires will just chew them up and they were falling off and shreds and chunks. LOL what a mess. But it was a lovely car everything worked on it including the Breezeway window. Thanks for sharing this one.
Very nice - thank you. Great pictures too. LOVE that pinkish coral color on the coupe!
I always heard that the change from 4 bbl to 2 bbl was for fuel economy. I also heard the switch to leaf springs was for durability, to have two mounting points to put less strain on the unibody. They had a hard time in development keeping the rear quarters from buckling.
One of the things you didn't touch on was the convertible with the "Breezeway" rear window.
Love this series of "odd and quirky" features. With cars today being so homogenized is fun to remember and realize just how we got where we are today. It's hard for kids today to even comprehend that things weren't always computer chip driven. As for the car itself, I have truly come to love the look, the bronze example at the end is simply stunning. You wopuld do right to add one to your collection. I stand these up next to the later box style Continenta;s and the "bullet Birds" as some of Ford's most iconic ides.
The rich sheikhs had these automobiles & as a teenager I recall how fascinating it was to see one drive past when they were occasionally taken out for a spin.
Even in the early 70s these cars were eye poppers
I refer to the sheikhs in the Arabian Gulf
I remember seeing a 1958 Mark 3 convertible with the breezeway back window.
Our 60 Rambler Rebel has the Flash-O-Matic 3sp auto trans with push button control.
It works the same as this continental. D1 is all 3 gears, D2 is 2nd and 3rd only and L is low only. I believe ours is a Borg Warner unit. Cheers 🇨🇦
That coupe at the end😍
To paraphrase Butch Cassidy, who is this guy?? I'm impressed with Adam's encyclopedic level of knowledge! Iv'e enjoyed his presentations immensely because of the depth and detail on so many cars iv'e known and loved. Adam is a finance guy but must be at a high position based on the number of cars he's owned? How about a Bio about our favorite "Car Guy" !
That Heater-AC control is somewhat like a old tv tuner, you would twist the knob to where you wanted it. Remember the "click" "click" "click" Hmmm, 0 to 60 in eight seconds in a 58 Lincoln - - - was the gas gage "balanced and blueprinted" Another fun watch of automotive history thanks to Adam.....
One of the TV manufacturers even rigged the VHF and UHF tuners so that one knob and fine-tuning-ring controlled both. Pretty slick for the days before digital tuning.
Curious Cars Bill just posted a video of a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville ragtop that may be right up your alley
Really neat video history of the Forgotten Marks. Seeing one of these cars now, either in museum condition or organ-donor condition (I've seen examples of both), is fascinating to me. On the other hand, I can see the reasons why Ford felt it best that those cars should have met the fate of the Edsel. People, even some who consider themselves "expert automotive historians," just love to lampoon the Edsel for its looks. To be fair, Edsel did have a lot of problems, such as having a dubious identity making it difficult to place it in the hierarchy of Ford cars, several novel mechanical applications that were not fully tested for reliability (i.e., the pushbutton transmission controls, which were a very neat touch but apparently troublesome at best), and a flash recession that just all but torpedoed the appeal of the bigger-is-better pitch. Styling, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the list of the Edsel's problems; park a '58 Lincoln next to a '58 Edsel, and you cannot help but notice that the former makes the latter look *conservative.* So, enough lampooning of Edsel's looks, unless you add the contemporary Lincolns to said lampooning. It apparently was too much for many people to handle; some critics apparently dubbed it "The Chinese Look." One Ford designer who worked there at the time recalled in an interview a training meeting where somebody had said that, what they should have done with the first several thousand '58 Lincolns they built, was to push them into the Rouge River.
That said, these Lincolns established a milestone that nobody thinks of: These are *the largest* unibody cars ever built (in fact, the largest cars built at that time, period, save for a few non-volume limousine conversions by other makes). Anybody who is not familiar with these cars, or Lincolns in general, would be stunned to know this (I still get shocked looks when I explain to people that my own car, a '66 Lincoln, has no separate frame). Now, these cars had their problems with this engineering milestone: The advantages of unibody construction (as opposed to body-on-frame construction) usually diminish as the size of the car increases. For a car of this size there really are no advantages, and certain unique problems do arise. These cars apparently turned into very shaky tuning boxes when driven, partially due to the output of the high-performance Y-block (dubbed the MEL series), partially to the rear-suspension design which was meant to accommodate an optional balloon suspension, *and* partially to inexperience with unibody construction since the first Zephyrs. To complicate matters, according to the same aforementioned Ford designer, the automated welding equipment at the plant they were built in was not working properly, forcing customers to return their cars to have the welds repaired. For a time nearly all the rental welding equipment across the country was tasked out to Lincoln dealers, struggling to fix what the Wixom plant botched. Apparently, even a few states threatened to require truck lights on these cars because they exceeded the width limits set by state laws back then.
But that is all history now. Ford learned lessons about unibody construction very quickly and applied those lessons to the next generation of Lincolns, which have a very different historical image from the last of the '50s. The survivors of the lost three years have most likely been through all of that and are still here. Others that have not fared so well can be revived and restored, as long as they don't have terminal cancer at their structure points (something that plagues many new vehicles today, apparently). I will admit, seeing one of these on the road would have to be an intimidating experience for even the most narcissistic road-ragers...which can be an advantage for the owner/driver of these monsters.
Excellent video Adam! Thank you!
Cool car. I was actually born in a 1964 mercury Monterey that had a electric rear window like the continental. Rode on the back shelf as a young child many times. Who needed seat belts...lol
Another great video! Keep up the good work.
There’s a Season 3 Perry Mason episode of Perry and Della pulling into a very rutted out dirt driveway in I believe a ‘60 Mk V convertible. You should see that giant front end modulating over those ruts. Could make someone seasick!
These cars also showed up in a number of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episodes, though around the time the show expanded to an hour, the show started getting some of its cars from Chrysler, with a number of Imperials showing up in the later episodes.
@@pcno2832 Also in Hitchcock's movie North by Northwest, where the villain (James Mason) and love interest (Eva Marie Saint) drive a white 1958 Continental Mark III Convertible. You can see it in the Mt. Rushmore part of the movie and later when Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint meet briefly in the woods.
I believe the auto-lubrication system was available across the FML lineup, or at least I remember it being advertised for Ford models in the early ‘60s. My ‘65 Mustang had the select shift transmission that started in 2nd gear and then upshifted to 3rd. It was useful for starting out on slick surfaces.
That was commonly known as a "Green dot drive" and was used in both the Cruiseomatic and new-for-1964 C-4 transmissions, and was a one year only feature in 1966 for the just introduced C-6 heavy duty tr ansmission introduced that year. Starting in 1967, the actual select shift was used which had full auto only in the "D" position, "1" would lock the transmission into first gear and "2" position would lock into second with no upshift. The "white dot" position on the 1966 and earlier transmission would permit an automatic upshift to third. By contrast, it was not possible to get either the GM Hydramatics or Chrysler Torqueflites to start in second gear.
The original Fordomatic, designed by Borg Warner (then owned by Ford) would evolve into the Cruiseomatic, FMX/MX, the A0D/A0DE and finally the 4R70W/4R75W used into the 2000s
Variants of the Cruiseomatic/FMX were used in Studebaker, American Motors and International Harvester light trucks as late as 1971, as well as the Thunderbolt Fairlane factory drag race car.
Central lubrication goes back a long way in auto history. I believe the first cars (luxury) offered central lubrication back in the 1920. In stead of pushing a button, there was a small handle that the driver would pump a few times. I grew up in a town in New Jersey where the Bijur Manufacturing company was located. Bijur made all kinds of lubricating systems for industry, automobiles and aerospace. Back in the day they made central lubricating systems for Rolls Royce and Packard.
Once again unique and interesting information. I learn circumstance, features and production results here like no other place. Thank you !!
Yes, very quirky the Lincoln is. Question, can you do a garage "update" of every car you currently own? It would be great to see every car in 1 video
He would burn 100 gallons of gas just getting them all out of storage. 😂
Unless and until Adam has his own warehouse with high levels of security, I doubt we’ll ever see such a video, or even know the exact size of his collection. And I don’t blame him. 😉
massive role call live stream!
@@Primus54 : He has given us hints as to the overall size of his collection and has mentioned some cars in passing that have not been featured yet. In addition to the couple he can keep at his new house, he appears to have at least 2 separate storage locations, which is smart. Unless it is a newer purpose built warehouse / museum with built in security and fire suppression systems it's not smart to keep his over 50 but under 100 car collection in 1 place anyway. I was raised to NEVER keep all your eggs in 1 basket. Also it's not hard to get a good idea of what he has....you just have to be someone who has watched every video and paid close attention to what he says and what you see. In my opinion, it's one of the, if not the nicest non musclecar oriented classic car collection's in the country. I love musclecars but but everyone wants musclecars these days. Thats why a $3,500 car new now costs $200k. I don't think there are many collectors out there of his size who go after what he does. That why I think his channel is so great, he finds the best examples of these cars left in the country, and some with mind boggling low milage!
Good video. Informative and well produced. A couple of points: the Imperial in ´73, as all cars, had the federally mandated 5mph front bumpers. It wasn’t a choice that any one manufacturer made on their own, or as you stated, added extra bumper guards, seemingly just because. The other thing, as for horsepower moving the car, it’s really all about the torque of the motors. It would be great to have quoted the torque numbers as well, as that is what is responsible for getting these behemoths off the line as they were able to. As the old saying went, “horsepower sells cars, torque wins races”. But yes, one obviously needs copious amounts of both. 😎
Great video, thanks Adam! My '71 Ranch Wagon would start out in 2nd and shift to 3rd when "2" was selected. The dealer said Ford's thinking was that was for starting on snow so as not to spin your tires. I've also heard the reason for the front hinging hoods was for cooling, so when you're pulling your Airstream across the Mojave Desert (or whatever!) you could crack your hood to help with cooling.
The forward opening hood was deadly. It would spring open blocking the view with little or no warning. I was in an accident with one. When I told the judge I drove a '57 Fairlane, he said, that's the one with the forward opening hood dropped one charge ageist me.
I never really liked the looks of the Lincolns of this era as well as the 1958-60 Thunderbird, but at the same time I appreciate how distinctive they are. I also didn't realize the 430 could propel one of these 0-60 in under 8 seconds. Just imagine rolling up next to someone's malaise-era Corvette in almost three tons of Lincoln and blowing their doors off.
Outlandish as they were, I think the '56- '58s were far more modern in styling compared to Cadillac..
Very interesting vid.
As a kid, I drove a 1964 Thunderbird with the same "dual range" transmission and the one thing starting off in second was good for was snow and ice. It really allowed me to modulate wheel spin much better than starting in first.
Car Wizard said parts are hard to get for these today
Great video on these majestic beasts but they just can't hold a candle style-wise to the 61 Continental which was such a breath of fresh air after the 1950's excesses. Lots of cool 'O-matic' features. Had no idea these were unibody!
Thanks for the informative video! I think many would also put the styling in the "strange" category, but in an era of gigantic finned (and bumpered) Cadillacs, overly chromed '58 Buicks and notorious looking Edsels, strange styling wasn't unusual. I've come to really like the styling. The transmission makes me think of the "green dot" transmission from Ford a few years later. It could be made to start out in 2nd gear, too...I think that was intended to help mitigate tire spin on icy or wet surfaces. As far as the high output engines from these cars in '58, it's also worth noting that the most powerful American production car of the 1950's was a special version of the '58 Mercury Marauder. As I recall, it had a very similar engine to this Lincoln. It had multiple carbs and was the first American engine to produce 400 horsepower from the factory. Like the Lincoln, the power rating went down in the following years. That Mercury had what I think was maybe the coolest looking air cleaner of all time.
My dad had a 58 mercury parklane with the 430 MEL engine and he always said it performed well relative to other vehicles on the road at that time.
love these videos !! my younger days were spent cruising in a 67 olds 98...mint condition what a ride....i love the land yachts.....later i had a 78 sedan de ville ...never forget the am/fm/cbradio.....my ride now is a 11 toyota avalon limited....it sure reminds me of those old land yachts.....
Scott LaFollette's comments before me are correct to my understanding as well. The 1969-'71 re-use of Mark III nomenclature was because Ford was somewhat (maybe more) embarrassed at the garishness of the '58-'60 models (also using the Mark IV and V too) that they 'reset the clock' in 1969 to give them a dignified fresh start as successors to the '55-'57 Mark II, giving the line an understandable 'do-over' or 2nd chance. It may not matter today, but it did then. The '58-'60 is an interesting car for many reasons. (continues)
Some reasons good, others not so much. After the beautiful '56 and '57 Lincolns, Ford had a real problem with continuing the '58-'60 Lincoln body styles as such beyond those years as they were very dated; the 2nd gen T-Bird of the same years also. Both dead ends. This was the height of the gaudiness and excess which had to go. New, clean designs that would be evolutionary would replace them. The switchover from IKE to JFK (then Johnson) was DRASTIC in the looks of everything across the board, and the new Lincoln's and T-Bird's (along with GM's '61 cars) arrived just in the nick of time. I'm glad though that the Turnpike Cruiser and '58-'60 Lincoln rear window feature continued on '61 & later Mercurys.
I saw one of these at a car show in Florida. I was amazed at how far forward the engine was mounted; You could pretty much see the entire bellhousing of the transmission with the hood opened.
Great video!
I really enjoyed watching this video! You put a lot of thought and effort into it. Thanks for posting!
The caption on the mystifying HVAC control at 3:03 has some on-point but probably unintentional sarcasm quotes going on. "You just turn the knob and watch a pointer on an 'easy-to-read' dial indicating heater and air conditioner setting." :)
I think Mercury/Lincoln should have kept that back slant rear window, particularly on the 80s/90s version. The drop feature as well - ultimate flow through ventilation.
That HVAC knob is truly weird, particularly with the labels with warmer/cooler arrows pointing in the same direction.
Sick lemon yellow valve covers and air cleaner, eh?
Love that bowtie front bumper and the front wheel well trim.
I wonder whether part of the reason they went to the 2 barrel carb was perhaps that owners were complaining about poor fuel economy.
I remember as a kid my parents friends had a 68 Mercury with the rear window that would go down. I always thought that was a cool feature like a station wagons rear window.
Next To the 56, my favorite is the 1958!, this one is my perfect dream car, black with stunning red interior!! I still have my showroom brochure!!
These were indeed related to the 58 - 60 Square Birds, which were also unit construction and made at Wixom. PS: We never said "HVAC" before the 2,000s.
The 430 engine used in the Lincoln was an option in the Thunderbird (although a rare one) and I believe it was only available in the 1960 model year. The vast majority of "square birds" were 352 equipped, and I know of two that have three speed manual transmissions from the factory. Manual transmission 'birds (according to the Ford shop manual) were equipped with 3.70 rear ends, although the one I did restoration work on had 3.10s (possibly swapped in by an earlier owner). The original Borg Warner "crash box" 3 speed had long since been replaced by a stronger Ford "3.03" fully synchronized three speed. (General Motors used this Ford transmission in Buicks Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs from 1966-71, they called it the "Dearborn 303" as they were loath to admit they were using Ford components)
Allegedly only one 1960 Thunderbird was built with a 430 and three speed manual.
@@donreinke5863 It was available in 59 as well. I have seen them. I didn't know that a 430 car had a manual trans though. Are you sure only 2 352 cars were built with a manual? That makes me want one all the more! There are rumors that the 58 was supposed to have been available with the 430, but only a prototype has been found.
@@donreinke5863 It was available in 59 as well. I have seen them. I didn't know that a 430 car had a manual trans though. Are you sure only 2 352 cars were built with a manual? That makes me want one all the more! There are rumors that the 58 was supposed to have been available with the 430, but only a prototype has been found.
@@michaelbenardo5695 Sorry...I should have stated that I personally know of two 1960 Thunderbirds with3 speed manual transmissions, and not that only 2 were made.
According to the president of the local Thunderbird club, only 2% of 1960 production had three speed manuals from the factory, one of those was 430 equipped.
While rooting around in his garage attic looking for parts to restore his 1960, I found a COSE code Carter AFB 4 barrel which research revealed was from a 1960 430 Bird, he didnt even know he had it.
352 cars apparently came with a Ford manufactured F4 (4100) carb, an extremely simple and reliable unit.
Both the Ford F2 (2100) 2 barrel and F4 4 barrel use the same power valve as Holley Performance carbs, enabling them to be tuned for altitude and fuel enrichment.
One of the other club members has a 430 equipped 1960 as well as a 1968 429 equipped Bird (among many others) and he claims that the 429 car will easily beat the 430 equipped 1960, but he only tunes them according to factory specs and not for performance as I do.
Wonderful presentation! A few Edsel comparisons: Edsel for ‘58 also offered its own “Dial a Temp” single dial control for all heating/ air conditioning, a “Power Lube” device, 410 cid version of the same Continental 430 (in the Mercury chassis-based Edsels) and a “Town and Country station seeking radio. Not to forget the “Teletouch” push-button shift mechanism in the center of the steering column. Sorry, I couldn’t sift through the tons of comments to see if I was duplicating previous comments. Great video of one of my favorite cars!
Those canted quad headlights were the hottest feature on some of the most radical full custom cars of the early sixties.
Adam, I wish you'd have mentioned ford's obsessive fascination with quick maximum heat. This car generation and on into the 60s used dual heater cores on each side of the passenger compartment. And even more extraordinary these three years utilized dual evaporators as well.
Mais um excelente vídeo! sempre gostei mais dos modelos da GM e da Chrysler, mas os Lincoln também eram muito bons! Obrigado por compartilhar!
Obrigado Alexandre. Abracos!
Adam, in response to the 2nd gear start, Pontiac Grand Prix's (sedans) had this feature in the 90's (maybe 93-96) with the standard V6 engine. We used to promote that feature in the snow-belt as it helped in slippery weather.
Hey Adam, I really appreciate the fact that you've put up this car and shown everyone about it. I can recall as a boy seeing one of these things thinking YUCK! One of the UGLIEST cars in the world, ever made. But now being older having toned down some, I (because of your show) am able to look at this car and really look closely and appreciate it! Thanks so much!
This is the best channel on TH-cam. Thank you!
I'm surprised that you didn't mention the inverted glass rear window that retracted on Continental convertibles. 😀
And hardtops, not just the 'verts. All the Continental models of those three years had that "Breezeway" window feature. Note: *Only* the Continentals, not the Capris or Premieres.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 Good point. To me, the sum total of the retracting glass and the folding top on the convertibles is particularly entertaining.
@@OnkelPHMagee That it is, for sure! I'm impressed that they even designed it to be hidden away under hard body panels, like in the '60s, instead of having an exposed pit that needed a tarp secured to it, like almost all other 'verts of the time. Considering that the back window was glass, a major step ahead for that time, I now see the plastic film used in '61 thru '65 a bit of a step backward, although they were fitted with a zipper to open them with the top up. But then they went back to glass in '66, only to drop the 'vert after '67; I think Lincoln was the first of the American marques to do that. Pity. But my life dream is to acquire a '67 'vert to go with my '66 sedan.
@@aloysiusbelisarius9992 When I look at the Skyliner, 1958 Continental, T-bird convertibles, I see how Ford was more daring in folding top systems than GM or Ma Mopar. (I belong to a 1970 Fury convertible.)
Something I found fascinating at about the 5:04 mark, was something extra there.. It was about the burgundy convertible in the top left corner. The caption read:
"The well-remembered convertible sedan shown above was crafted by Lincoln as the official car for the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England on their royal visit to the United States in 1939. This lincoln is on display in the Henry Ford Museum, Dearorn, Michigan."
That was very Cool. 🙂
The rear coil spring and control arm suspension was way ahead of its time but I think they had some kind of problems with it and went back to leaves. The one knob HVAC continued with the '61-63s, as well as having two heater/defroster units (one for each side) with hot air going through the front armrests to the back seat.
9:51 It's hard to tell from what I can see of the brochure if those buttons control the sensitivity of the signal seeking function, or of the receiver itself, to prevent overload when near broadcasting towers, a feature (usually marked LOCAL/DX) I remember from some aftermarket radios. I wish some modern radios had an adjustment for the seek function; some of them stop in nearly every position if there is a lot of interference in the area.
Amazing video and what a beautiful car!
My aunt that lived in Elpaso had one of these that drove easily from Elpaso to the ocean front of VA Beach. The bumpers were so heavy it took 3 large guys to take them off and it had pneumatic windows!! I thought it was grand!!!!
My cousins had a '58 don't remember if it was a premiere or continental. But it was a lemon. Nothing worked right on it. When they came to our house, I remember the neighbor kids would play with the power windows and my dad would chase them away lol
The only car feared by tornados. It has a magnificence about it, but the ‘61+ completely reset the style approach and remains a masterpiece of smooth, cohesive luxury.
I had a 1961 Lincoln Continental, which I still think was one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. One day in the rain, I was parallel parking the beast, and when I cut the wheel to its stop, the windshield wipers chattered. I realized the wipers were hydraulic. My parents 1966 Continental had the same set-up.
The 1958 Edsel had the one-knob HVAC system.
I used to have a 1994 Saturn, and it did the same thing. If you put the gear selector on 2, it would start in 2nd gear. It was great for when the streets were slick from rain.
Adam, I thoroughly enjoy your presentations and knowledge of automobiles. I have heard you say on several occasions that the Continental Mark III was manufactured from 1969 through 1971; you are omitting 1968.
I have had two 1958 Lincoln Premiere cars, and two 1960 Continental. Outside mirror was adjustable from inside car. Windshield wipers was working with vacuum air, from air intake of the motor.
With regards to horsepower, Robert S McNamara was influential in downsizing the late 1950'ies Lincoln luxo barges to what would become the Continental of 1961
McNamara actually wanted to kill Lincoln like they did Edsel, I think the Ford family might have said no. Yes he was responsible for it being smaller and that's why they did the suicide doors because it made it easier to get into the smaller back seat area and also only coming in a 4dr , not so many models made for less production costs
Many of the features you highlighted in these cars were also standard or available on the 58 Edsel. Dial Temp climate control was very similar although it had a separate fan speed control. The town and country radio was an option as well as the power lubricator. The MEL 410 in the Edsel also interchangeably used the Vickers direct drive power steering pump or a belt drive one depending on availability. The performance numbers for the MEL 410 were also impressive for the time at 345Hp and 475ftlbs of torque. Of course Edsel had the Teletouch transmission control to go with the 3 speed automatic which was not available in the Continental. All Edsels were the more traditional body on frame construction with front coil springs and rear leaf springs.
And power antenna and power trunk and 5 cigarette lighter/ashtrays! I loved my 58 Premiere! It was white with red and black interior. Bought it for $850 in 2007 when I was 17 and learned a LOT on that car! Sold it in 2012 or so, hopefully its still on the road. For a big car it definitely scooted!