Description:
For the past few months Best of Show has been expanding our collection of ''60s muscle luxury specializing in Cadillacs and Lincolns from an era where they were the ONLY way to travel if you were a high roller. Sinatra had a 4-door Continental like this one and used it to cruise through Vegas and Hollywood. Today they are great drivers that still carry a ton of cachet and are quickly gaining momentum among collectors as worthwhile investments. If triple black is just too formal for you take a good long look at this 29000 original mile 2-owner Arizona Continental in Turquoise over a white leather interior. It''s tight clean well-sorted and ready to cruise the strip today. If Sinatra''s Continental was triple black I bet Sammy Davis Jr. had one exactly like this. Yes it has been repainted recently. Having lived the first 39 years of its life in Arizona the sun eventually took its toll on the admittedly primitive paint technology Lincoln used in ''69. Today it has a fresh coat of 2-stage urethane that will stand up to anything Mother Nature can throw at it and looks about 10 times better doing it. Glossy deep with just a hint of metallic it''s an eye-catching hue that makes this big car look trim and fit. I''m not seeing any signs of major surgery on any of the original body panels and as an Arizona car you know rust just isn''t a factor. Trim and other bright pieces are excellent and the bumper guards have just returned from the chrome shop where they were refinished like new to match the excellent original bumpers. Those long wide taillights are in excellent condition as are the unique reverse lights above each bumper end and the unique Continental trim along the tops of the fenders is in beautiful shape. The white vinyl top is new and positively sparkles in the sunlight the perfect complement to the turquoise paint. Given the overall condition I have to say that living out west definitely helped preserve this gorgeous car. Mechanically this is a 29000 mile car low enough to be well-preserved but enough exercise to keep it healthy. I know a lot of guys get excited about 40-year-old cars with 250 miles but cars like that often need substantial mechanical reconditioning to put them back into service. Not so with cars with what I call realistically low mileage (as opposed to ''crazy'' low mileage). Cars like this Lincoln have been well maintained driven regularly but not often and are usually someone''s fair weather toy. That means that the mechanicals stay in tip-top condition and highly original throughout. Our own VP of Consignments GK Kerr who is also our resident expert on these cars and who has extensive experience owning and driving 4-door Continentals reports that this turquoise Connie is the tightest quietest most solid one he''s ever driven and I believe him (he''s also honest to a fault so if it didn''t drive perfectly he wouldn''t have said as much). The engine bay is original and clean and shows that it has been maintained since day one. Tip that big hood forward and you''ll find a 460 cubic inch big block Ford V8 nestled between the fenders still radiant in its original Ford Blue paint and Powered by Ford valve covers. The air cleaner decal is still clinging to the lid for all it''s worth and even the emission control decals are still in place. Standard service items have obviously been replaced which means that this car is 100% road worthy and ready to travel cross country. Easy western living means that all the fittings are unblemished there''s no corrosion on the connectors and wires and even the firewall is incredibly clean. Turn the key and it fires up breathing through what appears to be its original dual exhaust system emitting a muscular exhaust note that is completely unobtrusive on the road but doesn''t let you forget that there are 365 horses under the hood. The chassis is like the engine compartment: serviceable and clean but not specifically detailed for show. As I mentioned I''m pretty sure that exhaust system is original and it is still usable and sounds great. The 3-speed transmission clicks through the gears unobtrusively and everything is quiet and smooth. Floors are clean with no signs of tinworm or rust again a credit to the warm western climate in which it was stored. I''m also going to go out on a limb and suggest that the shock absorbers are original too but I bet the brakes have been serviced-they work exceptionally well. Tires are recent 235/75/15 whitewall radials on the original 15-inch steel wheels with cool-looking turbine-style hubcaps which I like a lot more than the plain wheelcovers on our black 4-door Connie. The leather interior is a real treat and white was probably a smart choice out west where a sun-heated black interior would easily defeat the air conditioner in a fair fight. I believe the seats have been restored with new seat covers and the headliner has been replaced but everything else is in excellent original condition. Door panels are decent although the driver''s side is showing some signs of age (but after 41 years who wouldn''t?). The dashboard is excellent and all the gauges and equipment are fully functional. The A/C is ice cold the power antenna goes up and down and this car even has power vent windows. An FM converter has been added under the dash augmenting the factory AM radio. If this were my car I probably wouldn''t change a thing-it''s perfect for driving and enjoying as-is. The icing on this turquoise cake is the original window sticker which lists cool options like a high torque axle individually adjustable seats tilt steering wheel and power door locks. We also have the original build sheet which is an incredibly rare find on a car like this. If previous sales are evidence I think we are seeing the emergence of a new trend. As muscle car values escalate collectors are looking around at other vehicles from their past. Many of us have had experience cars like these and if you can''t afford a $50000 Road Runner or Chevelle perhaps you can afford a $25000 luxury car just like the one your father or maybe a wealthy neighbor owned. This is a great example of a car that even Hemmings Classic Car magazine acknowledges is a guaranteed future collectable. Low mileage loaded with almost every available option and in a dazzling color combination you probably can''t go wrong here. Load up the family hit the road and be the center of attention anywhere you go. As GK says I don''t know why I wasted so many years in Jaguars and Range Rovers-I LOVE DRIVING THIS CAR!
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