Now you're talking Adam!!! This Lincoln Continental has timeless elegance & is one of the best looking Lincolns ever!!! Thanks for sharing this exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂
You always have some of the most stunning automobiles on your channel. The interior of this Lincoln is beautiful especially the dashboard. It just screams luxury inside and outside.
This car started my favorite design period for classic cars. The early-mid 60's were a great time for simple straight lines, tasteful use of chrome, and thinner whitewalls. Then the "Great Brougham Epoch" happened, and cars once again started looking heavy and droopy
I look at this car as pure luxury, the period of less is more, the amount of detail that went into the design and assembly of these Lincoln’s is a whole story in itself
Yes, Ford was considering dropping the Lincoln from their lineup and bringing out a new luxury car which would've been a mistake. The '61 slabside 4dr with rear suicide doors was a brilliant move that saved Lincoln from extinction and redefined what a luxury sedan should be.
This is one of the 4 autos on my Mt Rushmore of car design. The other 3 being the 1963 Riviera 1963 Avanti & 1967 Eldorado imho. You've got Elwood Engel Bill Mitchell & Raymond Loewy. Not a bad group of stylists there
I'm NUTS about the 63-65 Riviera's. I was a car-crazy 12 year old when the body style debuted in '63 and it blew me away. My dad's business finally took off in '68 and he started buying luxury cars (he was a Ford man all the way, so our first luxury car was a '68 T-Bird).....I always wanted him to buy the Riviera (preferably the '64), but he just couldn't justify it at the time. I would have kept that car forever if he had.
This was the car that basically killed the tail fin era of automotive design once and for all. To paraphrase Chrysler, when this Continental came out, "Suddenly, it's 1970!"
Thank you Adam. I had a 1962 baby blue convertible in 1994. Super fun car. Had to sell it when I bought my first house, got married and had my daughter.
Just an elegant car. A couple of shots really showed the incredible amount of tumblehome from beltline to roof. Were there any complaints about the headroom? You're getting close to 100K subscribers. Congratulations!
My brother up in Michigan had a fully restored 1962 Continental Convertible in beautiful blue aqua paint, frost blue interior and a white top. Has the optional air conditioning and even more rare cruise control.
Wonderful cameo presentation of the all-new slab-sided Lincoln Continental for 1961! These Kennedy-era Lincoln’s were such a departure from their predecessors and they benefitted from engineering and assembly line precision similar to the 1956-57 Mark II. I think the wiper design may have been to provide maximum clearing of the windshield nearest the driver at the initial part of the sweep from the parked position - we saw Mercedes-Benz adopt a similar design with the introduction of the W116 twelve years later and they promoted that feature in their brochures. The high compression Lincoln engine supplied substantial power and this new chassis was much lighter than the 1960 Lincoln resulting in very fine acceleration. We see a great deal of design influence in Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile and Chrysler in the years just after this model’s release.
This is a MEL block not a Lincoln "Y" block. All Lincolns, Mercury's and some T-Birds had MEL's starting in 1958. The biggest Lincoln Y block is 368 c.i., and it's last year for Lincolns and Mecurys was 1957. Whether in a Lincoln or Mercury it was known as the Lincoln "Y" block line of engines. Ford had their own line of "Y" blocks, known as Ford "Y" blocks ot just "Y" blocks.
I have had a 61 for decades and have never gotten one lead on way the wipers are like that. & I can attest to the fact that they do NOT clear the drivers view any better like this. The Avanti also has its wipers like this & personally I think they were just trying to add a "Euro-flaire" to both cars but who knows!!
The movie "Topkapi" with Peter Ustinoff includes a white convertible version with the power retracting fabric top. Almost becomes a character in itself and steals the show, a must see.
This car is in amazing condition, and one of my all-time favorites. One of the many wonderful features is that black and white leather interior, which contrasts beautifully with the walnut trim.
8:08 Regarding the wipers, it's also interesting to note the wipers run on power steering fluid, and that the power steering pump is not run by a belt, but it is on the front of the crankshaft.
A timeless elegant understated design. One of my favorite Lincolns. In my mind it will always be associated with one of the darkest days in the history of our country 11 22 63. JFK had good taste!
The reverse-sweep wipers continued even on the majorly revised 66-69 models. It is definitely an odd choice. The rear window drop feature on convertibles is not necessarily to clear the top, it is so the rear glass can clear the front glass due to the fact that the weatherstrip seal is part of the rear glass frame. This complexity is the main reason the sedan wasn't a pillarless hardtop. The sedan's center B pillar isn't really structural, it bolts in place on these 61s, but the pillar solves that weatherstripping issue in a very simple manner. There were a few special true hardtops produced, but to have put this complex touchy feature on 20,000+ cars would have been unwise.
One more little tidbit is that the 1961 Continental script on the rear fenders is aluminum. While the design was the same (maybe a shorter tail on the L (easy to get clothing or a cloth rag caught on and bend the soft aluminum), either with later aluminum or this the 1962 model - it was dicast chrome plated in 1962.
The delicate anodized aluminum 61-only script is quite the special item, exactly why you say, the long tail on the L gets snagged when washing and drying car. Another wonderful script at 6:30 is the one on the glove box door. It is an extremely thin, delicate casting, with loopy, reverse leaning cursive. It is my favorite script of the entire run 61-69.
I’d love to see you do a video on the 64-66 imperials like the one parked next to this lincoln. Those were also styled by Elwood Engel as was this lincoln.
What strikes me Adam are a few notable design features. The oversized front wheel openings, peak just inches from the fender tops. The severe windshield angle with slender "A" pillars. And the extreme inward curved side glass angle, "tumblehome", with the greenhouse nestled between the raised fenderline blades. Taken in combination with unadorned, slab-sides and the result is a truly sublime automobile, timeless in execution with little brightwork to detract from the sheer elegance of a well proportioned automobile. Thank you, Adam.
Nice job on the video! Rear auto drop windows on the convertibles is pretty cool. There were a couple hardtops made in ‘61 however using the convertible rear glass and the auto drop mechanisms seemed to costly … although today guys are doing what we refer to as the b pillar delete. Basically using the convertible rear glass and removing the b pillar for that seamless flow when all 4 windows are down. Some also add the auto drop function. One more thing is the vent under the radio pulls down a tad more which reveals another vent. This is a beautiful ‘61. A+
The fact some of the design tropes in modern Lincoln trace their roots to this car sixty years later and could easily look like it was designed today speaks on how iconic the design is in my opinion. BTW, the Cadillac next to the Lincoln is a beauty also. God, I love 1960s designs.
That retractable center AC unit is a one of a kind for 61. This owner does not have it lowered all the way. There is one horizontal vent that is still not in view. One of the craziest car features ever.
One of the finest industrial designs of all time. The contemporaneous T-bird would qualify as well, but for the overwrought taillights. These still turn heads, 60 years later.
Nice car Adam, minimalist design. But I would love to own that 1966 Fleetwood Brougham beside the Lincoln. My father's first nice car was a 1965 Cadillac purchased in 70.
So interesting to see Engel's Imperial imitation, er follow-up, in the background - and indeed Cadillac's ultimate response on the other side. Set the tone for 25 years really - the coke bottle ecpliced it for awhile, and both the Mopar fuselage and GM 71 B/C bodies took things in a slightly different direction, but they came back in the end. I would not turn down any suicide Continental (and I actually like the 68-69 better than 66-67), but my favorite is either the 63 or 64 - 63 for purity (the original grille was a bit heavy handed), 64 for the legroom and better dash. Just classic.
In 1970, my stepfather bought my mother a used baby blue ‘64 Continental that had 1,500 original miles on the clock for $2,000. It was from an estate sale… the proverbial “old lady’s” car. I got to drive it to prom that year.
Looking at this masterpiece and the truly classic cars parked next to it shows just how far the American automotive industry has fallen . Back in the 60s no other country came close too bad they couldn’t get the old tooling and just start manufacturing these cars again.
Also in ‘64, trunk space was expanded and the roof was widened. All to counter customer complaints of too little room (not much more than adding the rear doors to what was originally a Thunderbird design proposal). Widening the roof allowed Ford to switch to less expensive flat door glass for ‘64 and '65.
These Continentals are extremely complicated for their time. Parts and finding a mechanic who is well-versed working on these are becoming quite scarce. I’d love to drive somebody else’s some day!
I had a 64 convertible. White,white top, red leather. I loved 🎉that car. People were always fascinated by the beautiful simplicity of it’s style. I felt like a rock star driving it. I have several framed pictures of it hanging in my garage. The styling was simple. The engineering was very complex.
My first car in high school circa 2004 was a 1962 continental I pulled out of my grandpa's garage. Little did I know that was the most difficult car to learn how to work on cars. Power steering pump.. Lol even my dad was confused ( mounted on the crankshaft). Also parts were either impossible to find or ungodly expensive even then.
I love those Lincoln's! As a teenager I had a 1968 Thunderbird - 1969 Lincoln Continental - 1969 Ford LTD - 1970 Thunderbird.... I guess my buddies thought I was a dork but I loved those sleds! I had a couple of more later on but I got addicted to Germán Fords & Brittish stuff But now at 60yo I just love your content of American Iron ... Many Thanks
I wanted a Mustang or Cougar but my Dad said at the price you can afford, either of those would have been abused by their typically aggressive drivers. In 1976, Dad's buddy, a Lincoln collector, found a '70 Town Car that was a weekend/vacation car owned by a farmer with only 68,000 miles. It was so grand roomy and comfortable as well as a cinch to work on. My job put me in up to 5 cities in a business day, each with a different rental car. After hundreds of rentals, I"m 6'2" and that '70 Lincoln is one of VERY few that can be adjusted to where I can barely reach the pedals. One classmate had a 60's era Benz with a vertical speedometer. My '70 had a horizontal rolling speedometer that was similarly unique. Sure people thought I was a nerd, but that fine car was my pride and joy. Two people hired me to be their limo driver for the prom in my car. How cool is that!
8:08 That windshield, despite the boxy profile of the car, still has a little of the compound curve that was all the rage in the 1950s, which is accentuated by the bend at the top of the A pillars. I wonder if Ford used the reverse wiper pattern to avoid the wiper loosing contact with the glass as it approached the A-pillar from the right, which would have looked sloppy and could have been a bit noisy. Of course, that would also have been a potential problem on the passenger's side, but maybe that blade didn't get as close to the pillar, with the vision of the passenger being of less than critical importance.
Engel's '61 Continental made Cadillac look like a 3 year old pariah, and the Imperial as downright bizarre. Harley Earl had overstayed at GM for at least a decade imho, and Mitchell's prowess was just starting when this debuted. The best looking postwar car by a long margin... in a 4 door!
Regarding the unusual wipers, I think the Avanti had the same arrangement that was attributed to a draftsman's error. These cars are excellent drivers and feel very modern. The ride is not squishy and the handling is crisp. I would not mind having one today as my daily driver.
That's why my dad preferred big Ford products vs GM, they had a better ride to handling balance and I agree. Ford reached the height of this with the 80s-10s Panther platforms.
@@HAL-dm1eh Cadillac from that time used body-on-frame, the frame used by Cadillac from 57-64 was the 'X-frame' also used by other GM divisions until 1970. The X-frame was used so the cars could have a low silhouette but still allow for low door sill. X-frame cars were known for flexing and being squeaky.
@@MrSloika I'm talking about in general. It must have something to do with corporate priority due to philosophy, much along the same lines as GM cars being more fancy in exterior design, Ford products are more understated and handsome, leaving it to be a "taste" thing for individual buyers really. From the 60s all the way to the Panther platform Ford has made their full size platforms a little more nimble yet at least as good riding. The Cadillac took out an edge over the Lincoln in the 90s with their last body on frame product, but again the Lincoln rode on the Panther platform that was very difficult to be for handling. To give you an example of what I'm talking about, I recently purchased a 2002 Mustang and was a little shocked to find my old 98 Crown Vic rode AND handled better!
He also had a mobile phone unit installed in the car. Mobile phone was a very different system from cell phone and only the most important people could get a mobile phone. On one occasion Johnson was out in the Lincoln when it broke down. Johnson called Henry II directly from the car and said, "Henry, you sure don't build them like you used to."
Definitely a ground-breaking design. Though the late 50s excesses of tail fins and chrome had already be dialed back by '61, this was a total rejection of all that with a sleek, rectangular design. Compare this to what Virgil was putting out at Chrysler at the time.
I had read many years ago, the the reasoning for the reverse oriented wiper arms, was that the first full size clay model of the car was in a small room with a mirror behind the car and that when Engineers were taking measurements from the model and taking pictures - that somehow the mirror image was mistakenly used. Maybe done in haste, but the information was used to prepare tooling and I suspect that things were too far along when the error was discovered. They were trying to save money on the 1961, since it was almost discontinued to begin with, so there may have been not time or money to make the correction. After all, the 1961 did not have power vent windows, nor a power antenna, as well as no two door model. Money was tight, after also reeling from the Edsel failure. Some interesting facts between early and late models. Several changes were made. The first is the height of the steering wheel. Early models (at least Jan and before, if not a little later) had their steering wheels lower than the later models. You can see the chrome bezel in the lower instrument panel where the steering column comes out of. In early models it is centered, as originally designed, and therefore very low and close to the seat cushion. After complaints from owners, the later models had the steering column raised. This can be seen by noticing that the steering column, where it comes out of the round bezel in the lower instrument panel - is up high and touching the top of the chrome bezel (in other words, not concentric). Another change is the steering wheel itself. early models have solid chrome spokes with the horn ring routed under the spokes like the 1958-60 Tbirds had. This provided no stop to the horn ring when pressed aggressively - so it was prone to being broken. Later models had spokes that had chrome on the upper part and the plastic on the bottom with the horn ring above the spokes, with the spokes being used as stops preventing the horn ring to be broken. Another change was the design of the interior door handles and vent window cranks. Early models had smooth centers and were removable with a special tool which could damage the rear wood veneer. Later models had a Phillips head screw in the center of the smooth center, being easily removed with a screw driver, and not damaging the real wood veneer. Another interesting fact: The 1961 convertibles had a higher second top bow, giving the top more of a "bubble" profile look (which I thing is cool looking). However, the 1962 convertible has a lower (as I recall, about 1") second top bow, giving the top a more flat or sedan profile look (even called out in the 1962 sales brochure as I recall).
I was interested in a derelict '62 or '63 convertible sitting on the backlot of the local Ford dealer when I was in High School in the early 70s. A friend who worked there inquired of the owner if it was for sale. The owner said to make him an offer. I never did, and now that I realize how complicated the top mechanism is, I feel like I dodged a bullet. They were certainly unique with an elegant yet simple design.
Regarding the "clamshell" hood: I too have heard that it is a safety feature, but for a different reason.. that in case the hood were to become unlatched it wouldn't fly open and obscure the road ahead.. I believe all FoMoCo cars had that feature since 1957... ..and, regarding the downsizing, I had thought that the '52-'55 Lincolns might have been smaller, but although wheelbase was the same 123", the Road-Race Lincolns were indeed a couple of inches longer, but an inch narrower.
This car is simply stunning. I lived in Chattanooga from 2008-2010 and a bout two miles from my house was a little shop that restored this generation of Continentals. They had one for sale, a navy blue one and one that drove around that part of town. It was a white convertible that had after-market chrome wheels on it that were actually very tasteful for that body. Man, they both were just something to see in person.
One of my paper route customers in the 1970's had a salmon pink Lincoln sedan, either a 1961 or 1962. Several years later, I went to a rummage sale at their house and spotted a Lincoln Continental hood ornament paper weight, which I bought and still have today. At some point in time, the car disappeared from the garage. I remember it as being in good condition although I do not believe it was driven often in its later years. Even in the 1970's and 1980's, these cars were considered as somewhat collectable.
Utter class...I had a 63 sedan that I bought in '73 or so for $400. I was one sweet ride. It just oozed quality throughout the interior and door fitment, etc. It instantly made the Cadillac look overdressed and old.
Elwood Engel was one of the designers of this car. In 1961 he moved to Chrysler when he was not made head of Ford design, and brought many of the design features of the Lincoln.
6:30 Regarding the dash "center stack," don't forget the A/C unit "closes up" so the dash is perfectly smooth in the center. And, that A/C unit in the center as shown, will go down another few inches, revealing another vent at the top. In my life, I think the '61 Continental is the _only_ car I know of with such a A/C setup.
This vehicle speaks luxury, not garish luxury but true luxury from a craftsmanship standpoint, quality in every detail this in itself was real change for American car manufacturers. It would be nice for you to detail that craftsmanship that went into the assembly , design and quality of parts used in manufacturing each and every car, the fact that they tore down every engine to guarantee proper break in the tuning system they used to isolate road noise etc etc, at a time when Cadillac was still slapping more chrome on Cadillacs to achieve the feel and look of quality, yes Cadillac has some great technology but Lincoln was all about understated excellence
I had read in The Complete History Of 1958 through 1969 Lincoln Continental that the reason why the wipers operated like that was due to the lack of space for the hoses, as the A/C hoses ran on the left side.
Well, regarding the windshield wipers, I do think it was same philosophy behind as was within release of W140 MB. The idea is that when raining starts, or you’re getting sudden splash of water on your windshield, this configuration allows to clear driver’s side considerably quicker than within traditional wipers layout. Adam, as always, thank you for the video!
The rear door drops not to clear just the convertible top but PRIMARILY so the weatherstripping on the REAR DOOR WINDOW will clear the FRONT DOOR WINDOW. (The rear door has to be able to open when the front door is closed)
My folks had exactly this car but in beige. They kept it nearly 10 years although it wasn’t exactly trouble-free. The color combination of this car is absolutely stunning! I doubt Lincoln would have the nerve to do something this bold again, all their current cars seem to be some kind of “me too” SUV contraption.
7:50 Those key guards, both the ones on the door locks and the emblem guards they put on trunk lids during that era, looked good and kept grit out of the lock cylinder. But what a pain they were, especially on icy mornings. I'm surprised that no automakers (as far as I know) offered key guards which automatically retracted when tapped.
This car is stunning now! I can only imagine what this car would have been like to see in it's day! This vehicle would have been the envy of every driver in 1961! Incredible!
Growing up with a 1964, I initially wondered about the reverse-sweep wipers, and finally concluded (correctly or not) that it was done purely for styling reasons, to lend a more rarified and likely European look.
Adam, Another thing about this car. Lincoln gave this car unusually long, soft springs. In order for it to handle reasonably well, they kept the height to a minimum. To accomplish both the regular height and long springs, Lincoln raised everything under the car to the highest position possible to avoid bottoming out.
They did not sit low when they were new at all. Only in promotional photos. They actually sat unusually high and sporty. Look at the road test photos in 61. Especially CAR LIFE. The car sits high and perky. We are restoring one now and trying to get the correct height thru exhaustive viewing of original non promotional photos.
@@chuckpeterson3262 I corrected my wording. Raising everything to its maximum height underneath was first done on the Thunderbird and that was carried through to their downsixing in the late 70s.
And they were thoroughly inspected after the break in drive. The fluids all had UV dye added and the inspectors got under the cars with a UV light to check for any leaks or seepage.
Iconic car and styling indeed. It is amazing to this day the image and heritage this vehicle has. I think about the many films this car has been in. Especially recall the one destroyed in Animal House. I think about the 1960's and the United States presidents when I see the car as well. The attention to detail and the elegance is something else indeed. Thank you so much Adam.
We had a brand-new one in April, 1961 - "Crystal Green Metallic" with similar light green leather, A/C and wood accents (optional over stainless steel) . To answer your question, the new wipers afforded a significantly larger clean area of the windshield that the former ones.
My brother had a couple SAABs and indeed sweep starting from the left not only clears more glass but also wipes that area first, making it safer when driving in variable weather.
The 50's and 60's are my favourite period for American classics, in terms of how they worked to create such beautiful cars. This thing looks magnificent, both inside and out. I know it's cliche', but cars like this are artworks!
Just speculation- but could the wiper arrangement be because the mechanism they used wouldn't fit in the conventional manner due to the narrowness of the fire wall and cowl vent?
I'll speculate too, if I may. Perhaps, since Cadillac was using bidirectional wipers (if that's what they're called...where the arms originate on opposite sides of the windshield and the blades overlap and meet in the middle), Lincoln wanted to also do something unique, but different from Cadillac.
Yes Adam, Elwood Engle did a wonderful job of designing these Contenentals before leaving to head the Chrysler designs studios after Virgil was let go.
The 1961 Lincoln was very beautiful...just one of many iconic cars to come out of that decade. You can see the similarities with the '61 Thunderbird in the front end. I will say that I liked the Thunderbird styling introduced that year (3rd gen.) even better than the Lincoln. While the decade was great for styling, the Lincoln and T-Bird far outclassed most of what the American car industry had to offer in '61. The Corvette was the only thing that came close, IMHO. Again, I'm speaking only of American cars.
My first car was a Lincoln Continental. A '62. I bought it in '65 when I was 21. I once got it up to 120 and still had plenty of pedal. The speedometer went to 130. It was like riding on a cloud. It would cruise all day at 90 mph.
When I attended my high school in the early 1980s, one of my classmates had a four-door Continental. Riding in the rear seat was very interesting experience for me. It was sort of dark inside due to the thicker C-pillar, blocking lot of side views from the seat. And I had to pighole myself through the smaller door opening. The shape of headlamp bezel suggested that Lincoln could use the rectangular headlamps from the European Ford Taunus 17M P3 , yet the Americans are too stupid to stick with the archaic headlamp regulations.
