One of the in-laws got a '61 Continental to play with. For such a large car, the back seat is surprisingly cramped and uncomfortable. I'm not tall yet there's no thigh support. Non-tilting steering column makes getting into the drive seat tricky as well. Leave the driver window rolled down and you risk poking an eye on the upper corner of the vent window. 123s and 126s are well built but I'll bet any one of the doors of this Continental would test the limits of SLS. The disappearing dash AC vent module is cool beyond cool even if the AC doesn't work ('just needs recharged').

Is power steering fluid cooled in the radiator end tank? There are two fittings and hoses on the passenger side that go to the tranny. There are two fittings and hoses that disappear under the AC compressor where the power steering pump is. There's also some sort of hydraulic valve above the brake booster that looks like it has power steering lines. Not to mention a nest of cabin heater lines that puts a 140 with rear heater valve assembly to shame.

It has an aftermarket Weiand-looking foam air cleaner. The vent cap thing over the oil filler tube has a big hose that leads to a T-fitting hanging loose. There are no fittings on the valve covers and pictures of '61 Continentals show no fittings on the air cleaner within reach of this hose. Vent and filler tube are ahead of the passenger side cover while it would seem the factory air cleaner has a snorkel over the driver side valve cover. The hose is long enough to reach about 3 cylinders aft of the the filler tube. Any ideas where it connects?

Was a thermostat fan standard or even optional in 1961?

Sixto
87 300D^2

I don't think anyone would be "tickled pink" with a 61 Lincoln. Tell them to move it on and get something delightful, say a 1952 to 1956 Capri Hardtop. Cut their losses and forget about it.

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

Considering the times, and the competition, the '61 Lincoln was a VERY restrained car. Yeah, the hardtop version weighed in at just a tad less than 5000 pounds, but before you trash it, look at what Caddy, and Chrysler were selling in 1961.
Not much chrome, and what was there was tasteful. rear doors of the suicide type, very cool!.

It was awarded a Bronze medal by the Industrial Design Institute--not too shabby.
Over 22,000 units made.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Me?

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

i will agree for such a big car they were made for midgets.

The continental shared much of its structure with the contemporary t bird. I had one though mine was a 62 I believe. For such a large car it was surprisingly agile. the engineering on it was exceptional for an american made car of that era.

I bought it with a cracked block and fixed the engine. The rest of the car was in pretty good condition, #3 driver sort of thing. I discovered it had some mildew in it and so traded it in the end for painting the hallway and stairs of the commercial office building I owned at the time.

I traded it to Fred, the business agent of the painters union which was a tenant of the building at the time. I later saw it at his house with a serioiusly folded up front fender.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Rererring to the mobster in the back seat, "He had a "pressing engagement", quipped James Bond.


Indeed:


1963 Lincoln Continental gets crushed - YouTube

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Ahhhh, before I got my Mercedes when I was in high school I was always on the lookout/hunt for a '64 Continental. Soo awesome

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1982 300D Turbodiesel, daily driver. Mods so far: Fram 8038 paper filter, 4 brake light mod, Gen II w126 (front) rotors/calipers, boost turned up to 12lbs, non-egr manifolds, water/methanol injection, 4-speed manual
1980 300SD Turbodiesel, project car, nearly ready to hit the street

1974 240D, New paint

I like them. They were rated as second or third best made car in the world back in 1963 after rolls and mb, I believe.

I also admit to a (probably morbid) association with JFK being part of the attraction.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I always thought a Mark II would be fun to play with. Heard one time that it was the last American hand-built auto, rumor.

I drove Lincolns a good bit back in the early and mid 70s. Suicide doors were cool and anti-lock brakes were revolutionary at the time. Anything else was just BIG.

Back then luxury cars weren't overbloated and full of plastic LazyBoy fat-ass features.

There's a memorable sex scene in Crash which occurs in the back seat of a Lincoln as it goes thru a car wash. Some connection in the film between that Lincoln and the death of JFK. Tom, you may like it. The whole film is about the connection between cars and sex.

It's a Cronenberg film set in Toronto.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

A lot of us had our first experience with the opposite sex in a car.

For me it was the front seat of my dad's 65 corvair. You needed it in reverse for extra room. We were "watching" the movie "grand prix", though i really only saw the beginning scene with the camera coming off the tail pipes and part of the end.

Crash, Eh? I'll have to check it out. Anything with cars and grauitous nudity is up my alley, though nudity and gratuitous cars is ok too.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My dad bought two new Continentals in the early 60s, a '63 and a '65 IIRC. He'd been a Ford man for some time and was making bank in construction. I learned how to drive on the '65. I had no idea they were rated that highly. I thought they were quite the item back in the day but they just seem huge and boat-like to me now.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

About 10 or 12 years ago my ex brother in law, on a road trip in one broke down nearby and had it towed here, for some reason. He thought I wouldn't mind. It was a crap-heap, not worth fixing and he knew it as he never came back. I had it towed away.
The suicide doors were pretty cool.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I love the pre war Lincoln's:



Amazing cars.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200