2018 North Star Calendar Lincoln - Nothing Can be Finer The North Star Region Car of the Year 1964 Lincoln Continental Sedan Owned by Bob Johnson, Tyler, Minnesota The Fourth Generation Lincoln Continental A Thoroughbred is Born For the 1961 model year, the Lincoln range was consolidated into one model. Following the $60 million in losses to develop the 1958–1960 cars, all models were replaced by a new Lincoln Continental. Making its first ap- pearance since 1948, it was available as a four-door sedan and as a four- door convertible. Originally slated to be a version of the 1961 Ford Thunderbird model line, the 1961 Continental was modified by Ford design vice president El- wood Engel. Though still looking expansive, the slab-sided Continental was the smallest Lincoln since before World War II, a full 14.8 in shorter overall than its 1960 predecessor, with an 8 in shorter wheelbase. The design was anchored in a "form follows function" simplicity, with a complete absence of ornamentation. Sightlines across the hood, rear deck, and fenders all seemed to vanish to infinity. The overall effect evoked a sense of dignity, great mass, and authority, in motion or parked. Nevertheless, the car was so much smaller advertising executives at Ford photographed a woman parallel parking a sedan for magazine adver- tisements. Though more agile, at 4,927 pounds, the new sedan was only 85 pounds lighter than the lightest 1960 Lincoln 4-door sedan (2 pounds less than a two-door); at 5,215 pounds, the convertible outweighed its 1960 predecessor by 39 pounds. As a result, the new Lincoln was still heav- ier than any equivalent from Cadillac or Imperial. This solid construction led to a rather enviable reputation as "Corporate management was deter- mined to make it the finest mass-produced domestic automobile of its time and did so." The most recognized feature of the design of the Continental was the return of rear-hinged doors, last seen in the 1951 Lincolns, to improve ac- cess to the rear seat. A "Door Ajar" warning light on the dash was pro- vided as a safety feature. Sedans featured a thin "B" pillar with both body styles utilizing hardtop-style doors sans integral window frames as well as curved side glass. Sedans were called a "pillared hardtop," the design would be added into a number of Ford Motor Company vehicles during the 1960s and 1970s. Another popular feature was the all-new convertible, where the trunk lid would open electrically in a single piece, hinged at the back of the vehi- cle, then the fabric top would fold down and disappear beneath the trunk lid. The mechanism was originally used on the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner hardtop convertible of the late 1950s. Opening the trunk on convertibles for storage required that the lid be opened electrically, without deploying or retracting the folding convertible top. Another feature was the popular "Tilt-Away" steering column, borrowed from the Thunderbird that was modified to both adjust for vertical and length adjustment. The 1961 model was the first car manufactured in the United States to be sold with a 24,000 mi or 2-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. It was also the first postwar four-door convertible from a major U.S. manufacturer. California Walnut veneer was used on the doors and instrument panel. Cen- tral locking system was vacuum operated. For the Kennedy White House, the Secret Service purchased a convertible parade limousine custom built by Hess & Eisenhardt of Cincinnati, Ohio, from a 1961 Lincoln 4-door convertible. Code named the SS-100-X, it was this car that Kennedy was riding in at the time he was assassinated in 1963. Regarded as Elwood Engel's magnum opus, the 1961 Continental re- ceived some design support from a full-size clay model done by staffers Howard Payne and John Orfe in 1958. It was a sales success, with 25,160 sold during its first year. This so-called "slab-side" design ran from 1961 to 1969 with few changes from year to year. As a result, Lincoln dealers began to find that many people who bought 1961 and post-1961 models were keeping their cars longer, forcing a new design. Ford produced sev- eral concept cars which recalled this design. In 2007, Lincoln's Navigator and MKX SUV lines adopted chrome grilles in the style of these Continen- tals. In 1962, a simpler front grille design with floating rectangles and a thin center bar was adopted. Sales climbed over 20 percent in 1962, to 31,061. For 1963, in response to customer requests, Lincoln made several changes to the Continental. To improve rear-seat legroom, the design of the front seat was updated. Also, the design of the rear decklid was modi- fied to increase luggage space. To improve the electrical charging system of the car, Lincoln replaced the generator with an alternator, as would many manufacturers during this time. 31,233 Continentals were sold. For 1964, Lincoln gave the Continental a minor redesign, featuring several updates to further improve interior room. The wheelbase was ex- tended three inches, both to improve rear-seat room and to improve the ride. The roofline of sedan versions saw several changes, becoming squared off with the formerly curved side glass now being flat. The rear-mounted gas tank filler door was moved to the driver's side of the car. The front grille was modified slightly from the 1963 model; it now featured a series of five vertical chrome accents that interrupted the square "egg-crate" pattern and were distributed evenly between the dual headlights. The ex- terior "Continental" script was changed and the rear grille replaced by a simple horizontally elongated Continental star on the rear deck lid. 36,297 were sold that year. A concept show car was built, called the Continental Town Brougham, which had a 131-inch wheelbase, overall length at 221.3, and had a retractable glass partition between the front and rear compart- ments, with an exposed area over the front compartment, in typical 1930s style town car/brougham appearance. This generation of Continental is favored by collectors and has ap- peared in many motion pictures, such as Goldfinger, The Matrix, Last Ac- tion Hero, Kalifornia, Spider-Man 2, Hit and Run, Animal House and the In- spector Gadget films. It has also appeared in the television series Pushing Daisies, in the opening sequence of the television series Entourage, and as the vehicle of choice for Michael Chiklis's character Vincent Savino in the series Vegas. In the CBS television situation comedy Green Acres (1965– 1971), in which the cars were furnished by Ford Motor Company, lead char- acter Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert) is shown driving a 1965 Conti- nental convertible and then in later episodes owns a 1967 model. Perry Ma- son also drove a fourth generation Continental convertible in many epi- Images courtesy of John Walcek, Placentia, CA and David sodes; here too the cars were furnished by Ford Motor Company. 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