1961-69 Lincoln Continental....Lincoln's finest?

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by orconn

Chad, I remember them driving like my 1967 Ford Thunderbird Coupe, which was the worst driving car I ever owned. Driving a brick supended on four squishy coil springs with dead steering. A car disinclined to go in any direction but straight. Despite the Continentals big displacement engines the car were sluggish.

Originally Posted by orconn

While Imperials had torsion bar front suspension which gave them an edge in the handling category ( this was also helped by a lower center of gravity and harder spring settings) they didn't deliver the smooth refined feel that a Cadillac gave. And the fit and finish wasn't up to Lincoln or Cadillac standards in my opinion. The Imperial just gave a coarser less refined overall experience of the same period. I lover the look of the '55 and '56 Imperials both in sedan and coupe configeration, but the quality seem to go to hell in 1957 and remained sub par to their demise.

I have a book of Sixties Cadillac road tests, and it includes one from 1965 comparing a Sedan de Ville, Continental and Imperial Crown.

Truth be told, they didn't much care for any of them, saying size was about all they had over the mid-price brands like Buick, Mercury and Chrysler. They reported the handling of the Continental was atrocious, it was better in the Imperial, but its ride was the worst. I believe the Cadillac came out on top in the balance of ride and drive, though they didn't think the new perimeter frame was all that sturdy (too many squeaks and rattles over a rutted dirt road). About the only thing they liked about the Connie was its styling.

Originally Posted by hueterm

I forget which Continental was the twin to it, but my Dad's old '62 T-Bird was a beautiful car, but it really wasn't a fun car to drive. Lifeless steering, barely adequate power.... He said the '56 Bel-Air, '64 and '66 Impalas, and the '70 GP were all much better driving. (The only one I can attest to is the GP, and he is right on that one.)

As I've said many times before (and I hope it's not annoying anybody), the '64 Impala is a fine driving car and a lot of fun, whether the road is straight or curvy. It's much lighter than the luxury brands at only ~3,700 lbs., so the 250-hp 327 moves it along easily at any speed. The ride is very smooth without being floaty, braking is good for 4-wheel drums, the steering takes a lot of twirling, but you can feel the road, and it will take corners with aplomb. A friend (who owned a '94 BMW 3-Series at the time) drove Betty over my favorite roller coaster road, and after taking her through the turns said, "I can't believe how well this car handles!"

Granted, I've upgraded Betty with wider tires, premium shocks and a rear stabilizer bar, but the basic design is solid. The '64 Impala I learned to drive in had skinny bias plies, and she'd heel over in a turn like the Andrea Doria, but once there, she remained planted and steady. No plowing or washing out the front end. I was following a friend one time, and I think he was trying to lose me, because he was flying down this side street. I forgot about this huge dip, and hit the brakes too late. I wouldn't be surprised if the front wheels left the ground at least and inch or two, but the car stabilized immediately after the dip, and except for that initial rise, I never felt out of control.

Contemporary road tests give Sixties Impalas similar praise (I have a book of those, too), although there's one owner's report of a '66 Impala SS that's rather amusing for his tongue-in-cheek complaints about just about everything). Other Cadillac road tests in my book, particularly of a '61 Coupe de Ville and a '63 Sedan de Ville Park Avenue are highly complimentary, both of engine performance as well as ride and handling. So I would expect the Cadillac would beat the Continental in terms of driving.

I love the looks of Sixties Cadillacs as well, so despite the timeless elegance of the Connie, I'd probably still pick the Cadillac, preferably a '64 Eldorado convertible or Fleetwood, probably the most tasteful iteration of the famous tailfins.

[orconn]

I had a very good friend that had a '64 Chevy Impala station wagon that was his daily driver and served as his tow car for his SCCA B/C sports racing class race car. He was class champion several years in the sixties and seventies. The car was in tow car service almost every weekend and was used to shag parts for my friend's foreign car repair shop during the week. I know the car gave good service racking up well over 200,000 miles before it was traded for new mid-seventies Impala wagon. I rode to several races in the car and remember it being reasonably comfortable for long rides to race tracks around California, although I have to admit the '59 Jaguar Mark IX sedan, that was the alternate tow car, was a lot more comfortable travelling car. Actually I think the old Jag was a more comfortable long distance car than the Cadillacs of the time. GM cars have always had a more polished drivability than the competition , although they may have been outperformed in an individual performance area, overall they always left me with the impression of a smoother operating and in most years better looking cars than the competition.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

So after hearing that the '60s Continentals actually were MORE isolated (and unnerving) than their '70s counterparts, I don't want one so much anymore. Maybe old luxury yachts aren't my cup of tea? They sure are gorgeous though..

[hueterm]

You need a Mark III:

http://www.seriouswheels.com/1960-19...l-Mark-III.htm

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Eh. The IV looks better and the V drives tighter.

[orconn]

^^^^ And they are all wallowy boats that hate to change direction with lousy brakes and steering ........ nice to collect, not so nice to drive every day when you are use to the contemporary stuff.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by RightTurn

YouTube - 1966 Lincoln Continental Commercial

That was the best automotive commercial ever!

[dirt_cheap_fleetwood]

Chad, screw those old ones. Mark VII FTW!

[77CDV]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

So after hearing that the '60s Continentals actually were MORE isolated (and unnerving) than their '70s counterparts, I don't want one so much anymore. Maybe old luxury yachts aren't my cup of tea? They sure are gorgeous though..

It all depends. Suspensions and steering can be tightend up as much as you like. The main appeal of these cars, though, is cruising along an open highway in leisurely comfort. They are not the best choice for modern traffic, where people are zipping around at 75 and 80 mph, nor are they particularly happy carving canyons. You tweak them to your personal taste, then love them for what they are.

[Spyder]

I'll be returning to this thread. I am very intimate with the '63 (My cousin has one just like the black '63 on the first post) and I spent a year and a half and 16,000 miles in my '66 2dr...

Loved the speedometer (no time to explain), the electric wing windows and huge comfortable couch inside. Quicker than you'd think, handled better than you'd think, quiet inside at speed. 6mpg.

Off to work, I'll be back in a day or two.

[orconn]

Hey, Spyder ....... am looking forward to hearing your assessment of these Lincolns.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

My grandfather had one very much like this, my brother and I would fight over who would get to sit on the little 'booster seat' back in the middle.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by dirt_cheap_fleetwood

Chad, screw those old ones. Mark VII FTW!

Technically the Mark VII is an "old" one. Came out in '84 so it's 25 now. Qualifies for antique plates......................(where did the years go?)