Lincoln Continental

The Lincoln Continental is one of the Lincoln entries the open record knows by name and by date — in 1939, and by little else. That is not nothing: a name in the catalogue is where a car's story starts to be recoverable.

The background

The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced between 1939 and 2020 by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edsel Ford, who commissioned a coachbuilt 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr convertible, developed as a vacation vehicle to attract potential Lincoln buyers. In what would give the model line its name, the exterior was designed with European "continental" styling elements, including a rear-mounted spare tire. In production for over 55 years across nine different decades, Lincoln has produced ten generations of the Continental. Within the Lincoln model line, the Continental has served several roles ranging from its flagship to its base-trim sedan. From 1961 to 1976, Lincoln sold the Continental as its exclusive model line. The model line has also gone on hiatus three times.

From 1949 to 1955, the nameplate was briefly retired. For 1981, the Continental was renamed the Lincoln Town Car to accommodate the 1982 seventh-generation Continental. After 2002, the Continental was retired, largely replaced by the Lincoln MKS for 2009. For 2017, the tenth-generation Continental replaced the MKS. As part of its entry into full-scale production, the first-generation Continental was the progenitor of an entirely new automotive segment, the personal luxury car. Following World War II, the segment evolved into coupes and convertibles larger than sports cars and grand touring cars with an emphasis on features, styling, and comfort over performance and handling. Fro

Under the skin

The record carries the layout. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.

Where it sits

In the Lincoln line-up the Lincoln Continental has a clear place: the factory was Long Beach. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Volkswagen Beetle, the Chrysler Saratoga, the Mercury Eight. Its Lincoln stablemates include the Lincoln First Call and the Lincoln Funeral Car.

Owning one today

There is no federal ownership record for the Lincoln Continental — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.