1973 Lincoln Continental 4 Door Sedan
"In tests conducted by Nationwide Consumer Testing Institute for smoothness, steadiness, and quietness, 60 out of 100 owners of that other American luxury car said the Continentals had a more comfortable ride. 1973 Continentals. The best cars we've built. Luxurious near the point of perfection. Designed to be even quieter than the 1972 models." From the 1973 sales brochure.
For consignment, a 1973 Lincoln Continental 4 door sedan showing an unverifiable 59,476 miles. A two owner car in a classic 1970's color combination. Check your garage land yacht fans, this baby is 230 inches long. Frank, Elvis, James Brown, Bonnie Raitt, and even Frank Lloyd Wright all enjoyed their Lincolns.
Exterior
This was the era of earth tones with shades of brown, gold, and green being among the most popular car colors. And here we are with a behemoth Lincoln dressed in gallons of Dark Brown Metallic that if you popped some UPS stickers on, no one would be the wiser. Long and luxurious, the enormous hood has a slight rise in the middle while the flat trunk tops the square so smoothly, you could probably balance a nickel on its surface. In profile, the rising shoulder line is the only thing that veers from straight lines and its size really does define the land yacht era. Fender skirts add a sleekness to the rear quarter panel while sharp right angles up front created a battering ram for a face with squinted eyes in the form of headlight door adornment, their design picked up in the eggcrate grille. Out back, long and low tail lights are embedded in the chrome frame of the rear bumper. A matching brown vinyl top is above the square body and tall windows are encased by it. Some checking and chipping at a spot near the edge of the vinyl top is the only imperfection we find in the single stage brown paint.
Interior
Oh yeah, now this is what I'm talking about! Just peering into the car puts the Barnaby Jones theme in my head for some reason. It's so period fresh! In a color Lincoln calls Medium Ginger, a brown with some gold undertones, it covers the robust doors and all four look stunning with stitched inserts, carpeted bottoms, faux woodgrain control panels, and metal accenting. The split bench is leather and channel tufted with some minor patina creasing on the driver's side but holding up very well 51 years later. The back bench and its pull down armrest is nearly pristine while faux woodgrain greets the driver in the steering wheel. Moving down the column, we find the shifter which leads to the horizontal speedometer above a series of square gauges in a plastic bezel that hints of the previous generation Lincoln configuration. An AM/FM radio resides in the middle of this dashboard, which is clean, nicely arranged, and luxurious for the times. Plush brown carpet is protected by vintage Lincoln mats and the perforated headliner is fully intact and holding on to the shoulder belts. The massive trunk is finished in gray cloth panels and the spare is covered as well.
Drivetrain
Hoist the hood up and the show quality of the car continues in the engine bay where the 460ci V8 wearing Ford Blue, is rated at 219 horsepower and fueled by a 4-barrel carburetor. A C6 3-speed automatic transmission is behind it and pushes power to the Ford 9" in back with 2.79 gears. Power brakes are supplied as discs in front and drums in the back.
Undercarriage
Mucho surface rust underneath and some of it is pitted, but we're not seeing any structural issues nor invasive rust. There are two holes in the rear panels that look like something ripped them open. There's a bit of oil on the transmission and oil pan, and some grease build up on the knuckles, but no major leaks and not a lot of road dirt either. A single exhaust pipe travels through a stock style muffler and a resonator on its way to exiting discreetly under the car just behind the rear bumper. Coil spring suspension is found up front and a 3 link with coil springs and panhard bar is out back.
Drive-Ability
Large and in charge is the theme here and this big ship makes its way onto the tarmac like the Queen Mary on a maiden voyage. It rolls along, daring the imperfections in our blacktop to cause a shudder and of course, with 75 series tires with an early 2023 date code, the bumps are no match for this luxury cruiser. It's got power, sure, but you're not going to win any red lights, nor should that be the goal. Sit back, relax, and just let it cruise. That's where the money is! The rim blow circuit of the steering wheel horn is disconnected so it is not working. All other functions work as they should! While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
This was the era of All in the Family, Kojak, Hawaii Five-O and Lawrence Welk. And yes, these big Lincolns would appear on television and occasionally, depending on what neighborhood you grew up in, on the street near your house. This was the pinnacle of opulence in this time period when "the bigger the better" was an acceptable preference just before an oil embargo would have us reconsidering the size and weight of cars. This is a show quality example from 1973 and deserves further preservation. Are you the next curator?
3Y82A891926
3-1973
Y-Wixom, MI Assy Plant
82-Continental 4 Door Sedan
A-460ci 4bbl V8
891926-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 53A-Continental 4 Door Sedan
COLOR 5F-Dark Brown Metallic
DSO 31-Buffalo
TRIM DF-Medium Ginger Leather
DATE 29C-March 29
TRANS U-C6 Automatic
AXLE 3-Ford 9" 2.79 Gears
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
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