‘64 Lincoln Continental

Number: HKJ09-N9C0Q

Year: 2023 - 5/5

Collection: HW Slammed

Born: 1961, Wixom, MI

Manufacturer: Lincoln

The fourth-generation Lincoln Continental rode on a stretched version of the unibody platform produced for the 1961 Thunderbird, lengthened to a 123-inch wheelbase from market launch to 1963. This was then extended to 126 inches and retained until 1969.

The only engine available was the 430 cu in (7.0 L) MEL V8 carried over from the Mark V. It was expanded to 462 cubic inches on 1966 models, becoming the largest-displacement engine ever used in a Ford Motor Company passenger car. A new engine, the 460 cu in (7.5 L) 385-series-based V8, took its place by 1969, shared with the Continental Mark III. All versions of the Continental were fitted with a 3-speed automatic transmission. New for 1966 was Ford's C6 automatic, designed for use in big block, high-horsepower V8 engines.

At its launch, the fourth-generation Lincoln Continental was offered solely as a four-door, as either a sedan or a convertible. For the first time on a Lincoln since 1951, rear doors were rear-hinged (suicide doors). To alert drivers of open doors, Lincoln fitted the dashboard with a "Door Ajar" warning light as seen on many modern automobiles. Latching at the B-pillar with a vacuum-operated central locking system, convertibles used an abbreviated pillar while sedans were "pillared hardtops.” In the configuration, a thin B-pillar supported the roof structure while all four doors utilized frameless door glass in the style of a hardtop or convertible; the layout would become used by several Ford Motor Company sedans during the 1960s and 1970s.