Leno's Garage: 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:00 pm
https://youtu.be/TXc4zYMdnbE
This is 50 minutes for a reason. And I have a lot to say about this.
I did not realize how complex these cars were. The top and window stuff is so fancy. So much electrical complexity. Although, there are a number of items on this car that are "problem areas" and overall I think a 60s Cadillac was a more conventional, simpler car that was lighter and more reliable, for what that's worth (while still executing the big, comfy cruiser with a big V8). 66 was the first year for auto climate control, yet Cadillac had that 2 years earlier.
Vacuum door locks. Oy. Hydraulic wipers. Crank-driven power steering pump. Power bench, of course.
5,800 lbs? Damn. Unibody??? Now that is interesting. Last American car with leaded body work. Yeah. He talks about corner weights for absorbing vibes (despite his insistence that the body structure was extremely rigid). Well you know what car at the same time had that? The very affordable Corvair.
This had a 462 cid V8? I thought it was a 460. Ah, the 460 came out in 1969. No relation.
So yeah, I didn't realize how interesting these were. Overall, I think Ford was trying to compete with Cadillac (or maybe Imperial?) and they really didn't sell many of these. He said the convertible was not profitable.
He said the optional tilting steering column (I think power operated by vacuum!) and high beam dimming was - get ready - purchased from GM. GM had all the money in the 60s.
This is 50 minutes for a reason. And I have a lot to say about this.
I did not realize how complex these cars were. The top and window stuff is so fancy. So much electrical complexity. Although, there are a number of items on this car that are "problem areas" and overall I think a 60s Cadillac was a more conventional, simpler car that was lighter and more reliable, for what that's worth (while still executing the big, comfy cruiser with a big V8). 66 was the first year for auto climate control, yet Cadillac had that 2 years earlier.
Vacuum door locks. Oy. Hydraulic wipers. Crank-driven power steering pump. Power bench, of course.
5,800 lbs? Damn. Unibody??? Now that is interesting. Last American car with leaded body work. Yeah. He talks about corner weights for absorbing vibes (despite his insistence that the body structure was extremely rigid). Well you know what car at the same time had that? The very affordable Corvair.
This had a 462 cid V8? I thought it was a 460. Ah, the 460 came out in 1969. No relation.
So yeah, I didn't realize how interesting these were. Overall, I think Ford was trying to compete with Cadillac (or maybe Imperial?) and they really didn't sell many of these. He said the convertible was not profitable.
He said the optional tilting steering column (I think power operated by vacuum!) and high beam dimming was - get ready - purchased from GM. GM had all the money in the 60s.