1958 Lincoln Continental

VIN: H8YG422611; Convertible; Shasta Blue / Blue; 430ci V8 / Automatic; Mileage: 15,354; Barn find, mostly complete Lincoln, 430ci 4bbl V8, TurboDrive 3-speed automatic, nicely optioned

1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III Convertible

For auction, a 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III convertible showing 15,354 non verifiable miles in barn find condition. The car has keys but does not crank.Â

Exterior
A far cry from the opulent cars displayed in the print ads, this Shasta Blue example has obviously seen better days. It's hard not to miss the collapsed rear suspension that puts the once elegant rear bumper very close to the ground with bottom fins that mirror those up top, sandwiches a wild design in the tail light panel of a finned faceplate that takes in three lights on each side. Of course, this is all at the end of an enormous decklid and hard tonneau. The wrap around windshield is mostly gone here, behind a mile long hood that terminates with one of the most distinct fascias; stacked headlight canted inward bookending an eggcrate grille and robust, torpedo fronted chrome bumper. Some pieces and panels are intact, but overall paint is dull, there's rust through, cracking filler, dents, and the rocker panels are mostly gone even as some of the trim remains.Â

Interior
Electric switches, a luxury in '58, hang on to door panels of two tone blue design with button accenting, surely a sign of luxury and while the driver's door is apart, the passenger side is intact. Inside, blue low back Impala SS bucket seats flank a sporty Mopar early B-body center console with metal shifter in metal base. In back, a two tone blue bench seat with white stripe is aged and dirty and creased, but lacking any major rips. A two tone steering wheel shows patina and leads to a flat instrument cluster with everything within reach, including the AM radio. The dash pad is dry and broken over a finned panel we've seen before on the rear light panel. It's all very weathered but there's enough here to imagine what this car would have looked like when new.

Drivetrain
In a bit of weathered disarray is how we find the 430ci V8 under the hood, in its day rated at a healthy 375 horsepower and fed fuel through a 4-barrel carburetor. It is mated to Lincoln's TurboDrive 3-speed automatic transmission which would send power to the 2.87 gears in back. This example was equipped with power steering and power brakes.Â

Undercarriage
Lots of rust underneath on both thinner metal, floor boards and frame braces. Not much left of the dual exhaust and power drum brakes are on all four wheels. Suspension consists of coil springs front and back with a 3 link and a panhard bar in back. Â

Drive-Ability
The car would not crank.

Is it possible the 1964 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud looked to this car for inspiration? Very few cars have the slanted dual headlight configuration and this Lincoln design lasted a full three model years! There might be some meat on the bone here and if not, it will make one heck of a rare parts car!