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The
roots of the Continental model lay in the attitudes of Americans toward European
style. As the Nineteenth Century merged into the Twentieth, it
became apparent that for some Americans at least a wistful glance
across the Atlantic was paramount to being fashionably chic and
cultured. Such an attitude could not, of course, be universally
praiseworthy. To be an expatriate American living in Paris during
the Twenties was considered, sadly, by some to be a prerequisite to
literary stature. But in the Thirties the continental vogue was of
happier circumstance, as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers glided to
the strains of a tune that heralded the beautiful, the daring, the
subtle, the ultra new - The Continental, a dance of passion and
fashion, of moonlight and romance. In the last year of the Thirties,
there was introduced a car that bore the same name, the continental
qualities of which, its enthusiasts believe, lost nothing in
translation from dance to automobile.
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It
was not, of course, the first Continental automobile in the United
States. There are at least four others recorded in the annals of the
American automobile industry, as early as 1906 in Indiana and as
late as 1933 in Detroit, but these versions were about as
"continental" as Paris, Illinois, is French. Speak
automotively of the Continental and the average American enthusiast
will immediately respond "Lincoln!" Here was a Continental
that was just what its name implied.
To find a beginning for the
Lincoln Continental story presents some difficulty. As historians
like to point out, the car wasn't really conceived, it just sort of
happened - and as such the developments leading to its ultimate
reality do not fall into well-ordered place. Indeed, the Lincoln
Continental idea might be taken back to the early Teens, when Edsel
Ford, then just a teenager himself, first became attracted to
European automotive design and began putting together a scrapbook of
custom cars from the continent that he particularly liked. It might
be taken back to the Twenties when Henry Ford bought the Lincoln
Motor Company, put Edsel in its presidency and allowed him to
produce some of the loveliest cars of the classic era.
But
wherever and at whatever point its beginnings might be placed, one
thing is certain - the story of the first Lincoln Continental begins
and ends with Edsel Ford. Volumes have been written about the often
turbulent relationship between Edsel and his father. Suffice to say
here that Henry was an unswerving autocrat, his son an unstinting
aesthete. Edsel was the president - read administrator - of the Ford
Motor Company, Henry was the boss. If cars can bespeak the man,
Henry was the Model T, Edsel the Continental.
The
Depression and its aftermath had forced many fine-car manufacturers
to the wall. The marques that survived either rode out the lean
years on the profits of their popular-price small models
or moved into the production of compromise cars that traded on an
honored name. In Lincoln's case, the big luxury K series was
continued until 1940. At the same time an effort was made to attract
more buyers and to fill the price gap between the Ford and the
Lincoln. What was needed was a new car. What resulted was the
Lincoln- Zephyr,
introduced in 1936.
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Initially,
the Zephyr was conceived as a dream car by John Tjaarda, stylist at
Briggs Manufacturing Company, a supplier of Ford bodies. It was
introduced in 1933 as part of the Ford Exhibition of Progress, and
was later placed on display at the Century of Progress exhibit at
the Chicago World's Fair. With unitized body construction, teardrop
shape, automatic transmission and a rear-mounted V-8 engine, the
Zephyr was a striking, totally different car. Production seemed
inevitable, for Edsel Ford knew that to survive, the Lincoln
Division needed a lower-price car. But he also knew that he needed
it right away. Since the experimental Tjaarda car would have
required extensive retooling to get into production, the Zephyr idea
was consequently given to the Lincoln styling section, recently
established by Edsel for just that purpose. Edsel's basic
development directive, strongly influenced by Henry Ford, was that
the new car must make use of existing Ford technology wherever
possible.
E.
T. "Bob" Gregorie was chosen to head the new styling
staff, and under his guidance the production Zephyr took shape.
Although the advanced idea of unitized body/frame construction was
retained, the engine went back to the front of the car, the
automatic transaxle gave way to a standard three-speed, a transverse
leaf spring was installed at the rear, a solid rear axle was
employed, and mechanical brakes were specified, all of which was
standard Ford practice at the time. The same could be said of the
engine . . . almost. After some experimentation with an
aluminum-block version of the thoroughly successful Ford V-8,
Lincoln Chief Engineer Frank Johnson directed development of yet
another V-12 engine. While it shared its 2.75-inch stroke and many
internal parts with the Ford V-8, this was in fact a unique,
75-degree engine with aluminum heads displacing 267 cubic inches and
rated at 110 horsepower at 3 900 rpm.
Riding
on a 122-inch wheelbase, the slim and elegant car that finally went
on sale in 1936 was remarkably faithful to Tjaarda's show-stopping
prototype. The name Zephyr was chosen as a tribute to another
Chicago World's Fair debutante, the Burlington Zephyr, one of the
country's first railroad streamliners. The new Zephyr sold for
$1320, and sold well: 15,449 units in its first year, some 10 times
more than the Model K sold in the same period. The sales peak was
1939, when 29,000 Zephyrs were delivered. John Tjaarda's dream car
had succeeded beyond anyone's dreams, and the future of the Lincoln
Division was assured.
The
Zephyr was made even better a year later, a subtle restyling further
distilling its sleek lines, completely removing the last vestiges of
running boards in the process. Two significant additions for the
year were a column-mounted gearshift lever (the first from Ford) and
the adoption of sealed-beam headlights. But the success of the
Zephyr did not lie simply in its sales figures. In 1951, the car was
designated by the Museum of Modern Art as "the first
successfully designed streamlined car in America." Indeed, it
was even more than that. It represented a radical departure in body
design from all the Lincoln motorcars that had preceded it, set the
styling theme for later Fords and provided the basis for what was to
be one of the most beautiful cars ever built in the United States .
. . the Lincoln Continental.
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Edsel
Ford returned from a European vacation in September 1938. There was nothing unusual about that; his role as Ford
president took him all over the world. Nor was there anything
noteworthy in his request to Gregorie to build him a special
convertible coupe. Since the early Thirties, Edsel had had a
one-of-a-kind Ford built for him about once a year. The synergistic
combination of these two events, however, gave rise to a Lincoln
that was "strictly continental."
The
one-off design that Gregorie sketched from Edsel's inspiration was
drawn from the Zephyr, and the final version was finished in the
traditional Eagle Grey paint scheme with gray leather trim. Rumor
has it that this new Lincoln was so well received during a trip in
Florida that Edsel took 200 blank-check orders back to Dearborn with him. Such was the
interest that, following the construction of a second prototype, the
Continental was approved for production as part of the 1940
model
line. It premiered in the Ford Rotunda in October 1939 as the Lincoln Continental Cabriolet, the top model in the
Zephyr line, priced at $2840. What separated the Continental from its contemporaries was
that elusive quality of striking individuality combined with perfect
proportion. Mechanically, it shared much with the Zephyr. With an
overall weight of 3615 pounds, however, function took a back seat to
form. It was a car meant not for the race track but the boulevard,
dedicated to the discriminating motorist.
Every
Continental was virtually handmade. By the end of the first selling
season, 350 Cabriolets had been assembled. A hardtop Coupe model,
derived from the Cabriolet, was introduced mid-year and 54
examples were built. By 1941, it became a member of the Lincoln
family in its own right, and the Zephyr name was dropped from its
model designation. Other refinements for the year included
push-button door handles and an electrically operated top that
replaced the vacuum-operated model used previously. Continental
production was held to just 100 units per month for the 1942 model
year. Public taste in automobiles now seemed to be moving toward
frontal mass, as well as toward the longer, lower, wider theme that
would be dominant in American automotive styling for many years to
come. The new Continental, which underwent substantial redesign for
1942, reflected these trends, in that it was 4.5 inches wider, 7 inches
longer and about an inch lower. The modest weight gains that went
with the restyling were offset by a power increase to 130 horsepower in
the V-12, achieved by increasing cylinder displacement to 306 cubic
inches, making this the largest version of the Zephyr engine built.
As a portent of things to come, the aluminum cylinder heads were
replaced by cast iron owing to the shortage of aluminum due to its
military applications.
The
United States' entrance into World War II brought a quick halt to
all automobile production. Lincoln's war effort included production of
tank engines, bodies for amphibians and over 140,000 Jeep bodies. When
production resumed after the war, the 1946 Lincolns, like so many other
American automobiles, were simply face-lifted 1942 models. At $4500
they were considerably more expensive. A highlight of the early postwar
period was the choice of a bright yellow Continental to pace the 1946
running of the Indianapolis 500.
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Sales
of the Continental topped 1659 in 1947, its best year ever. At the
end of the following year,
however, the Continental line was discontinued. The practical
reasons, high production costs foremost among them, told only part
of the story. The death of Edsel Ford on May 26, 1943, had really
sealed the fate of this "Queen of Classics." It would not
be long, however, before inspiration and tasteful elegance would
give rise to an heir in shape and spirit.
In
the meantime, Lincoln entered the Fifties with a new look that first
appeared in 1949. Two models were offered, a 121-inch wheelbase
Lincoln and a 125-inch wheelbase Lincoln Cosmopolitan. The standard
Lincolns featured a split windshield, while the Cosmopolitans
offered a one-piece version along with unique chrome spears over the
front wheel wells. A new Continental was also proposed but never
progressed any further than concept drawings. The old Zephyr V-12
was consigned to history at this point, and both the new models
shared Lincoln's new 337-cubic-inch V-8, Ford's largest flathead
ever. Both also rode on completely new chassis, an X-shape design
with coil springs mounted inside wishbones up front and Ford's new
Hotchkiss drive at the rear. The new elements in Lincoln design and
engineering would prove particularly attractive to the public: A
record 43,983 cars were sold in 1949.
Nineteen-fifty
Lincolns were even better. Lincolns had been the transport of choice
of the White House since the days of Calvin Coolidge, but President
Eisenhower and the Secret Service were impressed enough with the
1950 line to order 10 specially built Cosmopolitan limousines. One
later received a unique Plexiglas roof and continued in presidential
service until 1961.
Joining the Lincoln ranks at
the top of the line in 1952 was the Capri, one of the Fifties'
freshest designs. The Capri's front bumper, like that on all
subsequent Lincoln models, was for the first time integrated into
the front styling of the car. Its wraparound design was a styling
cue quickly adopted by other manufacturers. Ford's new $50-million
research center began to repay its investment with several
significant innovations for the 1952 cars. Foremost among them was a
new 317-cubic-inch overhead-valve V-8. A 7.5:1 compression ratio
helped deliver 160 horsepower at 3900 rpm. Meanwhile, owners of the
5324 Continentals built between 1939 and 1948 were pressuring Ford
for a successor. The return of the Continental, an American luxury
car with the flair of European elegance, was inevitable. William
Clay Ford, Edsel's son, was 14 years old when he joined his father
for rides around Hobe Sound, Florida, in the original Continental.
For reasons nostalgic and aesthetic, he was anxious to revive the
project. His appointment in July 1952 as manager of the newly
established Special Products Operations provided the impetus for its
accomplishment.
The
Mark 11 was conceived, as Edsel would have desired, in the stylist's
studio. Four of the country's top independent automotive designers
were asked to submit sketches of a car that would recapture the
essence of the Lincoln Continental within a contemporary framework.
In a strictly judicial process, Ford executives viewed the sketches
and selected their favorite. Without knowing the originator of any
of the sketches, Ford executives, to their obvious delight, chose
the design submitted by the Lincoln styling studio. On October 6,
1954, William Clay Ford announced that the Continental Mark II would
become a production reality. One year later, it made its public
debut at the Paris Auto Show. Private showings soon followed in
major U.S. cities. The word was out: The Continental was back. Its
heritage was obvious in tl continental spare, the short rear deck,
the close-coupled passenger compartment, the long, lc hood. The Mark
11 was an entirely new car, sharing neither frame nor components
with al other Ford or Lincoln car. Power came from a 368-cubic-inch
V-8 engine whose horsepower rating, like Rolls-Royce's, was never
revealed, although none doubted that it was sufficient.
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The
Lincoln Continental Mark II cost $10,000, making it the most expensive
motorcar the country since the Duesenberg. And at 4825 pounds (5190
with air conditioning) it was also the heaviest. In 20 months 3012
examples were produced. The line was discontinued 1957; the market in
the mid-Fifties for a $10,000 car was severely limited. Yet in its
two-year production run, the Mark II Continental established for itself a number of
superlatives. In a period marked by overstyling and ostentation, the
Mark II was a statement of good taste and classic simplicity,
dignified and elegant. Such a car is forever remembered.
Though nearly overshadowed by
the Mark II, the Capri and Premiere models of the late Fifties deserve
praise in their own right. Stylist Bill Schmidt noted that the crisp
lines of the 1956 models "grew out of observations made while
skin-diving in the clear waters of the Bahamas." They were the
longest, lowest, most completely restyled and reengineered luxury cars
of the year. They were also among the most admired designs of the
times and the first cars ever to be cited for excellence by the
critical Industrial Design Institute. Several features of the new cars
were noteworthy. Buyers could choose from over 52 exterior and 22
interior color combinations, and a new instrument panel incorporated
aircraft-style switches and controls, creating one of the most
pleasing and functional panels of the decade.
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The
final years of the Fifties saw domestic automotive stylists caught up
in a frenzy of unrestrained national self-expression. Whatever critics
may say of this period, it was undeniably the zenith of a design idiom
that was pure Americana. The men of Lincoln were no more immune to the
passion for fins and chrome than their contemporaries, and as a result
the 1958, '59 and '60 Lincolns were memorable as distinctive tributes
to the end of an era. Evolved from the striking designs of 1956 and
'57, the Lincolns that closed out the decade were even bolder in their
lines, angles and trim. They were also substantially longer, at 229
inches overall, the longest production cars in the world at the time,
as well as heavier. And this in turn dictated more power. The new
430-cubic-inch V-8 produced 375 horsepower and could hurry 5000 pounds
of Lincoln to 60 mph in under 10 seconds.
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Though
Lincoln had quietly created several significant styling milestones in
the Fifties, plans were in the works for yet another new look. The
Sixties would soon be known as the space age and Lincoln had set its
sights on the stars. In November of 1960, Lincoln introduced what the
press called "a radically redesigned" version of the
Continental. Its simple and sparing lines, in contrast to the
garishness of the times, symbolized a refinement in the Lincoln
lineup. There had been 12 Lincoln body styles in 1960; the following
year the company concentrated on just two, a four-door sedan and a
four-door convertible. The sedan's center-locking doors, a result of
the reduced wheelbase, are remembered today as one of the 1961
Continental's most novel features. A similar innovation on the
four-door convertible, the last such body configuration ever offered
by an American manufacturer, used a unique rear-window-adjustment
mechanism that ensured adequate weather sealing even without a rigid
top or center post.
The
decision to endow these Continentals with the classic simplicity of
the Mark II was lauded by the press and public alike. In June of 1961,
less than a year after their introduction, the Continentals won
Lincoln its second award from the Industrial Design Institute. Since
then, the Lincoln Continental line has endured. Refinements have been
made, to be sure. In 1966 a two-door coupe joined the line, and all
three models enjoyed belt and fender lines that were given a graceful
upsweep along with a new "power-dome" theme in the hood. In
1968, the four-door convertible was discontinued as more owners
expressed an interest in closed cars.
The
1966 Continental coupe prefaced a new rendition of the classic Mark,
the Mark III. The Mark III shared many of the attributes that had made
the Mark II such an esthetic success; its long hood, short deck and
unique trunk lid were all testaments to the truest of Continental
traditions. It was a personal car, with a wheelbase almost 9 inches
shorter than that year's Continental. Sumptuous luxury, including
leather seats as an option, was supplemented by generous performance
from a 460-cubic-inch V-8. The Mark III and the other Continentals
boosted Lincoln sales to a record level of 61,378 cars in 1969. Unlike
its predecessor, the Mark III accounted for a substantial portion of
the success, over 23,000 cars in all, its list price of $6910 made
Lincoln ownership possible for more people.
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In
1970, the Continental series, which had become the mainstay of the
Lincoln family, received its first all-new body in nine years,
shedding some 300 pounds in the process. Particular emphasis was
devoted to comfort and convenience in the new design, with increases
in interior and luggage capacities, as well as easier access afforded
by wider doors. The new Continentals helped Lincoln record its
second-best sales year ever, and in 1971, the Divisional Golden
Anniversary, production soared another 3000-plus units, to 62,642.
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The
Continental Mark IV, introduced in 1972, was made even more personal
in 1976 with four Designer Editions. Bill Blass, Cartier, Givenchy
and Pucci each gave their sense of style to a unique model of the
Mark IV The following year saw the introduction of the Continental
Mark V which joined the Lincoln Continental. The downsized
Versailles also appeared. It was the beginning of a new generation
of Lincolns, each designed for the demands of performance and
efficiency that Americans would expect from the automobiles of the
Eighties. For 1980, Lincolns were an average of 775 pounds lighter
than their predecessors, with corresponding improvements in fuel
efficiency, handling and technology. A key development in the latter
category was the introduction of the Ford Electronic Engine Control
(EEC) system. Employing an onboard microprocessor and sensors
monitoring several engine functions, the new engine management
system helped deliver remarkable fuel economy for a gasoline-powered
luxury car. Other sophisticated electronic options included an
information center that furnished data such as elapsed time,
distance to destination, average speed, etc.
The
Continental remained faithful to the traditional idea of automotive
luxury by providing interior spaciousness and comfort, a powerful
5.0-liter V-8 and the serene ride that only a car of its proportions
could provide. As an example of technology furthering traditional
comfort, it appealed to those who resisted the idea of smaller size
and reduced comfort in an automobile. Its engine was governed by one
of the world's most advanced onboard computers, a system with the
power to conserve fuel, ensure easier starting in cold weather and
even diagnose engine malfunctions. Specially located and tuned body
mounts filtered out road noise and vibration. The result of all this
engineering was a ride that recalled the magnificent Lincolns of
earlier years, a prime reason for the Continental's sales success.
Accordingly, subsequent models would feature evolutionary, rather
than revolutionary, changes.
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In
1981, the Continental was renamed the Town Car, perpetuating its
role as a symbol of Lincoln's commitment to true luxury automobiles.
At a time when the appearance of many domestic luxury cars has
become increasingly homogeneous, Lincoln's Town Car remains a
distinctive example of time-honored tradition enhanced by technical
innovation. The 1988 Town Car, for example, carries a 5.0-liter V-8
featuring sequential multi-port fuel injection, roller-valve tappets
and fast-burn combustion chambers, placing it with today's most
advanced and efficient V-8 engines. Inside, the Town Car's
uncompromised spaciousness makes it the roomiest U.S.-made car, with
a degree of interior comfort increasingly rare in other luxury cars.
Making
the interior even more inviting in 1987
was a new Ford JBL Audio
System that pumped 140 watts of high-fidelity music through 12
speakers. Earlier, in 1983,
a new chapter in Lincoln
history opened with the Continental Mark VII, without a doubt one of
the most significant luxury automobiles of the Eighties. It was
ample proof that Detroit could make a technologically advanced
automobile, using the latest developments in electronic engine
management, aerodynamics and chassis design, without sacrificing a
high level of passenger comfort. Inside,
this marriage of form and function was carried further by precise
analog instrumentation, a high-fidelity multispeaker sound system
and articulated leather-upholstered sport seats. The result was an
automobile that Car and Driver called
"the overall American standard in this class" and one of
its 10 best cars for 1986. For 1988, the LSC's performance has been
further improved with a 225-horsepower High-Output 5.0-liter V-8,
now shared with all Mark VIIs. Handling has also been enhanced with
larger P225/60R-16 performance tires mounted on 16x7-inch aluminum
wheels.
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The
1981 transition of the Continental into the Town Car created an
opening for a new interpretation of the Continental, which appeared
in 1982. From its aerodynamic contours to the sophistication of its
interior, this new Continental was designed for the luxury-car owner
with an eye for contemporary style and an appreciation of a more
personal approach to automotive design. The Continental's
evolution bore witness to the technical enthusiasm that has shaped
all Lincolns. In 1984, it received an electronic air-suspension
system unlike anything offered by any other manufacturer at the
time. In fact, electronic sophistication was everywhere apparent,
from the EEC-IV computer controlling its 5.0-liter engine to an
onboard driver information system. For 1986, the Continental was
further improved with sequential multiport fuel-injection, offering
increased levels of performance and fuel efficiency. As always, its
five passenger interior was graced with leather or cloth seating
surfaces and an instrument panel and doors trimmed in genuine walnut
veneer.
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An
all-new generation of Continental for 1988 continued the Lincoln
traditions of quality craftsmanship and imaginative engineering. A
study in contemporary functional efficiency and classic elegance,
the '88 Continental was the first front-wheel-drive motorcar in
Lincoln history, as well as a rolling showcase of leading-edge
technology. Perhaps the most salient example of Lincoln engineering
advancing the state of the automotive art was the Continental's new
computer-controlled, dual-damping, four-wheel, independent
air-suspension system. Operating on information fed by sensors
monitoring vehicle speed, throttle position, steering-wheel turning
rate, steering-wheel angle, brake actuation and ride height, the
system's microprocessor continuously varies pressure in air springs
integrated with the car's shock-absorber struts. The shock absorbers
also featured dual-damping capability, and the net result was a
suspension system that instantly adapts itself to varying road
conditions. And this in turn provided the '88 Continental with a
unique combination of traditional high-quality, luxury-car ride and
the agility normally associated with sports sedans. Augmenting the
unique adaptability of the suspension was a new speed-sensitive
variable-assist rack-and-pinion power steering system. At its heart
was a patented microprocessor-operated control valve that
proportions steering assist to vehicle speed, providing full assist
for parking lot maneuvers, decreasing progressively to 50 percent
assist for improved stability and road feel at highway speeds.
Like
its companions in the Mark VII series, the 1988 Continental employed
four-wheel antilock disc brakes (ABS). Considered one of the most
important automotive advances since World War II, ABS is governed by
a microprocessor that compares rotational-speed information fed by
sensors located at each of the car's wheels. When information from
one or more of the sensors indicates that wheel lockup is imminent
during braking, the microprocessor modulates hydraulic pressure with
up to 10 pulses per second in the appropriate circuit to ensure
continued rotation of the wheel or wheels in question. As a result,
braking efficiency is maximized regardless of the condition of the
road surface. More important, preventing front-wheel lockup ensures
retention of directional control in emergency situations.
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Consistent
with the advanced technology that dominated the 1988 Continental,
its 90-degree 3.8-liter V-6 was reengineered from top to bottom.
Controlled by one of the most sophisticated electronic engine
management systems in the world - Ford's EEC IV - the Continental
V-6 featured new aluminum. cylinder heads and intake manifolding, a
higher compression ratio and electronically controlled multi-port
fuel injection. In addition to a pair of crankshaft counterweights,
a counter-rotating balance shaft was added, providing the
operational smoothness that has been a Lincoln hallmark over the
years.
The
Continental's exterior reflected a contemporary concern with
aerodynamic efficiency, as well as a commitment to the classic
Lincoln traditions of proportion and style. Flush side window
glass and aircraft-style doors that merge into the roofline not only
reduced drag but also limited wind noise. A flush-mounted
windshield, angled at 58.6 degrees, flush rear window, halogen
headlamps and integrated bumpers also contributed to the
Continental's drag coefficient of 0.36, first among domestic luxury
sedans.
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Inside,
the new car combined the sumptuous appointments and quality
materials that have distinguished Lincolns since the beginning, with
state-of-the-art electronic comfort and convenience systems. The
Continental's new Electronic Instrument Cluster with Message Center
employed the latest in liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology to
keep the driver informed of basic operating information - speed,
fuel level, coolant temperature, etc. - as well as trip monitoring
data and service information. A new automatic climate-control system
incorporated a sun-load sensor, to automatically compensate for the
heat buildup that accompanies bright sunshine. Sound-system choices
ranged from the excellent AM stereo/FM stereo /cassette as standard
equipment to the critically acclaimed Ford JBL Audio System,
available in 1988 with a compact disc player. Surrounding all this
modern wizardry was a cabin that pampered its passengers with the
rich furnishings and serene silence Lincoln owners have always
expected.
The
1988 Continental proved a success in the market. For 1989, air bags
became standard equipment. Still daring, still modern, the
Continental entered its golden-anniversary year in a style that
reflected that of the famous first model. Henry Ford may not have
understood his son Edsel's Continental in 1940, but 50 years later,
its continued success recalled his words on the day (in 1922) he
acquired the Lincoln Motor Company, "We have built more cars
than anyone else, and now we are going to build a better car than anyone else."
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“The
First Fifty Years” from the publication of the same name, which
was presented to owners of new
Continentals and Marks by the Ford Motor Company.
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