Whenever I’m in Las Vegas, I always feel like I’m in the wrong car. I bring a Monte Carlo SS, but I should be in a 1970 Monte Carlo SS454. I drive in a Mustang, but I should be in a black 1969 Mach 1. I drive in the Chrysler, I should be in a 1957 DeSoto Adventurer droptop, it’s fins high in the air and it’s exhaust unrepentantly rich and loud. It’s a psychological thing: if you are going to be rolling through Sin City, shouldn’t your car fit in with the scene? It should be showy, aggressive, have a veneer of luxury on the surface but in reality be grizzled and brutal. It should be P.T. Barnum as a huckster, Fred Astaire the thief, or the ultimate comparison, Frank Sinatra: a crooner with some seriously unsavory ties, entertainer by day, something to fear at night for the right reasons.
It’s why this Lincoln Continental Mark IV speaks to me. Black and chrome, a classy look, and without the gigantic bumpers that were due to come along shortly. Big cubic inches, all four-hundred-and-sixty of them. An interior that was a solid place to be. This was a ride to be seen in, unapologetically huge, rolling around like a monolithic block of a car. With it’s hidden headlights and Rolls-Royce-esque grille, it was imposing. It had the long-hood, short-deck musclecar shape, fully open wheelwells, and it didn’t need a graphics package, spoilers, scoops or any of that to exude power…it did that parked.
Was this a high-roller or a made man? You never knew. That’s why I’d love nothing more than to cruise this car around the oasis in the Nevada desert just one summer evening.
$40,000 way to much people are watching way to much barrett jackson
I remember when these and Eldorados, Toronados, Rivieras, Imperials, etc. ruled the streets, it was a far simpler time. It would be awesome to put some wheels (NOT DUBS)on it and lower it a little to have a bad ass cruiser. Practical, NOT AT ALL (heck, it would be like parking a dually), but fun, you bet.
My wife’s step-mom had one just like this when we met.
There’s a 71 on Pittsburgh pa craigslist right now just as nice with 49,000 miles for $20,000
Beautiful! All it needs is a Coyote motor and air bags to make it a real Pro Luxo – a class ride with good handling an power to match it!