1964 Lincoln continental In-depth look

Modern love by David Bowie?

This may have been the height of American car design. Not too much, not too little. Elegant. Simple. Classic.

Definitely one of the best designed American cars......pure, clean classic design that still looks great to this day!

The '64 version was a real refinement of the original design. That 3 inch stretch made a significant difference.

A perfect example of a perfect execution of design. Even today, this car draws admiring glances. I think the 1964 Thunderbird also belongs in this very small subset of American automotive timeless appeal. Great review. Keep em’ coming! 👍

Someone may have already said this, but they're not called Suicide doors because of possibly falling out and being dragged by the door, at least not the only reason. In larger cities where parallel parking was prevalent, if you are a passenger on the driver's side and open the door and a moving car on the road hit that door, instead of knocking off the door, the door would be knocked back into you as you stepped out.

I dated a girl who's dad had a '64 Lincoln Continental and he would let us take it to drive-in movies... Yes, it was a fun car. Thanks Jay for bring back fond memories.

Made even better, as I was old enough to appreciate the beauty of that car. One advantage of being in one's upper seventies.

I had a 65 Continental, not a day goes by that I don’t regret letting that thing go😢. I believe the brochure called them coach doors, and they sure made getting in and out of the back easy. I will concur with the con of overly complicated everything.

The 1958 to 1960 Lincoln/Continental was such a sales flop that FoMoCo lost $60,000,000 (almost 700 million dollars in 2022). As a result, McNamara threatened to discontinue the Lincoln division. However, he was shown the proposed design of the 1961 Thunderbird and inquired if it could be turned into a 4-door Lincoln. That was accomplished by sharing the same windshield and cowl with the 1961 Thunderbird but lengthening the wheelbase by 10 inches. There was a huge cost savings in that the cowl/windshield are expensive to engineer and manufacture. Further cost savings were from the elimination of a 2-Door Coupe, reuse of the Ford Skyliner's retractable hardware for the Continental Convertible, simplified trim options (and eliminating the equivalent low trim model from 1960), and using the same basic design from 1961 to 1963. FoMoCo actually made a $20,000,000 profit on the Lincoln Division by the end of the 1963 model year.

These cars were 180 degrees out from the previous generation of Lincolns. They projected an air of sophisticated elegance without being flashy or gaudy. President Kennedy loved convertibles and he was influenced by Ford bigwig turned Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to use Ford products. Kennedy also loved the newly designed Thunderbird too.

Thanks Jay. I still remember the first time I rode in one of these (I was all about 13 or so) and the power windows amazed me.

While Kennedy was still President, the X-100 Presidential Limousine was updated with a 1962 model year grille and the 15-inch wheel covers were changed from 1956/1957 Mark II-style to the "sombrero" 1956/1957 Lincoln-style. The previous wide whitewall tires were replaced with whitewalls of a narrower band. The standard 14-inch wheels from the 1961 Lincoln were too small for the increased weight of the limousine. After the Kennedy Assassination, LBJ ordered the vehicle retrofitted "Quick Fix" with titanium armor protection and a fixed roof. Kennedy originally selected the deep blue paint because it photographed better at night. However, LBJ had the limousine repainted black (which is highly reflective to bright lights at night). Many have criticized LBJ for not retiring such a historic vehicle, but the development time for a replacement vehicle would have been lengthy. For several months during the retrofit, LBJ used J. Edgar Hoover's armored 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Limousine.

Hey Jay, this 64 Lincoln Continental is breathtaking inside & out!!! My uncle bought a new Lincoln in 64, it was midnight blue with a black leather interior, it was gorgeous!!! I've always liked Lincolns & have owned many over the years. I currently drive a 18 Continental that's nice but doesn't have the character of this 64 model!!! Thanks for sharing another exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂

Truly a beautiful car---this coming from a 1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham driver. Only disappointment was the engine bay. Was hoping for one Much cleaner.

This was the car you wanted to be seen in & drive to the country club in 1964 for 5 pm martinis. Either that or a Cadillac in this era. Whether or not seat belts were standard, very few people used them in the 1960s.

I think these are some of the most beautiful automobile designs ever produced!🤩 If I could have a collection classic cars and could only pick a few, this would definitely be one of them! Cool car and video! 😎👍

When cars had personal character and was piece of art...

What a beautiful car. Thank you for featuring it, Jay. FYI, dual chamber master cylinders were not required by law until the 1967 model year. Ramblers and Cadillacs had them beginning in the 1962 model year.

Way back, suicide doors were very popular in European cars. Many had them for front and rear, and I like the style. We have really lost so much style in cars, due to aerodynamics causing them toward the central attractor. In addition, the safety factor is paramount, which is a good thing really. I have seen old pics of 20s and 30s cars shredded like can openers had attacked them, and no one could have survived. At least we have safety cages and absorption zones without the cars disintegrating.