I’ve always had a thing for 1950s to 1970s domestic land yachts finished in aqua. Whether the bright turquoise of a 1955 Thunderbird or the light-metallic aqua of a 1966 Olds Ninety-Eight Luxury Sedan or ’61 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country, I will go out of my way to check it out once spotted at various and sundry cruise nights, car shows, craigslist ads and ebay auctions. And if the car has a white or aqua interior, well fuggetaboutit. So when I saw this lovely boat of a Lincoln on eBay about eight years ago, I was immediately hooked.
According to the long-gone auction listing, this car is all original and only had 67,000 miles on the clock. Being a ’79, it does have the 400CID V8 and not the more desirable 460, but still–what a car.
Just look at all those colors. Quite the difference from the me-too beige beigemist, gray graymist and silver silvermist everyone wants. And that’s not counting the many different vinyl roof and interior colors that were also available. And different fabrics as well. You might not be impressive on the Burgerkingring, but you’d waft sedately to the Moonlight Bay Supper Club for cocktails and a steak dinner.
As impressive as the metallic aqua paint is, there’s even more inside. Dig that plush aqua crushed velour with wall-to-wall aqua carpet inside. And everything is color keyed: seats, carpets, instrument panel, headliner, seat belts. Heck, maybe even the cigarette lighter. The only thing that would make this better, in your author’s humble opinion, would be if it was leather instead of velour. There’s a scent to vintage Lincoln leather upholstery that I just love. I remember it well from the ’77 Mark V and ’87 Continental that my grandparents owned-and in which I rode in frequently during my formative years. Explains a lot, doesn’t it?
The only demerit I have on the 1978-79 Continentals is that sparse instrument panel. The 1970-77 dash was much, MUCH cooler looking. This one is more of a gilded LTD/Marquis dash than a Lincoln’s, though I do dig the Quadrasonic stereo with 8-track this one has.
The 1978-79 dash does look appropriate for a big brash American luxury car, though, with all the simulated woodgrain and chrome “Lincoln Town Car” script above the glovebox. If you got a basic Continental, the script said, appropriately enough, “Lincoln Continental.” Interestingly though, the top-of-the-line 1979 Collector’s Series Continental was NOT a Town Car, despite having the Town Car seat style, albeit in “Kasman II luxury cloth” instead of velour.
The back seat, if anything, has even more room than the front. With the ride this Lincoln provides and the acres of aqua-tastic bliss, you could be forgiven if you thought you were out to sea while riding in the back. I’m on a boat. No, really.
Hopefully it went to a good home. And is now the talk of Del Boca Vista! Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta get down to the supper club for a couple gin and tonics and the early bird fried shrimp special. Cheers!