1966 Lincoln Continental: Lincoln Reintroduces The Big Coupe for 1966!

[@druballard8929]

Believe it’s the parking brake cables. Great job as always. First thing I check is the duration of the video. Always excited when it’s longer than average. My favorite KZbinr!!!

[@Primus54]

I think you’re correct because they have disappeared in the photo showing the rear half of the drive shaft.

[@mec7568]

They are indeed parking brake cables.

[@pipedreamin]

Correct, you can see them in the next pic, they are just above the shaft on either side in a protective sheathing.

[@JohnAnderson-hr4qc]

I remember the subdivision my folks moved into in 1969. We had a 67 Buick Wildcat, and 67 Mercury Cougar. Next door a 68 Dodge Charger. Across the street, a 67 Thunderbird 4 door landau, next to them, a 66 Continental coupe. Around the corner, a 67 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible, next to them, a 67 Plymouth Barracuda fastback. Good times, not a foreign car to be found

Some damned nice sleads! I drove a '67 Barracuda, as my daily driver, for a few years. My best mate had a 427 '67 Cougar. Frankly, I would have traded either of them, for any of the other cars you mentioned. Not that I haven't owned or admired many foreign cars, but not so much from that era.

[@JohnAnderson-hr4qc]

390 was largest engine in a 67

[@iluvcamaros1912]

Even the Pontiac and Dodge are the more posh models those brands had to offer. '60s Grand Prixs are legit luxury cars.

[@jverrelli1]

Transmission has two more isolated rubber mounts on top of the 4 you see, and cables are parking brake with vacuum release when you shift from park to drive or reverse, awesome video, thank you!!

[@dagr382]

A neighbor bought one in 1966, pale gold with a black vinyl roof and black leather. Such an elegant, understated car.

[@MichaelSemer]

My dad worked at Ford and bought a ‘66 coupe off the “executive lot” where execs turned in their company cars. It was gold-on-gold and had only 1100 miles on it when he got it. I loved that car; power everything, and you had to see that interior to believe it. In 1972 it got totaled when a truck hit him and pushed him into a tree while turning into our driveway. The size of that beast probably saved his life. He went back to the lot and got…an XR7. What a comedown.

[@matthewlibanio8227]

How in blazes do you produce so much quality content on a Henry Ford like assembly line...??? Incredible except your content is amazingly well done and intelligently conceived. Thank you so much.

[@RareClassicCars]

It only takes me about 90 mins to make a video like this. Most of the info is already in my head ;)

[@drift3rkid66]

​@@RareClassicCarsYou and I sir, could sit and talk about cars for hours!!!

[@cabaneencac5168]

and even with still images the content is more detailed than an episode of JLG

[@johnkelly8525]

Just incredible well done love it ​@@RareClassicCars

[@trevormocarski5276]

I agree the roof of that continental does look very GMish. The 60s continental is definitely a favorite!! Great show as always!

[@SummitHill79]

I have been a huge fan of that dashboard since 1966 when I was 5 years-old. Also as a 5 year-old I HATED the 2 door. Why buy a 2 door when this was the only American car with suicide doors? Yes, I’ve been way into cars since about the age of 2.

[@jimkanellakos4699]

8:06 it's interesting that today for safety reasons the tail lights are not allowed in bumpers, yet Kia is allowed to have left and right turn signals embedded in the lower bumper of its SUVs. It's much harder to see, and easier to break in a collision.

[@davehunt6176]

I built an amt ‘66 4-door. The model kit had a padded half-top in back, so I decided to make it a limo. Interiors were my gig, so I did the driver’s compartment in black pin-wale corduroy. In back, I used Kelly green fat-wale corduroy. Stained some balsa wood dark brown and applied it to the doors and dash. Fake fur on the floor. Painted the whole thing Kelly green metallic, With flat black half top. In my decade of model car building, that Lincoln was my proudest accomplishment.

[@rafaelfiallo4123]

It's interesting that back then they went without a coupe for such a long time considering that a 2 door hardtop was a popular body style back then.

[@josephgaviota]

8:44 As a kid, I really liked that "all horizontal lines" dashboard on the '66 Lincoln.

[@DonaldHermany]

Agree about the roofline similarity with the first generation Riviera. Also noted the rear bumper and taillight resemblance to the 65 Riviera.

[@josephgaviota]

10:37 "Tastefull Elegance." Exactly.

[@michaelwhite2823]

Great, rare and sometimes forgotten model to be highlighted.

[@aaronsnowden6311]

Love the 1961 Lincoln. Great video for the 66.

[@loveisall5520]

I dated a girl whose father always bought Lincolns every other year in the sixties, and her mother drove Cadillacs. I found the difference between them fun, but really loved that trough and the very thick doors on the Lincoln, though it was less defined on the second body series like this. Both were supremely comfortable and very different in philosophy.

[@arjnsdca]

Beautiful, my brother had a blue 66 Coupe.

[@MrPoppyDuck]

Reminds me of the car Mr Douglas drove on Green Acres, except he had a four door ragtop. Thanks for a great entertaining and educational video!

[@wm.erdstein271]

I agree on the roofline appearing Riviera-esque. But I really see it looking like a hardtop version of the same years Falcon Futura's upper body.

[@scottchrylser21]

rear parking brake cables

[@turbobird2000]

Those unibody Lincolns and Tbirds were unbelievably solid and quiet… I had several of the birds. They always amazed me in the construction.

[@eth39232]

The dash jutting out reminds me of the dash in the mid 1950's Mercurys.

[@rogergoodman8665]

That trunk lid is larger than the hoods on most new cars!😂 I bet that's a 6 to 8 person trunk, impressive!

[@moejr1974]

You could land a Cessna on it

[@aca2983]

Wow, that dash is perfection. The current Honda Civic dash similarly integrates it's air vents within a horizontal grill theme.

[@josephgaviota]

0:54 I like the '66 "Cord"-looking front end on that car. I also think that's an elegant design.

[@TomSnyder-gx5ru]

I remember as a kid seeing that dash and thought it had two radios. I also remember seeing TONS of Cadillac Coupe de Villes back then but very few two door Continentals.

[@MG-sj1em]

Did you notice on the 2nd interior shot, that one had the built in 8 track. You'd pushed the tape in where the radio face dial was. Best design ever. I had that same interior as that shown. My 1966 coupe body was dark gray no vinyl roof, such a beautiful riding and looking car.

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

I like how the map light there at the driver's right knee is push operated. Push on the lens and it clicks on. Push again to turn off.

[@amandab.recondwith8006]

This car was SUPREME! I was 5 years old when our neighbor drove one home, newly purchased. It caused a sensation in the neighborhood. I wanted Dad to get one and he just laughed. It was far far out of his pay level. We always had Pontiacs. But I knew the Continental was the most beautiful car I had ever seen in my young life!

[@douglasrizzo9210]

Superb work as always! Note the dual exhaust, standard all the way through the 70s when it became an option, but still available. Something Cadillac eschewed for most of the glory years.

[@marko7843]

Adam, I'm very glad you put those two photos back to back starting at 1:10. I never realized how extremely they indented the sheet metal the first year, especially around the front wheels and headlights... The next car is much more 'restrained'. 😉 (As far as the buying public goes, with completely different sheet metal and interiors, I would say there were two generations, '61 to '65 and '66 to '69... though God knows they could have used some fresh wheel covers!)

[@slicksnewonenow]

Mom and dad had MATCHING '66 Lincolns in the early Seventies... Dad was a mechanic at the local gas station and within a couple of years, two different customers of the station sold him their cars for really decent prices. Both happened to be that gorgeous dark green metallic and both had the bone white tops and interiors. Mom's was the Coupe and dad's was the 4 door ragtop. They drove those cars until 1979-ish and dad sold both for more than he paid for them. He ended up buying a brand new Chevy Caprice Aero coupe for mom... Red with red interior, and he bought himself a mint Clamshell Chevy wagon. I fondly remember all of those cars!

[@TomSnyder-gx5ru]

What's a Caprice "aero coupe?"

[@t.b.g.504]

​The 1977-79 model with the large wraparound rear window. Similar to the Monte Carlo SS models of 1986-87.

[@kristolin9267]

Love these old Lincolns. I have had 3 , a 65 66 and a 67

[@Paramount531]

Whenever I hear the term "luxury car", the 61 Continental is what my mind's eye sees. I still love them!

[@smartysmarty1714]

My parents had a 1960 four door and a 1968 coupe. In my mind, there has hardly ever been an uglier car than the 1960-65 versions (think Pontiac Aztek, except worse) but the minimal redesign for the 1966 and beyond was absolutely beautiful. I just came across some pictures of it a few days ago. It was a medium green, and gorgeous.

[@severinlourenco8355]

Beautiful lines, reminds me of my late dad's 1968 Oldsmobile Delta 88 4 door, excellent automobile and memories of my youth ❤️.

[@volktales7005]

One of the few cars that looks best as a four door!

[@issyparrish]

Agreed

[@alantrimble2881]

One of the few American cars that looks good as a 4 door. Plenty of European cars, and many Japanese cars, look just fine as 4 doors.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

And who could resist the suicide doors?

[@petestaint8312]

Same!

[@LWVH81]

I have one of these. My grandfather was the original owner so I’m the third generation one family owner. You might not have known: these were the first cars to come with an 8 track tape player. It’s to the right of the steering wheel and looks like a radio but the dial is a slot for the tape.

[@owlnswan4016]

Also the Mustang and other Ford vehicles in 1966. Ten years later, they were the only car manufacturer to offer quadraphonic 8 track players in Lincolns and the better Fords and Mercurys, aside from Rolls Royce.

[@Ksoism]

Watching that side view, i was thinking that the trunk must be absolutely cavernously enormous. I want expecting to see that 3D-tetris-maze of space unfolded.

[@madmike2624]

ooh and aww, great line Adam!!

[@Thunder_6278]

I think the '66 -'69 Lincoln coupes were the best proportioned cars of the era. I remember these cars as a little kid, and the beautiful young women coming out of them.

[@turbofanlover]

Love that dashboard/instrument panel. Never seen anything like it. Really nice car...inside and out.

[@barryburkholder4000]

That AC control is like the Pontiac Bonneville from the mid to late 60's. Their controls also looked very similar to the radio.

[@timr31908]

Ford Lincoln Mercury has always had the best chassis

[@dannyg6592]

Adam, I agree there is a similarity between the Continental and the Riviera in the super-crisp edge of their rear rooflines. Both designs were incredibly handsome and very tasteful. Domestic automotive styling peaked in this decade. Thanks for another superb episode.

[@cellpat7392]

That 66 Conti is one rich looking car. Reminds me a bit of the later 1971 Olds Toronado, of which you spoke about in another video. Amazing how the roof does look like the gen.1 Riviera.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

That trunk may be the longest trunk I've ever seen, lol. It must be 6 feet from the back to the rear window. I love it. I also like Ford's deep trunks. These cars sit so low, it isn't hard to bend down and pick up things.

[@bradwallace6751]

They are the parking brake cables 👍Love your content Enjoy under hood engine running 👍

[@sprague49]

I still think the 1961-1963 Continentals look the best, with the 1964 a close second. In the 1970's I briefly owned a 1964 Lincoln sedan and that was one sweet ride (electrical gremlins notwithstanding). It was a bit larger than the earlier models but disappointing in how they reverted back to straight side windows in 64-65, as they also did on the Thunderbird, along with sharper roofline angles. That curved glass did lend a sensuous element to the styling. They must have had complaints since Lincoln returned that feature in 1966. (And T-bird in 1967)

[@Cadillac61]

Although as far as I’m concerned, the 61 is the best looking of almost all Lincoln’s. That said the side profile of the coupe looks really great! Great video Adam!

[@wallyfronzaglio372]

Mobsters had to love that huge trunk ❤

[@Thomas63r2]

My older brother bought a 1969 Lincoln Continental Coupe as his first car in 1976. It had around 80k miles and it had just been repainted a beautiful metallic root beer brown that I thought was more attractive than the factory dark brown. It was a private party sale for $1,200 - which the seller said was less than he had paid for the repaint. My brother really wanted a suicide door sedan - but the lowest price one he found was $1,800 was out of his price range, and this coupe he bought was in better condition. He changed out the factory wheel covers for some Cadillac Seville wire wheel covers that looked real nice. The only problem with the car was its steady 9 mpg.

[@DSP1968]

You chose a great example for this video, Adam. Darker colors really flatter these cars. I love these cars, as my grandparents had a '68 sedan when new. They kept it for about 10 years they liked it so much, which they never did with any other car they had.

[@sergioleone3583]

Very nice. Especially like that interior/instrument panel.

[@charlesdalton985]

Regarding the roofline - indeed - I see the same (and have for years). I find these Continentals quite handsome, which is a descriptor I don't typically use to describe a car. Thank you as always, greatly enjoy your content ~ Chuck

[@josephgaviota]

5:50 It's quite amazing how many design queues hark back to the to the Mark II ... A truly _ground breaking_ design.

[@chuckselvage3157]

Such a beauty.

[@dustin_4501]

That roofline always will remind me of the 1963 Grand Prix which would be ironic considering that the clean sides of Grand Prix were inspired after the Continental.

Even having worked at Vancouver's Totem Lincoln Mercury, (the world's largest Lincoln dealership) during 1987 and 1988, I have never been much of a "Ford man". That said, these are some damned sexy sleads. Thank you, for sharing, Adam. P.S., The last time I was back in Van., and drove past that huge dealership,...it was a Kia dealership. Broke my heart.

[@lonwaslien104]

One of my fraternity brothers dad had a coupe similar to this one. Dark blue sans vinyl roof. We used it for road trips occasionally. It was gorgeous! This video brought back fond memories. Thanks Adam.

[@SummitHill79]

Did you crash the homecoming parade with it by chance?

[@josephgaviota]

0:12 I love (love, love, love) the '61 Continental design. Elegant, understated. [edit: fix typo]

[@kennixox262]

Totally agree on your statement about the rear room being similar to GM products of the era.

[@billhendon1017]

Awesome car !! Thanks!

Agree about the roof line, and very similar to the 65 Riviera with vinyl roof option that wasn't available in 63 or 64.

[@robbrown8550]

Spectacular car.

[@petefrenzel7296]

My all time favorite large 60s-70s large classic car is the Lincoln Continental. This one lost the rear wheel skirts & signature rear Continental "hump". The Continental "hump" is truly a signature feature of the vehicle & you can immediately know that you are looking at a Continental from far away.

[@marioncobaretti2280]

66 lincoln 4 door was my first car i owned when i was 16 yrs old. I put new mohawk studded snow tires on it. In snow storms all my friends would load into my car becuase it would not get stuck and i had an 8 track player for plenty of music. My car was rare becuase it never had any ac or cruise control

[@robertmills3682]

I love everything Lincoln, thank you for doing this video. As others said, the cables underneath are for the emergency brake.

[@rogermouton2273]

These cars are magnificent, but I think my favourite part is the dash - by God, they had taste and style back then. BTW, I love the intelligence and discernment of your commentary. You make Doug DeMuro sound like a 5 yo.

[@olliesnead]

1965 and 1966 Mustangs had the “trough” on top of the doors like the Lincoln.

[@jamesbulldogmiller]

A Mustang will fit in the trunk of a 66 Lincoln

[@Kyfordman1989]

The 68 Continental mark three was the return of a full perimeter frame for Lincoln

[@desertmodern7638]

I was not ever a fan of the coupe, but 1966 is perhaps my favorite year overall: so horizontal, and the dashboard is utterly Jane Jetson. I believe the underbody cables may trigger the automatic parking brake release mechanism. On my mother's 1964 Continental the vacuum line for the parking brake release would occasionally come loose with a hissing sound and a lack of forward progress until I climbed under the dash and hooked it back up for her.

[@stickshiftdriver1832]

The 1958 Chrysler Imperial Coupe had a crisp roofline as well

[@pc1122]

Love all your content. Great to see you on TT. 🎉

[@paulpage5034]

Great job as always Adam. Traveled in /drove one of these occasionally. Excellent cars with beautiful, restrained interiors. Coming from a Mopar/GM family was unaccustomed to the weight of the front end. You really had to plan your turns. Found the width to be unnerving when passing 18 wheelers on secondary roads. Yes, that 462 was very torquey.

[@JxT1957]

I owned a 1967 Lincoln with the gangster suicide doors, I always thought the 2 door version was the ugly one. The suicide doors is what makes the car look so cool.

[@JeffSproul]

I use to like the suicide doors on the 61 thru 69 Lincoln Continentals but if I had to buy one and keep it maintained I would buy a 2 door 66 thru 69 version because of the parts and the repairs. The mechanism on the convertible top is a maintenance headache and the suicide doors while they look nice have a tendency to sag and get out of alignment. The 2 doors are also rare. I still like the look of the suicide door Lincolns but I wouldn't own one.

[@marko7843]

Just learned something else new... I never knew that Ford used the Cadillac style dial-a-cruise, because by '67 that lower panel was just the on & off buttons for the detented set/accel/decel button on the end of the turn signal wand.

[@gregt8638]

Lincoln Trivia: the stand-up Continentsl star hood ornament was fixed up thru '66.. then became spring loaded in '67... only to be dropped in 68.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you Adam. I thought the seats and door panels were great looking. I like interior door panels especially the interior door handles. That was influenced and influenced a lot. The Lincoln Continental coupe got really long in the 1970's. Elegance.

[@rafaelfiallo4123]

By the time this came out GM had already been moving to cleaner styling as well, the Corvair was out in 1959, 2 years before the Continental. GM's 61 cars were pretty clean too.

[@12345682900]

IMO, a stunning design, but one Lincoln I've never owned (yet!) 😏😏😏 Nice video Adam; I enjoyed very much.

[@johnjacobjingleheimerschmi3857]

My father had a completely restored Black '62 Lincoln Continental Convertible... Black Leather Interior and White Top. He had two parts cars to keep it up and running. Back in the 70's, the whole family would load up in it and go to the A&W in Clawson or Royal Oak on nice Weekends. Wonderful memories. Thank you again Adam.

[@johnjacobjingleheimerschmi3857]

Even in my youth, I appreciated the real wood veneer trim on the interior. The car was so luxurious.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

Im a huge fan of these late 60s Lincoln Continentals. The changes they made theough the decade are generally changes I prefer- especially those bumper-mounted taillights! The interiors are frankly to die for, too. In 1966 I wouldve struggled choosing between this and a Coupe DeVille- they were both best of breed! If i had my choice, i think id probably have taken a Lincoln sedan and a Cadillac coupe or convertible. These cars just have unmatched class, presence, and even a bit of sinister menace when done up as a dark color sedan.

[@justinhaslam-lucas8711]

Hi Adam, I think it's time you buy one.

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

Wow, the Lincoln dashboard makes Cadillac dashboards look like a Mexican souvenir stand.

[@michaelwitas9482]

The 1966-67 Continental coupe roofline reminds me of the hardtop roof used on the 2-door 1963 Olds 98. It also is similar to various 2-door pillared roof sedans that Ford introduced in the mid 1960's. In my opinion, the 1968-69 roof did not match the lower portion of the car as well, but Ford had to make the C pillar bigger to keep up with the latest styling trends.

[@gettcouped]

great car! that trunk goes for miles!

[@user-pgchargerse71]

Two radios! Kind of like the '63-'64 Pontiacs.

[@t.b.g.504]

It was oringinally conceived as a coupe (new Thunderbird concept) and was expanded upon.

[@Primus54]

In 1970, my stepfather bought my mother a 1964 Continental from an estate sale that had only 1,500 original miles on the odometer. I think he paid $2,000 for it. It was fully optioned including A/C and that dial-type cruise control. I got to borrow it to drive to my high school prom… and the back seat area was the perfect size for Lover’s Lane activities. 😉🤣

[@pulsarpilot7501]

I wouldn't recommend using a black light on the back seat of my 66. What a fabulous car.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, Not for the first time you mentioned 6:44 the 'Coke Bottle' styling themes which were so prevalent in the mid 1960s. Was there ever an earnest attempt at Pepsi Bottle styling? 🤔 After all, Pepsi is the choice of a new generation®😆

[@gregt8638]

Love it! You made my day!

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@gregt8638 I imagine little AMC could only afford RC Cola styling cues.

[@rager1969]

Another reason for a crease/feature line is to add rigidity, a as flat piece of sheet metal will buckle fairly easy if pressure is applied as well "oil canning". Granted, these body panels aren't completely flat, but still add some rigidity and probably less damage when the car is bumped on the side.

[@62Madison]

I agree with you about the Riviera roof. American personal luxury, midsized, pony cars and some compacts of the sixties are my favorites, but the only big or luxury cars I love are the ‘61-‘64 Pontiacs, 1961 Buicks, 1966 Imperial, and the ‘61-‘69 suicide door Lincolns.

[@Normanx964]

If you put the 1966 dash and 462 engine in a 1961 sedan, you would have the perfect Lincoln. Or the 1968 460 with C6 trans. (GM AC compressor too).

[@tombrown1898]

The '66 Continental Coupe' looks far better in front 3/4 view than from any other angle. 1966 wasn't the first time Ford went overboard on the rear overhang. Tom McCahill wrote of the 1956 Lincoln, "It out-fannies anything else coming out of Detroit." Family trait, I guess.

[@valengreymoon5623]

Those wires below the driveshaft, are most likely for the parking brake.

[@hemidaytona2378]

One thing I didn't hear you mention was that these Lincolns could be had with true dual exhausts and limited slip differentials, unlike the Cadillacs of the time.

[@Pisti846]

Can you imagine a car today with a trunk you can actually easily access?

[@jetsons101]

1966 Lincoln GOOD 1966 Lincoln convertible BETTER 1966 Lincoln four-door convertible BEST