The first Barrett-Jackson event of 2024 takes in Scottsdale, Arizona on 20 January, and the famous auction house is coming out swinging with a host of desirable metal, like this 1964 Lincoln Continental custom-built convertible.
It’s a restomod, so the exterior retains those beautiful ’60s lines, enhanced by a black-on-black-on-black design. It’s the perfect car for cruising down the PCH, though you can get into trouble if you bury your right foot in the carpet. This restomod is equipped with Ford’s 5.0-liter Coyote crate engine from the Mustang GT (now available from Walmart) with a supercharger bolted on top. Barrett-Jackson did not provide outputs, but we know this configuration can easily produce 700 horses, and even in stock form, it pumps out 480 horsepower.
Besides, this is a cruiser, and the surplus power is only there to make progress easier. That’s why the engine is mated to a six-speed automatic Ford 6R80 transmission and an 8.8 axle assembly.
It should provide more of an enthralling driving experience than the standard car, thanks to a new Ididit steering column and Flaming River rack and pinion. As you’d expect, the underpinnings are equally modern, with Murray Kustom Rods control arms in the front and a four-link kit in the back with QA1 double adjustable coilovers.
The car is still a bit of a boat, however. Should you get a bit too enthusiastic with the loud pedal, you can take comfort in the knowledge that the car is equipped with disc brakes front and rear, coupled to a high-powered electric brake system with an electric brake booster and master cylinder. The connection between the car and the road is taken care of by 20-inch Sofia V2 chrome wheels with whitewall tires.
You could spend hours just looking at all the custom work that went into this ’64 Continental. Lift the hood, and you’ll note custom stainless steel headers flowing into a three-inch stainless steel manifold. You’ll also enjoy the Aeromotive intake pump, new fuel lines, high-flow aluminum radiator, and custom-built stainless steel fuel tank.
Inside, the Lincoln is equipped with custom Isotope electric bucket seats with integrated seatbelts finished in Nappa Italian leather stitched in a perforated diamond pattern. There’s a modern (Nappa-wrapped) steering wheel, Dakota Digital gauges, and an air-conditioning system provided by Restomod. It also has a powerful sound system that plays tunes via a RetroSound Bluetooth radio. Power door lock actuators have been fitted to make it easier to live with, and you can open them via a remote key fob.
It looks positively sinister, and it’s the perfect cruiser that makes modern drop-tops like the Mercedes-AMG SL and the BMW 8 Series Convertible look cheap and chintzy. What a pity Lincoln no longer produces cars like these and moved over to only building a series of SUVs like the Nautilus.
The car is being sold without reserve, but it will likely go for big bucks. We’d much rather spend our cash on a beauty like this than the absolutely dreadful Lincoln Navigator Black Gold Special Edition.