On the way to Denver, in Broomfield there lived this 1960 2 door Lincoln Continental convertible, stuck off in the weeds, visible from the freeway. We drove past it all the time...One weekend in 1975...we stopped to ask about it...the next day, I had welded up a pipe with a chain and hooks, attached it to the back of a '64 Ford pickup and dragged it home. It was a complete unmolested car, that was just in poor condition. Hot rodders didn't want something like this, so it was a bargain. I can't remember what he paid for it, but it wasn't much, we were poor just out of college students and he saved for it.
We putzed with it for quite a while, but soon realized that this is the type of vehicle that is going to take a whole lot more money than a couple of 22 year old yeahoos could do correctly. Jere was smart enough to not cut it up or modify it.
Over the years, the 461 was rebuilt, a NOS short block was found, as was the hydraulic cylinders on the top and windows...it sat in a shed next to my wood shop for many years on their family farm, the cats loved sleeping in/on it. A parts car was picked up for a hood and some other items...but again...it sat.
Over the years, he did what he could financially with it, but a car like this is really a different critter and incredibly expensive to do. What's wild is that he had one that he had sold in '74 poorer condition and it was only 2 digits earlier than this one. The earlier one was a driver, we had a good time in it..till the top wouldn't work in a downpour...
My friend Jere, got it running, ...but it wasn't quite there for how it needed to be treated. He gave in back in '09 that it just wasn't going to happen like it should be and decided to sell it. Cars like this are extremely time and dollar intensive. Lots of chrome, leather, and details and a grill like that runs way high dollar to redo.
In '10 he sold it and it went to the president of the Lincoln collectors club in Switzerland. That guy basically wrote the check to finish it up like it needed to be done. Jere managed the restoration and did a whole lot of the real detail work on it. He restores player piano's so he's a master on the fit and finish. He's awesome at that sort of thing.
One year later and way many thousands of dollars....it's complete! The new owners picked it up in Denver and are driving it to Miami and then it gets shipped off to Europe. Last I heard...they were blowing through Houston with it and with no problems. Their plan is to drive it to Switzerland. Everything works perfectly....this thing even had cig. lighters in the back seats. Top and windows were hydraulic, not electric. I'm thinking it's like 19' long.
I always used to "razz" him about "old green"....but it's sure a beauty now. I know it really hurts him to see it gone and it was a great thing that the 2 of us kinda had between us, always a good chuckle talking about dragging it down the freeway, with no brakes or power steering on it with tumble weeds jammed under it and mice bailing out of it....gotta bug him about a first day pic of it....
It's really an awesome ride, and it really turns heads....don't see this type of American Iron running around anymore. Great job Jere, thanks for the memories!
