Griot's Garage Cover Car: Nick's 1963 Lincoln Continental

When we debuted this 1963 Lincoln Continental at the 2017 SEMA Show, we had a feeling that it would be a hit. 4 years later, it’s still disturbing the peace and doing smoky burnouts.

The 4th generation Lincoln Continentals are famous for their long, slab-sided bodies that epitomize Mid-Century Modern design. The top-of-the-line product from Ford Motor Company was chosen to be JFK’s presidential limousine and was a luxurious symbol of America’s growing prosperity. Complete with a torquey 430ci big block and the notorious suicide rear doors, the Elwood Engel design has stood the test of time and remains a striking automobile from any angle.

Our car was owned for 47 years by the previous owner and when it came to us it was in need of a full restoration. The restoration began innocently in Richard’s home garage with many Griot’s Garage employees getting their hands dirty disassembling and chemically stripping the body. As most gearheads understand, once the car project snowball starts rolling down the hill, it rarely stops before things get crazy. Enter Jared Hancock and his team at J-Rod & Custom of Black Diamond, WA.

Jared and his team worked with us to conceptualize a Pro-Touring interpretation of the Continental that had never been done before. While maintaining all of the design cues that make the Lincoln special, they swapped in a 427ci Ford Performance small block to crank up the power to 535 ponies a substantial bump from the stock 325hp. They fabricated beautiful components to dress up the engine bay such as the completely custom air cleaner and immaculate panels to surround the engine. EVOD Industries milled custom valve covers evoking the style of the MKII Continental’s which give the entire power source a period correct accent that really completes the beautiful engine compartment.

Capitalizing on the uni-body construction of the car, Jared and his team incorporated Ride-Tech coil-overs on all four corners and fabricated a custom 4-Link rear using Art Morrison Enterprises components. To achieve the wheel fitment, the Ford 9” rear end was shortened and the wheel wells were tubbed outwards towards the fenders to create more space for the massive 20”x11” Forgeline CF3C rear wheels. The fronts are 20”x9” and the 4,500lb lead sled can come to a quick stop with high performance, 6 piston Baer Brakes.

The body is straight as an arrow and was resprayed in PPG Black with all of the brightwork re-chromed by Ogden Chrome. The mean-looking front bumper and air dam were fabricated by Jared and in addition to adding a menacing look to the slab, the modifications are functional as they house both transmission and oil coolers. The headlights are Dapper Lighting 575 LEDs and the original instrument cluster has been replaced with a Dakota Digital unit that looks stock. The spacious interior was reupholstered by McFarland Upholstery and the faux wood accents were replaced with carbon fiber fabricated by Common Fibers.

All in all the Lincoln still retains the profile that made it popular in the early 60s but it definitely belongs in the modern hot rod culture as well. The Lincoln is part of our family and its mass appeal has surprised all of us here at Griot’s Garage.

Be sure to check out the video linked in the email to see this beautiful Continental in motion and doing what it does best, disturbing the peace and laying patch….

Видео Griot's Garage Cover Car: Nick's 1963 Lincoln Continental канала Griot's Garage