1965 Lincoln Continental. Rat Rod/custom on 2040-cars

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Huge JFK auction includes two classic Lincolns

Want to own a piece of American history? Perhaps you should consider 35th President John F. Kennedy's limousine, a stretched 1960 Lincoln Continental, or the last car he safely rode in before his assassination, a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible. Both of them will be up for sale at the Camelot: Fifty Years after Dallas auction on October 24, a JFK 50th anniversary auction in Boston.
The black 1960 Continental was part of the presidential motorcade and is bulletproof. The body has been restored to the tune of about $35,000, according to RR Auctions, but the interior was left alone. That's okay, because the winning bidder will be able to enjoy lounging in the well-preserved seats and stepping on the original tan carpeting, just as President Kennedy did. The next owner can even play President, with a divider window, passenger air controls and a two-way telephone - if a chauffeur is hired, of course. The starting bid for the Continental is $25,000.
The other car is more historically relevant (but in this writer's eye, less beautiful), and commands a starting bid of $50,000. The white, convertible 1963 Continental was the last car President Kennedy rode in before his assassination in Dallas - with a notarized document by the car's owner at the time as proof. It was used to transport the President, his wife, Jacqeuline, and Texas governor John Connally "from a breakfast and speech at the Texas Hotel ballroom through the streets of Fort Worth to Carswell Air Force Base, where they boarded a short flight to Dallas on the morning of November 22, 1963," according to RR Auctions. Lincoln specialist Baker Restoration in Connecticut restored the car, which included an engine replacement, body work and paint. Most of the interior, including the seats, are in original condition.

2023 Lincoln Aviator gets a few small changes, small price bumps

The 2023 Lincoln Aviator Lincoln makes a few small changes to its offer, as related by Ford Authority. On the feature side, the 12-way Comfort Front Seats for driver and passenger are gone. The bottom three trims, Standard, Reserve and Grand Touring all come with a 10-way Comfort Front Seat for the driver and an eight-way throne for the passenger. The Black Label and Grand Touring continue with their 30-way Perfect Position front seats. Outside, the Bronze Smoke Metallic and Burgundy Velvet Metallic colors depart the exterior palette, replaced by Diamond Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat and Jewel Sandstone. The Jet Package expands availability to the base Reserve trim, no longer requiring the Reserve I package, and to the Black Label, which didn't offer it before. The package full of black trim pieces and wheels hasn't changed from when Lincoln introduced it a year ago, including bits like a solid black grille and surround, black door spears and mirror caps, and 22-inch black aluminum wheels. A similar package exclusively for the Black Label trims is called the Black Label Special Edition Package. It makes the same changes as the Jet Package while also painting the roof black. Finally, the Illumination Package for the Grand Touring PHEV adds fog lights for 2023. Prices for the 2023 model year after the $1,195 destination charge are up a little over the sums we noted when the 2022 model year debuted. Remember, however, that 2022 pricing went down on all but one trim by anywhere from $5 to $1,085. The new MSRPs are in line with model year premiums we're used to seeing from a time before industrial upheaval. The figures and their differences from 2022 are: Standard: $54,535 ($1,875) Reserve: $59,700 ($1,150) Grand Touring: $70,385 ($830) Black Label: $81,920 ($1,375) Black Label Grand Touring: $90,475 ($1,375) Engine choices don't change, those being the twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 with 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque for all trims but the Grand Touring PHEV. The plug-in hybrid electrifies that engine to make a combined 494 hp and 630 lb-ft. Every Aviator shifts through a ten-speed automatic. The Aviator has sold 20,324 units so far this year. Based on figures for the past three years, we anticipate it will finish above last year's 20,324 sales and 2020's tally of 23,080 sales. A refresh expected in 2024 should bring more substantial updates and improvements.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Five vehicles named Top Safety Pick+ including new Civic, MKZ

In an attempt to help push vehicle safety to a higher level, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety created a stricter Top Safety Pick+ rating last year, which incorporates a brutal small overlap test and requires cars to get Good ratings in four out of the five categories (and no less than Acceptable in the fifth). Joining the list of the safest cars of 2013, the 2013 Volvo XC60, Lincoln MKZ, Honda Civic (sedan and coupe) and the 2014 Mazda6 have all received the coveted TSP+ rating.
The Mazda6 and Lincoln MKZ have both been completely redesigned, and both received Acceptable ratings in the small overlap test. The Honda Civic, coming off its emergency refresh for 2013, is the first small car to be subjected to the small overlap test, and IIHS says that one of the car's many upgrades includes a stiffer front structure allowing it to receive Good ratings in all categories. Similarly, the XC60 gets all Good ratings thanks to, according to IIHS, Volvo updating the airbag software allowing the side airbags to inflate during the small overlap test.
The 2014 Subaru Forester has not yet been subjected to the small overlap test, so it must make do with just a Top Safety Pick rating until the IIHS tests small utility vehicles, which is expected to happen later in the spring.