No Reserve - Gorgeous Custom California Lincoln, Not 1958 1960 1961 Cadillac on 2040-cars

1959 Lincoln combining the beauty of its original design with appeal of a no-expenses-spared custom. I never intended on selling this car; I did everything with the intention of doing it once and doing it right. I spared no expense during the mechanical restoration. The suspension, steering, electrical, fuel, exhaust and all drivetrain components were all either completely rebuilt, tended to as necessary or improved. 

101k original miles, 430 V8. I bought it from the owner of a custom motorcycle dealership in Southern California, he told me he bought it from the original owner. He would park it in front of his dealership as an attention-getter. He put it on Ebay in 2008 when he was retiring and moving, I bought it and had it shipped to New York. I don't have documentation of the original owner but I do have the original 1959 California license plates issued to the car. Every option available for the car is here: power windows, power vent windows, air conditioning, power steering, power brakes (when replacing the master cylinder, I found manual brake masters are readily available, the power brake masters need to be rebuilt), "Directed Power Differential" (early posi-traction), four barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, six way "deep comfort" power seat, scotch-grain leather upholstery on the seats and padded dash, rear defroster, power door locks, factory tinted safety glass and deep-pile carpeting. It even has rear climate control courtesy of ducts going through the front doors and ending in adjustable chrome vents aimed into the rear seating area. It one of the most expensive production cars at the time, with the option list this car has the price tag was nearly $9000.   

Mechanical: The engine and transmission had been rebuilt about twenty years ago, the drivetrain has about 20k on it at this point. When I got the Lincoln I did a few things to get it 100% roadworthy. New set of Coker wide whitewall radials, brake system got a new booster, master cylinder rebuilt, new lines, fittings, hoses and wheel cylinders. The Pertronix electronic ignition / Flamethrower coil combo woke up the 430 V8, she's pretty quick off the line now. At highway speeds the RPM drops way down, she just cruises and gets 12-14 mpg on the highway. Dual exhaust system, everything welded and done right with Flowmasters exiting at each bumper corner; she's not loud, just has a nice low rumble. Suspension: front end rebuild, springs, inner and outer tie rods, bushings, ball joints, new KYB shocks all around, etc, it handles well for its size. The most recent work was this past fall; the rear axle got all new mounting hardware, shackles and bushings for that "on a cloud" ride as well as raising the rear to its proper height. I sent out the a/c compressor to be rebuilt but haven't installed it, it's boxed up in the trunk. The two front power window motors were replaced shortly before I got the car, they're both really fast, rear windows take their time but get there. The Lincoln is perfect for turnkey, get-in-and-go cruising.

Cosmetic: It was totally stock and original, body straight and solid, no body or floor repair needed anywhere, running well but needing cosmetic restoration. The paint was a faded patina and the interior was complete and presentable, cosmetically in "driver" condition. The previous owner didn't cut corners doing the paint and interior; the total for all the custom paint and interior work was over $8000. The original style was kept intact, just made a bit fancier. The interiors of these Lincolns are unlike the '59 Caddy; the Caddy's interior is plain for such a flashy exterior, the Lincoln's interior is all chrome and leather, lots of accented trim and stylish touches. Each little piece of trim, chrome, vinyl and leather was either reupholstered, rechromed, repadded or repainted. The seats are "expensive leather couch" comfortable, the leather is supple and soft. Each door panel looks like it got 6-8 hours of labor, all the factory patterns have been matched in a black and white color combination. I've other Lincolns from this era, the materials used to restore the interior of this car are far superior to stock. The padded dash is covered in soft matte black leather, the headliner and visors have the original "dotted" look, even the visors have the matching piping. Each section of the door panel (as I've mentioned, this interior has style on top of style) looks to have been disassembled and done separately. The kick panels look like they took several hours each; the piping and Von Dutch style pinstriping matches the overall color scheme. It's a tastefully done stock-yet-custom interior, the design and install are as good as customs get. The striping accents appear in unexpected places, even the door jambs (both on the pillar and on the door itself) and the sides of the repainted dash. The custom work is restrained and careful, each little accent carried off perfectly and enhancing the Lincoln's style. All the glass is in excellent shape, no scratches on the windshield, no hazing or cloudiness anywhere. A full set of seat belts were installed, color matched to the interior as well. The car's got so much intricate custom work that I owned the car for weeks before I discovered every little cool stylistic touch. The paint and the interior reveal clever craftsmanship and many hours of skilled labor.

The Lincoln has a modern cd/mp3/ipod control stereo with a remote mounted in a universal kit under the dash with 6 1/2 round speakers molded into the kick panels (with another little pinstripe swoosh to accent it), dash tweeters on each end, 6x9 speakers in the rear deck (the deck was't cut, speakers aren't visible) and a nice amplifier/subwoofer setup in the trunk. The system is powerful yet crisp and clear; the tweeters are located to create a "sound stage", offsetting the midbass and the solid, deep sub bass. Incidentally, the trunk is upholstered in vintage style black "loop" carpet. I'm a car audio enthusiast, I replaced all the stereo components with new, high end equipment. Take the Lincoln out on the highway on a nice day, windows down, turn up the music and just cruise. 

  I've got more invested into this car than any other; the talent, funds and dedication are obvious instantly. At cruise nights people will walk right by $90k restored show cars to take photos and talk about the Lincoln. It's a local celebrity at music festivals, carnivals and it's promoted a Rockabilly themed art show / tattoo convention for three years running. The shots you see here are just some quickies I took last summer for someone who wanted the car for a photo shoot. The car is pretty dirty in these pics, the shot in front of the motel is a better indication of what the car looks like when clean.