Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1961 Lincoln Continental

College Cars: 1933 Lincoln KB Custom Dietrich Convertible Sedan

This is College Cars, a recurring feature about the vehicles of the Academy of Art University car collection. Today we look at this 1933 Lincoln KB, a factory special-order convertible sedan bodied by Dietrich. Fifteen of these cars were built in 1933; only six survive today.

In the 1930s, Lincoln had a catalog that allowed its wealthy clientele to select custom bodies from a variety of coachbuilders. Among these was Dietrich. The KB featured a complex L-head V12 engine displacing 448 cubic inches, good for 150 horsepower.

Classic Ads: 1966 Lincoln Continental Coupe

I get a very East Coast vibe in this 1966 ad for the Lincoln Continental coupe. The lighthouse, people shooting clay pigeons, it all shouts Martha's Vineyard to me. And that's fine, because rich people live there and those are the sort of buyers who would drive a big Continental luxury coupe in 1966. When was the last time you saw a man with a gun in a luxury car ad?
The '66 Continental's biggest update was of course the handsome new coupe body, but it received a refresh front and rear and a new engine displacing 462 cubic inches. An 'automatic temperature control system' (air conditioning?) and stereo tape (8-track?) AM/FM radio were now available.
Now that I look at it, the Continental coupe has a passing resemblance in profile to a Ford Galaxie. This would be remedied in 1968 when the car got a more formal roof with smaller quarter windows. In my opinion, this early coupe style is far more attractive.

This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life magazine.

College Cars: 1948 Lincoln Continental

This is College Cars, a recurring feature about the Academy of Art University car collection. Today we look at this Regal Blue 1948 Lincoln Continental coupe.

The Continental began as a pet project of Edsel Ford in 1938 as an exercise mimicking European - or "Continental" styling cues, namely the long hood and short rear deck, with limited body decoration and a low profile. Bob Gregorie produced a prototype based on the Lincoln Zephyr that featured a spare tire on the rear (now known as a 'Continental kit') and deleted the running boards. Between the fenders the engineering team dropped in a V12 engine with a 3-speed manual overdrive transmission. The result went into production for the 1940 model year. It was a hit with the rich and famous and the '48 Continental is one of the last cars recognized as a "True Classic" by the Classic Car Club of America.

Photographed at the 2011 San Francisco International Auto Show.