A brochure for the 1964 Lincoln Continental was almost apologetic in describing “significant improvements” to the car.
“You will appreciate greater leg room, knee room and head room. In the rear compartment, leg room has been increased 4 inches over the 1963 model; and there is a gain of 2.5 inches in knee room, more than double that of the 1961 and 1962 Continental. You will also enjoy broader window visibility and easier entrance through the widened rear doors. The luggage compartment is appreciably larger, with 15% more usable space than in 1963, a total increase of 33% over the 1961-62 models.”
That’s a lot of change for a car which looked so similar to the previous-year’s model. This was intentional. Lincoln marketeers emphasized that “the famous profile has not been modified for the sake of change, but only to incorporate functional improvements.” This narrative aligned with Volkswagen’s more militant attack against the annual restylings of most U.S. cars (go here for further discussion).
1964 redesign responded to an unusual situation
The Ford Motor Company’s approach to the 1964 Lincoln was remarkably different for Detroit. The 1961-63 Continentals were widely acclaimed for their iconic styling but were not competitive with Cadillac and Imperial when it came to traditional luxury-car roominess. This was because Ford designers had given the Continental a radical downsizing that had a personal coupe vibe.
Also see ‘1961-63 Lincoln Continental was not as iconic as often described’
The 1964 redesign represented a shift back in the direction of offering a full-sized family car. Then, in 1965, Lincoln acquiesced to the annual model change by giving the Continental a minor facelift. A new, coffin-nosed grille arguably represented a useful — if not terribly well-executed — transition to the reskinned 1966 models. Otherwise, the styling of the so-called “Kennedy Continentals” changed remarkably little during their five-year production run.
1964 changes bring Lincoln back into mainstream
For 1964 the wheelbase and length were increased three inches. The Continental was still seven inches shorter than the Cadillac, but its front and rear legroom was now similar.
Perhaps more significantly, the greenhouse was redesigned. The car’s height increased by half an inch and curved side glass — among the first on U.S. cars — was ditched in favor of old-fashioned flat glass. Front headroom increased to about average.
Perhaps just as important as measurable improvements in interior room was the perception of a more spacious car.
The main way that headroom was increased was by giving the roofline more of an upward arc. This was in contrast to the 1961-63 models, where the top of the windshield was virtually level with the roofline.
The 1964 Continental appears to use a taller windshield than its platform stablemate, the Ford Thunderbird. This may have been in contrast to the 1961-63 models, which appear to have used the same windshield as the Continental.
Lincoln goes the extra mile to fix its trunk
Lincoln designers managed to give the trunk an extra two cubic feet without increasing the length of the car’s deck. Luggage capacity was still on the small side for a full-sized car, but it was a good four cubic feet more than the 1964 Thunderbird’s.
Also see ‘Defective 1977-79 Continental Mark V showed how Lincoln lost its way’
Moving the gas-filler cap to the driver’s-side fender presumably helped to create more usable trunk space while also allowing the bottom of the lid to be moved down to the base of the bumper. The luggage lift-over height in the 1961-63 models was unusually onerous for that era.
Lincoln designers go big on plain, flat surfaces
The mainstreaming of the Continental also showed up in the design of the 1964-65 dashboard. The unusual center console of the 1961-63 models was replaced with a more horizontal shape that served to accentuate the car’s width.
In general, the design of the 1964-65 Continental emphasized plain, flat surfaces. For example, a new trunk lid dispensed with the curved ovoid sculpting of the 1961-63 models in favor of simple creases. The look was particularly austere in 1965, when most of the brightwork was removed from the bottom of the trunk lid.
By the same token, the grille on the 1964 received a more rectangular texture in sync with the new greenhouse. For 1965 the addition of the coffin nose further reinforced the car’s boxiness.
Lincoln went backward as auto industry went forward
By 1965 almost all other American cars had switched to curved side glass. The Continental, which had once looked futuristic, now looked old hat with its flat glass. In addition, the more rectangular front and rear styling went against the industry trend toward complex curves. Simply put, the designers made an aging design look even older.
Also see ‘1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game’
To make matters worse, the new fascia for 1965 was not nearly as well executed as the design introduced the next year. It had a tacked-on and rather cheap look.
Meanwhile, the taillights were given chrome ribbing that wrapped around retro-looking round reflectors. Couldn’t Lincoln afford new lenses and moved the reflectors to the bumper? That would have offered a visual transition to the 1966 redesign, where the taillights shifted from the upper fender blades onto the bumper.
All in all, the 1964-65 Continental looked more like a last gasp than a step forward. Although it made sense to improve interior and trunk space, getting rid of curved side glass was a ridiculously bad idea. And if Lincoln was going to get back into annual styling changes, then 1964 would have been a better time for a reskinning than two years later.
All that said, if all they could afford was a facelift in 1964 or 1965, then something more akin to the 1966 approach would have better preserved the Kennedy Continental’s cachet.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
ADVERTISEMENTS & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Lincoln (1962, 1966)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Lincoln (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965)
Bean-counters over-ruled the car guys. Increasing the wheelbase and length were okay but the 1964-1965 styling details including the flat-glass side windows were a definitely a step backward, especially when compared to the all-new 1965 Cadillacs.
With the 1961 Lincoln Continental, Ford had an iconic design that didn’t need annual facelifts to remain competitive. This was something really different from Detroit at that time, and more in the mold of the Mercedes, VW and Porsche.
What bothers me about the 1964 facelift isn’t the flat side glass. Rather, the greater length suggests that Ford was surrendering to the “bigger is better” mantra that ruled Detroit in general, and GM in particular, during those years. The 1961-63 Continentals stood out because they really were different – they were relatively small for an American luxury car and very cleanly styled.
The main error Ford made was not offering a two-door hardtop version from the beginning. The two-door hardtop was the most popular body style at Cadillac. Perhaps Ford was afraid that it would overlap with the Thunderbird? Given that the Thunderbird and Continental were sold through different dealer bodies, I can’t see that happening too much.
I would love to see a comparison of the buyer demographics of the Continental, Cadillac and Imperial through 1965. The Lincoln may have lagged behind Cadillac in sales, but it only offered two body styles, and it only competed in the upper brackets of the luxury market. If there were fewer Lincoln buyers, but they were richer and better educated than Cadillac buyers, it would not have been a total loss for Lincoln. Part of the “snob appeal” of a luxury car is who is buying it.
Why did the wipers start from the right side of the windshield?
Good question. That seems to have been a Lincoln quirk from 1961-69. When the Ford Thunderbird shared the Lincoln’s platform from 1961-66, its left and right wipers were hinged at the outer opposite sides of the car. Some other Ford cars in that era were hinged on the left side.