(EXPANDED FROM 4/13/2022)
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 (go here for further discussion).
The 1964 redesign represented a shift back in the direction of offering a conventional full-sized family car. The wheelbase and length were increased three inches. The wheelbase was now 126 inches, which was only three inches shorter than Cadillac’s and Imperial’s. However, the Continental was still seven inches shorter than the Cadillac, but its front and rear legroom was now similar.
Perhaps more significantly, the Lincoln’s 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. Hip room was also up (Bonsall, 2004).
The squared-off roofline was wider by a significant 5.4 inches (Bonsall, 2004). 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. This was accomplished by making a deeper trunk well, according to Thomas E. Bonsall (2004).
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.
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 that gave the rear a decidedly plain look. This was particularly the case in 1965, when most of the brightwork on the trunk lid was removed.
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 a coffin nose further reinforced the car’s boxiness.
The 1965 facelift represented a transition to the reskinned 1966 models. Otherwise, the basic look of the so-called “Kennedy Continentals” changed remarkably little during their five-year production run.
Why did Lincoln switch back from curved glass?
One rumor circulating around the Internet is that the Continental shifted back to flat side glass partly because it was less costly to produce than curved glass (Notoriousluxury.com, 2015).
Another rumor is that the change was championed by Ford design head Eugene Bordinat, who allegedly sought revenge against Elwood Engel, whose design proposal for the 1961 Lincoln was chosen over his own (TonyC, 2024).
Whatever the reason, the change would put Lincoln at odds with the rest of the U.S. auto industry. For 1965 the Continental was the only full-sized car that still used flat glass aside from its corporate sibling, the Ford Thunderbird, and the Buick Riviera — which was in its third and final year of production.
This should not have surprised the Ford Motor Company. In 1965 it gave curved glass to its full-sized Ford and Mercury as well as the new Mustang. Then, in 1966 the automaker’s mid-sized and compact cars would follow suit when they were reskinned. So too did the Lincoln, although the rake of its window sides appear to be more upright than in 1961-63.
Ditching curved glass was particularly damaging to the Continental’s styling because it accentuated the car’s slab-sided sheetmetal — which made an aging design look even older.
Even so, Lincoln’s production and market share increased in both 1964 and 1965, albeit modestly. In the latter year Lincoln surpassed 40,000 units for the first time since 1957. Meanwhile, the brand’s share of the luxury-car market reached a seven-year high of 16. 7 percent.
Mercury attempts to capture some of Lincoln’s luster
In 1964 the full-sized Mercury was given a Lincolnesque V-shaped front end. Then, in 1965 the Mercury shifted to a coffin-nosed grille that arguably looked better than Lincoln’s. In addition, advertising tried to link the Mercury with the Lincoln Continental — presumably to assist in moving the premium-priced brand upmarket.
That may have helped Lincoln increase it visibility, but the brand didn’t see a big jump in sales until 1966, when it was given a full reskinning. In comparison, the 1964-65 Continental looks like a last gasp rather than a step forward.
Although it made sense to improve interior and trunk space in 1964, getting rid of curved side glass was a remarkably bad idea. I also wonder whether pushing back by two years the 1966 reskinning could have better preserved the Kennedy Continental’s cachet — and ramped up sales more quickly.
NOTES:
This story was originally posted on April 13, 2022 and expanded on January 13, 2025. Production figures and product specifications were from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006), Automobile Catalog (2025) and Gunnell (2002).
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.
- Automobile Catalog; 2022. “Full detailed specifications listing and photo gallery.” Accessed April 12.
- Bonsall, Thomas E.; 2004. The Lincoln Story: The Postwar Years. Stanford General Books, Stanford, CA.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Notoriousluxury.com; 2015. “Flashback: 1964 Continental Convertible.” Posted Feb. 21.
- TonyC; 2024. “2,800 Mile 1964 Lincoln Continental.” TheLIncolnForum.net. Quote in comment by John Mc posted on Sept. 13 at 1:28 p.m.
ADVERTISEMENTS & BROCHURES:
- ads.aacalibrary.org (Antique Automobile Club of America): Lincoln (1964)
- oldcaradvertising.com: Lincoln (1962, 1966)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Cadillac (1965); Imperial (1965); 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.