by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
A part of history
It is rare that a Ride of the Week gets to teach a history lesson, but this Motorhead, a 1963 Lincoln Continental owned by Charlie Kelly, does just that. Sunday, Nov. 22 marks the 46th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Anyone who’s seen pictures of that fateful motorcade knows Kennedy was riding in a 1963 Continental, and Kelly thought it would be timely to share his car this week.
Lincoln is the luxury brand of the Ford Motor Company. It was founded in 1917 by Henry M. Leland and bought by Ford in 1922. Leland named the brand after his longtime hero President Abraham Lincoln. In 1963, only 3,138 Continental convertibles were produced, making it the second lowest yearly production total for all Lincoln convertibles produced from 1961-1969. The Continental features a 430 cubic inch, 8-cylinder Super Marauder engine. The car features factory air conditioning (a rare feature for the early 1960s), tinted glass, an automatic transmission, power windows, power door locks, power seat, power steering, power brakes and a leather interior, plus its original AM radio.
Kelly isn’t really sure how long the Continental has been in the family.
“It originally was my father-in-law’s,” he says. “My wife says he owned it for as long as she knew him, and no one ever thought about asking him any of the specifics. … When he died, my wife and I took ownership of it.”
Kelly does know, however, that the Lincoln’s convertible top and rear window are not original. The car has 43,978 original miles on the engine.
“It really hasn’t been driven very much for the past 20 years or so,” he says. “I’ve loaned it out a couple of times for friends and relatives to use in weddings. It is kind of cool to pull up in front of the church in a 1960s Lincoln.”
Kelly isn’t sure what the future holds for his Lincoln.
“I’m getting older and tired of all the upkeep. Hopefully one of my sons will keep it in the family.”
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