A bit of history on the vehicle
History
Originally sold in Florida in 1966 the car was purchased by the second owner in 1972 and relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana. He was an auto enthusiast who was a past director of the Indiana Region of the Classic Car Club of America, past national president of the Milestone Car Society, organized the Indiana Chapter of the Milestone Car Society and organized the Hoosier Region of the Lincoln Continental Owners Club. He had a modest collection of both classic and milestone cars, mostly Lincoln Continentals. He passed away in 2014 leaving his collection to his wife and children.
I am the third owner. I purchased the car in 2015 while living in Chicago, Illinois from the estate. The car had been in storage since the mid-1980's except for occasional clubdrives and mileage was believed to be correct. The prior owner drove the car as a daily prior to storage. The car currently has roughly 78k miles, thought to be true miles based on conversations with prior owner's estate.
Original documentation
The vehicle came with much of the original documentation, data card and manuals which will be included in the sale of the vehicle. Please see gallery for photos of the included documents. I have kept all receipts.
How original is the car?
The vehicle had a respray in the late 70's to a metallic blue. It also had a replacement white vinyl top at roughly the same time period. As I've restored the vehicle I've replicated it's original state taking the paint back to it's original as well as sourcing a gray cloth that would have matched the original specifications on the data card. The seats and carpeting were redone in 2015 with the respray occurring in 2016. I also tried to rebuild components when possible instead of replacing (clock, radio, alternator etc.). Brightwork was re-chromed as well.
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The original dealer installed air conditioning was renewed with an upgraded compressor for more cooling output.
What parts are not original?
I upgraded to stiffer, progressive springs at a ride height 1/2" lower. This was to create a tighter, more modern feel when driving at speed and cornering. It did two things- the first is that the car feels more responsive to the wheel at speed while remaining very comfortable at lower speeds. The second is the car sits with a much more visually appealing stance. The springs were engineered by suspension guru John R. Olson out of Minnesota. I have retained the original springs and will provide if desired upon sale.
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I recently replaced the fuel pump with a more contemporary model but have retained the original if a rebuild is desired.
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The engine has a top end rebuild with a new head ordered new directly from Mercedes. The old head had pitted from being in storage for so many years without draining the coolant.