Ask the man who owns one
We asked Steve Biddlecombe from Romsey in Hampshire, who owns a 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III convertible, what it was like owning such a car. Here’s what he said:
“In 2003 I was the proud owner of my fourth ’58 Buick, a ’58 Buick Limited coupe, for me one of the prettiest cars from my favourite production year. While flicking through eBay Motors one evening, I came across a ’58 Lincoln Continental Mark III convertible and was struck by its unique and somewhat ugly lines. Having sold a ’58 Buick Limited convertible a few years previous, I was still very much missing drop-top motoring, so as the days progressed the auction looked more and more tempting. Some months later said car arrived at Southampton docks and the journey home (a petrol leak at a petrol station!) became a sign of things to come for the love/hate relationship with a car that has come to be known by me as ‘The Bitch’!
“The Continental is a gargantuan car even compared with my Buicks, but despite its size and its hunger for petrol, it’s a whole lot of fun to drive with that powerful 430 V8 motor and air suspension (aftermarket, not failed optional original) which makes it handle e far better than you would imagine possible. Several years left in a desert at some time in its life hadn’t been kind to it though and while cosmetically it was in good shape, an engine rebuild was the first of a long line of fixes needed (along with the roof mechanism, an exploding differential, starter motor and on and on) but every post-mechanical repair outing always brought huge smiles to both me and a surprising amount of people that seem to find this ugly car quite attractive!
“I can’t say that the build quality matches the Buick Limited’s very high quality, but the car possesses some kind of quality that no matter how many times I swear at it and its mechanical nightmares, it still holds my affections some 17 years later! It’s not a car for the faint-hearted – or the shy for that matter – but its unusual front headlights and crazy front fender treatment (for me the best of the ’58-’60 models) certainly stops people in their tracks and divides onlookers in their opinions, with many even believing it to be a ‘Kustom’ due to its outrageous (factory) colour and insane styling.
“It really is quite amusing being parked up at the Goodwood Revival and sitting away from it and listening to people’s comments! The ’58 Lincoln Continental Mark III is a car that for me will never match the beauty of the ’56 and ’57 Continental Mark II, nor will it ever match the build quality of those cars but it sure is one big ugly boat that creates an equal amount of smiles and grimaces wherever it goes and has an engine roar that I will never ever tire of.”