Lincoln Continental - 1962 to 1966

The Lincoln Continental mark 2 was a rare limited edition built in 1956. The retro styling was clearly based on the original continental of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Fuel consumption was not a consideration for the 6.5 litre V8 engine, and it was always a bugger to start; you had to keep turning it over and over, probably using a few gallons in the process.

The bench-type seats were upholstered in green-grey leather. Like in aeroplanes, there were four adjustable air-conditioning outlets in the roof, one for each passenger. Everything was electric, even the swivelling quarterlight windows. The rear light housing opened to reveal the petrol filler cap. I persevered with this monster for several years.

In 1963 Timothy, myself, and the two Persian cats, Purry and Blacky, drove from Montreal to Vancouver, where we stayed a few months, returning across the Dakotas to New York, about 10,000 miles. And we took the Austin Top Hat with us.