The Lincoln Continental came in a variety of colors. However, if you’re after that classic mobster land yacht look, it can only be black. That’s why the legendary MMA fighter Rampage Jackson owns this sinister all-black example of the 1969 Lincoln Continental.
California shop SS Motorsports recently delivered this 69 Continental back to mister Rampage. Their work reportedly includes a restoration of the exterior, some new wheels, and suspension work, plus minor touch-ups on the interior.
It’s obviously got a full air-ride system hidden in the trunk, where the builders also found room to install aftermarket speakers. There’s not much luggage space left, but the old limo doesn’t have cross-country travels on its agenda.
You can tell Rampage has a deep emotional connection with this car, which he’s owned for over 14 years. Sadly, we don’t have the full specs of this build. The engine sounds like it’s modern, maybe even an LS swap, which would be sacrilegious in the Ford family. But it would be understandable, since some parts of this car are notoriously difficult to maintain.
What powers the Continental?
When stock, all these bad boys would have been equipped with the “460”, which was a 7.5-liter V8 producing 365 horsepower and paired with the Ford C6 3-speed automatic transmission. 0 to 60 mph would have happened in about 10 seconds, but land yachts were about personal luxury and cruising down the highway.
The Continental began life with the 1940 model year. However, this big boy is part of the 4th generation (1961 to 1969). Specifically, this has the look of the second update introduced in 1966.
I feel like the aftermarket scene is sleeping on the Lincoln Continental, one of the most “American” designs ever made. Kennedy was shot in a 1961 convertible, and I think Marilyn Monroe had a pink 58 or 59 convertible. Also, there’s a black 65 Continental in one of the best sci-fi movies ever made 1999’s The Matrix.
The Lincoln is pretty unusual even by American luxury car standards. The front end doesn’t come off the car. It’s all one piece, connected to the fenders with classic lead filler.
It also had unibody construction and suicide doors, making this one of the most complicated Detroit products. And even though this generation is shorter than the one before, it weighed about 5,000-5,700 lbs. And you thought SUVs were heavy!
