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Kris Trexler's
1958 Continental Mark III coupe |
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Only 2,328 Continental coupes were manufactured for the 1958 model year, and it's likely that very few were finished in this unusual color. More than any other color, "Autumn Rose" epitomizes the era of the Fabulous 50's. Most of the paint is factory original. The car still sports California black plates (titled in California since new), although I prefer not to display the front plate. This car has been driven only 58,000 original miles as of June 2005, and is totally rust-free. It's loaded with cold factory air, power windows, power vent windows, power rear Breezeway window, 4-way power seat, power antenna, power trunk release, Automatic Headlamp Dimmer, power steering, power brakes, Town and Country signal-seeking radio with foot switch control, rare automatic starter option, strong 430 cubic inch V8 engine, and smooth Turbodrive automatic transmission. Everything works. I have refurbished some of the interior as needed. I don't mind some "patina" on a nice original car, but when the lower seat cushions deteriorated beyond my tolerance, I acquired replacement Bridge-of-Weir leather from the same tannery in Scotland used by the Continental factory. I replaced the carpet with authentic "80/20 nylon/rayon blend" carpet (not the shiny modern nylon stuff). The expensive molded padded dash was reproduced exactly as original. The rest of the interior is original and gorgeous. Even the instrument cluster dial is uncracked and has been modified not to crack using information from a 1959 factory service bulletin. It is very difficult to find a 1958-59 Continental or Lincoln without a cracked dial at "55 mph" - this one is excellent Members of the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club can read the feature story on this car in the March-April 2005 issue of "Continental Comments" magazine. |
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visit my King of the Road home page
to see more of my classic cars and learn about the early days of color TV |
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