The 1958 to 1960 Lincolns were the biggest American cars of the post war years. Built to out glitz Cadillac they appeared at a time when Detroit was being criticized for the first time about the ever increasing size of its products. They were never well liked neither the canted fins, the overly sculptured bumpers nor the reverse rake rear screen pillar sat very happily. It was a long way from the classic styling of the recently decreased Continental MK II but then the 58 Continental was a much less special (and much cheaper) car, sharing its body and mechanics with lesser Premier and Capri models. There were Sedan, four and two door hardtops and convertible versions. To haul its massive weight, Lincoln specified its biggest 7.5 liter V8 engine developing a claimed 375 bhp, so if nothing else, at least the Continental was pretty quick. Technically there was even more good news, because Lincoln had switched to monocoque construction, the only car in its class to have it at the time. Coll springs had replaced leaf springs for the rear suspension too, so the Continental handled a lot better than it looked.
The engine was massive V8, with 7074 cc equipped with front and rear disc drum brakes. Three speed automatic transmission was introduced in the car, with a top speed of 116mph (189 km/h). It reached 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 8.7 seconds. The car continued with minor changes until 1960. Despite this Lincoln sales continued to slip away until the introduction of the new, cleanly styled 1961 Continental.
