Richard Nixon's 1976 Lincoln Continental which was a gift from Henry Ford Jr.
Sale price: US $9,800.00 Make an Offer
| Condition: | Used | Year: | 1976 |
| VIN : | 6y82a834142 | Mileage: | 93000 |
| Number of Cylinders: | 8 | Exterior Color: | Yellow |
| Body Type: | Sedan | Model: | Continental |
| Options: | Leather Seats | Interior Color: | Gold |
| Drive Type: | RWD | Make: | Lincoln |
| Vehicle Title: | Clean |
Palm Springs, California, United States
Vehicle description
NO RESERVE ! ! ! President Richard Nixon"s Historically Significant Personal Lincoln Continental. This 1976 Lincoln was a gift from Henry Ford Jr. to Richard and Pat Nixon in late 1975 as a Thank You. After Nixon left office in 1974, he received government furnished Chryslers for the first 6 months. As is still the case today, after 6 months, former Presidents are required to furnish their own vehicles. Henry Ford Jr. personally selected this car for the Nixon"s as Yellow/Gold was Patricia Nixon"s favorite color. This is evidenced by her inaugural gown, the Nixon oval office decor, their living room in San Clemente, their master bedroom at the Whitehouse, and countless other photos which show yellow as her color of choice.
This Lincoln was one of the first produced for 1976 as evidenced by the build date of 10/1975 as well as the front fender rubber molding, which only appeared on the early 1976 models. Of course, Henry Ford Jr. could not give a gift such as this while Nixon was in office, he had several reasons to thank Richard Nixon. On April 27, 1971, Ford Chairman, Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca, Ford"s President, secretly met with Nixon to persuade him to do away with or postpone the upcoming automobile airbag safety requirements as well as upcoming emission standards. Their meeting was a success which saved Ford a lot of money. Ironically, Iacocca later went on to be the CEO of Chrysler, which in 1989 became the first United States automaker to have driver side air bags in all of its passenger models. Not to be outdone, Iacocca later gifted Nixon with a Chrysler limo after Nixon moved to the East Coast.
Nixon was always fond of Lincolns. At that time, the President got to choose the next make of the Presidential limousine. Nixon chose Lincoln for his replacement in 1972. This was a big deal for automakers because at that time, the Presidential limousine closely resembled a stock model and was priceless advertising for the automaker. In 1973, Nixon presented Russian Secretary, Leonid Brezhnev a gift of a 1973 Lincoln Continental Sedan at Camp David. This became referred to as TownCar Diplomacy. That summit was remembered for the "wild ride" Brezhnev gave to Nixon in the passenger seat around Camp David.
After Nixon moved from San Clemente to the East Coast, this Lincoln has been under the ownership of several private collectors in Southern California. The car collector prior to myself was a Prominent Lincoln Car Club member and officer until his death. He had the car for 16 years where it was part of his indoor collection, but rarely driven.
Cosmetically time has been very good to this Lincoln, thanks to always being housed indoors. However, from not being used, mechanically it needed some attention. The past 8 months have been spent mechanically restoring the car. It is now in EXCELLENT mechanical shape and I would trust it to drive across the country.
It has had:
A top end rebuild (Valve job) Rebuilt Carburetor New Radiator and Thermostat and Water Pump New alternator New battery New AC Compressor New Tires New shocks all around New belts and hoses Fuel Tank Cleaned and a few other things.
It runs excellent and EVERYTHING to my knowledge works!
-All lights work, including opera lights and interior lights, including map lights and reading lights. -Headlight Covers work as they should. -All power windows work, including power vent windows -Power Trunk release works -Original Radio and Power antenna work -AC is ice cold and Heater works, as well as climate controls. -Cruise control works -Wipers work -Since it has always been in California - NO RUST! !
Henry Ford II selected the details of this car, which the official color of the paint and half top is "Cream". It appears as a light yellow/cream/ivory. He also deleted the oval opera window, as he thought it would provide more privacy to the Nixons. There were only three 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Cars with this color scheme and the opera window delete. This is believed to be the only one still in existence. The interior is all original, including the gold shag carpeting that Lincoln was known for during those years.
This car rides like a dream and due to the recent mechanical restoration, could be driven anywhere. The 460 cubic inch engine has plenty of power to move this yacht down the road. This car has the original keys used by Richard Nixon as well as the original owner"s manual and the rare Continental makeup mirror which was located in a special holder in the glovebox. I was told it"s rare to find this mirror still with the car.
I reserve the right to end this auction early as the car is for sale locally as well. Payment can be cash, cashier"s check upon approval or funds transfer. Car is located just outside of Palm Springs, California. Any questions feel free to call 907-317-4856.
Call for Buy-It- Now price. Remember - your bid is a commitment to buy. Any bidders who do not follow through will be responsible for costs, including, but not limited to, the listing fee. Any bidders with less than 5 feedback transactions or less than 30 day history, please call before bidding.
Happy Bidding!
This Lincoln was one of the first produced for 1976 as evidenced by the build date of 10/1975 as well as the front fender rubber molding, which only appeared on the early 1976 models. Of course, Henry Ford Jr. could not give a gift such as this while Nixon was in office, he had several reasons to thank Richard Nixon. On April 27, 1971, Ford Chairman, Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca, Ford"s President, secretly met with Nixon to persuade him to do away with or postpone the upcoming automobile airbag safety requirements as well as upcoming emission standards. Their meeting was a success which saved Ford a lot of money. Ironically, Iacocca later went on to be the CEO of Chrysler, which in 1989 became the first United States automaker to have driver side air bags in all of its passenger models. Not to be outdone, Iacocca later gifted Nixon with a Chrysler limo after Nixon moved to the East Coast.
Nixon was always fond of Lincolns. At that time, the President got to choose the next make of the Presidential limousine. Nixon chose Lincoln for his replacement in 1972. This was a big deal for automakers because at that time, the Presidential limousine closely resembled a stock model and was priceless advertising for the automaker. In 1973, Nixon presented Russian Secretary, Leonid Brezhnev a gift of a 1973 Lincoln Continental Sedan at Camp David. This became referred to as TownCar Diplomacy. That summit was remembered for the "wild ride" Brezhnev gave to Nixon in the passenger seat around Camp David.
After Nixon moved from San Clemente to the East Coast, this Lincoln has been under the ownership of several private collectors in Southern California. The car collector prior to myself was a Prominent Lincoln Car Club member and officer until his death. He had the car for 16 years where it was part of his indoor collection, but rarely driven.
Cosmetically time has been very good to this Lincoln, thanks to always being housed indoors. However, from not being used, mechanically it needed some attention. The past 8 months have been spent mechanically restoring the car. It is now in EXCELLENT mechanical shape and I would trust it to drive across the country.
It has had:
A top end rebuild (Valve job) Rebuilt Carburetor New Radiator and Thermostat and Water Pump New alternator New battery New AC Compressor New Tires New shocks all around New belts and hoses Fuel Tank Cleaned and a few other things.
It runs excellent and EVERYTHING to my knowledge works!
-All lights work, including opera lights and interior lights, including map lights and reading lights. -Headlight Covers work as they should. -All power windows work, including power vent windows -Power Trunk release works -Original Radio and Power antenna work -AC is ice cold and Heater works, as well as climate controls. -Cruise control works -Wipers work -Since it has always been in California - NO RUST! !
Henry Ford II selected the details of this car, which the official color of the paint and half top is "Cream". It appears as a light yellow/cream/ivory. He also deleted the oval opera window, as he thought it would provide more privacy to the Nixons. There were only three 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Cars with this color scheme and the opera window delete. This is believed to be the only one still in existence. The interior is all original, including the gold shag carpeting that Lincoln was known for during those years.
This car rides like a dream and due to the recent mechanical restoration, could be driven anywhere. The 460 cubic inch engine has plenty of power to move this yacht down the road. This car has the original keys used by Richard Nixon as well as the original owner"s manual and the rare Continental makeup mirror which was located in a special holder in the glovebox. I was told it"s rare to find this mirror still with the car.
I reserve the right to end this auction early as the car is for sale locally as well. Payment can be cash, cashier"s check upon approval or funds transfer. Car is located just outside of Palm Springs, California. Any questions feel free to call 907-317-4856.
Call for Buy-It- Now price. Remember - your bid is a commitment to buy. Any bidders who do not follow through will be responsible for costs, including, but not limited to, the listing fee. Any bidders with less than 5 feedback transactions or less than 30 day history, please call before bidding.
Happy Bidding!