I wasn't always this way. I once was totally wrapped up in stylish new, powerful cars, but I gave it all up for classics. I now drive a 10 year old ML-320 with 150,000 miles on it so that I can afford to feed my addiction.
30 years ago a Concours d'Elegance named Meadow Brook opened on the grounds surrounding the 110-room Matilda Dodge mansion in Rochester Hills, Michigan. We became hooked. Both of us. They would keep drawing us back every year with new stimulating eye-candy. As time went on we got drawn into the innermost levels of a society that knew no boundaries. You weren't judged by the color of your skin or the thickness of your wallet, but by what you had parked in your garage.
We sat on that hill overlooking the winner's parade for nearly 25 years before the craving finally broke us down and we went in search of a new direction in our lives. We decided we would join the folks that had the bond of the automobile.
Our decision led me to the depths of a man-made labyrinth called e-Bay where I started my quest for a show car. Little did I know that my search would lead me to a place that reminded me of my childhood.
At that point I already owned a 13,000 mile '77 Lincoln Town Car that was 26 years old. Triple-black. Looks like a Mafia staff car. 5,000 pounds and 19 feet 8 1/2" long and 6'5 1/2" wide. The largest of American production cars.
I'd always had a burning desire to own a mid '60s Lincoln suicide-door convertible. They are so iconic that they speak for themselves when alongside anything else. My quest led me to the "Lincoln" section where I scrolled down into the '60s cars. I wanted something professionally restored and complete. I have enough projects. I didn't see anything that fit my bill so I scrolled down into the '50s cars as a lark as I don't care for much of the '50s American Iron.
I saw this view of this car and has a visceral reaction. I started to shake as a cold chill ran down my spine.
The picture triggered a memory from my early teenage years. My parents were looking at a rather large home in one of Detroit's finest areas. At that time a mansion in Detroit could be had for the price of an inexpensive home 1/5 the size in the suburbs. They were serious about the home and were taking a detailed tour when they opened the first of the 5 car garages and there appeared the tail end of a 1956 Continental Mark II, Ford's finest effort to recall the former glory days of American automobiles. They were hand built and cost $10,000 when a new home in Detroit's suburbs was the same price.
I learned that there were only three convertibles made from new cars. I found the gentleman that worked on the car back in 1955. He vividly recalls that they made two of them side by side. I bought the car and started a new life.
Well, not a new life, but a new direction. We'd spent the last 30 year collecting art and had amassed a collection that pushed the collection to outdoor pieces as we had no more room indoors. Collecting beautiful cars was just an extension of our art collection.
I started showing the '56 Continental in Concours all over the US. One show led to invitations to others and we ended up doing 6 shows a summer.
Since I already had a '77 Lincoln Continental and now a '56 Continental Mark II convertible I decided to develop a theme for the "Continental Collection". I then acquired a 1968 Lincoln Continental limousine in need of total restoration (going on now) followed by a 1956 18' Chris Craft "Continental" that I first put in the water last summer after owning it for 5 years.
Then came the '55 Porsche "Continental" Cabrio. It too, was an e-Bay purchase. In fact, I may have been bidding against some of you as there was a lot of interest coming from Europe. It was in Hawaii.
Now that the Continental collection was developing nicely I learned that Porsche had a '55 model of Coupe and Cabrios named "Continental". Hmmmmmmmm.....................Wife has always talked about getting a red bathtub Porsche and now it fit my criteria, I had to have it. I needed it so badly that I wasn't going to let any of you guys get it.
The clock was ticking. The final bid was due in about two hours so we left the Meadow Brook Concours early and never got to see the final awards. We headed home and arrived 15 minutes before the expiration of the auction and it hadn't yet reached reserve. I had come this far, I had cleared the final security needed to make suck a large bit.
Strangely, no one was bidding. It hadn't moved since the night before. I thought that strange but I really wanted the car. At that point I figured I could snag it for sure by bidding $20,000 more than the existing amount.
I placed my bid while my wife was watching on her computer. There was only 30 seconds left. The time expired and the screen didn't change. It seemed to take forever before we got acknowledgment that we had won the bid for only $200, not $20,0000 more. I understand that the seller received a number of calls offering substantially more if he would break the deal. I received calls offering $10-$20,000 more than I had paid. I felt pretty good and highly commend the seller for keeping his word. I have since wrecked it, restored it and campaigned it, winning several prestigious awards. It draws a crowd wherever I go.
Last year a friend gave me a 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark II custom convertible. It's a rat, but it is a Continental and it's a convertible.
My quest continues. I would like to add a 1955-58 LHD Bentley S-1 Continental convertible, a 1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental convertible and a 1933-34 DeVaux-Continental convertible. The last being so rare that only drawings, no photographs, let alone and actual car, seem to exist.
If you have any of these examples in your shed, please contact me.
Pleased to meet you all.
) with great interest when it was linked to on here last year - spent half a day reading every word 
