1962 Lincoln Continental
Standard Equipment

Last year's sensation is this year's luxury standard

Above: 1962 Lincoln Continental Convertible. No extra charge for the elation you feel on a sunset drive.

430 CID 2V V-8 Engine (300 Horsepower)
Twin-Range Turbo-Drive Automatic Transmission
Power Steering
Power Brakes
Automatic Choke
Dual Exhausts
Undercoating
Hydraulic Windshield Wipers
Electrical Windshield Washer
Power Windows
Power-Operated Door Lock System
Heater and Defroster
Electric Clock
Cigarette Lighters
Large-Capacity Instrument Panel Ash Tray+ (without Air Conditioning)
Courtesy Lights on Front and Rear Doors (late model year introduction on Sedan)
Transistorized AM Radio with Rear Speaker (Sedan only—late model year introduction)

+New design for 1962

Contour Zoned Foam Rubber Seats
Empire Nylon Cloth with Matching Metallic Leather Bolsters in 10 colors
Wool Broadcloth in 2 colors
Metallic-Finish Leather Upholstery in 8 colors (standard on Convertible model only)
Folding Center Armrests
Loop Pile Carpeting
Lined Luggage Compartment
Walnut Instrument Panel and Door Trim Panel Appliques or Vinyl Instrument Panel Inserts with Brushed Aluminum Door Panel Inserts
Full Wheel Cover+
White Sidewall Tires
Hood Ornament
Fully Automatic Convertible Top (Convertible model only)
Power-Operated Deck Lid (Convertible model only)
Automatic Retracting Rear Door Windows (Convertible only)
Counterbalanced Center-Opening Doors
Three-Spoke Safety-Type Steering Wheel
Parking Brake Warning Light
Rear Door Ajar Warning Light

Center-opening rear doors were nothing new to the automotive world in 1962, but they were not exactly common at this time, either. Some call this rear door configuration "suicide doors," based on the belief that anyone sitting next to a rear door that suddenly pops open at speed would be sucked out of the car.

While such a situation is certainly possible, Lincoln took every precaution to see that such a possibility was very remote. The door latches were designed to securely retain the door in the closed position, even in an accident where the impact is near the latch. A red "door ajar" warning light flashed on the instrument panel to advise the driver one or both of the rear doors were not securely closed. And a central door lock control on the instrument panel locked or unlocked all doors, making it easy to lock all of the doors before driving away.

Some have suggested that this configuration is not convenient when people are trying to enter or exit both the front and rear seats simultaneously. Chances are, such a situation wouldn't be frequent, as front seat passengers often open and close doors for those in the rear. And the ability to access items on the floor behind the front seat, such as purses, briefcases, small packages, etc., without walking around a rear door to do so makes the occassional inconveniences not so bad.

Note this early production Sedan rear door does not have courtesy lights installed in the armrest. All Convertibles and late production Sedans had them installed for 1962, and both models included the rear courtesy lights as standard for the entire 1963 model year. Also note the brushed aluminum inserts on the door, instead of the Walnut paneling. On some interior colors, the bright trim looks better than the Walnut paneling, but it seems this Light Honey Beige Leather interior might be a good candidate for the warmer wood tones of the Walnut appliques.