1960 Lincoln Continental Motorhome Abandoned for 50 Years Is Rarer Than Hen's Teeth

Granted, car-based motorhomes weren't very common in the 1960s either, but a few smaller companies offered conversions as alternatives to the larger trucks and vans. Great Dale House Car Co. from Colorado was one of those ventures, and its campers were based on intermediate and full-size cars. The company also turned a few muscle cars into motorhomes. The 1966 Dodge Charger we featured in 2022 is one of those crazy builds.

Today, however, we're looking at something a bit different. The derelict motorhome you see here is based on a luxury rig. I'm talking about a 1960 Lincoln Continental, one of the fanciest and most expensive vehicles of its era. Not the kind you'd expect to see hauling a big camper shell with a bed, bathroom, and stove. It's also quite a rare gem, much like the Cadillacs that were also converted to camper duty in the early 1960s. Actually, I'm pretty sure this thing is unique.

Rescued by the folks over at "RESTORED," this camper has been sitting for a whopping 50 years. And not surprisingly, it's in rough shape with rust spots and weathered paint on the front clip. On the flip side, it's not as bad as it should be after 50 years, but I guess that's because it spent most of its life in Arizona.

The camper shell is actually in very good condition. The panels are still straight, most of the windows are still in place, and it appears like it would come back to life with just a bit of cleaning. On the other hand, the news isn't as good on the inside. The mattress and the stove are gone, the roof is leaking, and the cupboards are too far gone. This interior must be stripped off and replaced for this motorhome to become usable again.

There's bad news under the hood as well. While it appears to be original, the 430-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) MEL V8 engine is stuck after five decades without a sip of gasoline. And our hosts didn't manage to get it running again despite tearing it apart as much as they could without lifting it from the engine bay. The cylinders sat with rust in them for too long, and that's just one of many significant issues.

As it stands, the V8 can't be revived unless it's removed and given a complete rebuild. But our hosts have a different plan for this motorhome. It involves a swap with a 5.9-liter Cummins inline-six diesel from a 1997 Dodge Ram 2500. This engine also needs some work, but at 180 horsepower and 420 pound-feet (569 Nm) of torque, the 12-valve mill is a solid and more fuel-efficient option for a heavy motorhome.

Sure, this also means that the Continental will lose its numbers-matching MEL V8, but hey, at least we'll see it return to public roads. I'm also hoping the camper box will be restored because this one-of-a-kind Lincoln deserves a second chance at life. Until that happens, check it out in its current state in the video below.

And by the way, 1960 was the final year for the third-generation Lincoln Continental. Introduced in 1958, the luxury rig was offered in both two- and four-door configurations, including hardtop, convertible, and Landau body styles. The 430-cubic-inch V8 and the three-speed automatic were the only drivetrain combo.