AUGUST 2024: 1954 LINCOLN CAPRI—DON’T CONFUSE IT WITH A TRAILER QUEEN

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Trailer queens are in the minority within the car hobby for many reasons, but the biggest one is that they don’t make sense.

Why would you invest in a classic then hide it in a shop?

Neil Eddy is the owner of this classic and he’s a big believer in driving—not towing his Lincoln. He owns a few of these old Lincolns and none of them are sitting in a trailer because he owns them to run them—not shelter them.

Neil bought his first Lincoln decades ago for 600 dollars and that set the hook for his addiction to these cars. He likes the history behind these Lincolns because they were a force on the Panamericana road races in 1954.

These were 2000-mile races on the Pan American Highway in Mexico, and they ran in places where Jeeps feared to tread at an average speed of 80 miles per hour.

That’s the kind of indestructible car Neil wanted to use as a road warrior so that—plus his long-term connection to Lincolns inspired him to own this 1954 Lincoln Capri. These are semi-sporty cars for a Lincoln, and they came with a hefty 317.5 cubic inch engine under the hood. That was good enough for 205 horsepower—a good number for 1954.

This car was 3900 dollars when it sold back in ’54. That would have put you in a modest house back then because Lincolns were top shelf cars—not economy cars.

The Lincoln Capri came with options that were only a dream on a ’54 Ford Mainline sedan because it has power everything to go with that price tag. This is what they called a ‘banker’s hot rod’ because it had the power and style fit for a higher-end buyer.

Neil doesn’t drive it like a hot rod because he likes to run it at a sedate 60 miles per hour. This Lincoln sees a lot of highway miles—Neil was just coming back from a two-week run, and he admitted he was happy to be headed home. The Lincoln has been a champ on every run—and it sees a lot of miles.

He said the car,floats along and gets 18 miles per gallon” so it’s not a deal-breaker for the Eddy family at the gas pumps. That’s a big deal in today’s world of inflated gas prices.

The only concession to real-world driving is the electric fan because Neil’s Lincoln sees the odd parade, so the add-on cooling is a huge asset to stop and go driving. He said heat is not really a factor with the car other than parades, because it’s been through some hot weather and never missed a beat.

The 1954 Lincoln is not like a ’68 Camaro with their army of owners. These cars were rare then and now, but Neil likes them so much has more than one.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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