Car collectors are as unique as the cars they fancy. Some collectors focus their efforts on a particular era, such as the "classics", or a specific model, like the Chevrolet Corvette. Others, meanwhile, amass garages full of vehicles that resemble a museum exhibition documenting the history of the automobile or car racing.
Barry Wolk from Michigan, USA, is what you'd call a "theme collector".
Like many car collectors, Wolk didn't start accumulating his collection until later in life. His interest in Continentals began in his teens, however. "My father drove a memorable 1970 Lincoln Continental Coupe with a naked top, no vinyl," he recalls. It was black with a black leather interior and was fitted with Michelin Red Line tyres. Wolk says it looked like a car Darth Vader would drive, if he drove a car. "I lusted over it, but was never allowed to drive it," Wolk explains.
The passion was rekindled by an odd encounter in 2002. Wolk was doing some landscaping in front of his home, with his wife Glynette, in preparation for their 30th wedding anniversary. "A stunning, giant, black-on-black, 1977 Town Car chugged to a stop in front of the house," he remembers. "I could see the driver was visibly scowling through the tinted glass. So, I gave him the 'Roll your window down' hand sign and yelled out, 'Nice car!' He responded, 'Want to buy it?'".
© Barry Wolk Ten minutes later, Wolk was the owner of a Town Car with burned intake manifold gaskets, and an EGR valve stuck open. After a small investment in parts ($129) and a weekend's worth of work, the Town Car ran flawlessly. Since then, they have driven it across Michigan several times.
One car does not make a collection, though. So, Wolk set out to gather more motorised toys. "I wanted a motorcycle. But my wife persuaded me to look for a big convertible, instead," says Wolk. It's worth pointing out that Glynette is a car nut, too. She assisted Barry in re-installing the enormous intake manifold on the super-wide 1977 Town Car and is a Concours judge.
Wolk turned his eye towards slab-side Lincolns of the 1960s. The goal was to find something he and his wife could show on the Concours circuit. "We were tired of watching cars roll by for their awards, and we wanted to join in the fun."
© Barry Wolk His research paid off. Wolk found a "convertible" 1956 Continental Mark II online. "It flung me back in time to when my parents were looking [to purchase] a mansion in Detroit that came with a Mark II in one of the stalls of the five-car garage," says Wolk. "I had a visceral reaction when I saw the car." So, he purchased it.
The condition and scarcity of the Mark II convertible was enough to win it third place in the Post-War Lincoln Class at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It is one of two factory-authorised convertibles built by Cincinnati-based Hess and Eisenhardt, a builder of presidential limousines.
And, like the 1977 Town Car, Wolk and his wife drive the iconic Mark II. "It's not a trailer queen," he explains. It boasts new, blue-and-white leather upholstery and is painted in a custom colour matched to the blue leather. The exterior had been repainted green in the 1960s but was originally black.
Collecting Continentals might make some people only think of Ford products. However, there were many more "Continentals" to be had produced, by other car manufacturers.
© Barry Wolk In 1955, the sole importer of Porsche cars to the US was Max Hoffman of New York City. He had a beautiful showroom, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and introduced America to some of the great sports cars of the 1950s. Ferdinand Porsche had been selling the Porsche Coupe and Cabrio and some limited production variants in the US market, but Hoffmann convinced Porsche that Americans bought cars with names, not numbers. As a result, he called the well-equipped Coupe and Cabrio "Continental", emblazoning the name on the front fenders in gold script.
"The next Continental I acquired was made of mahogany," jokes Wolk. In the 1950s, Chris Craft made an 18- and 21-foot runabout. It was the same hull as the famous "Cobra" with a different sloping rear deck and fibreglass fin. "The boat is a time capsule, wearing its original finishes," boasts Wolk. "It's never been sanded. And it has an unusual black interior. "I bought the boat to show behind the Mark II as a prop," says Wolk. It has only floated on water once since 2004.
© Barry Wolk The boat was followed by a car that few people have heard of – the 1933 Continental Flyer. The Flyer's all-steel Hayes body made it valuable in the scrap drives of World War II, so there are few remaining. "Our car is the only known example in running condition in the western hemisphere," states Wolk. It features a medium-length chassis with a 65 horsepower, six-cylinder engine. The Flyer was a one-year model, further adding to its rarity.
"Somewhere along the way I also acquired a 1968 Lincoln Continental limousine that was a splice of two cars," says Wolk. "It's a pretty long beast at 22 feet, but has been put on the back burner while I restore several cars for my friends and me."
What is the next Continental that Wolk wants to acquire? "There are two, but I probably waited too long because the 1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental (30 made, including five convertibles) and Bentley S-1 Continental are now beyond my reach financially. I'd also like a Continental jukebox. However, prices have skyrocketed on those, too."
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