The abbreviated 1942 model year saw Lincoln adopt a more modernist style for its line, with a larger front end with squared-off fenders and a delicate three-piece grille. Like many Detroit automobile lines, the 1942 Lincoln was a rare commodity, few more so than the Continental, which, with the departure of the large Model K two years prior, was now at the top of the line. It remained a true favorite of celebrities and socialites, and was considered one of America’s most prestigious automobiles.

Yet with the U.S.’s entrance into World War II, only 200 Continental club coupes were built in 1942, and very few of them survived the decades since.

Among the fortunate few is Fred Guyton’s car, which was delivered in this striking color of Sheldon Gray through Rooney Tuttle Motors, as documented in its factory build information. Interestingly, the same information notes that the car was originally fitted with a particularly striking two-tone interior, with red leather and blue whipcord, a non-standard combination written into the build card, which may well be worth a new owner resurrecting.

Mr. Guyton acquired the Lincoln at Hershey in 2004, from William Gacioch; Mr. Gacioch had purchased the car from well-known Lincoln enthusiast Gerald Snyder of Cocoa Beach, Florida, who acquired it in 1978 from Gerald Kaminski of Cheektowaga, New York. An AACA Senior award-winner for Mr. Snyder in 1994, its restoration is older now but the paint is still highly attractive, with a deep, rich shine, and the chrome is largely older; some of it may well be original. The interior is beautiful, tight, and nearly fresh, requiring only detailing; even the gold finished dashboard hardware is very attractive. The overall authentic and correct appearance extends even to the tire pressure and engine oil direction card inside the glove box. At the time of cataloguing, the odometer noted just 75 miles, almost surely since completion of the restoration.

Every Classic collection requires a Continental, and this is among the rarest.