History of the car

Known History

Connie was purchased by my grandfather, Adam, sometime before 1980. She was originally purchased as a parts car for another 1957 Premier that Adam had. Both cars resided in his back yard in Palm Desert California where he faithfully uncovered and started each car every month or two.

The yellow Premier eventually went to my Aunt Candy in Washington state. When Adam passed away in 1997 my grandmother, Connie, asked me if I wanted the car. A month later I was loading Connie onto a car trailer to bring her home.

1997 - 2011

Connie was parked in my driveway for many years. For the first five years or so I would start her and drive around a bit to keep her moving. At some point I became too distracted and allowed her to sit and freeze up over the years. A complaint to the city brought an order to get Connie behind a fence or gate. I razed a tin shed, took out some shrubs and laid in a parking pad along the side of the house with 6 tons of gravel from the local quarry. A few years later I took out some funds for home improvements and built a dedicated garage for Connie in the back yard. In December 2011 Connie would be started for the first time in nearly a decade.

Connie Names Herself

I prepared Connie for her first public showing in September 2012. The LCOC was hosting a National Meet in Concord and I wanted her to be seen and connect with some great advice from people who walk-the-walk of restoring and owning classic Lincolns. The car started right up on Saturday morning and I cleared her path to the street while she warmed up. When the moment came to back her out of the garage I sat in the drivers seat and she whispered quite clearly, "My name is Connie." It's probably no coincidence that I had a framed photograph of my grandparents, Adam and Connie, sitting next to me on the seat.