Which classic cars were mafia’s favorites during olden times? If you were a gangster in the 40s or 50s, what car would you want to drive? Something that gets you away from the spot, lightning-fast, or, would you prefer a flashy status symbol? At the end of the day, what is the use of all this money and power if you can't show it off a little? Nobody likes to wait at the crime spot, only to be caught and jailed away! Criminals, robbers, or mafia, they all used to prefer faster getaways and less suspicious cars for obvious reasons, since the beginning of time.
But during the Great Depression, a strange but funny thing happened. Gangsters started investing in flashy, expensive cars. Chevrolet Impala, Rolls - Royce Silver Ghost, Bentley Blower, and above all, Lincoln Continental seduced the roads when their rogue (most of the time) owners drove out.
Lincoln Continental which is one of the finest Lincoln car models, had been the style of the American mafia, for over five decades. It had all the qualities a crime overlord looked for. The beast turned heads, showed off wealth, and most of all, looked menacing. An extremely low frame, sitting on 22-inch wheels, induced fear into those who looked their way. Dark gray and black color schemes more than compensated for everything else. Lincoln's Limited run Continental complete with suicide doors, gave another dimension to the whole effect!
Below are some more juicy details about the mean era of mafia Continental cars.
Featured In Numerous Mafia Films Most Notably, The Godfather
The Continental has been featured as mobster cars in a number of movies and TV series, since its launch in 1939. First choice of the directors for such movies, it has starred in more than 2100 films & shows, according to IMDB. In the famous car chase thriller movie, The French Connection, drug smugglers used the model to peddle drugs and the car took more than half of the screen space. Needless to say that caught lots of attention. Sonny Corleone's favorite car in The Godfather, it again featured in the movie series when Michael used the Continental Limo in NYC. Gotti is another movie, based on the crime boss and most notorious gangster Gotti, where Continental starred in crucial scenes.
Paul Castellano Drove Lincoln Continental
Lincoln Town car was used as a getaway for the killers after they murdered the boss of the Gambino gang, Paul Castellano. Apparently, he loved the Lincolns. On the night of his death, Paul was off to enjoy a dinner at Spark's steakhouse in Manhattan. After he pulled up, as soon as he got out, he was murdered by the men of John Gotti, the infamous mafia boss. There are conspiracy theories doing rounds on the internet, that Gotti personally supervised the incident and then escaped with his men in the 1985 Town car.
Richard Kuklinski The Iceman, Dreamt Of Owning One
In his book The Ice Man: Confessions Of A Mafia Contract Killer, Richard, the Iceman, professed his love for the Lincoln Continental several times. When he was a teen, he resolved to buy a fancy car of his own – either a Cadillac or a Lincoln Continental. He did manage to buy his dream car though, after he became a successful contract killer.
He recalls an incident in his book when he had just murdered a man with his bare hands. His clothes and shoes were filled with blood. That day he drove butt naked, in his Continental, back to his place. The scene was filmed as such in the movie The Iceman, made on his life.
Those were the good times for this highly coveted car! We just learned about Ford's 2021 lineup that the Classic Lincoln Continental will be discontinued in 2021.
Favorite Worldwide
Lincoln was not only hit among the American gangsters, but Russian mafia loved it too. There was a time when only a true mafia don could own one. With its large, dominant shape and thundering prowess, it mansplained the roads and soon became the status symbol of some of the most coveted Russian gangsters. In fact, the hitmen of Moscow loved mean and flashy American cars, according to RBTH. They also loved Chevrolet Tahoe and used it to transport their bodyguards and bandit teams. Even the not so elegant, Conti coupes and Mark I/II remained the mafia symbol for many years.
Finally, is Lincoln Continental the greatest mafia car of all time? Yes, it sure is! And so are 1930 Ford model A, 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan, the mean Benz 260D and many more.