The 1999 blockbuster film The Matrix merges cutting-edge SciFi themes withs a dark, gumshoe detective-era aesthetic. The filmmakers accomplished this by carefully considering their locations, costumes, soundtrack, and even the vehicles used in the film. Vehicles include black, modern sedans, sporty motorcycles, and an unforgettable "anti-hero" car. The team chose the perfect vehicle for the blockbuster's stars to drive: A black 1965 Lincoln Continental.
The Lincoln Continental is one of the oldest badges in Detroit and a perennial Hollywood favorite. For the model's 1961-1969 edition, the automaker designed a truly timeless vehicle: a slab-sided, suicide-door-equipped monster of a sedan. This imposing vehicle has been featured in many films and TV shows, including The Matrix. The fourth-generation Lincoln Continental is the anti-hero of cars.
A Detroit Masterpiece
By the early 1960s, Ford motor company had an issue. Its luxury Lincoln brand was losing trunkfuls of money. Ford identified the culprit: Lincoln's wide array of models, many receiving two-year redesigns. The parent company consolidated the Lincoln lineup to its top-of-the-line Continental and committed to sell the same model for seven years.
Ford's design Vice President, Elwood Engel, had pitched a dramatic prototype as a potential Thunderbird. His design had been passed-up, but Ford asked him to bring the car to market as the new Lincoln Continental. To keep his prototype's long, lean look, he stretched the Continental out to the longest wheelbase in its class: 123-inches. To maintain the car's clean lines, he mounted the first rear-hinged doors Ford had used since 1951. To differentiate it from the Thunderbird, Lincoln fitted the Continental with a full-width grille and four headlights. The company loaded the new sedan with the finest chrome and leather available at the time. The resulting vehicle won a Bronze Medal from the Industrial Design Institute and Car Life's Engineering Excellence Award.
The fourth-generation continental would become a legend, selling thousands of models from 1961 through 1969 with only minor design tweaks. The car's wheelbase was eventually stretched to 126 inches to afford more legroom. The Ford company also fitted the car with a huge V8, at first 430-inches, but later bored out to 462-inches, the largest displacement engine ever used in a Ford passenger car.
The resulting car was offered as a hardtop or as America's first four-door convertible since World War Two. The fourth-generation Continental was an imposing, timeless luxury sedan. The 1961-69 Lincoln is prized because it coupled horsepower-wars-era Detroit muscle with classic style.
Hollywood's Favorite Villain
The Lincoln Continental is the greatest mafia car of all time. The fourth-generation Continental featured a timeless style that has made it a favorite Hollywood car.
Ford's first media deal of this era was to appear in all the Sean Connery James Bond films. During the 1960s, Bond girls drove Mustangs while villains were chauffeured around in Lincoln Continentals. The Continental's most memorable 007 role was as henchman Oddjob's ride, which he had crushed and melted down after killing one of his enemies in the back seat.
The Bond films gave the fourth-generation Lincoln Continental the reputation of a villain car. But they were far from the luxury car's last appearance. Dax Shepard drove his personal 1967 Lincoln Continental race car as an anti-hero ex-getaway-driver in his 2012 film Hit and Run. The poorly behaved main characters in National Lampoon's Animal House drove around in a Continental, then turned it into a parade float. The poorly behaved ensemble of HBO's Entourage TV show also cruised around in a 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible. Into the modern era, the fourth-generation Lincoln has remained one of Hollywood's favorite cars.
A 1965 Continental Appeared In The First Matrix Film
When the Wachowski siblings began to envision their 1999 film The Matrix, they aimed to mix visual and plot elements that had never been mixed before. The film-makers were heavily influenced by gritty noir films and wanted to bring the aesthetic into a futuristic SciFi for the 1990s. The first film to do so was Bladerunner which in turn influenced Dark City, which informed the look of The Matrix. The Wachowskis opted for a less Cyberpunk look for The Matrix's first act and more of a timeless noir film-era style.
To pull off this unique visual style, the Wachowskis carefully selected locations, costumes, and vehicles that appeared gritty and timeless. At the end of the first act, Keanu Reeve's Neo character is picked up on a street corner by the Nebuchadnezzar crew. They are wearing leather trench coats, dark sunglasses, and driving a classic 1965 Lincoln Continental. The dark Continental is the perfect car for these anti-heroes. In the Matrix sequels, the characters drive around in an earlier fourth-generation Continental, likely a 1963.
The Lincoln Continental is the perfect powerful, imposing, and timeless car for a neo-noir film. We hope the upcoming fourth Matrix movie features more screentime for this fourth-generation Continental.
If you can't wait for the new Matrix movie, you can see the 1965 Lincoln on display at the Warner Bros studio tour.
Sources: Cars For Sale, Best Movie Cars, and Bold Entrance