Love at first sight? It certainly was for Patrick McTizic of Mira Loma, California, who knew that he was on to something good as soon as he laid eyes on this two-door '58 Lincoln Continental. "I bought this car about 15 years ago from a doctor who had it in his backyard," says Patrick. "After talking him out of it for $1,500, I hauled it home. On the way home, some guys stopped me and offered me $10,000 for it. I then checked out the value of the car and found out that there were only 2,100 of them built."
Patrick's passion and profession is putting together and painting classic cars, so this longtime member of Groupe C.C.'s East L.A. chapter took his time (13 years!) making certain that his Lincoln was approaching perfection. Another reason for the delay has to do with the car's scarcity. "Little did I know when I bought it that parts were impossible to find," admits Patrick. For instance, the driver's side door needed to be replaced and Fred Gonzales of Fred's Body Shop in Chino, California, had to fabricate a replacement from a four-door model with differently sized doors.
Patrick has no regrets about expending so much time and effort (not to mention the expense) on this rare classic. He sends a special thanks to his Dad, brothers Jay and Terry, and his "girl," as well as "Big Cap," "Big Lou," his "homie Cartoon," Uncle Jackie, "Big Cheeze" and all of the Groupe C.C. members. Patrick's won a trophy or two at the car shows where the creamy Continental always generates a strong response. "So far, people seem to trip on it," quips the owner. Future plans for the car include a possible candy or pearl paint job, but then Patrick tells us that he may just leave well enough alone and turn his attention to his current project, a full-show '73 Buick Riviera.