Lincolns and Lattes Leaves Us Longing for the Past

For more than two decades all we had were land yachts—beautiful ground-based metalcraft that sailed down interstates with the stately elegance of the SS United States, whisking pipe-smoking men in grey wool suits across town or across the country with equal, effortless alacrity.

Among the greatest names of this era was Lincoln, whose Town Cars and Continentals kept ad men working late and executives hammering after their bonus checks so they could afford to buy one. It was these cars that represented American post-war opulence better than almost anything short of expanding suburbia.

Last weekend, Lincoln celebrated these rulers of the road with a brief, one-time-only revival of the original Cars and Coffee at what used to be Ford’s PAG headquarters in Irvine, California, at an event called Lincolns and Lattes. You had to know someone to get in and it’ll never happen again. The word went out and the faithful made the pilgrimage.

“To me, it’s a rolling piece of sculpture that you can enjoy, touch and play with,” said John Burge, who drove his 1974 Lincoln sedan out from Palm Springs, where he keeps a fleet of 42 cars. “It gives you a whole different sense of reality versus looking at a painting on a wall or going to the Louvre. Yes, I can see a painting, but I can’t touch it. I can’t play with it. I can’t have fun with it. And you know, at the end of the day, I still have something I can sell.”

“It’s a form of expression,” said Bazil LaRouche of his 1967 Continental sedan in Palomar blue. “You certainly know what kind of car it is. It doesn’t blend in with anything else. It’s just a standout car. And it’s got so much character and style. It’s just a wonderful car to drive and to own.”

For Russell Harmon, who drove to Lincolns and Lattes in a 1964 model, the car is part of an era.

“We live everything vintage. We live in a ‘50s ranch home and all of our appliances are pretty much either from the ‘50s or ‘60s. It’s almost, kind of, a lifestyle. You know, it’s almost fulfilling the dream of living in that era. And getting as close to it as we can with all the vintage appliances and stereos and records and everything else we have. The car is just kind of the cherry on top because not only do we get to live in that style home, but then when we go somewhere, we can take the car.”