Don’t call it overweight: Leno drives the Continental Mark III

Quintessential late 1950s luxury. The Continental—don’t call it a Lincoln—Mark III is massive in size and packs features that seem advanced even by today’s standards. Considering the sleek styling that was being produced by many manufacturers at the time, the Mark III borders on gaudy, but it is a design with unique appeal that has nonetheless aged well. Jay Leno just released the latest episode of his YouTube show Jay Leno’s Garage where he talks through the details and takes one for a spin.

Jay’s ’58 is the two-door coupe, which he says is relatively rare as most of the production cars were four-door sedans. It also held the title of “fastest luxury car” of the time with its large 430-cubic-inch V-8. Jam packed with options, a few particularly interesting ones are the power-roll-down rear window and the first-year FM radio, which is mounted separately on the transmission tunnel.

If there is one thing Jay doesn’t understate, it is the footprint of this behemoth. While driving he supposes that the car is likely bigger than the flagship Cadillac luxury SUV—the Escalade. He supposes correctly, as the Lincoln has a whopping 25 inches on the Escalade in overall length. In other words, it probably won’t fit in your garage.

Typically, in most cars featured on the show, the interior cameras are relatively close Jay, so you feel like you’re riding shotgun right next to him. The difference is kind of hysterical in the Mark III, which is so huge that Jay appears to be talking to the camera from another zip code. The perfect car for social distancing? Certainly. It is a land yacht of the highest order.