Take an iconic ’63 Lincoln, add a $100,000 sound system, a 1,250-horse power Super Cobra Jet engine, customized Bentley leather interior and tons of other custom features and what do you get?
The answer was revealed today at the Vancouver International Auto Show when the world’s most highly customized 1963 Lincoln Continental Roadster was unveiled by Abbotsford-based custom car shop 360 Fabrication.
The specialty Lincoln is valued at more than $1 million. The project took more than a year and half to complete by a team of 15 master automotive technicians at 360.
“This is the most technically complex custom car we’ve produced,” says 360 Fabrication president Rick Francoeur. “The owner of this vehicle wanted something beyond what has ever been seen in a vintage custom project in Canada, and this car delivers on that.”
The 18-month project included removing the original roof, chopping the windshield three inches, adding three inches to the height of the body to keep it in proportion with the custom 24” wheels, and developing a custom nitrogen air ride system.
The custom paintwork on the vehicle took over 450 hours to complete because of the size and lines of the vehicle, said master painter Darren Emmerson.
“It’s fun to see it all come together. We’re coming down to the wire now. [360 is] proud of this build. It’s exciting to be part of a project like this,” says Francoeur. “It’s going to be the most expensive care we’ve done.”
And while the Lincoln is built to drive, Francoeur says it has become “car art at this stage. So customized it really becomes art.”
The Lincoln is going to be added to the private collection of a Canadian auto enthusiast. 
Vehicle highlights:
• 100 per cent hand-built Focal sound system worth over $100,000. The system features 5,300 watts of power and seven amplifiers. It is the only Focal Ultima twin kit system ever installed in a single vehicle in the world
• 1,250 horse power Shelby Cobra Jet Ford engine
• Custom Bentley leather hand stitched interior
• Custom lowered windshield
• Custom, quick change independent Nascar rear end
• Painted in black cherry candy paint with six coats of clear top coat
• Hand built exhaust system
• $13,000 Ferrari steering wheel (custom modified to fit this vehicle)
The 1963 Lincoln will be unveiled and on display at the Vancouver International Auto Show, March 24-29 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The 1963 Lincoln will be unveiled and on display at the Vancouver International Auto Show, March 24-29 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
For more about 360 Fabrication visit: www.360Fabrication.com
For more about the Vancouver International Auto Show visit: www.vancouverinternationalautoshow.com
Check abbynews.com and The Abbotsford News print edition next week for more on the unveiling.
