Do you like continental kits?

[Dave Harris]

I've noticed there's a division of car collectors who either like the continental spare tire kits or do not. I think they look good on some cars, such as the '56 T-bird or the '57-'58 Pontiac Bonneville to name a few. It just makes these '50s era cars a bit more special. Some people will do without them. What do you think?

[Pat Marshall]

I think that the '56 Bird looks great, because the Continental Kit looks like a natural part of the car. The cars with the exagerated extended Kits to me are hideous. So, I guess if it looks like that's the way the factory would have done it (highly subjective) it's OK with me. Under no circumstances do I think a Continental Kit should ever be put on a Continental!

[Barry Wolk]

I hate all of the aftermarket "Continental" kits. I think they look silly, IMO. They are not allowed in Concours unless bolted on at the factory.

[Don Henschel]

Give me a Continetal kit any day. I would like a 55-56 Crown Vic or 57 and older Lincoln Premier with one!

[Shelly Harris]

I must disagree with Don. I think the continental tire rear end on the humongous 57 to 59 Lincolns look contrived with the extended bumper and are ugly. I am looking to one day own a baby t-bird and have eliminated the '56 because of the rear tire which I think is ugly. As a teenager I had a '55 Chev with the continental kit and it would rattle and make noise with every bump.

[Dan]

I agree with Pat.
The 56 T-bird was designed with the Continental Kit and looks right to me.
But then again I'm a little biased. :D

Most of the others are after market add-ons which have those extended shelves between the trunk and bumper, and look too contrived to me.
They usually spoil the proportions of the original design.

[Don Henschel]

The 57 Premier I looked at in Idaho definitely had a factory kit. The aluminum trim extensions between the tail lights were OEM Ford with a stamped design. As far as I know there is not much difference between the 56 and 57 other than two extra head lights and less chrome on the 57.

[5219]

I think that most of them are hideous. The extended bumpers and rear decks look awkward and destroy the lines of the car.

They make it harder to fit a large car into a garage. They also tend to scrape the ground on steep driveways.

Very few of them were ever factory supplied. Back in the fifties, it was very unusual to see one at all. They especially look bad on 4-Door sedans which would never have had them back in the day.

They are part of the modern tendency to tart up cars to make them look like somebody's fantasy of what cars should have looked like.

Alan Harris
C56D2744

[Don Henschel]

I definitely agree they look awful on a four door! As for fitting a large car in a garage, these land yachts always were a challenge not to mention the tiny parking stalls at most supermarkets.

[depmike38]

Only one I've ever liked it on is, as mentioned before, the 56-57 T-Bird. It looks great either way. On anything else they just look awkward.