The Golden Lamb Lies Down Off Broadway

The Golden Lamb Lies Down Off Broadway

ABOVE: A fine variety of Lincolns at MK Coach, from the 1960s through the 1980s, an on to the 2000s.

Originally published in the September-October 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 386)
by Jeff Shively

Webmaster’s note:  This is a segment of the full article Up and Down the Dial – Tuning into the 2025 Mid-America National Meet In Cincinnati, which started on page 30 of the September-October 2025 issue.

Title footnote:  Genesis:  “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974)

ABOVE:  A cool company needs an equally cool logo. Bonus points for making it light up!
ABOVE:  Unused doors are stacked, awaiting removal.
ABOVE:  It can be a little unsettling seeing vast sections of brand-new cars sitting in a giant dumpster, bound for the metal recycler.
Thursday morning was a treat for those who enjoy the niche of the hobby dedicated to professional cars. In this age of cookie-cutter transportation pods, the age-old art of coachbuilding lives on in rural Amelia, Ohio, at MK Coach Company. Once upon a time, a prospective buyer of a high-end automobile could commission a unique body to be mounted on a chassis of his choosing. The possibilities were limited only by the buyer’s imagination and bank account. Today, those same skills are used to create funeral coaches that provide dignified last rides for countless people every year.

The process of converting a production automobile into a hearse is mind-boggling. Much of the original vehicle ends up in the scrap heap. It was shocking to see dozens of brand-new doors stacked up, awaiting disposal, and entire roof sections sitting in the dumpster, ready for the scrappers. Much of the rear portion of the vehicles is crafted from fiberglass, and MK Coach employs specialists skilled in working in this medium. Once the major body and suspension modifications are completed, the painters go to work. The company employed talented trimmers who make the interiors of these machines as stunning as the exterior.

In times not so long past, Lincoln had a significant stake in the professional car market. Despite being well over a decade old, Town Car-based hearses are still in use all across the country. There were two Lincoln-based hearses at MK Coach, in for upgrades or repairs. All of the new hearses in the shop were based on Cadillac platforms. Perhaps in the future, Lincoln can get back into the professional car trade.

ABOVE: The modifications made by MK Coach are extensive, to put it mildly. Not much of the original car remains when these artisans are finished.
ABOVE: While all the cars undergoing conversion were Cadillac-based, there were a few Lincolns on site, including this one, in for some upgrading.
ABOVE: The rear compartment is a fiberglass shell, and replaces much of the original body.
ABOVE: In the funeral business, the highest levels of professionalism must be maintained, and that includes the condition of the hearse. Before a new one leaves MK Coach, it is made immaculately clean.
After spending the morning at MK Coach Company, some attendees made the drive to Lebanon, Ohio, for shopping and sightseeing. Your editor rode there with John McCarthy to check in on my ailing ’63 Continental. It is a picturesque locale, with all the charm one would expect from a modest Midwestern small town.

Dinner at the Golden Lamb on Thursday evening was a treat like no other. The restaurant was opened in 1803, the same year that Ohio became a state. The current four-story building dates to around 1815. In those days, the Golden Lamb would have been called a tavern. In modern parlance, the term conjures up images of a place to purchase adult libations. However, starting in Colonial America and continuing well into the 19th century, taverns were much more than that. They were hotels, where travelers, weary from a day on horseback or in a stagecoach, could find a hearty meal and a bed for the night. They were also community centers, where locals could meet with their friends over a pint of ale and share thoughts on the day’s events. In a world before the telegraph, where newspapers were not yet all that common, these travelers brought with them news of happenings outside the local community. This synergy is one of the reasons some historians argue that the American Revolution was born in the numerous taverns of the thirteen colonies.

No revolutions were being birthed at the Golden Lamb that evening, but the meal and camaraderie were second to none. Our group enjoyed dining privately on the second floor. Afterwards, many explored the ancient building. The list of luminaries who have visited the Golden Lamb over the past two centuries includes U.S. Presidents John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Martin Van Buren, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Ronald W. Reagan, and George W. Bush. It was an excellent way to cap off Thursday.

 

A Shelter from the Storm

A Shelter from the Storm

ABOVE: The ’63 was a rude guest, leaking transmission fluid on its host’s garage floor.

Originally published in the September-October 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 386)
by Jeff Shively

As old car enthusiasts, we can all remember the times when the mechanical failure of one of our classics left us stranded with no clear way to get home. Of all the episodes I’ve endured over the past 36 years, the one that stands out as most heartbreaking occurred in the summer of 2019. I was driving my 1965 Cadillac on Interstate 465 from what was supposed to be the best shop in Indianapolis for that marque to my home in Noblesville, Indiana, about 25 miles north.

The job, which was supposed to take two weeks, ballooned into six months. Here I was, having spent a considerable amount of money, with a car that was running worse by the minute. After a spectacular backfire, it ground to a halt near the Interstate 69 exit, about 10 miles from home. I have seldom felt the sickening mix of rage, disappointment, and hopelessness as I sat there on the tailgate of my dad’s truck waiting for the rollback to arrive. Today, while it is much better than it was six years ago, it is still not right, and I am skeptical of most mechanics.

This summer, I experienced a similarly catastrophic issue with my 1963 Lincoln Continental on the way to the Mid-America National Meet. The transmission failed in the parking lot of the host hotel. There were sights and smells I’d not experienced before. But here is the difference. As much as I hated the idea of major transmission work, I realized that there was no better place for it to fail. After all, there were no fewer than four 1963 Lincolns registered for the event, plus a bevy of both older and newer slab sides. Where else could I hope to find a better brain trust that could help me out of this jam?

The first person to step up was Ted Hilton. Ted used to have a garage, and he is very familiar with the shops in the area. He recommended Mr. Transmission in nearby Sharonville, Ohio. They couldn’t get to me for a few weeks, and part of the reason was that the rebuilder was working on the transmission of…you guessed it, a 1963 Lincoln! When I was young and broke, I rebuilt the transmission on my ’65 Cadillac, and it worked great for well over 20 years. But this is not a TH 400. No shop in my area has worked on that vintage of Lincoln transmission in years, so this would be worth the wait.

In the meantime, I decided to see if I could get the Lincoln to move. John Hannon gave me a lift to the parts store to buy some Type F transmission fluid. Putting in a few quarts didn’t help, so I covered up the car for the night.

 

ABOVE: The wind ripped the cover off the Lincoln, but the water still beads on the 62 year-old paint!

Reviewing the shop manual, I surmised that the vacuum modulator might be the problem. On Wednesday, during lunch at Ford’s Garage, I called Green Sales Co., conveniently located in Cincinnati. They had the part in stock, and Tony Blaine ensured that when Lincoln of Cincinnati’s parts truck passed by Green Sales, that the modulator would be retrieved. Hearing of my trouble, Tim Wilson, who owns several of these early slab sides, commissioned one of his employees to cut a proper transmission pan gasket and then bring it 80 miles to the hotel, because he doesn’t like the quality of many of the off-the-shelf gaskets.

On Thursday morning, Tony brought his truck and trailer to the hotel. After we pushed the ’63 into place, he winched the car into the trailer and hauled it to his home. That afternoon, John McCarthy drove me to Lebanon, Ohio, where Tony & Michelle live, to see what could be done for my car. We stopped at a great local place for lunch that Tony had recommended before heading to see what progress he’d made on my Lincoln. By the time we arrived, he’d replaced the vacuum modulator, but it didn’t solve the issue. With that in mind, Tony agreed to keep the ’63 in his garage until Mr. Transmission was ready for it.

While this escapade was expensive, there is a larger lesson to be learned from it. In this day of electronic hyper-connectiveness, in-person connections are declining. Many of us don’t even know our neighbors. You no longer have a favorite pew at church because you can “attend” online. Mom-and-pop establishments that have served communities for generations are disappearing. However, there is hope in this hopelessness, and groups like the LCOC play a crucial role. As odd as it sounds, I wasn’t upset, even when things looked their worst. I knew that I was in the right place with the right people, and everything would be OK. It’s hard to put a price tag on that level of peace of mind.

Jeff Shively, Lincoln & Continental Comments Editor, lives in Kokomo, Indiana.

LCOC Logo Items for Sale on Brand New Website

Originally published in the May-June 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 384)
Submitted by Elayne Bendel

An exciting new website partnership between LCOC and Lands’ End Outfitters is offering LCOC logo merchandise to all our members just in time for this year’s car show season! Who wouldn’t want to show off their brand-new LCOC jacket, shirt, sweater, hoodie, cap, or accessory?

Thanks to an initiative by LCOC member Hal Reniger, LCOC National has approved the arrangement and created a link to an LCOC club website at Lands’ End that offers dozens of items for purchase.

Founded more than 60 years ago, Lands’ End, Inc. is a classic American lifestyle brand. The company is a leading digital retailer of solution-based apparel, swimwear, outerwear, accessories, footwear, home products, and uniforms for businesses, schools, and clubs through the Outfitters distribution channel.

Product focus has shifted significantly over the years, but they continue to adhere to their founder’s motto as a guiding principle: “Take care of the customer, take care of the employee, and the rest will take care of itself.”

For LCOC, both men’s and women’s clothing are offered, along with accessories, including BBQ aprons, scarves, belts, and ties. clothing includes a wide variety of shirts, jackets, sweaters, pants, scrubs, and caps. A number of men’s and women’s styles in various sizes and colors are part of the website’s initial offering.

There is a lot to choose from on the LCOC Lands’ End website, and over time, we expect the selection to grow as more members discover and purchase their LCOC merchandise.

Website items are displayed minus the LCOC logo. Once color, size, and style are selected, the LCOC logo may be added for a small added charge. Discounts are offered for some items that can offset the added cost of the embroidered patch logo. Some sample items from the website are shown in this article. Numerous jacket styles and colors are available for purchase.

How to access the LCOC/Lands’ End website

  • To access the site and begin shopping just log in to the Members Area on the lcoc.org home page or click here.
  • After logging in, click the Visit the Lands’ End Outfitters LCOC Merchandise Website button at the top of the page.
  • Once inside the website, click Sign In on the upper right of the page, create your personal account and then begin shopping. You may save your username and password for future use and ease of log-in. To begin shopping, choose from Men’s or Women’s styles. Some items are unisex. Click the Add Logo button to add the LCOC patch to your item and then Choose Location to position the patch on your item before placing it in the cart. The embroidered logo is three inches in diameter.

These are just a few of the great new LCOC logo products you can now buy from Lands’ End. From men’s and women’s shirts, to jackets, even ties and other accessories, you can now go everywhere in Lincoln style. Order yours today!

New Benefits of Ford’s X Plan for LCOC Members

Originally published in the March-April 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 383)

For over a decade, Ford has offered all LCOC members the ability to use the X Plan program to obtain substantial discounts on new Ford or Lincoln vehicles. Over the years, hundreds of our members have used this plan not only to save on the price of the car, but also on fees, as the X Plan limits the dealer to a document fee cap of $100. It’s a great help when you are in the market for a new car or truck.

Recently, Ford has made the LCOC a full-fledged Partner Recognition member. That means that all our members can now get their own X Plan PINS! Just follow these simple steps to generate your X-Plan PIN:

  1. Visit www.fordpartner.com and enter our LCOC Partner Code – D5FGG
  2. Click on “GENERATE MY PIN” and enter your information to receive your LCOC X-Plan PIN.
  3. Bring your PIN Certificate along when visiting an eligible participating dealer, as well as proof of LCOC membership and the date of membership (month/year). Note that you must have been an LCOC member for at least 90 days.

The proof of LCOC membership can be one of the following: (1) Screen print of your membership information from Cornerstone, our membership manager. Go to www.lcoc.org, click on “Member Login” on top of home page, and sign in for the required information. (2) Your welcome letter from Cornerstone, or (3) The latest issue the Lincoln and Continental Comments with your address on the back cover. A photocopy is acceptable. If you have any questions, get back to me at gkramer2047@gmail.com or 832-368-2575. Good luck!

Leno’s Law

By Jeff Shively

Originally published in the May-June 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 384)

Photos courtesy of the author.

Sometimes, it helps to have friends in high places. Most Americans have a high opinion of Jay Leno. As the host of The Tonight Show, he tended to poke fun at the foibles of both sides of the aisle, much like Johnny Carson before him. His point was to entertain without alienating a large portion of the audience. In recent years, he has been known more as a car guy’s car guy. Through his television and YouTube programs, he has introduced many more people to the world of the collectible automobile than any one of us ever could, and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude.

Now, he is helping out again. Member Dean Forbes sent in a clipping from a recent issue of Old Cars magazine regarding California Senate Bill 712, dubbed “Leno’s Law.” California has the most stringent emissions standards of the 50 states. This might have made sense 50 years ago, when cars generally polluted more, and there were simply more of them in greater concentrations in California’s urban areas. Even as cars have gotten cleaner, the Golden State has had standards far in excess of other states, at least ones that haven’t adopted California standards.

A car must pass rigid emissions standards to be licensed in the state. To a certain extent, this makes sense for vehicles driven 10,000 or 20,000 miles annually on California’s crowded freeways. Applying those same standards to vintage cars that are seldom used makes less sense. As a result, there has been, for many years, an exemption in place for such cars. But this raises the question of how old a vehicle must be to be considered vintage. I recall reading about this debate as a high school junior and novice car guy in 1990 in the pages of Classic Auto Restorer, Cars & Parts, and Collectible Automobile. At the time, it was a question of deciding between a hard date that never changes or a rolling exemption. I think 1975 might have been the cutoff in those days, a mere 15 years before the current date.

Today, collector cars built prior to 1976 are exempt from California’s biennial smog checks. The current cutoff is fine for people who like 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s cars. Nothing will change for them. What has changed is the scope of collectability within our hobby. Compare the show field at last fall’s Eastern National Meet with the lineup in 1995. Where Gregorie’s gorgeous 1940-1948 Continentals, silky Continental Mark IIs, and Elwood Engel’s masterworks once dominated, Bill Blass Mark Vs, 1980s Town Cars, and sleek Mark VIIIs rule the day. The same is true in almost every corner of the hobby. 1970s and newer cars have grown exponentially in popularity over the past 20 years.

ABOVE Jay Leno during a 2014 visit to the Kokomo Automotive Museum.
The sponsor of S.B. 712, Sen. Shannon Grove (R. Bakersfield), says that it targets “unnecessary and burdensome smog check requirements for classic vehicles, ensuring they remain a celebrated part of California’s culture and economy.” Currently, vehicles that are at least 35 years old can be exempted from the smog check, provided that they are insured as collector automobiles, comply with the emissions regulations of the year they were built, pass a functional test of the gas cap, and have no visible fuel leaks. Leno’s Law simply seeks to replace the fixed date of 1976 for total exemption from smog checks to a rolling date of 35 years old. “California’s smog check laws for classic cars need to be updated – they vary too much from state to state, and California’s rules don’t match up with neighboring ones,” said Leno.

This is just common sense. The newest car that would be fully exempted today would be a 1990 model. Some opponents might say that this would open up a loophole allowing people to drive “gross polluters” every day. True, you can drive a 1990 Lincoln every day. There would probably be someone driving a junkyard refugee, but most people who own them wouldn’t do that because they see them as fun cars for occasional use. I am also old enough to remember when some of the same people who will now call a 1990 Mark VII a “gross polluter” wanted folks to surrender their 1975 Mark IVs and replace them with brand-new “clean and efficient” 1990 Lincolns when I was a teenager.

In reality, this regulation doesn’t affect Mr. Leno that much. Most of his collection has been exempt for decades. Like many of us, he understands the importance of expanding the reach of the hobby beyond its current boundaries. Buying a slab side Continental is not in everyone’s budget, but a nice 1990 Town Car (Motor Trend’s Car of the Year) might be the perfect balance of affordability and practicality, with a lot of class. Hopefully, the California Senate will join with Sen. Grove, pass this S.B. 712, and provide some relief for our collector car compatriots in the Golden State.

Jeff Shively, LCOC legislative advocate, lives in
Kokomo, Indiana

An Artist Speaks

An Artist Speaks

ABOVE:  Ken Madden’s prized 1997 Lincoln Town Car frolicking in a field of fresh flora.

By Ken Madden

Originally published in the March-April 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 383)

Photos courtesy of the author.

Let me tell you what brought me to Lincolns. Lincoln builds cars for the affluent and successful members of our great country. These are people who have worked all their lives, building estates worthy of leaving a legacy for the children to enjoy for generations. A  Lincoln was, and still is, a big part of that.

On the other side of the tracks was me, in 1995. I was broke and soon to be a dad. Unmarried and working at Wizard Custom Studios in Andover, Minnesota. We restored cars and built very cool custom cars as well as motorcycles. At the time, I was driving a 1968 Ford Ranchero GT with a four-speed and a 302! It sounds awesome, but this was the epitome of a beater.

So, I had no money and needed a better and safer way to haul around my newborn daughter. Alas, a friend of the shop had a car for me- a 1982 Lincoln Town Car. It was brown with a tan velour interior and was rusty, but it ran and drove perfectly…almost.

I was in New Hope, Minnesota, and the car was in Ripon, Wisconsin, about five hours away. Here is the “almost” part. The exhaust was gone from the driver’s seat back. Let’s just say it was a rather loud ride back, but for $350, I was not complaining! I drove that poor old girl for many years, and all I ever needed to fix were rust-related things like all the brake lines.

Sometimes, you look back on the things you did in your youth and wonder how you survived. Consider the gas lines on a car exposed to many salty upper Midwest winters. It was -15 degrees F, and I needed to replace the high-pressure line from the tank, along the frame to the engine, in the driveway. So I found a bunch of cardboard, placed it around the bottom of the car to stop the wind, pointed a kerosene torpedo heater under the car, and went to work. How that didn’t explode is truly an act of the almighty God!

All that said, what a great car! I was hooked. In 1997, my father retired and bought a brand-new black Town Car. I instantly told him that if he ever wanted to sell it, I would get first dibs, knowing full well that he would have it for many years. That was good, because I had no way to buy that car for years.

In 2015, he called and asked if I still wanted “that old Lincoln,” as he had bought a newer 2007 Town Car that caught his eye one day. Of course, I jumped at the chance. He gave me the car with the caveat that he would get half of the proceeds if I sold it. He knew I would never sell it. Over the years, we drove the 1997 Town Car from Wisconsin to Arizona, where my folks live many times. He passed away in October 2022, knowing his prized car was in good hands.

Dad’s Town Car is how the LCOC found me. I attended a couple of our shows over the years, and finally, in 2023, I joined up! To be honest, I didn’t think the Club would be as accepting as they all are! I mean, this ’97 isn’t a 1956 Continental Mark II or a 12-cylinder Continental. It’s just a ’90s Lincoln. Heck, they made a ton of these! But there I was, and the Club has been so welcoming, treating me like they have known me for decades.

I wanted to give back somehow. I helped at shows and co-admined the Northstar Region’s Facebook page gladly, but wanted to do more.

I am, first and foremost, an artist. I have an unrelenting passion for cars, so automotive art is my focus. I have done hundreds of portraits of some great cars of all makes and models. If you read this far and are interested, take a look at my website, maddkstudio.com. What you will see is 40 years of practice and love for the craft of illustration. Then it hit me- I can do an original painting of the “Best of Show” winner at our annual Northstar Region show in Hugo, Minnesota!

This past year’s winner was a spectacular 1948 Continental. What a car! So, I created a 16″ x 20″ acrylic painting on stretched canvas. And I felt like I at least made one man’s day with something very special, more than a nice trophy and handshake. This is something that tells a story. A painting spurs conversation and evokes memories of great and not-so-great times. It tells the story of a life just from an image.

I write this to tell everyone who reads this that so often, a car club is just a car club. I’ve been in dozens of them over the years. When you find a club like the LCOC, where fascinating folks with similar interests and hobbies meet, you also find a community that stands the test of time.

Speaking of time, I want YOU to take the time to talk to the younger Lincoln enthusiasts and encourage them to join our merry band of highway cruising, luxury riding, freedom machines. I am relatively new to the LCOC, and finding a home in the car world is priceless, so let’s spread the word!

INSET ABOVE:  The artist’s 1997 Town Car on canvas.The author created this stunning painting of the “Best of Show” winner at the Northstar Region’s show in Hugo, Minnesota.

ABOVE:  The author’s ‘97 Town Car in repose.

Ken Madden is an LCOC member from Baldwin, Wisconsin.