Interesting similarities between Lincoln Capri and Pontiac Catalina

"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw) 03/24/2016 at 16:03 • Filed to: Design, Pontiac Catalina, Lincoln Capri

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Hmm.

Jarod Rose photo, from Oppo

Hmmmmm.

from Craigslist ad

I happened to be browsing local Craigslist after seeing Jarod’s post on his RamblinRover’s Lincoln, and what should I spy for a mere $5500? This ratty but running ‘ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which bears a striking resemblance to the Lincoln in the back. The Lincoln’s designer only ever worked for Ford, so I wonder how this came about. They seem much too similar to be a coincidence.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 03/24/2016 at 16:08

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Well, let’s see. ‘58 Catalina:

‘58 Lincoln:

Yeah, I’m going with “outright theft that was disguised (badly) by changing it, by freak coincidence, in the same design direction as Lincoln themselves were going. HURR DURR.”

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/24/2016 at 16:20

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That seems right, I forgot the ‘58 Cat was so different. I wonder how that design meeting went, and from whom the “fuck it, just split the fins and, ah, put the reverse lights up there, and build it. Maybe nobody will notice” call came.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 03/24/2016 at 16:36

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I’m guessing that with the complete retooling in ‘59 for the three GM mainstays, that they designed the Chevy first, and with a deadline fast approaching, the guy in the Pontiac design office realized that with the new underpinnings it would be the easiest thing in the world to make an ersatz Lincoln Premiere/Capri. Looking at it from a platform basis, the underpinnings are newly wide, it’s flat across the beam below the window, it has the right curve of the inner trunk plate, fenders are ideal from about the halfway mark down, you can add an extra dead air space to the top of the doors...

Meanwhile, the guy in the Olds office was apparently having lunch with the Chrysler guy every damn day of the week, and/or possibly the Mercury guy.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 03/24/2016 at 16:42

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Actually, the closest parallel evolution on the Olds might be the ‘59 Edsel Villager wagon. No clear priors to establish who was robbing whom, though. Given the freakish resemblance of that upper gate to Olds dating back quite a few years, the Edsel boys may have been the ones doing the ripping off that time.

JR1 > RallyWrench 03/24/2016 at 16:46

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I noticed that too. Not sure how Pontiac thought they would get away with that. Although I will admit I kinda like the Pontiac rear end a but more.

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/24/2016 at 17:10

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As badly as they flopped, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were looking for some successful cues.

RallyWrench > JR1 03/24/2016 at 18:52

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I certainly like the Pontiac front end more!