End of road for luxury car

Kennedy was riding in his Continental when shot

Car manufacturer Ford has announced that it is dropping the Lincoln Continental, the limousine that for 60 years has been the benchmark for luxury in America.

In its heyday the six-metre (20ft) long car was the vehicle of choice for presidents and stars alike.

With its huge chrome grille and massive engine the Lincoln Continental was a gas-guzzling icon from a by-gone era.

Ford created Lincoln in 1922

But in recent years the car has fallen prey to Japanese competition and extensive remodelling which has left it failing to make a profit.

Lincoln was created in 1922 by Henry Ford when he took over the Lincoln Motor Company.

Ford introduced the Continental, as a mass-produced luxury car to accompany the Ford Model T, and it was an instant hit with America's elite.

The car was available in any colour, but the majority of customers followed the maxim of the Model T and opted for black.

Famous owners

The most famous Continental of all was the black limousine that John F Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963.

The open-topped car had been specially created for the president and the first lady in 1961.

Elvis' convertible has an alligator skin roof

Elvis Presley had a 1962 convertible model which incorporated a gold, alligator-hide roof.

Other customers included baseball legend Babe Ruth - who owned one of only 350 convertible editions made in 1940 - and Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

And even the Communist leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il revealed he liked to be chauffeured around in a Continental.

The Soviet Union simply copied the Continental when it produced the Zil to ferry around its senior Kremlin officials.

Faded glory

With specifications including air-conditioning, full leather interior, cruise control and power steering the Continental soon became the car most Americans dreamed of owning.

But the Continental's popularity began to fade and soon the car was only popular with elderly drivers, while younger people with money opted for a Mercedes or Lexus instead.

The car was remodelled and reduced in size and experts say that in American minds the essence of the Continental and what it represented disappeared.

Gone was that classic image of a jet-black leviathan, replaced instead with a lighter, flimsier model.