Shabir Uddin imported a 1977 Lincoln Continental from Texas to his company BU Motors in Huddersfield, England. That car came with only 27,000 miles on the odometer and a 460 ci 385-series V8 under the hood connected to a C6 three-speed automatic transmission.
Shabir did not like the power output of the smog-era big-block V8. He figured the money spent upgrading the V8 could be used to install something more powerful and smoother running. That’s when he decided to use a 6.0 L M120 V12 from a Mercedes W140 with 68,000 miles. The project took eight months to complete with crucial help from F&R Engineering and MS2 Tuning.
As one might expect the 6.0 L V12 required a lot of work. F&R Engineering needed to modify the power steering system, engine mounts, crossmember, front accessories and pulleys, throttle bodies, radiator, oil pan, and driveshaft. MS2 Tuning tuned the engine using a Megasquirt ECU. The engine’s internals remain stock, so its expected to output around 420 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque.
He also replaced the factory three-speed for a Mercedes W140 four-speed automatic. However the rear end was kept stock with 2.75 gears.
Shabir finished the project with a new coat of red paint accented with custom gold pinstriping. The plush interior was in great shape and left alone.
If you are interested in owning the car please contact Shabir at Merc600w140@ntlworld.com
The pillows and rugs are a little over the top. lol
I would like to ride in this thing. I bet it will haul the mail along with anything else that happens to be in the seat.
I’m sure the 460 could be built to similar power numbers and I think a later model 4-speed auto trans could be found easy enough. Seems like a lot of needlessly complicated work was done for no real reason.
you would never get a 460 to idle like a v12 trust me and the power of the v12 range is unparalleled to the the 460 and instant torq when needed. also the trans is super smooth we are talking 90,s German technology is far above a aftermarket 3 speed in the 70,s believe as this is tried and tested thanks
Amen but swapping a Mercedes Benz V12 engine in a Lincoln Continental any of them if they don’t have a V12 instead a V8 in them instead is still more of a tribute,respect,and more of a ressurection of the old Lincoln coachbuilding Tradition of producing the Lincoln Zeyphr V12’s to the 1930’s and 1940’s of the Completely American Lincoln Continentals,Lincoln Custom Limousine,Lincoln Sunshine Special(U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s official state car and Presidental Limousine)Lincoln K-series,and Lincoln Zeyphr instead of making it more Euro(Although I do love Euro Cars even the Mercedes Benz S-Class myself) in a good way!It still more of the story if the Rolls Royce Phantom and the V12 engine with the Phantom III(Then got killed by the Phantom IV which only high-ranking state officials and not anyone with the money can buy it) and then in 2003 with the Phantom VII having a V12 again and ressurcting the name properly!And In this case this the 1977 Lincoln Continental getting the engine swap done right with a 6.0L Mercedes Benz V12 engine which is more of a ressurection of the 1930’s and 1940’s of the old Lincoln-Zeyphr V12 building tradition instead of the Ford 5.0L V8 engine which is somewhat a disgrace of the Ford Panther Platform of the whole 1980s to 1991-1992 I’m ok with a 5.0L V8 Engine For a Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis/Marauder but not a Lincoln and sort of the same reason why I am sort of grateful they killed the Continental name in favor of the new Town Catrnameplate!And the engine tuning is quite impressive of this 1990’s Mercedes Benz 6.0L M120 V12 engine is impressive of a slight but some big changes to the power and torque!Now this is putting this Lincoln Continental in the same ranks of Mercedes Benz S-Class Itself,the BMW 7-Series,and the Audi A8(Despite having a W12 engine) and this is what I’m having been waiting for years since I’m 13 and took interest in Cars especially me waiting for a newer than 1930’s/1940’s Lincoln Continental with a 6.0L V12 Mercedes Benz Engine in it(Not joking,Not saying you stole my idea) but made my idea come true happily and not interested in buying it unfortunately despite me liking the color and interior,but still not mine cup of tea with a complete black exterior and interior with the same wood trim in it,not saying you should change it and you should really keep it that way because it’s heck a lot good for a Restoration!Just also saying ignore the 460 Big-Block V8 haters because this is the thing of my dreams fortnately!
your the one of the sensible ones and understand the whole concept its a truly unique car and just glides along its a 4 speed auto so smooth also its one i wont sell its 27k from new a speaker of the house used to own it in texas you wont find another it was rust free and the colour is a one off my own it was also about cost it was either do a 460 up and getting new parts heads /piston/rebuild/balance etc etc would be 8k so thought why not modernise it with the best v12 ever made in my opinion and idles smooth you sometimes forget if the motor is still running
Same too and completely agree!Also a perfect addition even to Lincoln’s Heritage of a V12 Flagship car I know right also the Mercedes Benz V12 is also my favorite engines thanks for doing this and impressed and made my dreams come true!Also completely modernizing it in a good way also a upgrade!
this car is magnificent, and it is satisfying to get out of the usual v8 for a top german engine, the cyclic regularity of a v12 is no match.
To get a 460 to produce power like the V12 Benz engine, and still idle quietly and smoothly, you would need to do serious internal strength updates to rotating assembly. Then run a roots supercharger in conjunction with large dual turbos. The 385 series engines were a very smooth running engine stock, and if you could build it strong enough to take 30 psi boost, you would have in excess of 1200 lbs/ft torque.
So sad to see all this effort and money put into this series of Continental. The ’64-’65 models with center-opening doors were far better designs and much more interesting. Imagine the latest Hemmings offering (a ’64 convertable) with these modifications!
for me its the looks and smooth drive and isolation of the 77 which the 64 dont have am afraid, but hey everyone has they own view also finding one with 27000 original miles is hard.
What a waste. A good mechanic could have built a 460 with a lot more power and a smooth idle. Engine bay is a mess.
A GOOD MECHANIC WILL KNOW THAT A V12 IS A V12 IT HAS 4 EXTRA CYLINDERS FOR A REASON A 460 WILL NEVER IDLE LIKE A V12 PERIOD UNLESS YOU HAVE A MAGIC SPELL
Amen and it’s also a ressurection of a almost mostly forgotten Lincoln-Zeyphr V12 Traditions of the 1930’s and 1940’s rather than a disgrace which Pym is probably a American(Nothing aganist America and ai’m a American Myself) drag racing greasemonkey mechanic like Steve Morris engines: https://www.stevemorrisengines.com/ in America is probably living in their own fantasy filled with octane 100 RACING-FUEL that is probably leaded and can’t be used in almost anywhere even probably a Real Race track even in Europe except ,for unleaded racing fuel probably even Octane 100 which are both equally almost impossible to get unless if you are in a racing fuel gas Stations like Sunoco and VP Racing Fuels,and can only be driven in a American Dragstrip and Pym thinking that swapping a 6.0L Mercedes Benz V12 M120 engine in a Lincoln Continental is a disgrace but it’s not and more of a tribute to the 1930’s and 1940’s Lincoln Continentals,Lincoln Custom Limousine,Lincoln Sunshine Special(U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s official state car and Presidental Limousine)Lincoln K-series,and Lincoln Zeyphr too,don’t believe it’s real and me myself then just Google it Pym!!And SHABIR UDDIN I agree that any 6.0L Mercedes Benz V12 Engine are VERY PERFECTLY RELIABLE ENGINES and NEVER IDLE and the main reason why PYM thinks like that because he believes unfortnately in a MAGIC SPELL that is real which is called OCTANE 100 RACING FUEL THAT IS MOSTLY LEADED(You can get it unleaded to be street legal but still way more expensive and might be with the leaded version itself) and almost IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IN EUROPE and only way that you can probably get it is to pay a VERY HEFTY AND EXPENSIVE PRICE to use OCTANE 100 RACING FUEL in Europe and can only be easily accessible by professional high-performance Supercars/Hypercars race teams like F1 Formula Racing,LeMans Racing,and Sports car racing in Europe too!And about that MAGIC SPELL of the OCTANE 100 RACING FUEL well you can only easily get it anywhere as long if you are willing to drive heck of a long trip to just get OCTANE 100 RACING FUEL in a Racing Fuel Gas(Petrol) stations in America like Sunoco and VP Racing Fuel where there are NONE in Europe espically the U.K. and only in probably a high-profile(Prestigous and famous) race track used by F1 Formula Racing and Sports Car Racing Teams use all the time in Europe in their own special and designated race tracks!Also the reason why that you SHABIR UDDIN are complete right more than the engine Idling but the choice to use a 6.0L Mercedes Benz V12 M120 engine which is more practical despite tuning can still use Non-Racing Fuel Regular Premium Gas(Petrol) Stations both in Europe and the U.K. too in almost anywhere nearby rather than a obsecure racetrack where the only places probably in both Europe and the U.K. you can get the OCTANE 100 Racing Fuel Magic Spell rather than being realistic and practical like SHABIR UDDIN especially on the Fuel Part to use a 6.0L Mercedes Benz V12 M120 engine I. It instead of a 460 Engine which can be used by only OCTANE 100 RACING FUELS if you tune it to a higher power!And SHABIR UDDIN paying tribute to the Lincolns of the 1930’s and 1940’s with the Lincoln-Zeyphr V12 engines in it by using a 6.0L Mercedes Benz V12 M120 engine instead of a 460 V8 Engine which requires that unrealistically attainable OCTANE 100 RACING FUEL MAGIC SPELL where almost impossible to get in both Europe and the U.K. however almost easy to get it in America especially in Sunoco and VP Racing Fuels which PYM is loving in his own OCTANE 100 RACING FUEL MAGIC SPELL fantasy in America while I even as a American Myself will better understand this than PYM which doesn’t knows Lincolns heritage properly of V12 engines and how to be practical about which Fuels to use and engine to use!
same reply as above your the one of the sensible ones and understand the whole concept its a truly unique car and just glides along its a 4 speed auto so smooth also its one i wont sell its 27k from new a speaker of the house used to own it in texas you wont find another it was rust free and the colour is a one off my own it was also about cost it was either do a 460 up and getting new parts heads /piston/rebuild/balance etc etc would be 8k so thought why not modernise it with the best v12 ever made in my opinion and idles smooth you sometimes forget if the motor is still running and i drive it daily and for me a v12 just does something for me yes a 460 can get 1000 hp but why would i need that much in a car which weighs 2.5 tons my 450 smooth hp and 560nm torq is enough for daily use and getting a v12 in there is no easy task i tell you .thanks
Shabir Uddin, your Lincoln porject is fascinating! It seems more the challenge of coming up with the concept of creating something clever and bespoke, and the commentary about it being a tribute to the great Lincolns of the 1930s is entirely logical. It’s a restomod not unlike something that Jay Leno did with a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado that he made rear-wheel drive and retrofitted with a 1,000-hp crate engine. It’s basically taking a luxury car from one era and making it driveable in another.
Would have been far cheaper to twin turbo the 460. You can get internals strong enough easily for the 385 series Ford engines. You could also have used a centrifugal supercharger that could get you in excess of 800 lbs/ft of torque at a very low rpm, again using readily available engine parts. The 385 series of engines were the smoothest of the big block engines.
I would have expected the repaint would have at least removed the doors in order to do the door frames and jams. The trick is to paint the doors first with the hinges in place, them move the hinges to the car and put them back on using the marks from where they were before removal, then paint the door jams. Clear coat it, then put the hinges back on the doors and clear coat the internals. Put doors back on using the marks you used before and the doors should be as good as they were before. Now paint the car. Did you also not paint the trunk opening?
you fail to understand the whole concept let me ask you this will a v16 run smoother then a v12 ? well i know you know the answer so why ppl keep going back to supercharging this and that is pointless the v12 has enough power and is smoother than any v8 period as regards to the door jams i tell you what send me the door rubbers new and i wil do them? of course this was done to the best without taking too much time and spoiling doing the jams via been tacky as if them rubbers are not removed its never done right and where do we get 40 year old rubbers from hey.
if your a professional like me you have to compromise things the car is 40 years old now when i do something i do it to the best of my ability for what i am dealing with and to do it right if this was a modern car you would strip all doors and rubbers and pain them now you tell me where i can get new Lincoln door seals? exactly got your answer so i would rather not mask them up and make a tacky job then paint them and if you even attempt to take them off its never the same when putting them back on so for me they are perfect rubbers and looks and matches the interior also people here keep forgetting this is my car and to keep if i was selling it it would of been left original.
Nice engine nice car now let’s see some burnouts
thanks but too heavy for that and not my seen.
I imagine that the 460 would put out nearly 500 lb/ft of torque with very little modification other than removing the smog equipment, raising the compression, and providing a free flowing exhaust. That 460 is 7.5 litres vs the smaller size of the V-12. And the mass of the internals make that engine extremely smooth across the board. I’ve had 2 of these. IMO, this was a bastardization of an already great car for it’s time.
In defense of Mr Uddin; he’s in Europe where Mercedes Benz stuff relatively easy to come by and, most importantly, the man DID get that Lincoln Town Car up and running.
My choice would also been a 460, slightly warmed up but, stuff/know how to upgrade one of those 385 series Ford V8s is readily available in the USA/Canada vs Europe.
Going the other way on pretty any much Ponton era onwards Mercedes can be a pig as well, as in converting one to a traditional American SB V8; Chevy Ford or Mopar, for the same reasons that Mr Uddin outlined on his TC+MB build.
I am dying to know what you did to the power steering/pump system