Live Large in Jackie Gleason's Custom 1969 Lincoln Continental Limousine, For Sale on BaT

• Lincoln

• Here's a stretch limousine built for actor Jackie Gleason.
• It has all the onboard tech available at the time, from a television to a power-operated wet bar.
• It also features custom bodywork, with a Mark III–style trunk lid and covered headlights.

This 1969 Lincoln Continental stretch limousine once belonged to actor Jackie Gleason. A true one-off, it has a presence that's impossible to ignore, just like Gleason himself. And it's up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos).

A household name for playing Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners, Gleason's bumbling oaf of a husband set the archetype for everybody from Fred Flintstone to Homer Simpson. Most car enthusiasts would possibly be more familiar with his portrayal of the equally blustery Sheriff Buford T. Justice in 1977's Smokey and the Bandit.

Lincoln limousine

In real life, as is so often the case, Gleason was far more intelligent than the buffoons who made him famous, whip-smart, and greatly praised by directors for his talent for dramatic roles. But he was also a man of vast appetites—reportedly, five stuffed lobsters at one sitting—and that big appetite extended to his cars.

Lincoln limousine

One of several limousines commissioned by Gleason over the years, this Continental is unusual for several reasons. It was built by Carron & Company, a Michigan-based coachbuilder known for making prototype vehicles for Detroit automakers—especially Ford.

Lincoln limousine

The 1969 model was the last of the coach-door Continentals (at least until the short-lived reboot in 2020), and this car features a crazy rearview periscope, a television, rear air conditioning, twin sunroofs, and a reclining rear seat. The list of power features reads like those of a modern Maybach, with a power-retracting table and even a power-opening bar cabinet (Gleason was fond of a snifter of hooch or two).

Under the massive hood is a lazily unstressed 460-cubic-inch V-8, paired with a three-speed automatic. It was rated at 365 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, and the car is said to be a comfortable cruiser at highway speeds. Leave your sheriff hat at home, as it's not something for high-speed pursuits, but it will haul just fine along the interstates.

Lincoln limousine

When delivered new in 1970, this car had a total price tag of $65,000, more than half a million dollars today. Gleason could easily afford it, and besides, he was a nervous flyer. Better to cruise in style in the back of this high-luxe Lincoln.

The thing to do, of course, is rig that onboard TV to play old episodes of The Honeymooners, which would make this huge piece of memorabilia all the more eye-catching at car shows. But as it is, this car is a piece of Hollywood history, a really big car for a really big star.

The auction ends on October 1.