Lincoln 1997 Continental Owner's Manual page 180

Putting Your Vehicle in Gear
Your vehicle's gearshift can be on the column or on
the console.
WARNING
Hold the brake pedal down while you
move the gearshift lever from position
to position. If you do not hold the
brake pedal down, your vehicle may
move unexpectedly and injure someone.
To operate:
1. Start the engine.
2. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
3. Move the gearshift lever out of P (Park).
4. Depress the thumb button (console-mounted
gearshift only).
5. Move the gearshift lever out of P (Park).
178
Your vehicle is equipped with a Brake Shift
Interlock safety feature. This feature prevents the
gearshift from being moved from the P (Park)
position until the brake pedal is depressed. This
feature is active when the ignition is in the ON
position. If the gearshift lever CANNOT be moved
from P (Park) with the brake pedal depressed:
1. Turn the engine off and remove the ignition
key.
2. Apply parking brake.
3. Reinsert the ignition key and turn clockwise to
the first position.
4. Depress the brake pedal, depress the thumb
button (console-mounted gearshift only), move
the gearshift lever to N (Neutral) and start the
engine.