Cars - Lincoln Mark series

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	Cars - Lincoln Mark series

The Lincoln Mark was Lincoln's 2-door personal luxury coupe from 1956 to 1998.

History

The 1956/57 Mark was produced while Continental was a separate division of Ford Motor Company apart from Lincoln. After 1958 when Continental was merged with Lincoln and the Lincoln Continental became the flagship model, the Mark continued to be sold as the Continental Mark II. The Mark kept the Continental prefix until 1984 upon the introduction of the Mark VII. The Mark VIII (1993-1998)was the last generation of the Mark and Lincoln's last personal luxury coupe.

Resale Value

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1956 Continental Mark II

The Continental Mark II was a car produced by the newly formed Continental Division of the Ford Motor Company during 1956 and 1957. Many aficionados of the automobile consider the Continental Mark II one of the classics of the postwar period.

The new Continental was intended to be the not the largest nor the most powerful automobile, but rather the most luxurious and elegant American car available. What emerged was something quite unlike other American cars of the period. While other makes experimented with flamboyant styling, chrome everywhere, and all the glitz and glamor they could manage, the Continental Mark II was almost European in its simplicity of line and its understated grace.

Even though the Continental Mark II was technically not a Lincoln, it featured the Lincoln hallmark spare tire hump in the trunk lid, was sold and serviced at Lincoln dealerships, and the vehicle's drivetrain and forevears also came from Lincoln; thus causing many to think of the Mark II as a Lincoln.

The Lincoln drivetrain featured the new standard Lincoln 368 in (6.0 L) V8.

Most of the car was effectively handbuilt to an exacting standard, including multiple coats of paint hand-sanded down and double-lacquered and polished to perfection. Due to this manfuacturing process the Continental Mark II cost US$10,000, as much as a Rolls-Royce or two top-of-the-line Cadillacs.

Famous owners included Elvis Presley, as well as Frank Sinatra, the Shah of Iran, and a cross-section of the richest men in America.

Today, approximately half of the cars still exist, about 1,500. Prices range between around $8,000 for a running example in poor condition to around $70,000 in concours condition - thus, a car in perfect condition costs now, adjusted for inflation, about the same as the new one did in 1955.

1968 Continental Mark III

The Lincoln Continental Mark III was manufactured by Lincoln from 1968 to 1971. The Mark III was introduced to compete with Cadillac's front wheel drive Eldorado personal luxury coupe, which at the time had the monopoly in the Personal luxury car market, a dominance it never reliquished. The Mark III was the first Mark produced by Lincoln itself since its predecessor the Continental Mark II was manufactured by Continental which for the two years of its manufacture was a separate Ford division apart from Lincoln. While the vehicle took many of its design cues came from the mainstream Ford Thunderbird, the vehicle's design was uniquely Lincoln. It featured the hallmark Rolls-Royce like grille, covered headlights, as well as the Continental spare tire hump in the trunk lid. The Mark III was one of the first vehicles to have power-controlled features and anti-lock brakes. In 1970 the until then optional vinyl roof was made standard alongside with radial tires and tinted windows in 1971. The interior woodtrim was also upgraded to real wood in 1970.

1972 Continental Mark IV

While the Mark IV used many design components of the Mark III such as the grille and spare-tire hump, it was both longer and wider than the Mark III. The hallmark opera windows were added for 1972. In 1973 the front bumper was replaced by a federally mandated 5 mph (8 km/h) bumper. In 1974 the rear bumper was replaced.

Designer Editions

For the 1976 model year, Lincoln introduced the Designer Series; special edition Mark IVs with color, trim and interior choices by famous fashion designers. All carried the designer's signature on the opera windows, and had a 22 karat (92%) gold plated plaque on the instrument panel which could be engraved with the original owner's name. The concept was successful, and future Lincolns would continue to offer designer editions.

For 1976, four designer editions were offered:

The Bill Blass Edition was in dark blue with cream accents. The external finish was dark blue metallic paint, with a cream "Normande Grain" landau vinyl roof, cream and gold pinstriping, and cream or dark blue bodyside moldings. Inside, a blue cloth or leather interior used cream accent straps and buttons.
The Cartier Edition was in dove grey. The external finish was dove grey paint, with a dove grey "Valino Grain" landau vinyl roof, red and white pinstriping, and dove grey bodyside moldings. The interior was in dove grey cloth or leather.
The Givenchy Edition was in aqua blue. The external finish was aqua blue "Diamond Fire" paint, with a white "Normande Grain" landau vinyl roof, black and white pinstriping, and white or aqua blue bodyside moldings. The interior was in aqua blue cloth or leather, and the instrument panel was in a special, lighter shade of simulated woodgrain.
The Pucci Edition was in red and silver. The external finish was dark red "Moondust Finish" paint with a silver "Normande Grain" landau vinyl roof, silver and lipstick red pinstriping and red or silver bodyside moldings. The interior was in dark red "Majestic" cloth.

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