Continental Mark IV (1959)
| Continental | |
|---|---|
 Continental Mark IV Formal Sedan
|
|
| Mark IV | |
| Production period: | 1959 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Sedan , coupe , convertible |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 7.0 liters (257 kW) |
| Length: | 5817 mm |
| Width: | 2035 mm |
| Height: | 1475 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 3327 mm |
| Empty weight : | 2370 kg |
| Previous model | Continental Mark III |
| successor | Continental Mark V |
.jpg)
The Continental Mark IV was a luxury vehicle produced by the automobile manufacturer Continental, which was part of the Ford Motor Company . It replaced the Continental Mark III . Like its predecessor, the Mark IV was technically and stylistically closely related to the Lincoln Premiere , which was produced at the same time . The production of the Mark IV was limited to the model year 1959. The Mark IV is regarded as a member of the so-called Mark Series .
Model history
The Mark IV models of 1959 technically corresponded almost completely to the Mark III models presented in the previous year. The only difference was a slight power reduction of the otherwise unchanged engine, now 350 instead of 375 SAE - PS gave.
Outwardly, there were few changes. The sedan, coupé and convertible retained their familiar shapes; that also affected the idiosyncratic breezeway window at the rear of the vehicle.
However, Continental expanded the model range to include two new four-door body versions. In addition to the sedan, a formal sedan and a limousine were now available. Regardless of the fact that the term sedan in American parlance usually denotes an elongated representative vehicle, the Mark IV sedan, like the well-known versions, was based on the regular, 3327 mm long wheelbase. The Formal Sedan and Limousine differed from the other models outside mainly through the design of the roof part: The sedan and the Formal Sedan renounced the Breezeway window and had a rectilinear C-column packed with vinyl was covered. Both models were only available in black. They were particularly well equipped. The equipment features included a two-zone air conditioning system. The limousine also had a partition between the driver and the passenger compartment. The formal versions of the Mark IV were significantly more expensive than the other models. The Formal Sedan was $ 9,208 and the sedan was priced at $ 10,230. This made it the most expensive mass-produced vehicle in the USA in 1959. They thus reached the price level of the Continental Mark II from 1956.
The sales of the Mark IV models roughly corresponded to those of the Mark III models in the previous year. By far the most successful Mark IV version was the Sedan, which was sold 7,101 times. The convertible was built in 2,195 copies, and 1703 vehicles of the coupé were made. From Formal Sedan came and only 78 of Limousine 49 copies.
For the 1960 model year, the Mark IV was replaced by the Continental Mark V , which differed only slightly from the 1959 model. The Mark IV name was used for another exclusive vehicle in 1972 that was far more successful than the 1959 model. Because Ford kept silent about the existence of the Continentals manufactured between 1958 and 1960 through the renewed use of this name when the Mark series was revived from 1969 onwards, the Mark IV from 1959 is sometimes referred to in American literature as the "Lost Marks".
Trivia
The Canadian musician Neil Young had a white Continental Mark IV convertible equipped with an electric drive in 2008.
literature
- Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The only exception was the exclusive Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, which had a body designed by Pininfarina and was completed in Italy. The vehicle was offered at a price of over $ 13,000 and only 99 copies were made.
- ^ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 414.
- ^ "Neil Young electrifies his street whale": Message from June 2, 2008 on the website www.spiegel.de (accessed on August 30, 2011).