Continental Mark V
| Continental | |
|---|---|
 Mark V Bill Blass Designer Edition
|
|
| Mark V | |
| Production period: | 1977-1979 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Coupe |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 6.6–7.5 liters (133–155 kW) |
| Length: | 5850 mm |
| Width: | 2024 mm |
| Height: | 1356 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 3060 mm |
| Empty weight : | 2210-2254 kg |
| Previous model | Continental Mark IV |
| successor | Continental Mark VI |
The Continental Mark V was a luxury vehicle from the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company , which was produced from 1977 to 1979. It was the third generation of a series of luxury models founded in 1968 with the Continental Mark III , which is known as the Continental Mark Series until 1983 and since then as the Lincoln Mark Series and which was positioned above the Lincoln brand. The Mark V, regardless of its size, sold very well in the late 1970s. It was the most successful model in the entire Mark Series.
nomenclature
The Continental Mark V was manufactured by the Lincoln-Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company . As with its predecessors, the Mark III and Mark IV , the Mark V was officially marketed as the Continental Mark V. With this model, Ford continued the tradition of the Continental Division , which was an independent subsidiary from 1956 to 1960 and produced high-quality luxury vehicles, including a Continental Mark V (1960) offered in various body shapes . The reference to the Continental Division was made for marketing reasons in order to document the exclusivity of the Mark V. In the literature, therefore, usually only the models from the years 1956 to 1960 and 1969 to 1983 are listed as Continentals, while the new Mark Series, launched in 1983, is assigned to the Lincoln.
There is cause for misunderstanding insofar as Lincoln has also used the term Continental (without the addition “Mark”) as a pure model name for its models since 1961. These vehicles, which were positioned below the Continental Mark series, were given the brand name Lincoln and were called Lincoln Continental. Technically (except in the case of the later Mark VI) they had nothing to do with the Continental Mark models.
Model history
The Continental Mark V was not completely redesigned. Lincoln took over the chassis and the entire drive technology from its predecessor, the Mark IV. Only the body and the interior were new.
With the Mark V, the previously parallel development of the Mark Series was separated from that of the Ford Thunderbird . The Thunderbird was completely redesigned for the 1977 model year and, since it was now based on the technology of the mid-range Ford LTD II model , was significantly smaller. Regardless of the austerity constraints that arose for all American automobile manufacturers from the first oil crisis , Lincoln did not implement this downsizing for its top model in order to externally document that the model was part of the luxury class.
In fact, the Mark V was the only newly introduced American car from the late 1970s that was (still) larger than its predecessor: the length of the coupé increased by seven centimeters compared to the Mark IV with the same wheelbase, and the width by 1.5 centimeters . The space available in the interior grew; at the same time the trunk was enlarged by 21 percent. Critical voices noted that such a high rate of increase was only achieved because the starting value of the Mark IV was so low. However, the engineers managed to reduce the weight of the Mark V by almost 400 kg.
In terms of style, the Mark V turned out to be significantly more angular than its predecessor, with a fundamentally unchanged design. The body showed almost no curves. The Mark V had the typical distinguishing features of the Mark Series: a radiator grille reminiscent of Rolls-Royce , folding headlights , an imitation spare wheel cover on the trunk lid and the “ Opera Window ”, an oval window in the C-pillar. New were three ventilation slots ("Louvres") in the front fenders, which actually did not fulfill any function and were primarily a gimmick of the designer.
The standard drive was a 6.6 liter eight-cylinder engine that developed 179 hp (132 kW) in 1977, 166 hp (122 kW) in 1978 and 159 hp (117 kW) in 1979. The engine, equipped with a simple twin carburetor , complied with California's strict emissions regulations . In 1977 and 1978, the 7.5-liter eight-cylinder engine, which had been the standard engine since the Mark III, was still available as an alternative in all states except California. It developed 208 hp (153 kW).
According to the factory, the Mark V consumed 19 liters of regular gasoline per 100 kilometers. In 1979 the trade magazine auto motor und sport published a test report entitled “The Last Saurian” on the Mark V with a 7.5-liter V8 engine and determined a test consumption of 33.3 liters per 100 km. During the test, however, the air conditioning ran at full power despite the windows open, and the car was moved in second gear at high speed.
The Mark V was neither technically nor stylistically revised in its three-year construction period. The individual model years mainly differ from one another in the composition of the interior fittings.
Designer Series and Special Series
The Mark V took over the concept of special designer series introduced by its predecessor in 1976. In addition, the Diamond Jubilee Edition (1978) and the Collector's Series (1979) were offered as special series.
Designer Series
The Designer Series were special equipment variants of the Mark V that were associated with the names of certain fashion designers or jewelers. The idea of a special designer variant goes back to the American Motors Corporation , which introduced a Hornet "Gucci" in 1971. Lincoln offered Mark V versions of Bill Blass , Cartier , Hubert de Givenchy and Emilio Pucci from 1977 to 1979 . The versions each had their own paintwork and a special interior and differed from year to year.
| Model year | Bill Blass | Cartier | Givenchy | Pucci |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Dark blue paintwork, caramel-colored vinyl roof (“Chamois”), cream- colored interior |
Paint dove gray vinyl roof dove gray interior gray |
Dark green paint ("Jade") including the C-pillar vinyl roof (only in the front area), caramel-colored interior green |
Paintwork black vinyl roof and interior white |
| 1978 | Dark brown paint ("Cordovan"), cream-colored vinyl roof ("Champagne"), red-brown interior |
Paintwork, vinyl roof and interior cream-colored ("Champagne") | Dark green paint ("Jade") including the C-pillar vinyl roof (only in the front area), caramel-colored interior green |
Silver metallic paintwork, black vinyl roof, interior dove gray |
| 1979 | Two-tone paintwork: lower car part blue, upper white vinyl roof white in the style of a cabriolet roof |
Paintwork, vinyl roof and interior cream-colored ("Champagne") | Paintwork, vinyl roof and interior in various dark blue tones | Paint turquoise vinyl roof dark green interior cream color |
Diamond Jubilee Edition (1978)
The 75th anniversary of the Ford Motor Company in 1978 was the reason to put together a Diamond Jubilee Edition for both the Ford Thunderbird and the Continental Mark V. There were two alternative color schemes for the Mark V:
- Jubilee Gold : paintwork, vinyl roof, rims and struts of the radiator grille in gold metallic, interior cream-colored.
- Diamond Blue : paintwork, vinyl roof and interior in various light blue tones.
The vehicles were fully equipped and, in addition to the regular accessories, received a number of additional equipment details such as a vinyl cover for the (imitation) spare wheel cover on the trunk lid, a leather-clad dashboard or vehicle keys with wooden inserts in the grip area.
The retail price for the Diamond Jubilee Edition vehicles was $ 20,529 in 1978. The anniversary model was $ 8,000 (or the equivalent of two mid-range Ford Fairmont models ) more expensive than a regular Mark V. Lincoln sold a total of 5,159 Diamond Jubilee Edition vehicles in 1978.
Collector's Series (1979)
In 1979, in the last model year of the Mark V, Lincoln launched a Collector's Series to mark the end of full-size models. The Collector's Series took up many of the equipment details from last year's Diamond Jubilee Edition, including the vinyl cover on the trunk lid and the wooden inlays for the keys. The model was available in four colors (light blue, dark blue, white and silver). A special feature was that it did not have Opera Windows. The purchase price of the Collector's Series was $ 20,926 (with leather upholstery) and $ 21,326 (with velor interior). In 1979, 6,262 copies of the Collector's Series were sold.
distribution
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The Mark V was the most successful model in the Mark series. In 1977 Ford sold 80,321 units, in 1978 there were 72,602 and in 1979 - at the height of the second oil crisis - another 75,939 vehicles.
Trivia
A 1978 model of the Mark V, driven by Jim Davis in the role of Jock Ewing, was featured on the Dallas TV series .
In the TV series Supernatural , the angel Castiel drives a golden Continental in the Jubilee Edition.
literature
- Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
Web links
- Detailed description of the Continental Mark V with numerous images on the website www.lincolnclub.eu
- Sales brochure of the Continental Mark V from 1977
- Sales brochure of the Continental Mark V from 1979
Individual evidence
- ↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, p. 214.
- ↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 415.
- ↑ American Cars of the 1960s. The Olyslager Auto library. London (Frederick Warne Publishers Ltd) 1979. ISBN 07232 2061 1 . P. 68
- ^ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 416.
- ↑ Description of the Continental Mark V on the website www.lincolnclub.eu ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on September 27, 2011).
- ↑ Albert R. Bochroch: American Cars of the Seventies, p. 19
- ↑ Overview of the complete special equipment on the website www.lincolnclub.eu ( Memento of the original dated August 31, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on September 27, 2011).
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