Lincoln Mark Series

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Continental Mark Series
Production period: 1955-1998
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Coupe
Previous model: Lincoln Zephyr
Successor: Lincoln LS
Brand-typical radiator grille (here: Continental Mark V, 1977)

The Lincoln Mark Series is a series of exclusive coupés / sedans of the upper class ( personal luxury cars ) that the American automobile manufacturer Ford offered in the period from 1956 to 1960 and from 1969 to 1998. The vehicles were located in the model hierarchy above the regular Lincoln models; they were mostly - but not always - the most expensive cars of the Ford Motor Company.

The designation of the models has not been uniform over the years and gives rise to confusion in several respects. Most of the time, the cars were not sold as Lincoln, but as Continental.

The vehicles of the Mark Series were regularly coupés, only in individual model years were sedans and convertibles available as alternatives. From 1969 the Mark Coupés competed with the Cadillac Eldorado in the so-called Personal Luxury Cars segment , and in a few years also with the Chrysler Imperial . In the USA , the models of the Mark Series are considered to be the embodiment of the American luxury coupé. Production of the last Mark Coupés ended in the 1998 model year after demand had fallen significantly. In the 2002 model year, production of the Cadillac Eldorado was also discontinued, and the chapter of the American Personal Luxury Coupés was closed for the time being.

A special design feature of all Mark models is the large bulge of the trunk lid (deck lid hump) , which creates the impression that there is a standing spare wheel underneath. This was an homage to the first series, which actually still carried a spare wheel in a metal shell at the rear, which was no longer the case with any later model. The brand-defining effect was so strong, however, that conversion kits from other automobile manufacturers, which actually allowed a spare wheel to be fitted behind or on the trunk lid, were called "Continental kits".

nomenclature

Most of the Mark Series cars were not referred to as Lincoln by Ford, although most of them were manufactured by the Lincoln-Mercury Division. Until the 1980s, they only used the term Continental as a brand and model name, supplemented by an addition written in Roman numerals (Mark II to Mark VIII).

The decision to market the Mark coupes as Continental rather than Lincoln originated in the Continental Division , a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, which existed between 1955 and 1960 and produced the first post-war Mark. All later models were to continue this tradition, even if the Continental Division had already been taken over by Lincoln in 1960 and no longer appeared independently in the corporate structure. In the literature, only the models from the years 1956 to 1960 are usually listed as Continentals, while the new Mark Series, launched in 1969, is assigned to the Lincoln.

The nomenclature used for the Mark-Series is misleading in several ways. The first problem is that Lincoln's standard models from 1961 onwards also used the term Continental. There, however, Continental was only a model name that was associated with the brand addition Lincoln. So these vehicles were called Lincoln Continental . From 1983 the vehicles of the Mark-Series were called Lincoln Continental Mark VII and Mark VIII.

Furthermore, the numbering of the individual Mark Coupés was not free from contradictions. In the 1958 model year, a Continental Mark III appeared, based on the Lincoln Premiere and offered as a sedan, coupé and convertible. Its successor in the 1959 model year was called the Continental Mark IV, and the 1960s version was called the Continental Mark V. When Lincoln introduced a new Personal Luxury Car in 1969, this model was (again) named the Continental Mark III. Ford wanted to build on the now legendary Mark II from 1956; at the same time, the heavy Lincoln offshoots from 1958 to 1960 were hidden from the company's history. The Mark III to Mark V models from 1958 to 1960 are therefore occasionally referred to in American automotive literature as "The lost Marks".

Model history

The first models (1940-1948)

Lincoln Continental (1948)

The name Continental was first used in 1940 for a trim level of the Lincoln Zephyr (a sedan). The car was manufactured as a coupé and a convertible from 1940 . Due to a lack of capacity, production was interrupted during the Second World War and then continued again after 1946. Although collectors like to refer to the car as the Mark I, the name Mark only came up with the appearance of the Mark II. The name of the car was simply Lincoln Continental. In 1940, the year of publication, the name Lincoln Zephyr Continental was used for both body variants. There are also references and photos of a 39 Continental. These are photos of the prototype that Edsel Ford drove. From 1940 to 1948 a total of 2,277 convertibles and 3,047 coupés were built.

Continental Mark II (1955–1957)

Continental Mark II

→ Main article: Continental Mark II

The Continental Mark II was built from 1955 to 1957 as the top model of the Ford concern by the Continental division set up especially for this purpose . The model designation was intended to place the car in a superordinate line with the Lincoln Continental from 1939 to 1948, a generally recognized stylistic masterpiece of its time.

The Continental Mark II was not designed as the largest or most powerful, but rather as the most luxurious and elegant American car of the time. While competing brands experimented with chrome and tail fins at the time, the Mark II looked almost European with its clean, restrained lines. The Continental Mark II was officially not a Lincoln, but a Continental, but was sold and serviced by selected Lincoln dealers. The 6.0-liter V8 and the transmission also came from the Lincoln shelf.

The Mark II was mostly made by hand according to the strictest standards; several layers of lacquer were polished by hand. Due to the elaborate manufacturing process, the Mark II cost $ 10,000, as much as a Rolls-Royce or two Cadillacs at the time .

Famous Mark II buyers were Elvis Presley , Frank Sinatra and the Shah of Persia.

Of the Mark II, 1,769 coupés and two convertibles were built by the summer of 1957.

Continental Mark III to V (1958-1960): The lost Marks

Continental Mark III 4 Door Sedan (1958)

The independence of the Continental brand ended when production of the Mark II was discontinued in the summer of 1957. In the model years 1958 to 1960, however, Ford used the brand for particularly high-quality versions of the contemporary Lincoln models. They were named Continental Mark III (1958), Mark IV (1959) and Mark V (1960). These models differed from the cheaper Lincoln Premiere solely in the additional chrome decoration and the design of the roof: The Continental models had a sloping rear window that was drawn into the passenger compartment and that could be lowered electrically (so-called breezeway window ). The Continental Mark III to V were only sold in small numbers, partly because of the recession that began in the USA in 1958 and partly because their design was controversial. In the individual model years, 10,275 (Mark III, 1958), 7851 (Mark IV, 1959) and 11,056 (Mark V, 1960) copies of the Continental Mark were made.

In the model years 1961 to 1968 there was no Continental Mark.

Continental Mark III (1968–1971)

Start of a new model series: Continental Mark III from 1968

In April 1968, Ford reactivated the old name with the Continental Mark III, but overlooked the Continental Mark III to V from 1958 to 1960 in the numbering in order to represent the new Mark III as the direct successor to the Mark II. In this context, Henry Ford II was of the opinion that the heavy, unattractive models of the late 1950s were not worth bearing the Continental name.

The Mark III competed directly with the new front-wheel drive Cadillac Eldorado released in 1966 . The design of the Mark III was typical Lincoln, from the Rolls-Royce-like grille to the indicated spare wheel bulge in the trunk lid; the latter a design feature introduced with the Mark II, which all Continental models had for decades. The Mark III was one of the first cars with ABS. The Mark III was powered by a 7.5 liter eight-cylinder engine (460 cui according to American standards). By the summer of 1971, around 79,000 copies of the Continental Mark III were made.

Continental Mark IV (1971-1976)

Despite the expansive dimensions, the interior space is tight: Continental Mark IV

For the 1972 model year, Ford launched the Continental Mark IV. The design elements of the Mark III with a tall, narrow radiator grille, covered headlights and a pseudo spare wheel bulge in the trunk lid were also adopted and further developed for the Mark IV; the design scheme "Long Hood Short Deck" was so strained that the Mark IV was significantly longer and wider than its predecessor, but offered noticeably less space for passengers and luggage. The Mark IV shared the platform with the simultaneous Ford Thunderbird . The so-called Opera Window was introduced for the first time, an oval window in the C-pillar , which remained a special distinguishing feature of the Mark Series up to the Mark VI . With the 1976 model year, Lincoln introduced special models for the Mark IV, the visual design of which was created by famous fashion designers and which is why they were called the Designer Series ; a marketing idea that Continental and Lincoln stuck to for many years. In 1976 there were versions by Bill Blass , Cartier , Hubert de Givenchy and Emilio Pucci , each of which differed from one another through their own paintwork and interior fittings. The Designer Series models were $ 1,500 to $ 2,000 more expensive than the standard Marks. The Mark IV was built over 278,000 times in five years.

Continental Mark V (1977-1979)

Continental Mark V Givenchy Edition (1979)

For the 1977 model year, a new edition of the Prestige Coupé appeared under the name Continental Mark V. The body of the car had been redesigned; From a technical point of view, however, the Mark V largely used the components of its predecessor. The frame remained unchanged, so the wheelbase was also adopted without modification. Although the length of the vehicle increased to 5.85 m, the Mark V was almost 250 kg lighter than its predecessor. At the same time, the space available in the interior increased. Overall, however, the design was a bit more angular, especially in the area of ​​the C-pillar. The roof has now been designed in the special shape of a Landau roof . A 6.6 liter eight-cylinder engine with 182 hp was used as standard; In 1977 and 1978 (except in California) a 7.5 liter engine with 211 hp was also available for an extra charge of $ 133. The designer models Blass, Pucci, Givenchy and Cartier were continued in changed color combinations. In 1978, to celebrate the company's 75th birthday, Ford brought out a Mark V Diamond Jubilee Edition , which featured two optional special paint finishes and extensive luxury equipment. In 1979 a version called Collector's Edition replaced the special anniversary model from the previous year. Lincoln produced nearly 229,000 copies of the Mark V over the course of three years.

Continental Mark VI (1980–1983)

Continental Mark VI Coupe
Only available in the Mark VI series: the four-door sedan

For the 1980 model year, the Mark VI was a new, significantly reduced edition of Lincoln's top model. Unlike the previous series, the Mark VI was not only available as a two-door coupé, but also as a four-door sedan. Unlike its predecessors, the Mark VI was not based on the chassis of the Ford Thunderbird, but on the Panther platform of the Ford concern, which was introduced in 1978 with the Ford LTD models of the corresponding Mercury version . This resulted in a noticeable reduction in size: compared to the previous model, the length was reduced by 450 mm; at the same time, the new models were up to 400 kg lighter. The new version of the Lincoln Continental, which was also available as a sedan and a coupé and priced below the Mark VI, was based on the same technical basis. The Mark VI and the Lincoln Continental not only shared the technology, but also most of the body panels. Outwardly, the Mark VI and the Lincoln Continental differed mainly in the design of the front end; There were also other styling differences, mostly in the field of cosmetics. As a drive source, the Mark VI used eight-cylinder engines with displacements of 4.9 or 5.8 liters; the range of services ranged from 131 to 142 hp. From model year 1981 the larger engine was omitted; at the same time, the output of the 4.9 liter engine increased to 147 hp. The concept of the special and designer editions was also retained in the Mark VI.

Around 134,000 copies of the Continental Mark VI were produced in four years, including around 69,000 four-door models.

Lincoln Mark VII (1983-1992)

Mark VII
Lincoln-Mark-VII.jpg
Production period: 1983-1992
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Otto engines :
4.9 liters
(104–168 kW)
Diesel engines :
2.4 liters (86 kW)
Length: 5151 mm
Width: 1801 mm
Height: 1372 mm
Wheelbase : 2755 mm
Empty weight : 1661-1714 kg

Basics

For model year 1984 Ford presented a completely new Lincoln Mark VII (the name Continental was dropped from model year 1986) on the Fox platform of the Ford Fairmont introduced in 1977 . The four-door model available for the Mark VI was no longer available, the Mark VII was only available as a streamlined coupé. However, below the standard vehicles (now) called Towncar, there was a compact sedan called the Lincoln Continental from 1982 onwards, which shared the technical basis with the Mark VII. Stylistically, the Mark VII was much more modern than its predecessor. The design clearly had European features and clearly broke with the design concepts of its predecessors. The profile was reminiscent of the BMW E24 . Typical Lincoln features such as the angular radiator grille and the simulated spare wheel trim in the trunk lid were retained. Dimensions and weight continued to decrease.

The Mark VII featured some technical innovations that first appeared in American-made cars. This included a four-phase ABS , which was initially available as an option, but then became part of the standard equipment from 1986, as well as sealed broadband headlights. The dashboard was designed entirely digitally; green LCD displays provided information on speed (in mph and km / h), engine speed and a few other details.

On the drive side, two engines were initially available, later only one engine:

  • Base engine is a 142 hp 4.9-liter V8 with a four-speed automatic. Its performance has gradually increased noticeably over the years.
  • In a few years there was no extra charge for a 2.4-liter turbodiesel supplied by BMW . The engine was rarely chosen; the American Consumer Guide attributes this mainly to the fact that the problematic diesel engines from General Motors had lastingly impaired the reputation of diesel in the USA.

Development history

Sales of the Mark VII began with four trim levels: Base, Versace Designer Series, Bill Blass Designer Series and LSC. The LSC (Luxury Sports Coupe) was a version with a sporty look.

In 1985 the LSC received a version of the V8 that had been upgraded to 183 hp.

From 1986 ABS was standard on all models. The output of the 4.9-liter in the LSC was increased to 203 hp, in the other models it now came to 152 hp. The turbodiesel was omitted.

In 1988 the basic coupé was discontinued, the LSC, now with 228 hp, and the Bill Blass Designer Edition remained in the range.

In 1990 the grille was changed; In 1991/92 the LSC was also available with a special edition package that included special colors and BBS rims.

Production of the Lincoln Mark VII ended in the summer of 1992 after 190,000 copies had been built.

A whole series of Mark VII vehicles found their way to Europe, especially through the Luxembourg company Euro Cars, which was Europe's largest importer of American Ford models in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lincoln Mark VIII (1992-1998)

Mark VIII
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII.jpg
Production period: 1992-1998
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Petrol engine :
4.6 liters (209 kW)
Length: 5255 mm
Width: 1877 mm
Height: 1361 mm
Wheelbase : 2870 mm
Empty weight : 1695 kg
Rear view

In autumn 1992, the Lincoln Mark VIII, the last representative of the Mark series, made its debut. The new model received its own variant of the personal luxury platform MN12 , called FN10 for Full-Sized North American Project # 10 . With its flat front, it was designed even more for good aerodynamics than its predecessor. The indicated spare wheel bulge was still in the trunk lid. There was only one single model in the range with no additional designation, powered by a 4.6-liter V8 (the so-called modular -V8) with 209 kW (280 PS) and a four-speed automatic.

In 1994 a memory function for the electrically adjustable seats and mirrors added to the standard equipment.

In the spring of 1995, a new edition of the LSC was released, limited to 5000 units, with special rims, xenon headlights and a 216 kW (290 PS) version of the 4.6-liter V8. In the 1997 and 1998 model years, the LSC supplemented the basic coupé as a regular series model.

In 1997 the Mark VIII underwent a slight facelift with a modified front section, now standard xenon headlights and various smaller changes to the equipment.

In the summer of 1998, production of the Mark VIII ended after 122,000 copies.

swell

  • Flammang, James M./Kowalke, Ron: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 . Krause Publishing, Iola 1999. ISBN 0-87341-755-0
  • Lichty, Robert: Standard Catalog of Ford 1903-1990. Krause Publishing, Iola 1990. ISBN 0-87341-140-4
  • "Encyclopedia of American Cars 1940-1970" by Richard M. Langworth and the editors of the Consumer Guide, p. 119, ISBN 0-517-294648 , first published 1980 © 1980
  • Auto Motor Sport, Issue 4 (February 14, 1979)

See also

Web links

Commons : Lincoln Mark Series  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980, p. 214.
  2. ↑ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 415.
  3. ↑ American Cars of the 1960s. The Olyslager Auto library. London (Frederick Warne Publishers Ltd) 1979. ISBN 07232 2061 1 . P. 68
  4. ^ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 412.
  5. ^ Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980, p. 414.
  6. ↑ Langworth: American Cars 1930-1980, p. 433.
  7. ↑ Auto Catalog No. 20 (1976/77).
Lincoln models timeline from 1970 to present
Type 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
Middle class LS Zephyr / MKZ MKZ
upper middle class Versailles Continental VII Continental VIII Continental IX MKS Continental
Upper class Continental V Continental VI / Town Car I. Town Car II Town Car III
Personal Luxury Continental Mark III Continental Mark IV Continental Mark V Continental Mark VI Mark VII Mark VIII
SUV MKC Corsair
MKX MKX / Nautilus
Aviator MKT Aviator
Navigator I Navigator II Navigator III Navigator IV
Pick up Blackwood Mark LT Mark LT