MIKE HENDERSON 1997 LINCOLN MARK VIII

Hi, Mike. We’ve never seen a car that looks quite like this before — what exactly is it?

It’s a 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII. The Mark VIIIs were made between 1993 and 1998 only; genuine rearwheel-drive sports coupes. This one is the LSC version with the best spec: genuine twin exhaust, sway bar upgrade, and a 3.27:1 final drive. The Mark-series cars since 1956 all had the traditional Lincoln square shape, but when they got to the Mark VIII, there was a radical redesign and the new version was really well received in the States. Reviews of the day raved about them, and they are still highly regarded by those who know.

You don’t see them around; are they rare?

According to the motor registry, there are only three of them here. I found the owner of one in Waikato; it is a generation-one Mark VIII. My one is a generation two, which is a ’97–’98 model and the only one in the country. The third one is a mystery, and I can’t find any sign of it anywhere. This one came to New Zealand from Japan with a shipment of Mustangs, Camaros, and other American-style cars. My understanding is that the guy who brought it in — whom I know — had room for one more car in a shipment, and his agent in Japan said, “How about this? It’s pretty bloody unusual; see what you can do with it.” And he couldn’t do anything with it ...

You bought it already complied, though?

It was complied, but I’m the first New Zealand owner, and only its second-ever owner, as it was assembled in America specifically for the JDM [Japanese domestic market] … and exported new to Japan.

It has those things you don’t see on cars anywhere else, such as a light that comes on when you put the indicator on, to help you see round corners.

The American Mark VIIIs don’t have the side repeater on the guard like this does, either.

What reactions does it get on the street — as no one would know what it is?

The reactions are as you would expect — split. They range from, “What the hell is that?” to “That’s awesome”. I’ve had people walk up to me in the street and say it’s the coolest thing they’ve seen. My thought is that those with an eye for design instantly see it for what it is: a triumph of design. Those with an eye for function over form simply can’t work it out. I was torn between the two sides. I knew the car had been for sale for about 14 months, and I hummed and hawed over it. What won me over was that I did a bit of research and found out these cars were powered by the first of the Ford Cobra motors. So it has the quad-cam 4.6-litre, 32-valve V8 in it; it went in four years before it went into the Mustangs. The Mustang guys were gutted about it, as it was actually 60hp more powerful than the motor that went into the Mustang at the same time. For many years, it held the Unsupercharged Gasoline Engine Class 12 (D-Stock) record at Bonneville at 182mph; there was even a Nascar version trialled!

They rev like hell and are really reliable, and they’re tough. You can add boost or nitrous to them, you can get them from 300 to 400-plus horsepower easily and safely with a bolt-on supercharger or a 100 shot with only a fuel-pump upgrade.

You haven’t got carried away like that yet, though?

I haven’t yet, but I’ve got a high-flow MAF [mass airflow sensor] on the way and a 10-inch K&N filter. There’s 20hp at least just like that, plus a bit from the aftermarket mufflers. Apart from changing the appearance by putting the bonnet scoop on it, putting on those wheels, which I got second-hand and had refurbished, and adding the pinstripe and tints, it’s pretty much as it was. It’s changed appearance to be a bit more palatable for the majority of people and I’m very pleased with the result. I had a guy arrive at work the other day who was beside himself; he’d seen the car the day before and spent all night looking online to try and figure out what it was. Some people think it’s great that it’s something different. Other people think it’s the ugliest thing they’ve ever seen — it barely has a straight line on it! The other thing is it’s almost all aluminium, including the engine block and the panels, so it’s lighter than you’d think.

You’ve been known to race other cars in the past; any place to race this?

No, this is just a cruiser for me to get around in, although I could be tempted to try it out on a track day for a bit of fun. I’ve sort of got a bit obsessed with it, especially for the price I got it for, which allows me to put a bit more money into it. It handles like it’s on rails and is at its best on the open road.

There must be a story behind the ‘AQUITD’ plate?

I had another car that was well known at the time, and I got stopped by the police — possibly as a result of some vehicular madness — and the car was impounded. I was 50 at the time and was charged with an offence under the ‘boy racer’ Act. That was embarrassing in itself, but quite amusing. At the time, some of my friends were serving policemen, but when I talked to them about it they all said, “Good luck; sort it out yourself”, so I did. I defended myself in court, pleaded not guilty, and got off, so I ordered the plate the next day. It’s been on every car I’ve had since. This car looks like a drug runner straight out of The Sopranos, so it suits completely!