LINCOLN CONTINENTAL

FORD'S LINCOLN DIVISION, BEARING A PRESIDENT'S NAME, PRODUCED A RANGE OF LUXURY CARS FIT FOR PRESIDENTS AND TYCOONS ALIKE

The US motor industry is not and never was the place to look if you want efficiency in automotive packaging. Its ‘compact’ cars were considered ‘full-size‘ in most markets and when various manufacturers started producing ‘personal’ cars they took half a city block to park.

The first Lincoln Continental appeared in 1939 and was based on a car produced a year earlier for the ‘personal’ use of Edsel Ford. A Mark II version appeared in 1955 and the concept was revived again in 1968 when the Continental Mark III appeared.

Available only as a two-door coupe, the design mentored by Ford marketing guru Lee Iacocca incorporated a grille influenced by Rolls-Royce. There was also a spare-wheel ‘boot bulge’ that linked the Mark III directly to the original 1938 design and in a first for Lincoln, the headlights hid behind vacuumoperated covers.

Comforts included a timber veneer dash and door trimmings, power windows, map lights and a vanity mirror. The options list was headed by air-conditioning and almost all the Continentals built in 1969 had it, while 84 per cent of cars came with vinyl roof covering.

The Mark IV model released for 1972 adopted a more bulky and angular shape that would define Continental styling for almost a decade.

Although the 7.5-litre engine remained largely unchanged, its claimed power output suffered a massive downturn due to law changes that stopped manufacturers quoting exaggerated ‘gross’ horsepower figures.

Various ‘special’ editions of the Mark IV and later Mark V Continentals were produced, each with distinguishing colour schemes and subtle variations to trim and equipment.

1976 saw four ‘Designer’ editions released – among them the silver-grey ‘Cartier’ and cream over metallic blue ‘Bill Blass’ versions. Dashboards in these Continentals carried a gold-plated plaque which could be engraved with the purchaser’s name.

The Mark V released in 1977 differed in detail only from earlier cars but weight was pruned by 127kg to a still-immense 2115kg. The standard engine now displaced 400 cubic inches (6.6-litres), with the ‘460’ optional until 1979.

Heaving more than two tonnes away from a standing start presented no problems for an engine that produced almost 500Nm of torque at 2200 rpm and 0-60mph (0-96km/h) in a Mark III took less than nine seconds.

Australia was a popular destination for new Series III and IV Continentals. Most were optioned to the hilt and locally-sold cars seem to have been well maintained by their owners.

Converting these complex cars to right-hand drive was an expensive procedure, and vendors expect a bit extra when selling a high-quality RHD car. Mark III models are less common here and in the US market which values them 20 per cent higher than later versions.

In Australia, condition seems more significant than model but a top-class Mark III can exceed $30,000. Mark IV and V models in tidy condition perhaps needing minor trim and paint are worth $5000-8000 less. RHD cars with noticeable rust and trim problems should cost less than $12,000.