Another Mark III post! What can I say, I’ve always liked the personal-lux Lincolns, due to several in the family way back when. But this one trips my trigger even more than the average Mark, due to the totally fantastic aqua paint and interior.
I have a serious jones for ’60s and ’70s American land yachts painted in metallic aqua. Add an aqua interior, and I’m smitten, whether it’s a ’66 New Yorker, ’64 T-Bird or ’60 Cadillac Sixty Special.
So when I Spotted this one on Denver CL, my radar started signaling, awooga awooga! Danger of lust overload! The car itself is in Fort Collins. As usual, it was posted on a FB group I frequent, called Finding Future Classic Cars.
According to the ad, “Selling this beauty for my father in law, sad to let it go but he is looking to downsize his collection. Has a 460 V8 engine with 96k original miles, runs smooth!”
“Feels like driving your couch!! Needs a little TLC but it is mechanically sound, all original in and out, power everything, good interior, minimal wear for a 50 year old car. Not perfect but turns heads everywhere you go!”
But between my starting this post and finishing it, the ad disappeared. Just as well. As I was having stupid thoughts concerning flying to CO, buying this aqua-fantastic prairie schooner, and driving it back to the Midwest, despite having exactly no place to put it. But with the $6500 ask, someone got a deal!
What a beauty! I think someone got a fine buy. Dark colors are more to my taste (dark green with matching leather, yum), but still, this is a honey.
On the top two side profile shots, you really see the family resemblance to the two door Lincoln Continentals from 66-68.
Weren’t technically these Continental Mark IIIs and a reintroducing of the separate Continental brand and not branded Lincoln? I see the emblem everywhere, even the air duct, but no Lincoln script.
No they are Lincolns even if the name is missing, that “Continental Division” smoke and mirrors show was a short lived concept, similar to when Fiatsler tried to have a division for everything from SRT, to the Viper to the Silver Town & Country Division……
Though Lincoln did sort of disavow the Mark IV, V and VI that were made from 1958-1960. These technically should be a Mark VII.
Technically, the only Continental brand name that didn’t include ‘Lincoln’ before it was the 1956-57 Continental Mark II, at least that’s what Continental Mark II fan and historian Barry Wolk maintains. So, that’s the standard that I use when posting about Lincoln and Continental.
I have heard of Barry Wolk and recognize him as a valuable resource regarding vintage Lincolns. I also looked up vintage Mk III magazine ads. First off, I was delighted by the the dignified long nose, short deck styling and the bold colored Kodachrome? photography. The ads were calling the car the Continental Mark III with Lincoln-Mercury next to the blue Ford oval at the bottom. Does anybody out there know the story of this? Were they hoping that the success of the model would lead to a resurgence of an ultra high level Continental brand? Remember at the time they were enlarging the four door with a full Ford/Mercury based separate frame. Were some at Ford, Iacocca? Bill Ford? hoping that a new Continental with this and a continuation of the smaller unit body could continue?
I don’t have any first-hand experience, but I always enjoy reading these write-ups.
Looking at the Mark series in the 70’s, and ignoring the impact of emission restrictions, did the experience of driving these cars improve, by some broughamy definition, over time, or simply change in appearance?