14th May 2018, 20:37
Actually it was a Mark II, not a Mark I. Produced only in 1956-57, it was hardly related to the much smaller two-seater Thunderbird.
14th May 2018, 22:45
"Mark I" ?? No such vehicle. You're probably thinking of the Continental Mark II, built only 1956-1957. Also I wouldn't say that it was Lincoln's version of the '56-'57 Thunderbird because it was not a 2 seater.
15th May 2018, 00:40
The Batmobile that was used in the TV series was a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept Carl. Just an interesting piece of trivia. And I saw a replica Cord convertible kit made out of a later era Lincoln. Its hood so heavy that it had a powered hood lift. Far removed from the production ones you recognize. Kind of cool trivia though.
15th May 2018, 08:15
"The Mark II sold for $10,400, the equivalent of a new Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud or two Cadillacs (at least until the $13,074 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham out-priced it in 1957). In spite of this, Ford estimated they still lost over a thousand dollars per car on the 3,000 that were built." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Mark_II#Sales
If you see one, you definitely see a lot of the 55-57 TBird styling in it, even if not a 2 seater or removable top. I cannot see anyone disliking the styling of this one, but to each his own.
15th May 2018, 16:48
"'Mark I'? No such vehicle."
Actually, there was although it was not called Mark I at the time, it was made from 1939-1948, just the Continental Mark. It is the reason that the 1956-1957 version was called Mark II. The subsequent Mark III/IV/V produced from 1958-1960 were such dogs that Lincoln wanted everyone to forget they were ever built. So when the Continental Mark series was revived for 1969, it was called the Mark III, instead of Mark VI.
15th May 2018, 21:34
Actually, that was my point; never being any Mark series Lincoln using the Roman Numeral "I". And correcting comment 1:47 that the years 1956-57 were indeed a Continental Mark II (not Mark I). Though the name "Continental" seemed to always bring confusion, being used on a lot of models including early Town Cars. The Continental finally became its own model in 1982.
16th May 2018, 10:43
First one I ever saw. Thanks for heads up. Most beautiful Lincoln I have ever seen. Even the inside of the doors when opened were chrome. Lot of attention to detail. Meticulous restoration. Can’t get over the price when new after pulling this up. The Mark II sold for $10,400, the equivalent of a new Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud or two Cadillacs (at least until the $13,074 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham out-priced it in 1957). In spite of this, Ford estimated they still lost over a thousand dollars per car on the 3,000 that were built.
19th Nov 2020, 00:30
I like and miss these boxy Town Cars; you just can't get the comfy, classic or great ride from them anymore. The 90s and 2000s Town Cars were great; prefer the 80s, one of the best cars ever; built like tanks. I believe you can find one anywhere in mint condition; imagine if we had the same technology back around that time as Tesla, a car that drives itself; you would be sleeping for hours on long drives; the seats were much more comfortable.
New cars are great in technology; the reliability isn't all that anymore. If I bought a Lincoln, I would look into getting a 1981 to 1989 Town Car; now cars aren't made the great anymore.
You are right about quality; they aren't what they used be, they might get better; I'd just rather have an old school car without the technology.
20th Nov 2020, 18:22
Not really. Pretty much any car made by any manufacturer these days is good for 150-200,000 miles without so much as a hiccup. Material usage, engineering and so on has improved leaps and bounds.
21st Nov 2020, 19:32
Got any proof to back up a blanket statement?
Especially when there are currently a number of "manufacturers" struggling to stay in business even before the pandemic state we are in now. Quality control is key, and lots of brands have nearly lost it.
22nd Nov 2020, 10:42
That’s true to a certain extent, but no modern car today can come close to the seating comfort and soft riding abilities like the Town Cars of the 80’s.
Sure newish vehicles are smart as heck, and are somewhat more reliable than a Town Car, they pretty much have every feature you can think of, but that doesn’t mean anything if the car rides like crap and I can feel every tiny imperfection of a road surface, especially since just about every new sedan made in the last several years has low profile tires that ride horribly.
Also Town Cars had presence and style. The 80’s were nice cars, but the 70’s Lincoln Continentals were even better. The last of the giant limo like Lincoln’s ended in 79.
23rd Nov 2020, 06:03
The Lincoln’s from the 1970’s were the epitome of luxury IMO. Seating comfort and the ride were unsurpassed, as well the best looking in and out. The Cadillac handled better, but that was it.
23rd Nov 2020, 16:13
What's your point? The Town Car on review along with the 2 post generations that followed also could rack up over 200,000 miles trouble free. I had a 96 that still ran strong at 235,000 when I sold it, and now have a 2002 at 146,000 with only basic maintenance and a window motor in the last 2 years.
14th May 2018, 01:47
I did a car event last year at Winterthur which celebrated different eras of motorcars. One car there that was an absolute standout was a mid 50s mint original Mark I. The car carried a very hefty price tag new. I would say that was one of most beautiful and elegant domestic cars I have ever seen. My family had an early 60s Lincoln suicide door convertible; one I wish was kept. The Mark I was the very first I ever saw in person. Lincoln’s version of the 55-57 T Bird.