We all have our guilty pleasures. This car is mine. There are lots of reasons why I should hate this car, because there was a lot wrong with FoMoCo cars of the late 70s. They weighed too much, the Malaise-era engines were toothless, and they handled like a pontoon boat. These were clearly not the cars that Lincolns had been fifteen, or even ten, years earlier. But still, there was something about the last of the big Marks that called my name.
I was not the demographic for these cars. But then, I have always suffered from some generational confusion. In the late 70s my contemporaries liked Bob Seger and Aerosmith. I liked Count Basie. My friends liked Saturday Night Fever, I liked the Maltese Falcon. The other teenaged guys liked Z-28s and Trans-Ams, but I liked Lincolns. I don’t know, but maybe Lincoln’s advertising from the early 60s got to me. In any event, this car was for scotch-on-the-rocks people, not the Boone’s Farm crowd.
My Dad was self-employed and had his best decade in the 70s. Although it was often a bit of a stretch for him, for most of the decade he drove a Lincoln. He believed that in order to be a success, you have to look like one. And always a lease to make it deductible. His first was a yellow 70 Mark III. It was a beautiful car, but had some problems and was traded for a brown 72 Mark IV. The IV was a much more reliable car that provided about 80K mostly trouble-free miles over the next 4 years, but it was my least favorite of all of his 70s Lincolns.
My love of the Mark V was mostly formed out of my dislike for the IV. I was enough into cars to know by the mid 70s that there was something “off” about the IV (CC here). But what did I know? The Continental Mark IV was the top dog of expensive cars in the 1970s. But I just didn’t like the way the car looked. Dad’s 72 was at least the last year out the door before Ford hung chromed I-beams on either end to meet federal bumper requirements. And the car seemed to hang around forever. A 5 year styling cycle does not seem out of line now, but it was an eternity in 1976 (or maybe it was that I was 17 and impatient). Every year, the car became more baroque than the year before, and I was just ready for it to be gone. The Mark IV was the greatest in all of brougham-land.
But in the fall of 1976, the ’77 Mark V hit the market. For reasons that I cannot describe, I was smitten. Understand, I had always preferred the BIG Lincolns to the Mark series. Every time my father started to think cars, I tried to sell him on the regular Continental.. I thought the Mark was for flashy guys with white belts and shoes while the big Continental sedans were for men of SUBSTANCE. But in the early 70s, my arguments had never carried the day. Dad was in his late 30s, and I don’t think he was completely averse to a little bling. Then, in 1978, he was ready for a new Lincoln, and I was ready to embrace that new Mark V. But, my father did something completely unexpected and brought home a new ’78 Town Coupe. Although I was ecstatic over the big 2 door Continental (it was my favorite of all the cars he ever had), the Mark V was the only 70s Mark that I never got to experience. Maybe my thing for this car is like a torch for the one that got away.
The story of the development of these cars is covered well at Ate Up With Motor (See it Here) and there is no reason to repeat it here. The lead stylist on the car was Don DeLaRossa. DeLaRossa had been at Ford since at least the 1950s and was among the first wave of Ford people who followed Lee Iacocca to Chrysler. DeLaRossa went on to do the restyled 1980 Cordoba that looked a lot like a slightly scaled down version of this car (and a LOT better than anything Lincoln had to offer in 1980). What DeLaRossa managed to do in moving from the Mark IV to the Mark V was to take a flabby, out of shape car and whip it into a taut and sharply dressed package that sold a lot of cars for Lincoln through the rest of the 70s.
Often forgotten is that the Continental Marks of the 1970s were the among the first to offer “Designer Editions” with colors and trim chosen by well known high-end tastemakers like Bill Blass and Cartier. The Mark V continued that tradition. It is also appropriate that today’s subject sports the imitation convertible top. If the Mark IV started the Opera Window craze in 1972, the Mark V was the car that started the fake convertible top trend that continued through the 80s and 90s among the more (ahem) traditional cars. Say what you will about the questionable taste of this look, the Mark V was one of the few cars that made the fauxvertible look good. And it covered that cursed opera window that, by 1977, had become a bad cliché.
Since I started contributing to CC, my local supermarket has been a treasure trove of cool cars to photograph. One beautiful day I came across this attractive Mark V that made the day even better. I only had a moment to speak to the owner, but he confirmed that it is a 1978 model that he enjoys fairly regularly. This car seems out of place at the grocery store. Doesn’t it belong at a yacht club instead?
1979 was a sad year for me when we lost not just the big Town Car/Town Coupe but the Mark V as well. It had been easier for me when Cadillac downsized in 1977, because the smaller ones were so much improved over the big models that they replaced. Not so with Lincolns. Maybe another reason I love these cars is the 1980 Lincolns. The 1980 models (both the Town Car and Mark VI) were just embarrassing. Lincoln lost me completely that year, giving me a final harsh shove into the open arms of the bipolar Miss. Mopar. In honesty (and with apologies to Mr. Tactful), there has not been a Lincoln made since that I have really, really wanted. It took me most of the 80s to come to terms with the awkward little Town Car. You know, the blocky one with the detuned Maverick engine. These cars may have had their charms, but they were NOT proper Lincolns. And don’t get me started on the Mark VI.
The 1970s has rightly been described as the era of Malaise. But in one respect, Lincoln managed to get through the entire decade by offering cars that made people WANT them. Unlike in most other showrooms, the Lincolns seemed to get more appealing each year as the 70s progressed. All big U.S. cars suffered from cost cuts and quality lapses in that decade, but Lincoln seemed to suffer from these problems less than most. Although these big Marks weren’t for everyone , we can all appreciate that these cars represent well an era that disappeared with the Shah of Iran. The Mark V combined classic American attributes like gobs of near silent torque and acres of leather, and put them into a neatly pressed and creased suit. This car puts me in the mood for a scotch on the rocks. If anybody cares to join me, I can put on some Basie.
Bought mine @ a collector place in St. Louis for $1500.
Sold it since due to no storage, fun car for cruise-ins.
To this day, the Bill Blass version of the Mark V is the reason why I have a soft spot for vehicles in navy blue with a tan interior.
My best friend has a 1979 MK V Bill Blass, a real looker. He has also modified it with a 400 hp engine and Gear Vendors gear splitter that gives six speeds to go along with the 4.11 rear end.
A cool car but you know, I just don’t have the time or patience to tinker with 30+ year old cars that have tiny interiors and drive like barges.
What kind of motor is in it? The stock one in ’79 was just the 400M, the 460 was dropped due to CAFE. I assume he put a 385 series (429-460 or even bigger Crate) in it.
It is a 400 modified to the tune of 400 hp.
Excellent write up.
Were the ’70s the birth of camp? The Bill Blass edition? Really?
I was a GM guy growing up in that decade and also thought these cars were beautiful and a major threat to Cadillac and GM’s primacy. But they were also the definition of baroque decried above.
While most Detroit metal of the era never met a twisty mountain road or even a gentle boulevard curve they didn’t like, they were top notch at straight ahead floaty, whisper quiet trans-Nebraska runs. And no one did it better in 1977 than the Lincoln’s of the day.
That supersized, angular Lincoln looks freakish in that supermarket parking lot populated with capsules and bathtubs.
Love those wire wheels (any large American car with true wire wheels get’s bonus points from me in the looks department, but please don’t do it to your Lexus.)
I was born in 1977 but I have a strange lust for the bardges of the 70s. (My exwife often accused me of having a thing for “old man’s cars.” Yeah I know the thousand reasons why it was called the “malaise era” but these cars were completely in your face. Perhaps in someways these cars are the spiritual successors of 58 Buicks and first year Edsels that while garish and over the top, certainly embodied a certain design exuberance. The 50s design excess was born of optimism, was 70s design excess optimism (that things would improve) or “going down fighting” as the world of the big three collapsed around them? (I don’t have the answer.)
My top big car loves of the 70s were the Lincolns (the entire line), Cadillac Fleetwood and DeVille, Oldsmobile 98 and Toronado, Chrysler Imperial/New Yorker 1974-1978, Buick Electra 225 and Riviera.
Occasionally during my teens and into my college years I would see a Lincoln Mark IV or V for sale (usually in the front yard of someones home) I didn’t have the money (hell I was rolling pennies for gas for my 1982 Chevy Celebrity, thank you 30mpg Iron Duke) but I actually told my friends; “I’ll know that I’m rich when I can by something like that cause I don’t care about fuel economy anymore.” I laugh at my old self now, but the land yacht lust hasn’t died.
Well, our tastes in music and movies then were a lot more similar then in cars 🙂
I’ve only come to fully appreciate these cars (for what they are) in more recent years, thanks in good part to your ability to convey the appeal they had for so many folks. I remember riding in them on fairly rare occasions, once picked up hitching on a long highway ride through the midwest somewhere. A better isolation capsule has hardly ever been invented.
I always thought of cars as a tool to engage with in the act of driving; riding in someone’s (crowded) den with the music on was a whole different experience…and Basie would have been just the ticket.
Thanks for sharing how the Marks were such an important part of your youth, and their appeal. It’s taken a while, but I get it.
Does that mean the Mark IV CC would now read differently?
I sure hope not, McDuesenberg CC was a masterpiece. I always loved your critical view of these land yachts, reading just the love stories simply isn’t as fun.
Paul Niedermeyer and JPCavanaugh – more of that Yin and Yang we read about yesterday 🙂
marjanmm: Actually, yes; and here’s why: I’m never really quite sure what I’m going to say about a car until I sit down and start writing.
I’d almost forgotten that piece until I just re-read it. Where did all that come from anyway? Ronald Reagan?? Inspiration come in odd ways.
So now I can’t write a Mk IV piece until I forget it again! Or at least learn to spell MacDonalds the right way.
But it’s good that CC now has the yang to go with the yin.
Paul, that’s exactly how it is for me, and I’m sure for many other folks in love with the much-maligned “boats” of old.
Except for the “crowded” part, that is! 😀
But yes, it is a den, and it is best experienced on a long crosstate trip… every time I drive the Mark in the city traffic I find myself longing for the highway… the car feels h-e-a-v-y, and the turning radius is pretty wide. But once I get on the expressway, all of that nonsense goes out the window as the huge windows are rolled down.
We’re cruising at 65 and the car feels lighter than a feather. It’ll feel lighter yet should I go faster. The music gets cranked up as the RPMs stay just under 2000, the fuel economy jumps up to high 20s, and we’re off to whatever the destination is. Just the white lines and the buzz of the engine under miles of hood. And when it’s clean you see the clouds reflect in the mirror of clear coat right in front of you. Then the only thing left to wish for is a moderately twisty road as the RWD is gonna make the 3 ton whale hug every long sweeping curve with confidence, almost inevitably making you want to accelerate into it just a little faster. All the while the comfy seats envelop you in their ancient embrace of luxury, your elbows resting on equally tasteful leather-bound surfaces.
It’s the epitome of grand touring, a big comfy whale of a low rider. Bring on the horizon 😉
I absolutely love late 70’s Lincoln’s too. My first car (Nov 1996) was a 79 Continental Town Coupe. Sold it when I got my 71 Sedan De Ville. In 01 I bought a 79 Continental Mark V Collectors Series. Sold it in 2003. In 2007 I bought a 1979 Continental Town Car – Still have it. I just can’t stay away from these things…. I know if I sell it I will just buy another one, Probably a Mark V – but with a 460 this time… Before I was born, my father had a Mark III and when he met my mom, he had a 76 Mark IV Bill Blass.. He bought my mom a 77 Versailles – Today she drives its spiritual successor, an MKZ. Maybe its just in our blood….
I’m cut from pretty near the same bolt of cloth. When a teenager, I liked rock ‘n’ roll, but still loved the standards and big band sound I and all other baby-boomers actually grew up with by watching all the variety shows on TV. I’m back full circle to listening to that music almost exclusively – not the old stuff, but the newer versions done by contemporary artists.
It’s the same way with cars. I grew up and learned to drive in full-size cars, first Plymouth, then Dodge and Chevrolet Impalas. My friend hated the “boats” but I loved them, especially my dad’s ’66. That’s the reason I drive one today.
The featured car? I commented before on these in general, but by that time, the large cars had gotten too large and ungainly and ‘way too thirsty for my wallet. I got my taste of a gas hog with my 1976 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup. Small cars from then on ’til I bought my Impala.
When in the service, I abandoned the Impalas (and all other full- and plus-size land yachts beginning with the 1969 models. Strictly Malibus and Novas, thank you, finally culminating in a Gremlin!
JP, you have done brilliantly in your contributions on “CC”. I know Paul appreciates it and we do too. You must be around my age, judging by what you wrote, so keep ’em coming!
Yes I agree, jp, your words resenate with me too, I often think of you as “must be of a similar age” when I read what you have written about cars.
Thank so so much for the great reading material, I much appreciate it.
What a great write-up. I love all 1970s Lincolns, too! These always seemed to be better built and more substantial than contemporary Cadillac Eldorados. A friend has a near-mint 1978 Diamond Jubilee edition…it still is impressive.
A group of us attend local car shows together, and the big Hershey Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) meet in the fall is the final one for the year. After we had eaten at a local restaurant, and had said our goodbyes for the season, he drove away in the early evening in that Lincoln. It looked so sharp with its lights on as it majestically left the parking lot, its big V-8 purring quietly.
A Thunderbird in a tux!
I’m right there with you on these. In my senior year of HS (circa 91) I developed an infatuation with these beasts. There was a Ford dealer across the street from the friday cruise spot that always seemed to have one of these on their “Budget” lot. The last one I remembered seeing there was a black on black 78 or 79 with the turbine type wheels and the AM/FM/CB and moonroof. But I already had my Chevelle and had crazy dreams of becoming a dragstrip terror dancing around in my head..
I
God damn it, that is IT! I have HAD IT! Does EVERYONE hate my car?
Right now as I write this, LED lights are flickering on, hard drives are spinning up, keyboards are being impatiently clicked, waiting for a home screen….
There’s gonna be hell to pay….HELL to pay, Cavanaugh….lol
I like the square Panther Town Cars. My favorite would be to get an early 80s model, rip the carburated 302 and confused transmission out, and replace with a built 302 and C4, add a limited slip of some sort, dual exhausts, and go lay rubber. I like the Town Car better than the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis because the Town Car has slightly more rear seat room.
I can give a little love to the early Panther cars. Not so much the Lincolns though. The mechanic for our Public Works dept purchased 4 of the 5 retired 1980 LTDs with 351w power. Those cars were his pride and joy, and may have been the first time I’ve ever seen a speedo that went past 85.
I like the 80-89 Town Cars. Our neighbor had a Pine Opalescent 1980 Continental with dark green interior and white coach roof. I never saw another one in that color. These cars were new when I was a kid and they looked great against the ‘shrunken’ 85-88 Sedan de Villes, which looked like a Volvo 740 with a Brougham package.
My grandfather had a 1977 Mark V – triple midnight blue with the polished chrome wheels. It was very cool. He also had a dark green 1968 Mark III and dark green 1972 Mark IV, all bought new.
I pretty much like all Lincolns, at least until 2002 or so – Town Car excepted! The 2011 Town Car is the last true Lincoln in my opinion.
I’ll agree that the Mark V does look tidier than the Mark IV, although none of these cars are really to my tastes.
I should note that Lincoln was not the first to launch the designer edition series — that honor (if you want to call it that) goes to AMC, which had earlier offered the likes of the Oleg Cassini Matador, the Pierre Cardin Javelin, and the immortal Levi Gremlin. I keep hoping that Todd Ruel’s conversations with ex-AMC folks (for Torq-O and now GoneAuto.com) will eventually tell us more about how that came about.
I had vaguely remembered the Oleg Cassini 74 Matador coupe but mistakenly remembered it as coming after the Contintal designers. You are correct in that the Designer Series did not appear on Lincolns until 1976. I have made the correction in the article. Lincoln had offered a Silver Luxury Group and a Gold Luxury Group as early as 1972 or 1973, but these did not reflect the names of actual designers.
I had completely forgotten about the Pierre Cardin Javelin. The Levis Gremlin (with blue denim seats) was fairly popular. Wasn’t there a Levi’s Jeep too?
I remember thinking in 1974 “who in the world is Oleg Cassini, and if he is really a famous designer, why would he lend his name to such a wierd looking car?” I have only been able to answer one of those questions in the years since.
There was a Levis Jeep. My dad had one. I think it was a 1974 model, red with a white top, and those denim seats!
It didn’t have a heater, so my dad would put a space heater in there for a little while every morning before leaving for work. It didn’t work well. I don’t think he missed it all that much when he sold it.
There was a Gucci Hornet Sportabout too – offered in 1972 and 1973.
The Mark V would look so much better (even Duesenberg-like) if the front axle were shifted about a foot away from the firewall and more “vanes” added to the side louvers.
Imagine a V12 equipped Mark V with 6 vanes per side … Or a V16 one with 8 vanes per side. There is certainly enough room under that hood.
I agree with you. The only awkward view of the car is full profile. The wheelbase is too short and the front overhang is too long. I like your fix – move the front axles a foot forward. I would have skipped the louvers, though.
Can anyone provide photo chop of that? It’s beyond my ability but I’m sure it would be stunning.
1978 Continental Mark V with front axle moved forward 7″
Original (top) vs. Long Wheelbase (bottom)
Note the overall length is unchanged.
Also removed the louvers as requested by Mr. JPC.
Fitting that the “Collector’s Series” ad was shot in the driveway of the Kennedy Center in Washington, a building that critics have long derided as a monument to bad taste (and a giant “Kleenex box”).
I never warmed up to the Mark series, especially these that looked too much like their Thunderbird siblings. But the ’79 Town Car in that ad is pretty sweet. I remember riding in a Town Car (Continental Town Car?) of that generation as a kid and being amazed at the spaciousness of the rear seat in every dimension (I must have had 2′ of extra head room), the softness of the seat fabric and the quietness of the ride.
I believe that the Town Car became its own distinct model in 1980. Up until then, you could order a Continental with a “Town Car” package.
These cars were all over NJ when I was newly licensed. I’m sure The Bill Blass Wouild Have been my choice for a new car. I also liked what few ones I saw in Aqua or Turquoise.
It really seems odd to think of a whole town of These and Cadillacs rolling around.
“No Im Richer” ” I have the Designer Mark, Uhhh no, I have The Cartier, excuse me I have the Diamone Jubilee Edition….
I always liked the Nautical Blue & White Bill Blass Edition, with the fake convertible top. But such a let down for the kids who wanted to put the top down. Syke!!!
Aqua was the choice from Melrose Park. I earned a case of Old Style by rubbing out a scuff on one of the Goomba’s cars during my apprenticeship at the L-M dealer in the mid 90s.
Back then you bought Fords from Al or Joe, Lincoln was Ronnie’s turf.
As I remember it, The Lincoln Brochures were the Best. I Remember The L-M dealer as one where I would hang around forever, casually picking up more brochures as I sat myself in each model, 1 of each, but If I had to Forego the Comet or Montego, so be it.
In my head I had some story I would blurt out if asked, “My Mom wanted to know more about how the Marks differ from the Town car.” is what I’d say. Wish I still have in my posession every Car Brochure I have ever picked up.
The Cadillac dealer across Lackawanna Plaza was ALWAYS much more tight fisted with handing out brochures, particularly to Children WITHOUT adults present.
The 77-78 Eldorado was a Mess compared to The Mark V… Even I was Impressed with how great the 1979 ElDorado Biarritz Looked. What An interesting Match up, a Red, Silver & White Biarritz would be to a Top of the line Mark V in ’79.
I was the same way with brouchures. I still have a bunch of them in my basement. In either 1977 or 1978 I made a Mega-Score and walked out of the L-M dealer with the big color and trim binders for both Lincoln and Mercury. They must have sold a ton of Lincolns, because the front cover had separated on the Lincoln book from over-use.
Brouchures on 70s luxury cars were really cool. Really thick stock and sometimes tissue or onionskin paper with big watermarks separating some of the pages.
I’ve been collecting brochures since I was a kid too. I have tons of them. A few years ago I discovered McClellans Auto in Texas. They buy and sell this stuff online and well, let’s just say it was more than I could resist 😛
Nice find and a great write up! Love it!!!
I am always interested in how people maintain their classics to have them look like this (and run daily). Do they have it all set up at home? Are they club members of some afficionado community? Do they simply have a great mechanic? So many stories out there… this car must have a pretty exciting one.
Well, it’s no secret that my favorite Lincoln ever is the Mark VII. Duh, owning one, I am obviously so not even biased. The only one that handles and rides better is the VIII but to me that’s just not a true Mark.
That’s why my second favorite has always been this one. It is interesting to me that if one compares the VII to the V one finds that the VII borrows half the lines (look closely at V’s beltline, bent inwards A pillar, the almost triangular side rear window, rear windshield that’s seeimgly wider on the edges, and oh my god especially the C pillar) and reinterprets them in an “aero” way. All timeless features, which is why the V’s design to my mind has aged so much better than the IV. The VII to me is the last “true” Mark in that sense, as the VIII simply ditches all of those lines and except for the fake bulge hint it’s a whole new car. But the VII is a smaller Lincoln (not that it actually is small) so I can see why it wouldn’t excite you as much! 😉
All of which speaks to the fact that Ford designers in the 80s held the V as their visually most successful Mark to date, as they embarked on the journey of designing a clean sheet car.
And I wholeheartedly agree that the VI is an embarrassingly unattractive car, clearly resulting in the said clean sheet next generation design.
I’ve always wanted to own a V. Would I, given a chance? A few years ago the answer would have been a resounding “yes”… right now? Hell, who am I kidding. There’s always room for one more. 😀
The stylistic imitation of this car is also pretty easy to understand if you look at its sales figures. L-M sold something like 75,000 Mark Vs a year, despite very high prices, and I have to assume the profit margins (especially on the Designer Editions, which added $2,000 or so to an already expensive car) were fat indeed.
The Marks, to me, are simply reference points. That is, to get to Mackinaw City, you have to know where Detroit is, and how much further and in what direction.
I would never own one of these…not willingly. If I had to project an image, I’d consider it; but likely it would be a garage queen or commuter cage.
The true me would show in a zany small car or true-utility SUV. A Super Beetle, or a Samurai, or a real-jeep Jeep.
For all of that, a worthwhile post. Helps to keep tabs on how the neighbors are doing…
in 1968 when the Mark lll arrived in april i believe. like the 641/2 Mustang was it even a 68 or a 69? But Anyway. it seemed a step above the El Dorado 2 me.
it was more expensive list priced than cadillac
As A Car Nut, I influenced My Own Mother With my own love off Thunderbirds (as an affordable alternative to the) Mark lV which My Mother Adored. Her Customized 73 Black/blk Roof/WHITE Leather interior(We Have dogs in the NE) Thunderbird Arived in May 73, I Waxed That Beauty I was so glad to see the 63 Grand Prix go. If she had ordered 6 Months later, I’d have INSISTED that she get FM!!! to go with the Philco AM that I think hers was limited to….could that be?
I rem The Thunderbird she bargained for down to 5600. where as the GP had been 3600 ten years earlier. I Would Also have insisted on Power Seats as they add a real level of comfort in my opinion. I Like a seat that is height adjustable.
I did get to eventually drive it, and it was a great car for… um makin out at the drive ins. I even clean the White Leather Voluntarily several times. Boy talk about getting Brownie Points with Mom.
Looking Back… It Looked as Good As this in many ways. It was the Proud Flagship of the FORD Name & Fleet. They made sure these weren’t absolute crap; if they bothered at all.
Her Right front Tire use to wear out regularly, and my DaD complained about it. Tried To Get her to Downsize to a Ford Escort ! He designed the garage for a Smaller car when they moved to the country, she held on to her till 1983 When she bought an 84 Riviera, Which I think she could finally close the garage also. That car has a story to, but for another Day.
Let’s just say I love these Pimpmobiles…personal luxury coupes, but if you have one of these. I want it to be a Designer Series, or Specificly done up right.
Ah yes, all this talk of Lincolns has got me feeling all nostalgic!
Last month I had the chance to shoot a 1979 Mark V Collector’s Series that my aunt owned (she just sold it this past week) HUGE car, but what a looker!
Just before I read this story, I was talking to my mother and she was telling about how my grandparents are ready to sell their 1976 Mark IV that they’ve had for over thirty years. Only 42k on the clock.
I remember in the summer of 1982, my great grandfather has passed, and we (my grandparents, me, and my mother) left from Ypsilanti and traveled to Wise, VA in that car for the funeral. I was only seven, but I remember the trip rather well. That car was sooo nice to travel in, the white leather never got hot in the sun.
After the funeral, we had to make our way to the cemetery and it seemed like my grandfather was in a race to get there. We were on some very curvy mountain roads, and grandpa was flogging that Lincoln for all it was worth. Tires were squealing, I was sliding all across the back seat and my grandma was hanging on for dear life, not saying a word, because grandpa would give her a real earful for complaining about his driving!
There will never be cars like this made again, and in a way I find that kind of sad…
I too have a soft spot for Malaise Era domestics, I was fortunate enough to drive all the big 70s cars.My parents were entertainers and we had the party house,Just to get rid of me car keys were tossed my way. 98s,Duces,Villes,Marks,Eldos,TBirds,Mercs you name it! The first car I bought at age 17 was a 75 98 Regency coupe. Loved those cars, still do. Motor Trend called them “Ostentatious Chromizde Wretched Excess Mega-Buck Luxo Crusers with Whores Drawer Interiors”. The last of these cars I owned was an 1980 Toronado Brougham kept it till 92. Alas 2 Kids in college and 2 in private school who knows when I will ever get to buy one the objects of my desire. Good Article,Keep-Em Comming.
I like big cars. A lot. I’ve used a ’76 Fleetwood Brougham as a daily driver. However, the Mark IV is the only car I test drove and decided not to buy because it was too big. Yes, it’s no longer overall than any 1971-76 Cadillac. However, so much of it is hood that I felt like I was trying to drive from the back seat, which I found very unnerving.
I still remember driving my dad’s 72 Mark IV. I had my learners permit in the summer of 1975. My dad was a “drive it for two years and replace it without doing any maintenance” kind of guy, but because of the crappy economy, he had skipped a new car in 74. The car’s odometer was into the upper 80s, and still had original shocks because dad was planning to trade it in the fall once the 76s were out. Then he told me that if the brake pedal went to the floor, just pump it a couple of times.
At that time of my life, I would have crawled through broken glass to drive anything and everything, but after a 20 minute drive in that Lincoln, I was through. These things were wallowers anyway, but with the worn out shocks, it was like trying to drive one of those inflatable bounce houses. I don’t recall ever feeling that out of control in anything I ever drove, before or since. I always figured that driving a decent one would be way different, but maybe not.
Ahhh yes!
I was born in Nov. ’69. Growing up in a somewhat conservative family who were staunch advocates of the “buy American” philosophy, I have plenty of seat time with these beasts.
My parents had a ’74 Monte Carlo. My paternal grandfather had a ’72 Caprice Classic four-door with the 400 small block, while his best friend from childhood had a latye 60’s Dodge Monaco. My love of Detroit land yachts was sealed at 10 yrs. old when my gramps borrowed his brother’s ’72 Mark IV to drive my mom to her doctor’s appointment. I reveled in the couchlike red leather seats and the sliding glass moonroof. I even asked my mom if we could get rid of the Monte and get one of those instead 🙂 .
The pictured car instantly brought to mind the image of the automotive equivalent of white dress shoes and matching belt.
In the summer of 1993 I got to spend some time behind the wheel of my grandparents ’76 Mark IV (Jade and White Luxury Decor Option if you want to know) and I remember thinking to myself, “So this is what piloting a commercial air liner is like…”
Somehow I prefer the Mark IV and so I got myslef a 76 Givenchy edition in perfect condition here in Poland/Europe. But we do have a very similar colour combination so I admit that the above Mark V is a looker too.
You can have a look at my Mark IV in the picture gallery:
https://picasaweb.google.com/michal.m.mikolajczak/McRoyal
(viewing with your scotch on the rocks ONLY!!!)
Your Mark IV is amazing, nice pictures too. I like the light driftwood dash trim, which was unique to the 1976 Givenchy. My grandfather’s navy 1977 Mark V had the same chrome wheels. It was traded in on a new 1987 Continental sedan.
I always abso lutely loved the 1976 AQUA PEARLescent Mark IV when I would see it. It was a rare Designer series I believe.
Also where I grew up in the 60s, in New Jersey a certain singer of “Where The Boys Are” drove a somewhat matching 76 or 75 Mark IV in a custom pink with somewhat co-ordinated top IIRC… I’d ride by her house on my bicycle just to see it tucked away out back.
My aunt had a brown 1973 Mark IV and then a 1974 Gold Luxury Package Mark IV. I was a kid and spent many days riding in the back seats of those cars with my cousins. I still remember the little switches for the courtesy light and window…she’d yell at us to stop playing with them! LOL I also remember her tricking us with the horn – her cars had the “rim blow” steering wheel where you pressed on the steering wheel rim to toot the horn. We had no idea how the horn was blowing and we thought it was the coolest thing! I also remember her using the 8-track tape player all the time and thought that they were the coolest cars. At the time we had a 1972 Toronado which was a nice car but not nearly as luxurious as my aunt’s Lincolns. Those were the days!
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII SSSSSSSSSOooooooooooooooooooooooo LLLLLLLLLLLLLLooooooooooovvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeee It
I need new interior, seat covers for a 78 bill glass, i cant find any on the net.
Do anyone know where to buy new covers ??
then please send me a mail : saasebo@gmail.com
I still have my 1979 Lincoln Continental. it has the TownCar option and it doesn’t have those tacky opera windows! It is triple dove grey and its Victoria Velour interior has no rips or tears. The only thing I don’t like about it is the fact that it can pass anything except a gas station! That dinky 400 2bbl is awful and whomever was in charge of that fiasco should have been slapped beyond recognition only moments before his termination from Ford. The 460 4-bbl had a better power-to-weight ratio and was way better on gas.
Tis a shame Ford had to keep adding to the Marks the way they did. BY 1975 they were so bulbous and swollen that they looked comical! Every series had to add to the length. Had they taken a hiatus after the MK III and brought it back as a MK IV maybe 10 years or so later, would have kept the “Mark-Intrigue.” They also used horribly reprocessed metal and the heavy moldings with the weld studs and plastic clips were the demise of the already thin sheetmetal. The Continental MK II was a great idea but poorly expedited, the MK III was the LAST Mark in my opinion. The old cliche “Ford’s luxury lemons” were aimed at the Thunderbird (more like Dunderbird, people were horrified at what they had at the end of three short years!) and the MK IV,V. Rust ate the MK IV, MK V, VI, VII relentlessly, the Mark VIII was just junk. The MK VIII gave its owners an unpleasant feature: AN ACCIDENTAL LOW-RIDER! The cost to refurbish Ford’s self-leveling system made them ridiculous to repair…..the cost was usually more than the car! The Mark IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII were rusting at a junkyard near you along side of the awful Cadillac Eldorados, Sevilles, and anything with their horrid V-8-6-4, HT 4100, and the ridiculously expensive to repair NORTHSTAR with its “self-eating” Dexcool coolant…yup, ate right thru those gaskets like eating gummy bears! And, lest we forget ‘loose-bolt head gasket syndrome.’
Ford had a better idea in 1968 when they “put a Rolls Royce grille on a Thunderbird!” They made close to a $1 Billion dollar profit because the start-up cost was low for a premium automobile, thus, made at near cost and sold at the premium price using the underpinnings of a dying brand, converting many of its production dies, then riding off to the bank. The MK III was a lesson in economics. Only Ford got greedy, they should have stopped for a while in between the Mark series to keep its exclusivity. Check out my site: http://www.notoriousluxury.wordpress.com I write about luxury cars from all over the world, this is why I call it NotoriousLuxury. I am doing a series on the Continental Marks. I am presenting the MK IV tonight. It is hard writing about the Mk IV & V because they had become the exploited poster child for the scrapheap.
As you will see, I am a car nut! I write about Aston Martin, Bugatti, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Mercedes, Lamborghini, and, I am putting together a site exclusively for the Rolls Royce enthusiast. Check my site often as I post daily. I always switch up, one never knows what type of luxury car I will present next! They are reading my site all over the world, so I always submit something for everybody. My pen name is “99MilesPerHour.”
This is what luxury was about in the Malaise/Brougham era. It didn`t have to have blistering performance, it just had to look good, ride smooth and have all the catnip luxo car drivers wanted. Nice looking car, looks a hell of a lot nicer than the downsized version of a few years later. Love those “shark gills’ on the front fenders!
I Think most People here have never driven a properly maintained old Lincoln. I have a MKIII with 27K, a MKIV with 40K and aMKV with 17K…These cars are obviously not worn out and have new Shocks, etc…
They drive very well! Ultrasilent, smooth and especially my MKIV has a lot of power. Remember: A car with 80 K was worn out in the 70ties. Even here in Germany the Mercedes of the 70ties would rust out after 5 years and People would say that a car is “used up” after 100K-kilometers wich is about 60K.
If you try not to race them they still hold up very well in the luxury field. Even todays luxury cars do not offer such a soft ride and quitness…
I think what These cars have over all european or modern cars is that they were styled without limits and the will to impress or even optically overwhelm peolple. To me the american luxury cars from the 50ties to the 70ties are right out of fantasyland….real showcars…
Which do you like best , your 76 Coupe Deville, MK IV or MK V? How would you contrast their driving experience?
I drove a 72 mark 4 with telescoping speedometer and the car had bucket seats and a moon roof and the opera windows. Can any one tell me where I can find one for sale. what option package was that. briansutcliffe3@hotmail.com or 815-262-4331
The seats, oh the puffy velour/leather tufted seats…….the undraped nubile 70’s female flesh that was so easy to seduce upon those Lincoln and Caddy bedrooms-on-tires…..
No shag-carpeted van could compete, if it was a more elegant tryst that one yearned for.
I’m the type that sees good in 60’s-70’s iron. Lincoln, AMC, Plymouth and Mercury were my favourites, but I wouldn’t quibble about Citroens, Chryslers, and the occaisional Buick. We Canadians LOVED our land yachts! I got my licence in a Matador coupe, came out in a Continental, and was a ‘superstar’ when I had an Imperial FS coupe. O for the groovy cars of that period! It’s the 21st Century, and I still hanker for a Mirada T-top, no matter what the young guns say.
The modern opera window premiered on the 1971 Eldorado as standard. Granted, it was a mere softened and tumblehomed rectangle, but it was a year before the Mark IV, where I believe it was a late option.