Istorie
Continental Mark II, who lost the "Lincoln" part of its name, was intended to be a work of art and a symbol of affluence. At $10,000 in 1956 (equivalent to $92,000 today), the Mark II was the most expensive car produced by an American automaker at the time, rivalling the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud in price. The Mark II was largely hand-built, with extensive quality testing done to each engine and transmission before leaving the factory.
Full description
The Continental Division was created in April 1955 by Ford Motor Company as a stand-alone division with a specific task: to handle the new Continental Mark II. Thus, the Continental Division was slotted above Lincoln as the flagship marque of Ford Motor Company.
Continental Mark II, who lost the "Lincoln" part of its name, was intended to be a work of art and a symbol of affluence. William Ford was fanatical about his personal project, fighting for a chrome rather than a plastic bonnet ornament costing $150, or the price of an entire Ford grille. At $10,000 in 1956 (equivalent to $92,000 today), the Mark II was the most expensive car produced by an American automaker at the time, rivalling the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud in price. The Mark II was largely hand-built, with extensive quality testing done to each engine and transmission before leaving the factory.
While a two-door hardtop would be offered as the debut vehicle, the model range would expand to a retractable-hardtop convertible and a four-door hardtop sedan.
The Mark II broke from a number of American styling precedents of the time. While other makes had experimented with flamboyant chrome-laden styling, the Continental Mark II was almost European in its simplicity of line and understated grace. In place of the bumper-mounted spare tire of the original Lincoln Continental, the trunklid of the Mark II showcased the design element, with a large imitation spare tire bulge (which fit over the actual spare tire inside the trunk). Standard equipment on these cars is power steering, power assisted brakes, power windows, and power adjusted seats and a tachometer. The only option available for the 1956 model was air conditioning
The power for driving of the Mk II came from a 6-liter Lincoln engine, rated at 285 hp and tuned later, in 1957, at 300 hp. Transmission was made to the rear wheels via a 3-speed automatic gearbox.
On July 18, 1956, the Continental Division was integrated into Lincoln which continued to manage the Continental brand as a separate marque. During the 1957 model year, the Mark II was withdrawn, largely as a consequence of its hand-built construction: each unit was sold at a loss of over $1,000. Subsequently, the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham overtook the Mark II as the most expensive American-produced vehicle.
For 1958, as part of a mandated $4000 reduction in price, Continental adopted the body of Lincoln, expanding into multiple body styles for the Mark III (the nomenclature indicating the transition). For 1959, the Mark III was renamed the Mark IV, becoming the Mark V for 1960. Meanwhile, the Continental Division was formally brought to an end within Lincoln in 1959.
This particular car has been completely restored and has 62,773 miles (approx. 101.000 km) on board.
