| 1956 Continental Mark II |
In the interest of historical accuracy: The 1956-57 Continental Mark II was NOT a Lincoln. It was never badged as such
nor was it marked under hat name. True, the Mark II was intended to retrace the legacy of the original 1940 Lincoln
Continental, created by Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie. It used a Lincoln drivetrain, and was sold through Lincoln dealers.
But the Mark II was actually the product of a new Dearborn entity: the Continental Division of the Ford Motor Company,
with its own plant on Oakwood Boulevard.
The Continental Mark II was an automobile so distinctive that it totally redefined the image of American luxury cars. More
than 30 years later it is still regarded as one of the most significant designs of the 1950s. For the mid-1950s, an era of
styling excesses of every kind, the Mark II arrived remarkably unmarked. Its clean lines, close-coupled proportions and
intimate greenhouse neatly captured the essence of the original Continental as a personal luxury car. Only one gimmick
was employed, a phony spare tire bump on the decklid, a feature then copied by Lincoln forever after. The new
Continental had an additional mission; it was to be the world’s finest mass-produced luxury automobile.
The cars were almost entirely custom-built according to exacting standards and material specifications, making the
Continental Mk II the most expensive mass-produced car ever offered for sale up to that time. Priced at $9,695, it was as
close as any American automaker in the 1950s would ever come to building a car in the classic 1930s tradition. Lincoln
had at last outdone Cadillac by creating a car so stunning in its appearances, so luxuriously appointed and calculatedly
limited in production, as to be with out equal.
The Mark II was built on a special chassis unlike any being used on production Lincolns. The engine was a 368 cubic
inch ohv V-8 specially tuned to deliver an estimated 285 horsepower. The Mk II was only produced for two years. There
is no 1956 or 1957 model year designation. Total production was 3,012 pf which 1000 have been accounted for, with 23
prototypes added including one convertible for William Clay Ford. Manufacture’s Suggested Retail Price was $9.695.00.
nor was it marked under hat name. True, the Mark II was intended to retrace the legacy of the original 1940 Lincoln
Continental, created by Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie. It used a Lincoln drivetrain, and was sold through Lincoln dealers.
But the Mark II was actually the product of a new Dearborn entity: the Continental Division of the Ford Motor Company,
with its own plant on Oakwood Boulevard.
The Continental Mark II was an automobile so distinctive that it totally redefined the image of American luxury cars. More
than 30 years later it is still regarded as one of the most significant designs of the 1950s. For the mid-1950s, an era of
styling excesses of every kind, the Mark II arrived remarkably unmarked. Its clean lines, close-coupled proportions and
intimate greenhouse neatly captured the essence of the original Continental as a personal luxury car. Only one gimmick
was employed, a phony spare tire bump on the decklid, a feature then copied by Lincoln forever after. The new
Continental had an additional mission; it was to be the world’s finest mass-produced luxury automobile.
The cars were almost entirely custom-built according to exacting standards and material specifications, making the
Continental Mk II the most expensive mass-produced car ever offered for sale up to that time. Priced at $9,695, it was as
close as any American automaker in the 1950s would ever come to building a car in the classic 1930s tradition. Lincoln
had at last outdone Cadillac by creating a car so stunning in its appearances, so luxuriously appointed and calculatedly
limited in production, as to be with out equal.
The Mark II was built on a special chassis unlike any being used on production Lincolns. The engine was a 368 cubic
inch ohv V-8 specially tuned to deliver an estimated 285 horsepower. The Mk II was only produced for two years. There
is no 1956 or 1957 model year designation. Total production was 3,012 pf which 1000 have been accounted for, with 23
prototypes added including one convertible for William Clay Ford. Manufacture’s Suggested Retail Price was $9.695.00.