1975 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Coupé

Chassis no. 5Y89A870469

Footnotes

The products of Ford-owned Lincoln have for years rivalled those of General Motors' Cadillac division in their exclusivity and luxury, in particular the range-topping Continental. Nowadays synonymous with Lincoln, the 'Continental' model name was first used in 1940 for Bob Gregorie's masterly styling exercise on the existing V12 Zephyr chassis. A sportier, top-of-the-range companion to the Zephyr, the Continental had started out as a personal, custom-bodied one-off commissioned by Lincoln boss Edsel Ford, and would be hailed as a classic of automotive design by authorities as diverse as the Museum of Modern Art and the Classic Car Club of America. The demise of the V12 engine at the end of the 1948 season meant that there would be no more Continentals for seven years, but when it did return the new Continental caused just as much of a sensation as the original. Premiered at the Paris Salon in October 1955, the Continental Mark II was a sublimely styled hardtop coupé created by a team that included Gordon Buehrig, William Clay Ford and John Reinhart. Priced close to the then breathtaking $10,000 mark, the Continental Mark II was necessarily one very exclusive automobile. Nevertheless, Ford is reputed to have lost around $1,000 on every one sold, an unsustainable situation that prompted the introduction of the heavily revised and considerably cheaper Mark III for 1958.

Confusingly, having got as far as the Mark V by 1960, Lincoln went back to the Mark III designation for a new Continental model in April 1968! Produced alongside the regular Continental and reclassified as a personal car, the Mark III saw the 'Lincoln' title dropped and Continental established as a marque in its own right. Changes to the successor Mark IV of 1972 were mainly confined to minor alterations to overall dimensions and external styling details, while Lincoln's 460ci (7.5-litre) overhead-valve V8 engine continued to power the Continental 'Mark' range, its 224bhp more than sufficient to propel these huge cars well past 100mph (160km/h).

Finished in red with white interior, this Lincoln Continental Mark IV Coupé was manufactured for the export market and is believed to have been delivered new to Switzerland. The car has not been driven for some considerable time and failed to start when inspected. It will need a thorough check over and careful re-commissioning before returning to the road.