We’ve seen a half-dozen or more of these unique and classy Designer Series Mark Vs here on Barn Finds over the years, with several of them being dead ringers for this 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V Bill Blass Edition. This beautiful special edition luxury cruiser is listed here on eBay in Greer, South Carolina – there is surprisingly no reserve, and the current bid is just $2,777.27.
There’s a good reason these special edition Mark Vs all look the same on the exterior, they are the same! I wonder what a reversed color scheme may have looked like… The 1970s were hot for designer edition vehicles, and two ends of the spectrum ring a bell for me: Lincoln and AMC. The two manufacturers couldn’t be any dissimilar than they were. Lincoln was top-of-the-line luxury for fancy, well-heeled people, who seemed to almost always be yachting. AMC, on the other hand, promoted regular vehicles for regular humans. They may have owned a 16-foot fishing boat with an outboard motor, but they weren’t typically standing around wearing white double-breasted suits all day long.
Advertising, being what it is, as in trying to sell something ASAP, can be misleading later in life. Some AMCs, especially their designer edition models, while cheaper when new, can be more valuable now than a Lincoln Mark V designer edition. This example looks great in almost all of the photos, including the trunk compartment. However, some of the paint around the unique keyhole appears to have been scratched and touched up, and a tiny rust bubble is visible above.
Here’s where your white-suit-wearing self will be sitting as you glide between the yacht club and country club. The special dark blue leather seats have William Ralph Bass written all over them, and they appear to be in nice condition. There was an opposite scheme with white leather and blue accents available in 1979. The back seat looks great, but the dash shows some deterioration on the faux wood trim.
The engine also comes in white… hey, wait a minute… This is a Ford 400-cu.in. OHV V8 with 180 horsepower and 356 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a smooth automatic sending power to the rear wheels, this Mark V is said to run well and even has cold AC. Hagerty is at $13,700 for a #3 good-condition car: how much would you pay for this Bill Blass Edition?
I’d have to wear my yachting cap while listening to yacht Rock on my way to the yachting club in this car. Just lovely. BTW I don’t think the reverse color scheme does it justice.
I think you’re right, Fox owner, I agree. The blue over white doesn’t have it compared to the original. Thanks for checking it out and for the polite feedback, that’s always nice to hear!
The brochure has the following priceless line: “It has the All-American look of a yachting party on the Fourth of July.”
I agree about the reversed color scheme – on the outside. The interior was available in white with blue trim, and it’s a much better match to the exterior, with its Liberace level of flamboyance.
“It’s a knockout!” – B. Blass
I used to love working on those.
I had a Bill Blass Lincoln same year as this 1. It drove and handled more like a Corvette than a Lincoln. When going to make repairs there are some differences In the Bill Blass edition. I already have too many projects otherwise I would consider this 1. I loved driving that car
It handled like a Corvette, Really, I’ve had a Cadillacs and Lincolns and not one ever handled like any of my Corvettes.
I love these Bill Blass cars. I had not seen the reverse color before. I do like it but think the original looks better. They had the Bill Blass, Cartier, Hubert de Givenchy, and Emilio Pucci editions. I always like the 79 Bill Blass white and blue the best but the green 77/78 Givenchy Edition is great too as is the rare Black Pucci.
I have this very same car in the same color scheme with 3200 actual miles. It still has the 1978 date stamped Michelin tires! I have the original bill of sale from the dealership but no window sticker. I called the dealership that sold it new and they are going through their old files to see if they have a copy!
What a great highway cruiser
SOLD for $11,250.
Thank you, sir!