The Lincoln Continental Mark III represented Lee Iacocca’s best thinking. By sharing a platform with the Ford Thunderbird and restyling it with a distinctive grille, the company produced a luxury product that commanded a premium price and cost mere pennies to develop. This 1971 example is a beauty, with only 24,000 miles on the clock. Its presentation is seemingly faultless, and it is loaded with the comfort touches you would typically expect from this type of vehicle. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting the Mark III listed here on Craigslist in Seattle, Washington. The seller priced this amazing survivor at $26,900.
Launched in 1969, Lincoln based the Continental Mark III on the Thunderbird, although Gene Bordinat’s styling gave the Lincoln a distinctive look. The buying public embraced it, with sales climbing each year it graced showrooms. Production ended in 1971, and the badge went out in a blaze of glory as it set a new sales record of 27,091 vehicles. This final-year example is a beauty, finished in Light Yellow Gold with a Brown vinyl top. Its presentation is first-rate, which is unsurprising considering the odometer reading and the fact that it has been garage-kept since Day One. The paint shines richly, the panels are straight, and the vinyl looks perfect. Its sheltered existence has protected it from rust, and the seller says the Mark III is rock-solid. The trim looks excellent, and the original glass is crystal clear.
The Mark III is a luxury car, and the interior appointments reflect that. It features Ginger leather trim, air conditioning, power windows, power locks, six-way power front seats, a remote trunk release, cruise control, a Cartier clock, a rear defogger, a tilt wheel, and an AM radio/8-track player. The presentation reflects the car’s history, with no wear on the leather or carpet, and no evidence of UV deterioration. Lincoln initially used faux timber trim, but the Mark III received genuine walnut veneer from the 1970 model year. This car’s walnut looks flawless, and the dash is in excellent shape. The seller renewed the A/C so it blows ice-cold, but says the tape player needs some jiggling to operate and the clock has a mind of its own.
Lincoln adopted a “one size fits all” approach to the Mark III’s mechanical specifications. Buyers received a 460ci V8, a three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes with “Sure-Track” to prevent rear wheel lock-up in slippery conditions. The 460 is an admirable performer, delivering a factory-quoted 365hp and a mighty 500 ft/lbs of torque. The seller indicates that this beauty spent years in storage, with the previous owner coaxing it to life monthly to keep the fluids circulating. However, it needed work to become roadworthy, and they invested a significant sum to do so. They replaced the shocks, brakes, brake lines, and torque converter. They rebuilt the transmission and the original carburetor. They have clocked 2,000 miles since becoming its custodian in 2022, and potential buyers can consider the Mark III a turnkey proposition.
Lincoln aspired to produce a car that would eclipse the Cadillac Eldorado in the sales race, but it always fell short. The Mark III delivered on debut, and continued to sell strongly for the rest of its production life. This 1971 example is an absolute gem and would be ideal for enthusiasts seeking a spotless luxury classic. The seller’s price looks realistic compared to recent successful sales, and I suspect they will taste sales success fairly quickly. The big question is whether any readers might consider giving this classic a new home. What do you say?
Seen a few of these beauties come across the block. Maybe the price of gas to move these behemoths has precipitated their sales.
I was thinking about that too. You might see lots of cars like this and other muscle cars with bad mpg for sale moving forward. It’s good for a niche buyer. Nice car.
This is definitely a top shelf Mark Curvette found. I can’t get over the condition and the low mileage of this one either. Definitely garage kept since day one. It was definitely a good idea building a Lincoln on the T Bird platform, and really, of you parked a ’71 T Bird next to this they are styled distinctly different from each other. This is beautiful, nice write up Adam, as always we enjoy your write ups and perspectives.
Very clean and sharp example of a very stately and stylish car. From back when cars were available with eye-catching colors.
When these were introduced, like most “car guy” teenagers I was obsessed with muscle and sporty cars. But I remember being drawn to, and impressed by, the Mark III. Still am.
The Lincolns of today are very utilitarian looking; like almost every other car on the road and they definitely don’t compare to the Lincoln’s of this car’s era. Very classy and elegant! $24,000 might be good price, for someone that is looking.
I agree, this is a beautiful car. I liked the Mark III over the other Mark models that came after it.
What a beast. I like it. Real walnut veneer you say? End of an era for sure, unless you could convert it to run on flex fuel it would be eating a hole in your pocket. A weekend only driver sure, I could make it work, but it would be so tempting to take it out.
It would be interesting to remove the carburetor (which not only normally sucks gasoline but usually leaks it through a often bad power valve only to make the car run richer than it should.) And replace it with a throttle body fuel injection system. I’m betting a 3-4 mile per gallon improvement. Still a fuel hog, but might make it good enough to take on a long trip. I’m sure that exhaust modifications could also help. BUT aerodynamics still give a brick a run for its money. All in all it still has to overcome the massive weight.
Anyone concerned about gas mileage shouldn’t even consider one of these old cars. Upkeep is high dollar. Pleasure is beyond price value. My 64 Riviera probably gets around 12 mpg. I don’t care I just love driving it.
God Bless America
Sharp looking Mark, for sure. As a kid I couldn’t get past the trunk hump. Now I’m able to appreciate the character of these cars. A car like this can make almost anyone cool 😎
My exact thought as well with the fake spare tire thing back in the day. Now not so much. But still think it would be cleaner without.
nice looking survivor. these colors look good on this body.11k in 1971 was a lot to pay for a car. if you are looking for1 of these this definitely 1 to consider. if they can produce receipts for the work done may not be a bad price but the way the economy is heading lately these kinds of toys may begin to suffer from lack of sales.
MotorTrend said it best, do not forget that for one brief shining moment there was a magical, kingdom called Camelot, and that Mark III was parked in the driveway!
Love these cars. When you sit in the drivers seat you see luxury in all directions. Look up there are lights and items like you might see in a jet airplane. Look around you see leather and real wood upholstery. Even the steering wheel is elegant with gauge’s directly in front of you. A long beautiful hood graces your eyes to the front.
I loved these cars when new. I bought a 75 Mark IV which was very cool but the Mark III IS THE COOLEST OF ALL.
God Bless America
This has to be the best Mark lll on Barn Finds i ever seen! I had a 69 in White black leather interior. Love that ride. It was fast and it glided over rough roads. Some jerk plowed in my rear and totaled it.😢 With all the work this seller did the price is fair. He not making money on it. I wish it was closer to me. That almost 3,000 miles away. It would be cool to listen to KISS on 8 track i have 6 , 8 tack tapes. 😄 Good luck to the next owner. 🇺🇸🐻
WAY overpriced. These boatwagons don’t bring this kind of money !
Yes them old tape players were propelled by a rubber band type gear system . After so many years the rubber dry rots and they don’t work . Beautiful car . Sure you could update the radio to a modern disc type player.
Exceptional example. My step father wanted to trade our recently purchased 69 98 new convertible for one of these. Mom said NO and the Lincoln dealer did too. Offered less than $4k for almost an $7 Olds with less than 10k on the dial.
My uncle had one of these and it was the state of the art personal luxury ride. He got in an accident and couldn’t believe when all the plastic out front shattered..
A good example of how important color is for a car. Ugly, ugly in 71. Still ugly today. Beautiful car otherwise…
Compared to the Ford powered Clenet above it, this Mark III is a true classic.For 19k less, I could learn to live without Waterford ashtrays.
I would take this over any 25,000 dollar car of today, even a new one 👍
Was very interested and sent 2 messages but never heard back. So even if they get back to me now I have absolutely no interest in purchasing this as they don’t even have the common courtesy to respond back…crazy…
Seller made all the right moves with this Mark. One of my favorites in the Lincoln line up. Would make a stellar daily driver!
Well worth the asking price if you have the pockets. Or you could spend more get a generic grey jellybean suv and look like almost everything else on the road today.