45k-Mile Survivor: 1969 Lincoln Mark III

• Seller: David B rill (Contact)
• Location: Hartford, Connecticut
• Mileage: 45,000 Shown
• Chassis #: 9Y89A885596
• Title Status: Clean
• Engine: 460 cui 4-BBL V8
• Transmission: C6 Automatic

Despite being unpopular with some car magazine writers at the time, the new Lincoln Mark III was a success with the buying public, selling more in its first year than Cadillac sold in Eldorados. Lincoln needed a top-line personal luxury car, and the 1969 Lincoln Mark III was it. This beautiful example is located in Hartford, Connecticut with an asking price of $28,000, and it can be found listed here as a Barn Finds Classified!

Like him or not, the legacy of Lido Anthony Iacocca is one of the most interesting and important since the early beginnings of the automobile. His gut instinct is the reason we have this gorgeous example of luxury travel, as seen here in this Royal Maroon example that’s said to have 45,000 original miles. As Mr. Iacocca used to say, “If you can find a better car, buy it.” This may be the nicest one around.

Yes, it was Lee Iacocca’s idea to use what some thought was an antiquated faux spare tire bump on the rear of the car, and also the Rolls-Royce-like grille. A lot of critics thought that would be an instant failure, but buyers loved both features enough to spend over $6,700 in 1969 dollars (around $60,000 today) to buy one of the 30,858 examples sold at the end of 1968 and in 1969 for the 1969 model year. Iacocca thought that an even more luxurious car than the already posh Thunderbird could take up some slack at the Wixom, Michigan plant at the same time as adding an uber-luxury model to Lincoln’s lineup. He was right on both counts. Big shocker. Although based on the Thunderbird, the Mark III doesn’t share any body panels.

The Mark III was made for the 1969 model year until the end of 1971. The optional red “leather with vinyl” seats look like this car just rolled off the lawn at Pebble Beach, both front and rear, which is what most of the rest of the car looks like. Even the underside looks solid, despite some light surface corrosion being visible. The seller says the owner of this car bought it from the original owner in 1994, and you can see that it’s been kept in outstanding condition over the last 30+ years.

The knife-and-fork (as in, you could eat off of it) engine compartment houses a monstrous member of Ford’s 385 series of V8s (3.85-inch stroke) 460-cu.in. OHV V8 that was factory-rated at 365 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque! Unlike the Eldorado, the Mark III sent that power through a C6 three-speed automatic to the rear wheels rather than the front wheels (insert angels singing here). The only thing to investigate is the AC system, which was converted to R-134a and appears to be leaking a bit. That’s a very common problem when converting from an R-12 system. If you’re a “person who wants the most authoritatively styled, individually decisive motorcar of this generation,” this Mark III is for you. Please check out the photos on Barn Finds Classifieds!