When it came to mass-produced luxury cars, no one did it better than Lincoln. A case in point is the Continental Mark III which was a personal luxury car built between 1969-71. It was the successor to the Mark II which came a decade earlier (1956–1957). We’re told that this 1971 Mark III, from its last year in production, drives well and whatever issues it has are purely cosmetic (paint, interior). Located in Orangevale, California, this Lincoln is offered here on craigslist for $3,900. Thanks for the tip, rex m!
Rather than create an entirely new car from scratch, Lincoln borrowed the platform and chassis underpinnings for the Mark III from the Ford Thunderbird. To ensure that the cars were distinguishable from one another (and the Lincoln Continental), the Mark III would have some of its own design elements, such as hidden headlights, an upright radiator-like grille, and a simulated spare tire on the trunk lid. The car was a hit and sold well, including more than 27,000 copies in 1971 alone.
These were not cheap cars to buy at more than $8,400 in 1971 dollars, which would be more than $57,000 today. The Mark III’s were powered by the largest displacement engine that Lincoln/Ford offered, the 460 cubic inch V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor which put out 365 hp and 500 lb.-ft. of torque. The motor was paired with a C6 SelectShift automatic transmission. This helped make the Mark III a worthy competitor to the Cadillac Eldorado which it would nearly outsell in 1971 even though the Caddy was all-new that year and the Lincoln was a three-year-old design.
While this Mark III is said to be a good runner, its shortcomings are in the appearance department. At 138,000 miles, the brown paint job has about run its course and the vinyl top is cracked and beginning to peel away. Also, parts of the interior are well-worn such as the leather upholstery on the bottoms of the front seats. Every surface in the trunk of these cars was covered in furry fabric and it’s dirty in this Lincoln, as is the carpeting.
According to Hagerty, one of these cars in Fair Condition is a $5,000 proposition, so the seller’s asking price doesn’t sound excessive considering the time it will have to spend in the shop for an extreme makeover. But if the Lincoln runs as good as the seller says and it has no electric gremlins (always a concern with these types of cars), do you have room in your garage?
Be sure to ask Scotty G. how cheap these are to restore.
Hey Scotty G, how cheap are these to restore?…
Don’t forget to check the door sills. And not for rust either…
C’mon Irv! What the hell is that?
The car in real life was a 1960 Buick.
Bick Banter, I see what you did there….
I like the giant red 66 Caddy convertible in the neighbor’s driveway better.
CL posting deleted.
I don’t understand why these have never taken off value wise. I would much rather cruise in this than most of the so called “Collectable” cars
What exactly did Bick Banter do?
A Lincoln Mark III was the vehicle in “The French Connection” used to smuggle heroin, hidden in the door sills, into the U.S.
Post has been deleted. Really wanted to see those door sills too.
i really like these cars but i have no room, and I ould probably do something
about the engine, something lighter with appropriate horse power.
I have owned two Mark IIIs. They are comfortable quiet cars with plenty of power. Their downfall? A Vega had far superior heating and air conditioner. The auto temp on the mark III is a joke. When it decides not to work, which is often, the failsafe is to pour hot air onto the floorboard even if it is 100 degrees outside. Since the windows are also problematic good luck if you want to put one down to reduce the interior temperature. If Ford had stuck to a manual air conditioner which I assume some of the models had then you might have a chance of getting heat in the winter and AC in the summer. As it stands I would never buy a Mark III unless you only want to drive it to a car show when the weather is perfect.
Great car for an ECO Boost transplant
Pulled the 460, trans and four core for my ’75 Torino for $150CDN from one of these turds. Talk about a GN eater! I know, I own both…