- Seller: Roderick J
- Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Mileage: 38,462 Shown
- Chassis #: 9Y89A871669
- Title Status: Clean
In 1969, Lincoln debuted the Continental Mark III in an attempt to recapture the luxury image of the Continental Mark II. While the MK III doesn’t look all that much like its predecessor, it succeeded at capturing what made the MK II special: it’s big, comfortable, and elegant! It proved successful and led to five more generations of Continental Mark series cars. This 1969 Continental Mark III is a stalled project that has already had much of the work needed to bring it back to luxurious cruiser status! The seller, unfortunately, needs the space in their garage and has decided to list it here as a Barn Finds Auction!
The Mark III’s design came about when Lee Iacocca, then Ford’s vice president, was looking for a way to recover the development costs of the redesigned Thunderbird. When the new T-Bird hit the market in ’67, it wasn’t the sales success Ford was expecting it to be. Iacocca hoped building a Continental Mark III based on the same platform would help spread development costs while boosting Lincoln’s sales. So, he instructed the design team to put a Rolls-Royce grille on a Thunderbird. Obviously, they did a lot more than just put a new grille on the T-bird, but they were able to put together a lovely car with a rather modest budget. The Mark III was a sales success when it debuted, with its high price tag and low development cost.
As stated, this one is a project, but much work has already been done. The 460 cubic inch V8 engine runs great and has already received a new alternator, starter, and Holley carburetor. The engine has been fully detailed, and the radiator has been reconditioned. The transmission was also serviced, and new seals and bearings were installed. While they were at it, they installed a new pinion seal on the rear end. The entire brake system has also been gone through and was upgraded with stainless steel brake hoses. The new tires have covered ten or so miles since being installed. A new fuel pump and sender unit were installed in the fuel tank. Mechanically, the car is nearly done, but the A/C system was removed with plans on converting it to R134a. All the parts are present, so it shouldn’t be all that difficult to get it back together.
The interior needs the most attention, as the driver’s side door panel was removed to repair the armrest and that’s where the work stalled out. The door panel is in the car and appears to need a new cardboard panel. Used panels are available, but an upholstery shop should be able to cut a new one out using the old one as a template and then transfer the original materials over to the new card. The rest of the interior looks to be in usable condition but could use a good detailing. Those overstuffed leather seats still look comfortable, just make sure to treat them with some leather conditioner. The seller has already installed a new trunk liner.
While the Continental Mark series remained popular through much of its production, the Mark III is the one that set the template for the following generations, well at least for Mks IV through VII. This one is a solid project that doesn’t need much to be a nice driver again. The seller doesn’t claim that the paint is original or that the mileage is correct, but it sure looks like it could be a low-mileage survivor! So, if you have a garage big enough for it and would love to be the one to finish this project up, be sure to bid and leave any questions you have for the seller in the comments below.
Bid On This Auction
- Steve bid $6,200.00 2024-05-08 09:27:35
- dapperdumpsterbear bid $6,100.00 2024-05-08 09:18:36
- Steve bid $5,100.00 2024-05-08 09:05:41
- Curmudgeon bid $4,500.00 2024-05-06 15:05:25
- Steve bid $3,500.00 2024-05-02 08:45:25
That’s pretty special. I’m surprised that it hasn’t taken off in bidding.
Those late ’60s Mark IIIs exude class.
Beautiful car. My only concern is what looks like a huge rust Crack in what looks like the trunk floor pan…
Hi Joe. That’s not the floor pan, that’s the trunk insulation pad.
Is there a back seat for this car?
Rear seats are stored in the trunk
k seat and also are there any photos of the undercarriage of the vehicle. Thank You.
My dad had this identical car when I was a puppy.
What a beautiful ride.
I can remember when I was about 8 or 9 years of age. My great grandfather used to buy new Lincoln every year. Grandfather Linkous would come by our place and pick up my brother and I.
We could stand up in the front seat of his convertible and cruise the town.
What a wonderful joyous time.
Wish the best building your memories.
Someone should step up and begin building some family memories.
Beautiful automobile. With class.
Nice ride with a modest amount of work. It sure would need a large garage lol
Lovely Lincoln. Especially like that shade of white, Wimbledon? With Cadillac still making cars I don’t know why Lincoln doesn’t build a grand tourer on the Mustang chassis, talk about sharing development costs. Too bad this one is so far away. At least that’s my excuse.
Is this an absolute sale or reserve type sale?
Under the current bid says
‘reserve not met”
Note the sensor for the automatic headlight dimmer on the cowl. GM put it on the dashboard or behind the grille. I wonder which worked better?
Can I get some under carriage pictures please?
In high school my buddies dad had an olive green on green ‘71 which was basically the same car. We cruised in it now and then. Fast and rode like a cloud. He got it up to 120 one time late at night on I-80 coming home from a night of partying. Lucky for us we didn’t blow a tire or have a deer run out in front of us. Dumb move.
Would you gas it up and hit the road to Arizona?
Is there rust under the vinyl top? Hope the seller chirps in here
Beautiful air craft carrier cruiser. Only problem is when driving it one may just fall asleep at the wheel. This car is iconic and should sell for 10 times the current bid.