SOLD
Asking Price: $20,000
Location: Middletown, CT
Mileage: 60,000
Title Status: Clean
Seller’s Description: 1956 Continental MK II
These wonderful automobiles were handmade by Ford and were the last of their kind.
This one is either the 1415th car produced (out of less than 3000 made total, between 56 and 57) or it’s the 1388th car made.. at all depends on which source you go by.
It is nearly all original and was made specifically for a Norman Logan back in 1956. We believe he took delivery in either NJ or eastern PA. The second owner was a Naval officer in NJ and reportedly found the car for sale on the roadside in eastern PA probably in the mid-’60s. He had the car and based on the Naval decals and automotive plaques, drove it quite a bit to shows and to work at the Naval base in Lakehurst, NJ. We believe Turner, the second owner had the car up through the early ’90s when the third owner, Wooding, came across the car in a for sale ad in the NY Times. having always loved the big MK II’s, he jumped at the chance of getting this wonderful auto. That was in 1994. He brought the car home to Fairfield Cty, CT. He drove the car a little bit but never even took the NJ plates off it, before tucking the car into the basement garage at his condo. There she sat until 2020 when the current owner purchased her. The car hadn’t been started, moved… touched in that entire time. The interior was damp and moldy, the paint was covered in dust and detritus, the engine was left to waste away.
The current owner brought her back home to central CT and immediately pulled the plugs and slathered the engine with Marvel Mystery Oil, started deep cleaning the interior, and washed, color sanded, and buffed the paint (the final buff has not yet been done). With a new battery and the usual tune-up parts and fluids for a 50’s V8, the 368 Y Block Lincoln engine fired to life, the true dual exhaust rumbling nicely. (The exhaust appears to have been replaced at some point and was not routed out through the bumper as it should be, but having a short pipe bent to work correctly wouldn’t be a big deal)
The interior was found to be all original with Medium Grey biscuits set into Dark Grey trim and boarders, all of this in leather. Unfortunately, the upper corner of the driver seat has been worn beyond mending. This car has power windows, power brakes and power steering (the pump is not currently working correctly, but the still drives rather easily) and has the rather rare option of AC. This car is only 1 of 28 built to this trim level. All the power items work correctly, although the rear windows are a little slow and occasionally need a little hand.
The chrome bezeled gauges are set into an engine-turned fascia and have a green Mother of Pearl-like face, with white hands. The red arrow telling one to look up at the gas gauge when you started running low. The fuel gauge is the only one that doesn’t seem to be working at the moment, all the others, including the clock, do work. Interesting is that this “Uber-Luxury” automobile has a tach that winds up to 5000 RPM and a 140 MPH speedo.
The odometer shows just 60K miles and we believe that to be correct.
Aside from the tune-up and deep cleaning, a new power brake booster was sourced and installed as were all new drum brakes and soft lines.
The Sears Allstate Guardsman tires, in 8.20×15 4 polyester bias ply, quite possibly could be the original tires. They are still holding air and believe it or not, are not dry rotted, Granted, I wouldn’t drive out on the highway on these or any more than 40 MPH and would indeed replace them with a modern equivalent for safety reasons, but it’s just so cool to see.
Despite that, the car still drives well, corners, starts, accelerates well, and stops beautifully due to the new brakes.
Word is that Turner may have scuffed the passenger side of the car and had it repainted only on that side, from the beltline down and it shows to have been poorly prepped, as there is some cracking and popping of the paint in that area.
Being one who enjoys original cars, especially survivors like this one, I’d be hard-pressed to do much more to her other than replace the tires and get the power steering working.. although, I’d then eventually want to get the seat fixed and probably the paint.. and then she’s lost a bit of her originality… and then… fully restore? If that’s the goal, this is a super strong base with no rot and just some surface rust along with certain parts of the frame.
Whatever route you’d take with this Continental MK II, the toll for ownership is $20,000.
Any questions, for many more photos and videos, to schedule a time to see her in person or to make an offer, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for the interest.
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