With enough lower-body cladding to satisfy the most discerning fans of moulded go-fast goodies, this 1990 Lincoln Mark VII LSC (Luxury Sport Coupe) SE (Special Edition) appears to be quite a specimen. I absolutely love the cladding, not to mention the bigger (16″) BBS cast-aluminum wheels. This nice example is listed here on eBay in Andover, Minnesota; the current bid is $6,000, but the reserve hasn’t been met yet.
We’ve seen eight examples of the 1990 Lincoln Mark VII, and that name always reminds me of the powerful arm pounding VII into the chunk of metal at the end of Dragnet: Mark VII Limited. The gentleman who owned that hand was Mr. Harold Nyby, Jack Webb’s construction foreman, and the Mark VII name and logo were said to have been visually appealing to Mr. Webb, rather than having some deep meaning. Sort of like the body cladding on this fantastic Fox platform Lincoln. It helps in aerodynamics, but I’d argue that it was more for looks than anything. The seller says this is a dealer-installed body kit. Have any of you seen one like this before? Lincoln made the Mark VII from 1982 for the 1983 model year until the end of 1992. The “Continental” part of the name went away after 1985, and for 1986 through 1992, they were the Lincoln Mark VII.
I like hand-washing vehicles, and I would love to wash this car by hand in our driveway. That would mean that I would own it for one thing, and it would give me a better chance to really study the details of this car. For a Lincoln, it really looks like a rocket. The trunk is spacious, not as much as on the Continental Town Car of the same era, but more than enough for most of us. I really should run up and see this car in person. The seller has provided many great photos; kudos to them for not hiding anything! The cladding around the doors reminds me of my 2002 TT, where the door is bare on the bottom, but the cladding goes around it. I’ve never cared for that look, but I don’t mind it as much on this car. Here’s a fun brochure on the 1990 Lincoln Mark VII.
They even show a few underside photos to prove their description that it’s rock solid, other than some normal surface rust. The underside of the heavy doors looks brand new to me, much nicer than a Minnesota car should look. The honest driver’s seat leather proves that this car wasn’t a garage queen, as does the 100,360 miles showing on the analog odometer. The back seat should have enough room for most people, and it looks like new back there. The only part that I see that isn’t like new would be a few chips on the front bumper. I would hope that could be paint-matched exactly to bring this car up to a very nice level. The factory air suspension has been converted to regular springs, but could be converted back, according to the seller.
The engine in this luxury beast is a Ford 302-cu.in. OHV fuel-injected V8, which was factory-rated at 225 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque when new. That power is sent through a four-speed automatic to the rear wheels, and the seller says they’ve owned it for about a year, and this car has never been driven in the winter. They do mention a small oil leak from somewhere. Hagerty is at $9,000 for a #3 good condition, how much would you pay for this one?
This is one very clean Mark VII. I don’t really remember seeing many like this. I love that brochure too. The burgundy one in the beginning really gets you hooked. Its so mind boggling to me at least, of how many different variations of the Fox Body Ford designed. I mean, lets face it, if you park a Fairmont, a Mustang and then this gorgeous thing next to it, you told me they were all Fox Body, I wouldn’t believe it. Its a great platform. Mark VII Lincolns are amongst my favorites. This one really doesn’t fit the mileage claim either, I eould not have believed it has that many miles on it. Chalk me up too for really digging the body cladding here too Scotty!! Great write up, on a great Lincoln.
Great looking hammer! Imagine how much fun it could be with a transplanted manual from a Mustang…and other fun bits…
Thanks, guys! Now you’ve got me thinking, Fahrvergnugen. I’m afraid to look at this one, I want it too much.
That front end could plow your street, Dave!
I like that Ford took a chance on this car. They were good runners despite the air suspension woes.
But the view of the car from the rear is just a jumbled mess:
Dual exhausts.
Body cladding.
Fake spare tire bump.
Trunk mounted spoiler.
Confuses the issue of what this car is supposed to be.
I’ll take my Lincoln in the plain wrapper please.
Hot Rod Lincoln ?
The Lincoln Mark VII is a very sharp looking car. My Father bought one the first year that they came out. He also upgraded to two newer models. This car looks like someone went to Home Depot, and bought a few rolls of landscape edging, and screwed it onto the car. I would be very embarrassed to be seen driving this car to anywhere but the crusher.
I really like the Mark VII. Overall they were cleanly-styled and attractively trimmed cars, with good performance. Amazing how closely related they are to the humble, boxy early Fairmont economy/family car. I’m usually fine with body cladding, but this one does nothing for me.
I never liked BBS type wheels.
The Lincoln Mark VII was styled very nicely…so Ford decided to muck it up with all that garbage hanging off its sides and on its trunk, as if the car is shouting, “look at me, I’ve got go fast goodies”. Unfortunately it doesn’t have anything special under the hood, which just makes the cladding useless overkill. Now if that 302 was supercharged (See Pontiac cladding and SSEI) it would be something to shout about.