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.
Hey Azz, totally agree with your assessment. Especially with that clumsy wing. I remember doing bags and air compressor on my 86 LSC. Not sure if Arnott still makes air parts for that gen Mark. Car had a nice ride when the air was working.
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.
Why would you take a car that runs to the crusher? Your point is pointless
I guess that Darell is the other brother to Darell?
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”. A spoiler? Seriously?? Unfortunately it doesn’t have anything special under the hood, which just makes the cladding and basket handle useless overkill. Now if that 302 was supercharged (See Pontiac cladding and SSEI) it would be something to shout about.
I imagine this is a dealer-installed aftermarket cladding/spoiler kit. Ford would have had nothing to do with its creation.
It’s so ugly.
When I saw LSC, I was thinking that it might have a puffer under the hood (Thunderbird SC?)
That “nothing special” engine is the same one that would have been found under the hood of the 5.0 Mustang from that era. This V8 generation of Mustang did a good job of hauling the mail & I imagine this Lincoln is no slouch at stop light or top end performance.
I had an 89 LSC. Great driving car. When it hit 120K, the air suspension began leaking down if it sat for more than a day. Fun while it lasted, but the air-suspension issue was a deal-breaker, so I traded.
Think I prefer the “plain” design, without all the plastic tacked onto it.
Dump the wing.
Install a modern set of better sized wheels/tires and you are just about PERFECT!
these were good looking ride from the factory. all that extra crap hanging on below the molding really needs to go. talk about making something look ugly and non-functional this is it. surfboard on the trunk is no help either. this must be the pimp daddy delicious option.
I had never seen a Mark VII with this cladding before and it would be ok if I never saw one again.
Don’t know about the crusher,but that plastic BS has got to go ! What a lousy install job .Look at the reveals. Wrecked a good looking car .Tacky as all get out .
Cale Yarborough built one of these for NASCAR. And of course, NASCAR wouldn’t allow it.
This is pretty cool for a change. Won’t ever see yourself going the other way. It’s easy to forget that they’re Fox platform. Ford got some mileage out of that one. Fairmont, Granada, Mustang, Thunderbird and all their counterparts. How much did Lee have to do with that before he got booted over to Chrysler?
It appears to be an aftermarket body package offered to dealers, called the Stauffer GST. Here’s a link to a pic of the promotional flyer, which is all I could find.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7253/7528391634_2975d73beb_z.jpg
Talk about fantastic, that’s fantastic sleuthing, SteVen! That’s great, thanks for tracking down that link to the old ad. I love it even more now. The seller says it’s 1 of 215 built with this body cladding. For my $8,000 (the bid is currently $7,100), this would draw a crowd at any Cars & Coffee event, and you’d get there and back in style. Now, to somehow dig up that $8,000… It’s only a half-hour from me, so no shipping either, that’s painful. Arrrrrgh.
A friend of mine worked for the business that manufactured that body kit. They were based on Dixie Hwy in West Palm Beach, FL. The GST name came from the owners initials. I think he had another business called Stauffer (or something like that)He had more money than sense and threw money at the business for a couple of years and then folded as I recall. I don’t believe too many of those kits were manufactured.
Thanks very much for the info on the body kits, Mr. W!
I test drove an ’88 LSC in ’90. It was the local Ford Service Manager’s wife’s car. Had all the service records, was in A-1 condition & would really move along when I floored the gas pedal. I was impressed with this big luxury muscle car. However, I am tall and like to stretch out my legs when driving down the interstate while on Cruise Control. The seat would not go back far enough for me to stretch out so I did not buy it.
Auction update: this unusual Lincoln sold for $7,100. I wish I could have gotten this one for the unusual factor.
That was an absolute gift of a car!!
Lovely looking car. This has always been my favourite Lincoln Mark car. Even today, 35 yrs. after the fact, I still find it beautiful to look at. Whatever powertrain powers this bad boy, I hope it’s been cared for and maintained.