The Mark series of Continentals from 1958-60 are some of the boldest designs and styling to come from Ford Motor Co. They were the largest unit-construction (“unibody”) automobiles ever built, alongside the “Squarebird” Thunderbirds at a brand-new manufacturing plant. The seller’s car is the rare 1960 Mark V convertible, which only saw 2,044 copies produced that year. Located in Santa Rosa, California, this interesting project is available here on Barn Finds Classifieds for the best offer of more than $6,500.

In succession, the ‘58s were Mark III’s, the ‘59s were Mark IV’s, and the ‘60s, of course, Mark V’s. The Continentals were the upscale models of the higher-priced Lincolns and dominated production those years. Out of 25,000 Lincoln automobiles built for 1960, about half were Mark Vs and the convertible like this one was the rarest of the lot. They were huge cars but weighed no more than some of the largest SUVs on the market today.

These were thirsty cars, too, so in 1960 the 430 cubic-inch V8s that powered the Lincolns were cut back to 2-barrel carburetors (still 315 hp), which increased fuel mileage by a third (and those were the days when no one cared about how much gasoline cost). The seller’s drop-top is still wearing its original Twilight Pink paint, which was quite attractive on a car this size. The Lincoln here was last registered in 1965 and carries the California plates it was issued back then. The reported mileage is just 49,000.

But the passage of time has led to the need for this car to receive a full restoration. The process was started at some point with the removal of trim pieces and the car’s drivetrain. Part of the latter work has been completed with new parts and the engine will need to be reassembled and eventually put back into the Continental. There is a bit of rust on the floorboards and in both rocker panels, but we’re told that’s all and easily repairable. The interior is also original and needs redoing, including a new convertible top.

Once the project is finished, can you envision yourself cruising down the highway in this magnificent machine? You seldom see one of these cars today, slanted headlights and all. As bodacious as these autos were, it’s hard to understand why they didn’t outsell Cadillac which was just as lavishly styled as the Lincolns.