Are you looking for something out of the ordinary? Well, this may be it. Who’s ever heard of a Continental Mark V converted to a Coloma, sort of a Ranchero type vehicle? Here it is. The seller claims that there are only twelve in existence. This 1979 Continental Mark V Coloma is for sale here on Craigslist in Fountain Valley, California. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Casey B. for finding this unique vehicle and bringing to our attention.
This vehicle is originally from Northern California but has been stored in Orange County for the last five years. Having not heard of a Coloma, I, of course, googled it. Then I really got confused. The first selection was of this same vehicle for sale here on TopClassicCarsForSale.com. One reason I know its the same car is because it has the same license number. The puzzling part comes from the pictures in that ad. While in the pictures accompanying the Craigslist ad, about the only rust you see is on the lower rear fenders, there are many rust areas in the pictures of the other ad. That ad says it comes with parts from a Diamond Jubilee for the hood, fenders, and doors. Maybe the work has already been done for the Craiglist ad, or is it the result of PhotoShop? The Craigslist ad does say it has been repainted “non-professionally” above the pinstriping.
The seller says that the car was originally a burgundy and rose color. That may explain the color of the bed. The vinyl roof is completely trashed to the extent of having rust holes, but it does not leak. The Coloma has a working tailgate, unlike a Cadillac flower car that Barn Finds recently featured. This vehicle almost looks more like a flower car than a truck. The spare tire is concealed under the bed floor. The seller says the chassis is clean and floor pans are solid.
The interior is pretty much trash too, or at least the front leather seats are. The carpeting may be OK, but hard to tell from the pictures. The dash has a crack in the center. The steering wheel is also cracked. It’s a little unusual to see a black steering wheel and column in this car because I believe Ford color keyed the steering wheel/column to the interiors in the late seventies. The seller says the power seats, windows, and door locks are working. The ventilation system is functioning and the compressor comes on, but to me, that means the air is not cold. Otherwise, in all the information given in this ad, that would be included.
The engine powering this car is a 400 cubic inch V-8. Parts of the engine seem quite a bit rustier than normal for even a 40-year-old vehicle. The seller says the vehicle runs and drives, and has only been driven 37,959 miles. The seller states that fluids have been changed, it has new valve cover gaskets, new fuel hoses and filter, but could use a tuning. The asking price is $3,500. Is this a project you would be interested in taking on just to have something this unique?
The oval window looks really weird.
We had a black wheel in a red interior in our ’80 Pinto FWIW
Looks like the wheel and column have been replaced. Interior should look like this.
Pickup conversions are hit or miss aesthetically. This isn’t bad, except the dopey oval window. The price seems reasonable for the condition. It will be a task to find the butt for this seat though.
I think the oval rear window looks great. It’s all in the eye of the beholder, as they say.
Obviously this vehicle was never taken to DMV for an inspection as it still has passenger car plates on it. What that means is that the body style on the title is wrong.
I wonder what the new owners liability will be on that if it stays in California.
As it was a converted car, it probably maintained that designation when sold.
I can’t get past the name; coloma sounds like a bad medical problem to me.
Funeral flower car?
This looks like a fun project. No need to worry about originality. Possibly t-bar the roof. Rhino-line the rear. Nice tonneau. Recaro seats.
Here’s the culprit!
Gee, I thought the Honda Ridgeline was the first car-based “truck” with a panel in the bed that concealed the spare tire.
This could easily be a nice addition to a Ranchero collection.