Some classics leave you pondering what path to follow once the vehicle in question is safely parked in your garage. This 1960 Continental Mark V Convertible is no different. This recent barn find could be a prime restoration candidate. However, its lack of rust may motivate the buyer to follow the preservation path. The seller has listed the Mark V here on eBay in Fowler, Colorado. They set their BIN at $17,000 with the option to make an offer.
When Ford established the Continental marque in 1956, it aimed to produce the world’s best luxury car. Henry Ford II placed his brother, William Clay Ford, in charge of operations, and the Mark II appeared that year. It was an exercise in excellence, but Continental lost a significant sum on every car produced. Had the Ford Motor Company been family-owned, it probably would have endured those losses. However, the 1956 public float meant shareholders expected a return on their investment, so Continental was absorbed into the Lincoln division in 1959. The decision angered William Clay Ford, causing a rift between the brothers that never healed. Many consider the 1960 Mark V the last true Continental, with the company offering five body styles. The Convertible sold 2,044 units, second in popularity to the 4-Door Hardtop. Finished in Polaris White with a matching power top, the seller discovered this Convertible hidden in a dry barn. It had occupied that spot for approximately twenty years, and doesn’t appear to have suffered unduly from the experience. The paint has a reasonable shine, but with no significant panel or paint imperfections, it might present acceptably as a survivor once polished. I admit that rust was a concern, but the underside shots confirm that the Continental is rock-solid. The top isn’t torn, but the fit is a bit loose, and the seller is unsure whether the mechanism operates. One rather funky design feature is the back window. The company fitted every car, including the Convertible, with the retractable “Breezeway” window to improve ventilation. Most of the trim looks pretty respectable for a survivor, and there are no visible issues with the tinted glass.
Every 1960 Continental Mark V buyer received the same drivetrain configuration. The company equipped its latest offering with a 430ci V8, a three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. Luxury manufacturers are sometimes hesitant about quoting power and torque figures, but the 1960 Sales Brochure states that the 430 produces 315hp and 465 ft/lbs of torque. It appears that this Mark V saw regular service before its hibernation, and the seller has coaxed it back to life. They include an embedded video in their listing, with the car running and driving. The motor sounds sweet, with no smoke or odd noises. The brakes work, although the seller states that they aren’t as effective as they could be. That suggests a possible leak, and since some perishable components will have inevitably deteriorated, the vehicle will need work before it is genuinely roadworthy. However, it seems like a realistic short-term goal.
The Continental’s interior is a surprise packet. Trimmed in Blue and Gray leather, it looks far better than I expected. The carpet looks tired, and I doubt that even the deepest clean will bring it back. However, with only a couple of repairable seam separations visible in the limited listing images, cleaning and conditioning the leather might leave it looking acceptable for a survivor-grade classic. The dash looks pretty impressive, and the interior features the level of creature comforts you would rightfully expect from a luxury car. The buyer receives air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a six-way power front seat, and a pushbutton radio. The seller hasn’t tested the A/C, but the remaining features seem to work as they should.
I’m willing to raise my hand and admit that I have never been a fan of the 1960 Continental Mark V. The styling has never captured my heart, although I respect your opinion if it differs from mine. That said, this one could be a promising project. However, I think that if the buyer addressed what appear to be minor mechanical issues and detailed the entire vehicle, it would present acceptably for a survivor of this vintage. Some people are intimidated by the prospect of restoring cars like this, but they shouldn’t be. Although marketed as an expensive luxury car, the Continental’s construction process is no more complicated than most Fords from this era. Therefore, it won’t hold many mysteries compared to its less expensive cousins. Are those thoughts enough to tempt you to pursue this Mark V further?
The seller hasn’t tested the A/C? How hard would it be to turn it on? That’s the test, it works or it doesn’t.
That’s even better then the A/C not working it just needs a charge. Stands to reason do it before you put it up for sale or be honest and say not working not sure why.
Could be there is no belt on it now or that the seller doesn’t want to risk damaging anything by running it dry. Obviously this guy hasn’t had the car for long and is just marketing it as is. Value it as if it needs a full AC replacement and if you can get it working with some new o-rings, a filter drier, a shot of mineral oil and $300 of R-12, then you come out ahead. If not, you aren’t out anything more than your time and materials.
Intriguingly, for the 1960 season, Lincoln lowered the 430 MEL’s compression ratio and replaced the four-barrel carburetor with a two-barrel. I can understand that in 1973-1974 when there were gas shortages Lincoln owners might have taken a sudden interest in fuel consumption but in 1959-1960 there was no supply problem. Ford in 1959 must for some reason have been convinced even Lincoln buyers weren’t unaffected by the recession and would have been grateful for an extra 2-3 mpg. Pleasingly, the economy improved and the MELs soon were back to guzzling gas four barrels at a time. Thoughtfully, Lincoln slightly off-set the MEL’s four-barrel unit so the two primary throats would be centred, thereby optimizing flow to the two banks.
There were so many complaints about poor gas mileage on the 1958 and 1959 models, that the carburetor was changed to a 2-barrel for 1960. I’m guessing that the ’58 and ’59 fuel mileage was in the single digits. Remember, it’s a 5,000+ pound car.
Big ol’ ugly car, what about the ’54 Chevy pickup in the lead photo?
sure, is a big, long car. take you a while to block sand that 1/4 panel. not many left out there like this.
Not my my favorite year Lincoln, but it has the look of a true survivor grade car. I’d go get the brakes rebuilt, get AC sorted out,scrub her clean, replace the top and enjoy it as is. Glad it’s in the wrong part of the country for me.
These are unibody cars, possibly the largest ever made. Years ago there was an article about their development in “Collectible Automobile” magazine. It was stated that Ford engineers were having a lot of problems making the huge unit body strong enough and bought a Nash Ambassador to dissect to see how it was done. (By the time the Lincoln’s structure was sufficiently braced any weight saving from eliminating the frame was lost.)
The article in the link below talks about some of the development problems Ford faced with these cars:
https://www.deansgarage.com/1958-60-lincolns-what-went-wrong/
I thought that the unibody didn’t appear until the 1961 model year came out in the fall of 1960. I thought that the 1960 models were still body-on-frame cars!
Looks like paint mismatch on drivers side – body damage ?
By this time, GM was running 4-link rear suspensions with coil springs. Why is the top Ford product still on leaf springs in 1960?
Yeah these late 50s to early 1960s year Lincoln unibodies were years behind Chrysler and GM in the area of suspension.. They were bad to shudder and actually had weights on all 4 corners in bumpers to help compensate. Chrysler really had them all beat with its exclusive, Torsion suspension.
Mark V? The Mark IV was in production from 1972-75 or so, with the Mark V following a year later, in 1976, IIRC, so how can this also be a Mark V?
Jim, I agree. I’m more interested in the 5 window truck in the background
I would like to watch the top go down. It looks complicated, especially with that Breezeway window.