Today we are part three of the Lincoln Mark series of car coverage. So far, we’ve covered the original Continental, which ran from 1939 to 1948, and learned about the styling decisions that made the mid-century Continental Mark II its finest. The arrival of the Mark II heralds the birth of Ford’s new Continental luxury division.a division of Ford and don’t want Lincoln-Mercury, Continental was established as the flagship of Ford’s business. We restored the Cadillac around 1952.

The introduction of the Cadillac Eldorado in 1952 and its introduction in 1953 was a problem for Ford, who wanted to beat GM by singles.Dearborn HQ executives decided the best way to beat Cadillac in the personal luxury coupe race was to launch a new brand, namely more than Cadillac’s luxurious adjective in price, style, quality, sophistication and all the other stuff used in breathless PR.

A group within Ford began Continental Planning in 1952 as a Special Products Operating Unit project. The group was led by Edsel’s son, William Clay Ford (1925-2014), along with the aforementioned designer Gordon Buehrig and stylist John Reinhart and engineer Harley Copp. The group’s first attempt to win over Ford’s board with another Continental company was rejected. But they kept on working, and the Mark II design was approved by management and completed in 1953. There’s no question that the Eldorado’s reality as a Cadillac dealer puts some pressure on the C-Suite.

Beyond the Mark II, the Specialty Products Operations team has bigger ideas for the Continental brand.They have launched a full range of vehicles, including retractable hard top Convertibles and larger four-door hardtop sedans. Unfortunately, none of that will happen after the Mark II debuts. But we’ll discuss that later.

Ford isn’t the only company with an ultra-luxury brand philosophy. Around the same time, Chrysler launched its own exclusive luxury division: Empire. GM is the only Big Three brand without an obvious division strategy, but it’s not like Cadillac. need Predominant.

Continental and Imperial have something in common and go after wealthy domestic car buyers with a commitment to high quality and handcrafted detailing. They differed in body style: the original 1955 and 1956 Imperials were available in two- and four-doors, and in a variety of styles including sedans, hardtops and limousines. The Mark II is a unique model, available only as a hardtop coupe. The two brands also have different prices, but we’ll get to that later.

The Continental Mark II model’s name is intended to directly relate it to the glamorous 1940s model that’s been remembered for. Mark II Especially it sounds very European, since many overseas vehicles use this nomenclature to distinguish between generations or model updates. Thus, the Continental division debuted in 1955, and its unique offering was the Mark II coupe. Fittingly, Continental made a sensational debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955. Ford then launched the American Mark II at its Dearborn headquarters. The Mark II went on sale in 1956, a year after the Imperial’s launch.

According to Ford, the Mark II is a car of the highest quality. It was hand-built and sold at a premium to a group of exclusive buyers lucky enough to afford such luxury. As the most expensive car Ford produced at the time, the Mark II was also the most expensive American car money could buy. As part of its glorious glory, the Mark II was sold not to compete with Cadillacs and Imperials, but with Rolls-Royce Silver Clouds (1955-1966).

The Silver Cloud is the “entry-level” model of the RR and falls into the luxury category. It was dwarfed by another model offered by Rolls-Royce at the time, the fifth-generation Phantom. It was a very different period at Rolls-Royce, which becomes apparent when you consider the modern version of the Silver Cloud. This is Ghost, a very good version of the BMW 7 Series.

When it debuted, the Mark II was asking $9,966 ($106,912 adjusted), and air conditioning was the only item on its options list. Those who wanted to ride the Mark II with the least amount of sweat paid $595 ($6,383 adjusted) for the factory-installed air conditioner. By comparison, a 1956 Rolls-Royce had a target price of $13,250 ($142,142 adjusted), making the Mark II look like a bargain.However, compared to the Eldorado Seville’s $5,257 ($56,395 adjusted) or $6,286 ($67,434 adjusted) two-door Imperial Southampton, the Mark II is undoubtedly don’t want a good deal.

Under its luxurious body, the Mark II shared its platform with the standard Lincoln cars of the time, the Premiere and Capri. Both models are full-size cars, and as mentioned, the Capri is a top-of-the-line version of the base premiere. Body-on-frame The chassis was modified to a Y-frame, allowing for a lower ride height and room for the standard Mark II dual exhaust.

The platform change has an impact on the Mark II’s overall appearance, as the final product is 4 inches shorter, 2 inches narrower and 3 inches lower off the ground than the Capri. The windshield is also 8 inches behind the Capri. The 126-inch wheelbase is unchanged from other Lincolns, but the Mark II is 218.4 inches long, 77.5 inches wide, and 56.3 inches tall.

Ford did away with the Lincoln Mark II’s standard suspension, but made one notable change.The Mark weighs 4,960 pounds enough A little heavier than the heaviest Capri, it weighs between 4,300 and 4,600 pounds. To combat the weight and give marketers something to say, Ford placed speed-sensitive dampers on the front of the Mark II.

Elsewhere in Mechanical News, there is nothing to brag about. To keep down the already considerable build costs, the Mark II borrowed the engine directly from other Lincolns. The engine in question is the company’s Y-block V8, which maxes out at 368 cubic inches. The Y engine was a limited-time engine line in Ford’s product portfolio: Between 1952 and 1963, the engine was used in one of six displacement models of Ford’s heavy-duty truck line, the Lincoln and Mercury.

The Y was Ford’s first V8 OHV mill.it was developed by lincoln and used in lincoln cars first. Because of the success of Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac with the OHV V8, especially Oldsmobile’s rocket power, Ford was pushed into engine development. Chrysler also beat Ford and offered the Hemi OHV V8 from 1951.

Power outputs for the Y range from 160 to 300 horsepower, depending on displacement and carburetor size, and torque from 246 to 415 lb-ft. The 368 was a new variant for 1956 and proved to be the final development of this particular engine. In use with the Mark II, it produced 285 hp when it was introduced and 300 hp in 1957. Torque figures initially came in at 402 lb-ft, and 415 lb-ft in the Mark II’s second year. The only transmission available is a three-speed automatic, a collaboration between Lincoln and BorgWarner called Turbo-Drive.

While the platform and running gear are standard Lincoln fare, the Continental division doesn’t stop at the company’s standard heels when it comes to the Mark II’s build and quality. More on this in part four.

[Images: Ford]

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