Vehicle Description
If you go into a Lincoln store today, you'd be forgiven for not
quite knowing where you were. Ford's luxury division seems to have
forgotten the cars that made Lincoln great, and there's just no
excuse for not having a Mark personal luxury coupe on the showroom
floor. The Mark VIII was the last of the breed, and fortunately,
this drop-dead gorgeous 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII is a fantastic
performer with insanely low miles and exemplary preservation, so
you can satisfy your high performance Lincoln coupe craving without
having to settle for whatever sedan they're calling a MK these
days.
The Mark VIII was a great showcase of Ford's silky smooth 4.6 liter
DOHC 32-Valve V8, which gave the big coupe the moves of a much
lighter car. American through and through, it's big, strong,
silent, and capable of eating up vast stretches of highway without
breaking a sweat. This flashy sport coupe was always both sporty
and luxurious, with a firm suspension, big rims and tires, dual
exhaust, and a host of niceties to make it feel less pillowy than
the Towncar, yet not quite as aggressive as the Mustang. In truth,
they seemed to nail the balance of luxury and sport, creating a car
that looks handsome and refined, yet distinctive, and whose
performance exceeds expectations. With a scant 16,503 original
miles, this dialed-in 2-owner coupe shows extremely well, with the
slick Pearl White paint glowing in the sun and showing practically
no signs of use. Quite frankly this about as close to showroom-new
as you'll find in a Mark VIII. Big, bright headlights start the
party up front, a chrome grille adds sparkle (as opposed to the
color-matched LSC versions), and a full-width taillight treatment
that includes a neon tube that lights the center section is encased
in chrome and a trademark of this beautiful car.
The Saddle Tan leather interior is simply gorgeous, with a
wrap-around instrument panel that feels very futuristic and
high-end materials found throughout the cabin that put this Linc on
another level. The seats show very little wear and certainly no
signs of damage beyond some slight comfort marks (if you can even
find them) and even the carpets and headliner remain in excellent
shape. There are some very nice woodgrain accents on the center
console and door panels, while the wide, Ford-trademark instrument
panel houses big, round analog gauges that you can easily read at a
glance. Obviously, as Lincoln's flagship, everything was standard,
from automatic climate control with ice cold A/C, to power windows,
locks, seats, and mirrors, to a trip computer that monitors, well,
just about everything. Cruise control buttons are on the steering
wheel and there's a powerful AM/FM/Cassette stereo system with CD
changer and in the hushed Mark VIII's interior, it sounds amazing.
There's also a big trunk that makes road trips a pleasure.
With 280 horsepower on tap, the Mark VIII is alarmingly fast for a
luxury from this era, and that DOHC V8 makes a sound akin to
ripping silk as it roars towards redline. In truth, there still
aren't many cars that are faster on the roll, and punching this car
at highway speeds produces an unending stream of torque that hurls
the big coupe forward effortlessly. It's properly maintained and if
service in Mustang Cobras has taught us anything, it's that this
Modular motor is virtually indestructible. The 4-speed automatic
overdrive transmission has a knack for always being in the right
gear and the 4-wheel independent suspension is equipped with
computer controlled airbags at all four corners which lower the car
at speed to improve vehicle aerodynamics. The big disc brakes with
ABS haul it down from speed without drama and it's fitted with
gorgeous alloy wheels wearing Goodyear Eagle radials all
around.
The last of Lincoln's personal luxury coupes is still a fantastic
car, and at this price, you get incredible performance and luxury
for pennies on the dollar. Call today!
