For Sale at Auction: 1956 Continental Mark II in Newport, Rhode Island

Chassis No. C56E2881

As noted by the Continental Mark II Registry, this car was completed 1 March 1956 as the sixth Continental Mark II built that day. This Style 11-60A coupe left the factory finished in Deep Green over a two-tone green leather interior, its Light Green seat biscuits set against Medium Green bolsters and Light Green welts, per body specification 05-1C2D-301-6. Its production order form records that it was then sent to Bristol Lincoln-Mercury of Forestville, Connecticut. The Continental Mark II Registry notes that this car was originally owned by the charcoal baron and American timber cruiser Edward George Kingsford. Kingsford was recruited by his wife's first cousin Henry Ford in 1919 to develop the company's Upper Peninsula timber and sawmill operations, later serving as general manager of Ford's lumber division.

Comprehensively restored before its first concours showing, the history file notes that this car opened its record with Best Primary Division for 1956-1957 Continental Mark II at the 2003 Lincoln and Continental Owners Club (LCOC) Eastern National Meet. At the 2008 Eastern Nationals it repeated the class win with a score of 99 out of 100 and took home a William Clay Ford Trophy. It also added a Best 1950s Engine Room award, a distinction not presented to any car the following year. The car returned to the podium at the 2009 Eastern National Lincoln Show, scoring 99.17 out of 100 and earning a second William Clay Ford Trophy.

One of just 2,500 Mark II coupes built for 1956, within a total run of only 3,005, this car pairs its 368-cubic-inch Lincoln V8 with three decades of documented show history and two LCOC Eastern National Meet primary division wins. Finished in Deep Green over its factory two-tone green leather and correct to its original specification, it presents remarkably well today with its paint and interior still carrying the crisp finish that earned those wins and remains one of the nicest examples of the Mark II extant. Accompanying the car is a large treasure trove of documentation that includes restoration invoices, photos, correspondence, its original hardback owner's manual in its original envelope, sales brochure, and more. It stands among the more thoroughly documented and best-presented survivors of Ford's short-lived Continental brand.