1956 Continental Mark II
VIN no. C5601612
285 hp, 368 cu. in. overhead valve V-8 engine, Turbo-Drive
three-speed automatic transmission, independent front suspension
with upper and lower control arms and coil springs, live rear axle
with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum
brakes. Wheelbase: 126 in.
William Clay Ford’s tribute to his father Edsel, the Continental
Mark II was developed to be the finest automobile possible. Given a
classic “long hood/short deck” profile and a simulated spare tire
bulge on the trunk lid by a styling team that included Ford
himself, John Reinhart, and former Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg designer
Gordon Buehrig, it was a semi-custom automobile, with a price tag
to match. At $9,695, the Continental Mark II, as it would be known,
was the most expensive American production car in twenty years. It
boasted nearly every comfort and convenience gadget as standard
equipment. Ford was very clear that this was not a Lincoln, but a
Continental, a separate division established to add exclusivity to
the luxury marque.
For one’s small fortune, however, they received one of the most
carefully crafted cars in the world. Despite sharing mechanical
components with Lincolns, the Continental’s drivetrain items were
machined to higher tolerances and heavily tested, with each chassis
tuned and test-driven before a body was mounted. The bodies
themselves demanded sixty hours of metal-finishing, five times that
of the typical American car. Engineer Harley Copp’s unusual
“cowbelly” frame gave the car a recessed floor, much like the
“Step-Down” Hudson of the late 1940s, permitting upright seating
without a tall body – only 56 inches in . Only 2,550 were sold in
1956, followed by another 444 in 1957, when production halted in
May and the model was discontinued. Continentals had been
delivered, in the meantime, to Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Nelson
Rockefeller, and the Shah of Iran.
22k original miles. One of the finest available. Ownership has been traced back to J. Morgan of Norfolk, Virginia, in 1973. Showcased in Museums since 1992. We have replaced the ignition system, rubber hoses, battery and did a full fluid and filter change in the engine, transmission and rear axle. New Tires from Coker in 2014. This car is and drives like new. This car was untouchable then and is still to this day. A must for any collection.
