Development of the Continental Mark II is the stuff of Ford legend. Initially suggested by William Clay Ford that Lincoln could use a sporty flagship that resurrected the athletic and luxurious Continentals from 1939 to 1948, it had a statelier nature of design reminding customers of the Lincoln Model K. Ford management rejected the idea initially, but gave it the green light when it was proposed again in 1953—the same year Buick introduced the Skylark, Oldsmobile introduced the Fiesta 98 and Cadillac introduced the Eldorado. With those exclusive vehicles entering the market, Ford knew Lincoln needed to keep up. The Continental Division was established solely to build the Mark II, an ultra-exclusive, hand-built coupe that would rival the world’s finest from Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz to Rolls-Royce. Introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1955, it astonished the press and public alike with its restrained yet decidedly American styling, sumptuous interior upholstered with leather by Bridge of Weir, bevvy of color choices and its price tag of just over $9,000, translating to about $98,000 today. Justifying the price were several levels of design, construction, materials, equipment and finish, each with sublevels of quality control and inspections. Every nuance of a Mark II was scrutinized to the highest level, engines were balanced and blueprinted, disassembled and reassembled after test running; transmissions were refined for smoother shifting, and both were honed for quiet, nearly silent operation. The chassis and body were also treated to similar engineering, providing very quiet operation. The only option available was air conditioning. This 1956 Mark II is the final pre-production vehicle, the 14th of 14. During an extensive five-year frame-off restoration, every component was restored or replaced, leading to an exemplary Mark II. A 4-barrel carburetor feeds the matching- numbers original 368 CI V-8 engine backed by a 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic transmission, and speed sensitive shocks help maintain a fluid ride. Finished in burgundy with a two-tone burgundy and white interior, the car is equipped as would be expected of a flagship, with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, a Town and Country radio and full instrumentation complete with a tachometer. Wrapped in wide whitewall tires, the steel wheels are topped with turbine-style wheel covers, which were originally hand assembled.
