Stunning the press and public alike with a sticker price of over $10,000, the Continental Mark II was the most expensive American production car for 1956. Spanning production for just two years, by the time the last one was built, a mere 1,769 examples had been built. This one is a study in noir, with a black exterior and a two-tone black and white interior with leather by Bridge of Weir in Scotland. The 368/285 HP Y-block V-8 engine is fed by a 4-barrel carburetor and backed by the Turbo-Drive 3-speed automatic transmission. The brake system has been refreshed with new wheel cylinders, power brakes and brake pads, while a new electric choke and vacuum booster pump help ensure smoother startups. With standard amenities such as power seats, power windows, tinted glass and a windshield washer, this car retains its original Town & Country radio and the optional air conditioning. Rolling on Firestone wide whitewall tires, the steel wheels are adorned with the famous 40-vane wheel covers. When Ford introduced the Continental Division as its flagship, the goal was to produce vehicles that competed with the world’s finest, such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz. During the 1950s, it was discovered that buyers normally associated Lincoln as competing with Buick and Chrysler more so than Cadillac, Imperial and Packard, and Ford felt it imperative to shift those notions. The new division’s first effort would be the Mark II, the successor to the original Continental introduced by Edsel Ford in 1939. By the time the Mark II debuted for sale, the sticker price stunned buyers, edging over $10,000. But, for that price, buyers got it all—the only option was air conditioning. Buyers only had to choose the color combination. The Mark II quickly became the car to have, with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor among early owners. Interestingly enough, Elvis would trade in his 1956 Lincoln Premiere for a 1956 Mark II while working in Florida, having had the Premiere for only a few months. Despite the unique effort put into Mark II, the eye-watering sticker price ensured slow sales. By the time the last Mark II was built in May of 1957, just 1,769 examples had been built. As a testament to the Mark II’s quality and loving owners through the years, it’s largely agreed that roughly three- quarters of the total production remains on the road today.
