Lincoln
Continental Mark III
Lincoln's most intriguing
development for 1968 was the $6585
Continental Mark III. Not a revival of the
leviathan '58 Mark III, this was the
putative successor to the charismatic
1956-57 Mark II. It bore the personal stamp
of company president Henry Ford II, just as
his brother, William Clay, had influenced
the Mark II and their father, Edsel, had
hatched the original 1940 "Mark I"
Continental. Why "Mark III" instead of the
expected "Mark VI?" Because HF II didn't
view the heavyweight 1958-60 Mark III/IV/V
as true Continentals.
But this new one was true to its heritage,
at least in spirit. The project had begun
in late 1965 as a personal-luxury coupe
with long-hood/short-deck proportions in
the Continental tradition. Exterior styling
was naturally supervised by corporate
design chief Gene Bordinat. Hermann Brunn,
scion of the great coachbuilding family and
a member of Bordinat's staff, was chiefly
responsible for the interior, endowing it
with large, comfortable bucket seats and a
dashboard with simulated woodgrain trim and
easy-to-reach controls. Henry Ford II
himself selected both the interior and
exterior designs from numerous proposals
submitted in early 1966.
The result was actually a structural cousin
to the new-for-'67 Thunderbird sedan, set
on the same 117.2-inch wheelbase (some nine
inches shorter than the Mark II's). Overall
length was identical with that of
Cadillac's new 1967 front-wheel-drive
Eldorado. Though slightly baroque, the Mark
III was handsome, helped by America's
longest hood -- more than six feet. It also
offered a wide choice of luxury interiors
and 26 exterior colors, including four
special "Moondust" metallic paints. The
1969-71 models cost a fair bit more:
ultimately over $8800. Standard equipment
ran to Select-Shift Turbo-Drive automatic,
power brakes (discs in front, drums in
back), concealed headlamps, ventless door
windows, power seats and windows,
flow-through ventilation, and 150 pounds of
sound insulation.
Beneath that long hood was a new 460 cid
V-8 -- one of Detroit's largest -- with
10.5:1 compression and 365 bhp. Also
adopted for standard '68 Continentals, it
would remain Lincoln's mainstay powerplant
for the next 10 years.
Because of a late introduction (in April),
the Mark III saw only 7770 units for
model-year '68. But there was no question
that it was right for its market. As proof
-- and despite no major change -- more than
23,000 were sold for '69, another 21,432
for 1970, and over 27,000 for '71. The
front-drive Eldorado may have been more
technically advanced, but the Mark III
seemed to have more magic, for it nearly
matched Eldorado sales each year through
1971 and never trailed by more than 2000.
This was a great achievement considering
Lincoln's annual volume had never come
close to Cadillac's.
Aside from the larger engine, the '68
Continental sedan and hardtop updated their
basic '66 look with a new horizontal grille
texture and matching rear-panel applique,
beefier bumpers, and large "star" ornaments
on the nose and trunklid. A multifunction
lamp at each corner imparted a cleaner look
by combining turn signals, side-marker
lamps (newly required by Washington), and
parking lamps (front) or brake/taillamps.
Also new were a government-required dual
hydraulic brake system with warning light,
a four-way emergency flasher, and an
energy-absorbing steering column and
instrument panel. Model-year volume for
this line totaled more than 39,000.
Announcing the 1969 Continentals was a
square, finely checked Vee'd grille
more-distinct from the headlamps. A new
Town Car interior option for the sedan
provided "unique, super-puff
leather-and-vinyl seats and door panels,
luxury wood-tone front seat back and door
trim inserts, extra plush carpeting and
special napped nylon headlining." Series
production eased once again, settling at
about 38,300.
The Mark III was one of the first vehicles
to have power-controlled features and
anti-lock brakes.
Differences for the 1969 model year
included eight new exterior colors and an
optional white leather/vinyl interior, as
well as new headrests, steering wheel
styling, instrument panel knobs, and
color-keyed vinyl boots on the front seat
belt anchors varied. A Cartier clock was
introduced in December 1968. The
non-Cartier clocks of the early cars have
exhibited fewer problems than the
Cartier-branded units.
Few changes were made to the Mark
III for 1970. Few were needed. The
vinyl roof became standard, and the parking
lights now illuminated with the headlamps.
The interior upholstery received a
facelift, eliminating the diamond-tufted
look of the 1969 models. The simulated wood
grain accents on the interior were upgraded
to genuine Walnut veneer. The windshield
wipers were hidden under the back edge of
the hood, which also allowed heat in the
engine compartment to dissipate better.
Michelin steel belted radial ply tires were
now provided as standard equipment,
complete with a 40,000-mile tread wear
guarantee. And the Three Spoke Rim-Blow
Steering Wheel, which allowed the driver to
operate the horns simply by squeezing the
inner rim was a new feature, also standard.
In addition to the new steering wheel, the
ignition key was relocated to the steering
column, and now featured a locking device
that locked the steering wheel and the
transmission selector lever when the key
was removed. All GM products adopted this
feature in 1969
.
The 1970 model year cars
included the formerly optional vinyl roof
and Sure-Track braking system. The interior
wood trim was upgraded to genuine walnut
wood trim (all 1969 models featured either
East India Rosewood or English Oak wood
appliques depending on the interior color).
The Continental lettering on the decklid
was bolted on (instead of glued on for
1969). The seat and door trim pattern was
changed to a simpler design (instead of the
diamond-pattern, button-tufted design of
1969). Also new were a locking steering
column, rim-blow steering wheel, map light
off delay device, concealed electric
windshield wipers with adjustable
intermittent feature, and a three-point
restraint system for front outboard
occupants.
Advertising for the 1970 Mark III remained
dignified and understated. Few words were
used in ad copy, as well as the sales
brochures. Apparently, Lincoln felt that
the car could speak for itself. Lincoln was
right. The Continental Mark III remains one
of the most distinctive cars on the road.
And the quality that was used to build the
car is still very much evident in some of
the high mileage examples that still exist.
The 1970 Continental Mark III. A classic in
its own time.
If you liked the 1970 Continental Mark III,
you would also like
the 1971
model, as very few changes were
made between the two. Sales improved to
27,091 for the year, the third and final
year of this body style, which had been
marketed since the Spring of 1968.
Automatic Temperature Control Air
Conditioning, Tinted Glass, and Hi-Back
Twin Comfort Lounge Seats with Dual 2-Way
Power Controls were added to the standard
equipment list, since most Mark IIIs left
the factory with those extras anyway.
Not too long after the 1971 Mark III hit
the dealer showrooms, potential customers
started commenting on the new Hi-Back
seats. It seems some people weren't very
receptive to them, noting they were too
tall, and blocked the view to the rear. In
order to overcome these objections, the
Lo-Back (as they were now called) seats
from 1970 were also made available as a no
cost option, so people could choose which
seat they liked better. The Hi-Back seats
had been introduced on other Ford Motor
Company products a few years earlier, and
were generally well received. 1971 was the
first year that they were installed in a
wide variety of Ford cars, including the
Ford LTD, Mercury Marquis, etc. They had
been available as part of an optional
interior trim package on the Thunderbird
since 1970, although the more conventional
Lo-Back seats were still standard fare.
Over at the Cadillac dealer's place, a new
Fleetwood Eldorado was announced. And it
was a totally new car, now available in a
choice of coupe or convertible. The
Eldorado Coupe was the most popular of the
two, with sales of 20,568 sold. The new
model for the line, the Eldorado
Convertible, was just the thing for 6,800
wealthy folks who still enjoyed the open
air sensation that only a convertible can
provide.
1971 was the year of the big General
Motors/United Auto Workers (UAW) strike. It
hit right about the time the new models
were introduced, and lasted for 67 days,
placing a serious crimp on new car
availability in General Motors' dealer
showrooms and car lots. Perhaps for this
reason as much as any other, sales of the
all new Eldorado weren't much better than
those of the three year old Mark III.
Not that the 1971 Eldorado was perfect. It
is generally noted that quality control
slipped a bit during this time, and some of
the materials used didn't seem to be up to
par with what was expected in a Cadillac.
The new styling also left some cold, with
deeply beveled sides and rear deck, a fake
scoop on the rear quarter panel, and
stationary Coach windows in the roof
quarters that replaced the rear side
windows on Coupes.
Cadillac's 500 cubic inch V-8, introduced
the previous year, was designed for 1971 to
run on new low lead or no lead fuels, while
the Mark III still required premium gas due
to its high compression ratio. The Eldorado
was the more flamboyant of the two cars,
with the Mark III considered to look like
and represent old money, and the Eldorado
likely the choice of those who'd just come
into the good life, and wanted to let
everyone else know they had.
Big changes were in store for the Mark for
1972, with the introduction of a completely
restyled Continental Mark IV, which would
challenge rival Eldorado at a new level,
and serve notice to Cadillac that its
status of being the top luxury car in the
land was now under challenge. After more
than three years in production, the 1971
Continental Mark IIIs left the factory in
top condition, with very few issues. Even
today, they are generally dependable cars
that are still strong and quiet, and you'd
be hard pressed to find a more comfortable
automobile for a long trip.
The Mark III's main competition was the
Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado. Sales of the
Mark III were a stone's throw from those of
the Caddy, which must have concerned the
folks at GM just a little. The Eldorado
received a modest facelift for 1970, and
also got a new engine--the 8.2 Litre (500
cubic inch) V-8. Rated at 400 horsepower,
this would be the largest engine to ever be
installed in an American production car.
The Eldorado utilized this engine through
the 1976 model year.
With the numbers for the Mark III and
Eldorado so close, this created a rivalry
between the two cars.
Motor Trend Magazine even began the first
of what would be an annual review of the
two cars, calling the article 'King of the
Hill', the magazine compared the two cars
feature for feature. In the end, the Mark
III won in areas of leather quality and
seating configuration, as well as 'sheer
plushness...from a luxury standpoint', but
lost to Eldorado on general organization of
the driving compartment, instrument
legibility, and headroom. Overall, the Mark
III was given the edge. The response to the
article was huge! Motor Trend received a
large number of responses, professionally
typed on crisp business letterheads. No
comment is noted as to which marque
received the most mail in its favor.