LINCOLN MARK III ORIGINAL LOW MILES TIME CAPSULE SHOW CAR

Description for Lincoln Continental 1971

1971 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL MARK IIITHE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY TIME CAPSULEPRESENTED BY: RODS & RIDES BY TD. LLC The Mark III was created when Lee Iacocca. president of Ford Motor Company at the time. directed Design Vice President. Gene Bordinat. to "put a Rolls Royce grille on a Thunderbird"[2] in September 1965. The Mark III was based on the four-door Thunderbird model. 2] which was first introduced for 1967. Iacocca wanted to put the Thunderbird's development investment to better use than just the Thunderbird model alone. which "was dying in the marketplace. "[2] Instead. Ford would use that investment as a platform for several models. Intended to compete head-to-head with Cadillac's heavily redesigned front wheel drive Eldorado. the Mark III made its debut a clear notch above less expensive. less well-appointed personal luxury cars such as the Ford Thunderbird. Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado. As the Eldorado was built upon the Toronado frame. so the Mark III was the Thunderbird's. While the side-rail frame was identical to the Thunderbird's. the Mark III bore almost 300 lb (140 kg) more bodywork. Power was ample from Lincoln's all-new 460 cu in (7. 5 l) 365 bhp (272 kW) V8. a member of the Ford 385 engine family. Introduced in April 1968 as an early 1969 model. the model was a remarkable commercial success because it combined the high unit revenue of a luxury model with the low development costs and fixed cost–amortizing utility of platform-sharing. in a car that was appealing enough to buyers that many units were sold. Iacocca said. "We brought out the Mark III in April 1968. and in its very first year it outsold the Cadillac Eldorado. which had been our long-range goal. For the next five years [Marks III and IV] we had a field day. in part because the car had been developed on the cheap. We did the whole thing for $30 million. a bargain-basement price. because we were able to use existing parts and designs. "[3] Iacocca explained that this transformed the Lincoln-Mercury Division from losing money on every luxury car (via low unit sales on high fixed costs) to a profit center that in its best year of the series earned Ford almost $1 billion profit from Lincoln alone. making the new Mark series as big a success as any he ever had in his career[4]—a remarkable statement from an executive who led the programs for the original Ford Mustang and the Chrysler minivan family. Iacocca explained of the Mark series. "The Mark is [in 1984] Ford's biggest moneymaker. just as Cadillac is for General Motors. It's the Alfred Sloan theory: you have to have something for everybody [. ] you always need a poor man's car [. ] but then you need upscale cars. too. because you never know when the blue-collar guy is going to be laid off. It seems that in the United States the one thing you can count on is that even during a depression. the rich get richer. So you always have to have some goodies for them. "[5] The [new] Continental Mark III was a spiritual successor of the limited-production. ultra-luxurious Continental Mark II produced by a short-lived Continental division of Ford Motor Company between in 1956 and 1957. The new Mark of 1968–69. dubbed the Mark III. was actually not the first model to use the name; an earlier Continental Mark III had first worn the name in 1958. Large and somewhat extravagant even for its time. it did not sell as well as Cadillac. but nonetheless earned high reviews from motoring periodicals of the day. The 1958 Mark III was the first car to be built at the new Wixom. Michigan assembly plant. the same plant where future Mark-series cars would continue to be built. In style. the Mark III was squarer and more upright than the sleek Thunderbird. featured a Rolls-Royce like grill. hidden headlights. and a classic albeit ersatz Mark II spare tire bulge on its trunk. Equipment[edit] Standard equipment included power steering. brakes. windows. concealed headlamps. and split bench electrically adjustable front seats. The instrument panel and trim panels on the doors featured simulated wood appliques in either English Oak or East-Indian Rosewood. After a few months. a Cartier-branded clock became standard equipment. The upholstery was either the standard vinyl with cloth inserts. or the optional leather. A vinyl roof in cavalry twill pattern was optional. but examples without the vinyl roof were rare. One reason for the rarity of the plain-roofed version is the fact that the roof was made in two pieces and required extra preparation at the factory to conceal the seam; consequently. its availability was not widely advertised. Other options included the aforementioned leather interior. air conditioning. further power adjustments for the front seats. a variety of radios and 8-track tape players. tinted glass. and power locks. A limited slip differential could be ordered. as could anti-lock brakes. called "Sure Trak". [6] Cruise control was also an option. Finally. an automatic headlamp dimmer that dimmed the headlights for oncoming cars without driver intervention was available. Full instrumentation could be ordered. [7] 1971 saw the Golden Anniversary for the Lincoln marque. and the third and final year of Mark III production. Sales were better than ever. at 27. 91 almost equal to the Eldorado's. a harbinger for the new decade. Little changed from the 1970 model; tinted glass became standard. as did automatic climate-controlled air conditioning and SureTrak anti-lock brakes. [7] High-back seats became standard. and a rare special-order floor console was made available. Horsepower remained unchanged at 365. but the 460 cid V8 engine gained a more sophisticated thermostatic air cleaner assembly with its associated ductwork. In its second annual King of the Hill contest Motor Trend (July. 1971) again gave the Continental Mark III the nod by a wider margin than 1970 despite the Lincoln being basically a warmed over 1968 model while the Cadillac was all-new from the ground up. M/T noted that the Mark III's leather interior was far more luxurious and better detailed than the test Eldorado's nylon cloth and the Continental's real wood dash trim was far more attractive than the Cadillac's simulate. 1972 would see a new. even larger car. the Mark IV. replace the Mark III. Details & Equipment: Vehicle Identification Number: 1Y89A817770 65A = CONTINENTAL MARK III 2 DOOR HARDTOP H = COLOR LIGHT GREEN 4R = TRIM DARK GREEN 4 = AXLE 280:1 RATIO U = C6 SELECT SHIFT AUTOMATIC TORQUE CONVERTER A = 460 CUBIC INCH V-8 365HP 500LB TORQUE DUAL EXHAUST 42 = ST. LOUIS (Units Built on a Domestic Special Order) This wonderful 65. 00 mile vehicle still retains the factory paint and shows like a new one. This is a rare chance to not only own a piece of history but also find a vehicle that drives as good as it looks. Please call me if you have any questions. This one won’t last long. RODS & RIDES BY TD. LLC is a worldwide seller. which means we will help to arrange shipping anywhere in the world. We are a licensed and bonded US dealer. We have maintained only the highest feedback from our buyers with eBay since 2002. Thank you and good luck with your bidding…. 888-701-2335 ~ or ~ 314-393-2123