Lincoln Continental Mark IV


The Continental Mark IV is a personal luxury car that was sold and marketed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from the 1972 to 1976 model years. The third generation of the Mark series, the Mark IV grew in size over its Continental Mark III predecessor and its Cadillac Eldorado rival. Sharing a common chassis with the Ford Thunderbird, the Mark IV was given its own exterior design from the windows down, returning hidden headlights, a radiator-style grille, and a Continental spare tire trunklid.
In what would later become a long-running tradition for the Lincoln model line, in 1976, the Mark IV introduced Designer Editions as an option series, which consisted of specially coordinated exterior and interior trims developed between Lincoln and contemporary fashion designers.
All Continental Mark IVs were assembled at the Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan, alongside the standard Lincoln Continental and the Ford Thunderbird. For 1977, the Mark IV underwent a substantial revision, becoming the Continental Mark V.

Design

Following the successful redesign of the Lincoln Continental for the 1970 model year, Ford Motor Company chose an evolutionary design path for the successor of the Continental Mark III. With designers again using sharp-edged fenders, hidden headlamps, and a tall radiator-style grille, the Continental Mark IV retained the traditional "long-hood, short deck" coupe proportions of the Mark III along with its "Continental spare tire" decklid. The spare tire was actually stored on a ledge in the trunk on top of the gas tank, immediately behind the rear seat.
In a cost-cutting move, however, Ford Motor Company forced the Mark IV to increase parts commonality with the Ford Thunderbird; while the roofline, doors, and inner body panels were shared, the Mark IV and Thunderbird still were given different outer body panels below the roofline and different interiors. In a major break from American luxury car tradition, the rear wheel openings of the Mark IV were designed at the same height as the front wheels ; its large fender flares precluded the use of fender skirts.
In 1973, the front bodywork underwent a major redesign, necessitated by the addition of 5 mph bumpers; in various forms, the front body style would be seen on Continentals and Lincolns until 1989. For 1974, a 5 mph bumper was added to the rear body work, moving the taillights from the bumper into the rear bodywork.
All Mark IVs were equipped with a vinyl roof. The Mark IV introduced the opera window to the Mark series, a feature that would be featured in the Mark through the discontinuation of the Mark VI after 1983. For 1972, it was an almost universally specified option, becoming standard for 1973.

Mechanical specification

All Mark IVs were equipped with the -4V Ford 385 series 16-valve V8. Rated at 365 hp in the Mark III, the 460 was carried over to the Mark IV. For 1972, rated output underwent a numeric decrease to 212 hp. In order to comply with changing EPA emissions regulations, Ford was required to decrease the compression ratio of the engine. The same year, American auto manufacturers adopted SAE net horsepower as its standard of measuring engine output, to better reflect real-world engine performance. All examples of the Mark IV were equipped with a Ford C6 three-speed automatic transmission.
A feature retained from the Mark III was "Sure-track" brakes. Both front seats were power adjustable.
Performance was not competitive with contemporary premium personal luxury cars. However, no other "personal luxury" models were six-passenger vehicles, except the Cadillac Eldorado.
Make & modelEngine blockCurb WeightHorsepower 'SAE net'Top speedAcceleration 0 to 60 mphFuel economy
Continental Mark IVV810.8 sec
Cadillac EldoradoV89.7 sec
Rolls-Royce CornicheV89.7 sec
Jaguar XKE Series III V12V126.8 sec
Citroën SMV68.5 sec
Mercedes-Benz 450 SLCV89.5 sec
Jensen InterceptorV87.5 sec
BMW 3.0CSStraight 67.9 sec

Designer editions

For 1976, to attract further interest to the model line, the Mark IV debuted four "Designer Series" special-edition option packages. Intentionally for appearance purposes, each version of the Designer Series was developed through the consultation of notable fashion designers of the time, with each edition featuring a coordinated exterior and interior color, with specific trim and interior fabrics. In addition, the opera window was fitted with the signature of the corresponding designer, a 22-karat gold-plated plated instrument panel plaque.
Preceding the Designer Series, the Mark III offered a Cartier-branded dashboard clock as an option. Though the Mark IV was in its final year, the Designer Series proved successful and was retained for the Mark V, Mark VI, and Mark VII, with Lincoln adapting the Cartier brand for a flagship trim level of the Lincoln Town Car from 1982 to 2003. While no longer associated with fashion designers, the Lincoln Black Label series is a close revival of the Designer Series, with a specially coordinated exterior and interior design theme.

Sales and pricing

Specifications (1976 model)

Lincoln Mark Series