1972 Lincoln Mark IV
I bought this car in 2013 with the intention of keeping it long-term. Since then I have moved to the beach and no longer have appropriate storage. Sadly I must let her go and accordingly have set a very low reserve price.
This Mark is finished in a head-turning "mist green" and fitted with a new, actory correct "white cavalry twill" vinyl top and forest green leather interior. 1972 is the first year of the Mark IV and also the best being the only year with the slim chrome bumpers and huge Rolls Royce style grille. I have owned many collector and exotic cars and have never gotten more "thumbs ups" than when driving this car. As for condition, hile this car is not a perfect "show car", t is in excellent condition with lots of recent work performed. The interior is excellent but needs the passengers door armrest either replaced or repaired. The paint is mainly original but does show minimal traces of surface rust near the fender wells. Nothing unsightly or extensive. With only 86k original miles, he runs great and glides down the road as if you're floating on a cloud. I have the original owner's manual, xtensive records going back to 1972 and even the cancelled check that the original owner used to purchase the vehicle.
Here is summary of the work I had done to the car over the past two years:New window motors, ew transmission seal, ew rear brake lines, ew fuel lines, ew fuel pump, ebuilt carburetor, ull set of new Hancock whitewall tires, ebuilt temperature control box, ew a/c compressor, ew a/c lines and hoses, ew drive belts, ew freeze plug, ecent tune up; new plugs, oints, ap, otor & condenser, ew wheel cylinders, ew rear brake shoes, ew master cylinder, ront-end alignment, ew pitman arm, ew factory correct "white cavalry twill" vinyl top.
A little background information on the 1972 Lincoln Mark IV:The Lincoln Continental Mark IV was all new for 1972. Longer and wider then the Mark III which it replaced, t was also 211 pounds lighter. The 1972 model was the only Mark IV which has an oversized front radiator grille which dipped into the bumber. The 1973 and later models all had the massive, ederally mandated 5 miles per hour impact bumpers and dipping bumper design was lost.
The '72 Mark IV had horizontal taillights mounted in the rear bumper. This was the first Mark Lincoln to have opera windows in the rear quarter of the roof. A Cartier clock was standard as were "Twin Comfort Lounge Front Seats," otherwise known as 'lounge-lizard' bucket seats.
Power was from the familiar 460 cubic-inch V-8 engine, ated at 212 horsepower. The '72 Mark IV was 220 inches long and rode on a 120 inch wheelbase. List price for this car was $8,640; owners could expect fuel consumption of around 11 miles per gallon.
The Lincoln Continental Mark IV was a major sales success - 48,591 units were sold during the model year. The Mark IV coupe had 51% higher unit sales than the '72 Cadillac Eldorado coupe. In fact, 972 was the best year to date in Lincoln's sales history. 94,560 Lincolns were sold in 1972 - a new sales record.
As difficult as it may have been to introduce a new car in a new market, ollowing up a success story like the Continental Mark IIIafter a redesign is just as big of a challenge, f not more so. Lincoln pulled off this feat in high style with the introduction of the 1972 Continental Mark IV, uccessor to the Continental Mark III. Lincoln was able to keep all of the styling cues from the Mark III, nd update them with a fresh, urrent, nspired look, ithout losing anything in the translation. The Mark IV was gorgeous from the front bumper to the rear bumper. The classic Rolls Royce-inspired grille returned, gain flanked by concealed headlamps and front turn indicators mounted in the leading edge of the front fenders. In back, he classic Continental deck lid hump returned, ith horizontal tail lamps set in a new rear bumper that emphasized the deck lid hump above. Flared, pen wheel wells returned and the somewhat muscular lines of the Mark III were replaced with a more fluid, ounded appearance. To some, he new Mark IV was reminiscent of the 1971 Oldsmobile Toronado, nly a bit softer.
1972 was the first year for Opera Windows on the Continentals. Technically, hey were optional and some early cars were built without them, ut the majority of the cars were built with the option, aking any Mark IV without them a very rare sight today. The drive train was carryover from 1971, ut everything else was new. Luxurious new interiors set the standard for Lincolns and Continentals through the rest of the decade. The instrument panel featured simulated woodgrain in two patterns, ashmir Walnut Matina and Baby Burl Walnut. Three rectangular gauges were placed dead center, ne of these housed the Cartier timepiece, he others housed the speedometer and the fuel gauge. All gauges and warning lights were located within the driver's line of sight, nd all controls were placed for easy access.
Lincoln ad folks said of the ‘72 Continental MK IV, In all the 1970’s, his will be the unique American car.” I suppose that statement is debateable, ut as far as I am concerned, t certainly does rank as one of the most beautiful American luxury cars to come out of that delirious decade of lava lamps and leisure suits.
While MKIIIs have a fan base of their own, o me the totally redesigned Mark IV had far more eye appeal. Like the “threes,” the “four” had a really long... I mean REALLY long hood, nd short rear deck configuration, ith a private and luxurious passenger compartment situated in between– typical of personal luxury car designs of the period. xperience.
Another well recognized Lincoln styling cue featured on the ‘72 Mark IV, as the so called “continental spare tire” hump on the rear deck hinting that a spare tire was located under the raised portion of the decklid. While some very early cars DID position the spare in this area, oing so was a considerable nuisance when loading the gold clubs or groceries so, s was the case with most later models, his was nothing more than a styling feature of the Mark IV.
The finishing touch at the prow was a new and very slender Lincoln star perched way out there atop a beautiful and tall “waterfall” grill made up of slender chrome bars.
The IV series ran through model year 1976, ut the ‘72 was the only one with the trim, lean front bumper used just prior to the government mandated “5 mile per hour” crash bumpers which appeared on all ‘73 and up models across the “big three” lineup. Gone was that stately grill, eplaced by an abridged and much less bold edition which would continue, elatively unchanged through the sharply pressed Mark V series.
Though approximately two hundred pounds lighter and a bit shorter than the full size, our door Lincoln Continental land yachts, rom behind the wheel of a Mark IV, ne still felt as if they were piloting a vessel into adventurous waters each time they cruised out of their driveway. And those waters, t seemed, ere always calm as these big, eavy “Contis” rolled down the interstates on fat tires and soft suspension that made driving a cushy experience indeed. No, hese were not sports cars, hey were All-American “personal luxury coupes” of the highest order. The Continental Mark IV was NOT a good choice for sending your teenager out for his or her’s first driver’s license road test. Parallel parking was not the Mark’s forte! Looking out at that huge hood, hich was easier measured in yards than inches, as akin to looking out the windshield of a FA-18 Hornet on final approach to the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. And, irecting your vision aft, ou could fa get about seeing those rear quarters when trying to dock this land yacht. Best of luck little Jimmy or Jenny... you’re going to need it. Parking this beast was like trying to stuff a Subway party sandwich in a Mickey Mouse lunch pail.
If parking on a crowded shopping center lot was not a favorite pastime of Mark IV owners, aking a trip on the interstate surely must have been, or this was where the Mark felt most comfortable. Acceleration was not of the break neck kind, ut then who would expect that from a heavy, uxurious car of this sort? Setting weekend records at the local drag strip was far below this luxury car’s morals. But the healthy breathing 460 cubic inch V-8 would take you anywhere you wanted to go in style and comfort while noticeably pressing your back against the seat when asked to do so. The key word was smooth– smooth ride, mooth acceleration, mooth shifting delivered by the Ford C-6 automatic. That 460 engine, y the way, as rated at what may seem an anemic 224 horsepower, ut the same engine in the ‘71 Mark III was rated at 365. The discrepancy can be explained by a new rating system that went into effect with the 1972 models. Prior to ‘72, anufacturers quoted SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) gross horsepower ratings. These figures were for an engine running on a test stand with no power robbing accessories and no exhaust headers or mufflers. Beginning in 1972, uto makers began quoting net SAE horsepower. These figures were obtained by testing an engine as-installed in an automobile with the full compliment of accessories and a standard exhaust system. This was done in part to appease government agencies involved with safety and emissions concerns as well as to pacify auto insurance companies who were attempting to down play the performance aspect of automobiles.
Once you had that big Mark up and rolling, nd roll it would, ome report it would do 120 mph or so– the next issue was getting it to stop within a shorter distance than that F-15 Hornet. Since a tail hook and arrestor cable was not an option, he task was made easier by a feature called “Sure-Track” braking... an early technology anti lock system much less sophisticated than those found on today’s models. While this feature was standard on the Mark IV series, t was a $192.00 option on full size Lincoln Continentals.
Although the car was not exactly what you would call a “compact,” the options list was, s virtually every creature comfort one could hope for was provided at no additional cost on both Continental and Continental Mark IV. Exceptions to this included leather trimmed seats at $179.00; automatic headlamp dimmer ($49.88) and cornering lamps ($35.81) to name a few. And then, f course, here was that abominable front bumper guard for which buyers were asked to fork over an additional $19.19! For that kind of money, hey could have bought dinner for the whole family at White Castle and ended up with a much better looking car!
So taken were automotive buyers with the new Mark IV’s looks, hat sales for ‘72 models more than doubled the previous year sales of the final Mark III. Mark IV sales also eclipsed the ever popular Cadillac Eldorado coupe of ‘72 vintage by a margin of 1.5 to 1 and Lincoln’s own Continental coupe of the same model year by nearly FIVE to one! Production totals for 1972 Lincolns were 10,408 Continental coupes; 35,561 Continental sedans and 48,591 Continental Mark IV coupes. As you can also see, ark IV production exceeded full size Lincoln Continental sales by 2,622 units