I'm not usually a huge fan of the non-Mark Lincolns from the first half of the '70s (though I do like the '74 a lot), but this one is beautiful...the Coupe really looks a lot better without the vinyl roof, and in black it really works so well...it's the nicest looking one I've ever seen.
Hi from Sydney , Australia , having an aussie spec' RHD 1973 Conti' mk4 I have collected many period articles and books on these cars . RE the bonnet/hood pressing the engineering dept of Lincoln Division won a coveted national metallurgical award for for the dies and pressing tools for punching out the hoods due to the complex shapes on this hood plus also the width and length factors as well. In the day it was seen as an extraordinary achievement .
This series is so fun to watch. Two different approaches from Ford. And a glorious result. That we would never see again. Well, until now. So so cool !
I like the information given about the headlight covers why I always see Continental Mark 3-4 and 5 with the light cover open after the car been parked for years.
As a brit we never had such wonderful beasts cruising our highways. The american cars of yesteryear are works of art. And i thank you adam for bringing them too my attention.
What a great 3-part series!! I loved it!! Thanks for this!! I had a 77 Town Coupe and a 76 Mark IV and loved them, but I rarely drove them. I finally sold them. I also had a 1986 and 1989 Town Cars. I also had a 98 Town Car. I now daily drive a 2013 MKS and love the tech in it.
I really appreciate you being able to bring industry icons, experts and specialists to discuss the planning, construction and design features of these and other vehicles. Your resources, interview style and editing make a compelling series that keeps the viewer engaged. Keep it up and thanks for educating us on the background and details of these iconic and sometimes overlooked Detroit icons.
Very nice. The metal stamping process is really interesting, quite the science. All of the engineers, die makers, etc. did an amazing job with some difficult panels there. The panel quality on these is just top notch.
Your town car coupe is awesome.I asked your advice about buying a car and am very glad i did i bought a 04 bonneville even with 233,000 still a great car.keep up the good work!I enjoy all your videos
Adam, great presentation w/ Marc. Your varied knowledge together is easy to listen to. I love both of these vehicles. Love the grille on the Mark IV. but I'd have to go w/ the Continental Coupe. So clean, wide, elegant, non vinyl, and so uniquely rare. Love the Coupe's IP as well. Thanks for the recent night drives showing headlights, tail lights, signals - IPs, startups on other cars too. I had a Parker Brother's game called "Dealer's Choice" (1974) as an 11 year old - my fav car to "buy" in that game was the Continental Coupe. I've watched every video Adam - thank you for enjoyable presentations.
Thanks again for the detailed look at these two cars! FYI, the only Ford cars which I can think of that had finished headlamp door openings are the '67'-'69 Thunderbirds and '67-'68 Cougars.
Back in the '60's My granduncle won a lottery and bought a new burgundy '68 cougar with a black leather interior . He took me out for ice cream and I vomited all over the interior . My aunt warned him but he didn't listen . Lol .
@@rdhudon7469 when someone riding in your car tells you they are getting sick, take their word for it and pull over. Don't even try to talk them out of it 😂
The discussion about Lincolns having long front overhangs brought back memories from my time at Chrysler in the early '80s. Much of the design mgmt there had recently come over from Ford and I remember us being asked to add extra front overhang even to the most compact cars. We always felt this made the cars look awkward but were powerless to change it.
These cars often added to the athmosphere of many movie scenes. Even if just parked in the background, eyes shut. Many times it may have been product placement, but surely used by directors and production designers to great effect. The angular front with hidden lamps had a sinister aire to it. In the movie Harold and Maude, a Marquis and a yellow 71 Continental were parked side by side in a scene that made for an almost otherworldly an impression. And in Herbie rides again, 3 Continentals literally "face" the Beetles friendly lines with their almost sinister look.
The long overhang almost makes these cars (including Mark III and V, and the other 70's Lincoln's) seem less massive in the sense of how they keep the designs flowing and streamlined them, where they do not look chunky or heavy in appearance, unlike many other very large cars. It's all of a piece with the rooflines (even with the more upright looking 1975-79 non-Marks), etc, that is so well executed.
Very nice. I was never too bothered by the lack of finishing once the concealed headlight covers are opened. Makes it easier to access for serving and it’s dark when you generally use them (and you are sitting behind the wheel). My 1981 Imperial does have the nice chrome behind the covers (I think that was cheapened in the 1982 and 83 models). The Chrysler actuators are electric but they also can strip the plastic gears. The happened on my 68 Chrysler 300 4 door hardtop.
Light duty trucks took over from these cruisers with all the big luxury now available and the crew cab wheelbase is right up their with the Lincoln and Caddies. These cars left us but we never left these cars. So instead of a Lincoln you have a Limited. Caddy is a Denali etc.
GM Saginaw 'canned ham' PS pump, also found in trucks and vans. My '68 Cougar had 'bezel plates' which covered the cavity and all of its springs and adjuster screws, when the headlight doors were open. For '69 and '70, the Cougar also went to a single actuator/servo. My '68 Cougar had no springs in the servo, so the doors stayed closed indefinitely. There were supposed to be springs for the doors, but I didn't have them. Mine had only vacuum holding the doors open, with gravity assisting the weaker top seals in keeping the doors closed/down.
Interesting point about the headlight doors. I believe GM, especially in my long-ago neighbor’s Camaro RS, used vacuum to keep the doors closed, so a vacuum failure would leave them open, and operational.
As far as the P/S pump, Ford’s usual pump tended to be higher pressure, for that fingertip ease of use, but needed an auxiliary fluid cooler. GM’s didn’t.
Marc mentions numerous times in this series how the Mk IV was based off the Torino. While they no doubt share a number of individual Ford components I do not think that assertion is correct. The Mk IV and the Thunderbird are platform mates, sharing the same wheelbase, frame, unique “bent” A-pillars and door internals. None of those are used by the Torino as it was a smaller vehicle.
Yes. The Tbird and Mark IV of this gen share many Torino components and were based off of it, much like the 76 Seville was based off of a stretched Chevy Nova.
The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado caused a sensation, but so did the 1967 Mercury Cougar. The Cougar was a revelation! No trace of Mustang is evident in the Cougar's design, it looked more like a small Thunderbird. So, if the Mustang can give rise to the Cougar, what would happen if the same technique was applied to a Ford Torino/Mercury Montego? Ford engineering recognized the similarity of a mid-sized coupe, versus a personal luxury car. The Mark IV is a design and engineering triumph, the advantage of lessons learned well.
I'm an old man of 74, but I would like to own your 72 Mark IV. I use to own the last large 1979 Mercury Cougar XRT, and it had similar body style as your 72 Mark IV. That long hood made it a real luxury driver. What State are you from, and what price would you let the Mark IV go?
Did these cars have level control inflating rear shocks as on some Cadillacs of the era? I'm wondering how well the Mark IV tows anything of weight with the soft springs.
I see neither car has the Helholz resonator (looks kind of like an oil filter) on the air cleaner. Maybe it came later. I used to think that only high end 460 cars like Lincolns got them but now I wonder if they were just installed sporadically . My parent's '76 Elite 460 didn't have one, but I have seen a '74 460 Cougar that did. I have seen big Mercurys with and without them too.
Only thing that’s not correct is where Mark says he will start it cause there is not enough juice to open them. In I believe 69 Ford added the default spring to the headlight actuators so once vacuum is depleted the headlight doors will open. If closed they will ALWAYS open, but if you don’t have vacuum then once you open the doors they might not close! Your Continental perfectly demonstrated what I’m referring to ! The doors were closed, they opened up just fine without engine running, but they didn’t have enough vacuum to pull them back down without the car running. Without starting the Mark IV the covers would have opened but may or may not have closed depending on what supply was left in the vac reservoir. I’ve had My Mark lll and 67 Tbird since 85 and 89 respectively and know well how they work. The 67-8 Bird headlight doors stay closed forever even if vac is depleted as there is no fail safe “open” spring. Just an FYI That I’m sure you guys know but viewers may not!
To my mind, the Mark IV was the best looking of the series. Still don't understand Ford's decision to use vacuum for the headlight doors. It seems so much more complex and less reliable than a simple electric motor.
It’s quieter. And reliable. My MkV is for 45 years old and they work well. If you do have to replace a valve that holds the line pressure so the doors remained closed, it’s not expensive.
The electric ones could and did have trouble with the linkages and motors, notably the '67-'69 Camaro RS, and another commenter above stated that he had a Chrysler 300 which had linkage problems, so they weren't immune to problems either. I think all Chargers are electric from '66 on, so I don't know if MOPAR ever used vacuum. The '63-'67 Corvettes used electric motors, with Chevrolet switching to vacuum actuation for the C3. Maybe GM felt safe using electric on the RS because the doors were side-hinged?
Perhaps the lower Mk IV horsepower is caused by the lower hood. The FWD transaxle of the Eldorado caused the air filter housing to be flatter and lowered, which I believe reduced engine power a bit.
I hope there is no part 3 to this where Adam mistakingly puts it in reverse and hits the gas instead of the brake. lol Looks like it is a long way down. If I had to pick one it would be Marc's. The side profile reminds me of my grampa's then dad's 71' Galaxie 500.
I think the Mark IV would look great if the front turn signals were in the bumper and the leading edge of the front were finished off like the 67 Eldorado, just thinking.....
It's funny when you watch an old t v show and and they use the sound of a Chrysler starter when a Lincoln or a Chevrolet starts up obviously not car guys like Us
I love stock everything no complaints there. However that Hot Rod Lincoln Continental would do nice with a period supercharger and maybe some period rally wheels.
We saw a straight black Mark III at a car show many years ago... totally stock, but with a blown 460 poking through the hood. There was something magical about that.
Opera windows say more about American taste than anything connected with automotive design. And the engineers must have asked the designers how are we going to fill an engine bay that big?.''.I dunno guys '' ''..space it out I guess.''
If you stand back and look at the MkIV front end objectively, that ersatz radiator anachronism is laughable. It's because those twin beacons of poor "throwback" design- Rolls Royce and Mercedes- ruled the "status" of luxury, and both featured grilles abandoned by the rest of the automotive world in the thirties.
