1956-57 Continental Mark II


A styling masterpiece, Ford Motor's largely hand-built 1956-57 Continental Mark II is one of the most outstanding cars ever built in America.

The limited-production Mark II two-door coupe was built under the direction of 26-year-old William Clay Ford, who was Henry Ford II's younger brother. The younger Ford was put in charge of a new "Continental Division," which came up with the Mark II.  

The Mark II was largely a successor to the glamorous Lincoln Continental of the 1940s, which led some to mistakenly call the 1956-57 Mark II a "Lincoln Continental." Ford Motor never called it a Lincoln.

The Mark II technically wasn't a Lincoln because it came from the Continental Division, which was separate from Ford Motor's Ford, Mercury and Lincoln divisions. The new division--initially called the "Special Product Operations" or "Special Projects Operation," was housed in sumptuous quarters and had a star-studded lineup of designers and engineers.

The Lincoln Continental began life as a 1939 custom body Lincoln for artistic Edsel Ford. Edsel was Ford Motor president and the son of company founder Henry Ford I., who wasn't artistic and pretty much ignored the Continental. Now an old man, he was still in love with the stark Ford Model T.

Edsel's car received so many compliments that Ford Motor made it a low-volume model. The 12-cylinder car was unofficially called the Mark I. One of its most distinguishing features was an outboard-mounted "continental" spare tire put in a housing behind the trunk

The Mark I was made from 1940 through 1942, when World War II interrupted production. It returned as nearly the same auto from 1946 through 1948 and set the stage for the Continental Mark II.

The 1940s Continentals had low sales, but drew lots of showroom traffic and prompted Lincoln dealers to ask for a successor. However, once-struggling Ford Motor lacked enough profits to begin developing such a car until 1953.

The 1956 Mark II cost $9,695, which would have let you buy two Lincoln Premiere luxury convertibles and have had a few hundrd dollar left. With air conditioning, the Mark II's price was $10,430.

The new car's base price made it the most expensive American car. It was a picture of refinement and taste, contrasting sharply with the heavily chromed, finned autos of the mid-1950s.

The new Continental was introduced in October 1955--but not at big American auto shows, such as those in New York and Chicago. Rather it was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, and later that October at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

The Mark II was greeted with acclaim and wonderment from the media and public on both sides of the Atlantic. Elvis Presley was among its celebrity buyers.

The Mark II had its own manufacturing facility, where nuts and bolts were hand-torqued to aircraft standards. More time was spent in the Mark II's metal-finishing and painting than typically was needed for the completed assembly of other high-quality autos. Then, each Mark II was shipped in its own fleece-lined cover to dealers.

Powering the 115-mph Mark II was a large 368-cubic-inch V-8 that generated 285 horsepower in 1956 and 300 in 1957. It was a 1956 Lincoln engine, but was disassembled, minutely inspected and reassembled after being individually hand-balanced. It was connected to a specially tested "Turbo-Drive" three-speed Lincoln automatic n transmission.

As it turned out, the Mark II was overshadowed by the 1957 Eldorado Brougham, a flashy, gimmicky, outlandishly priced $13,074 coupe.

It looked as if Cadillac built the Eldorado Brougham to outdo the Mark II. But, although everyone in Detroit knew Ford Motor was bringing out a very exclusive model, it took at least three to four years to develop a new car. Cadillac thus couldn't have introduced its Eldorado Brougham in time to compete with the 1956 Mark II

Also, it was common then for automakers to bring out limited-production cars that lured curious buyers to showrooms, where nearly all ended up getting regular models.

The Eldorado Brougham only lasted in its original form through 1958 because by then it had helped Cadillac make its point that it was still the top-dog luxury car producer, at least as far as total luxury car sales volume was concerned.

Despite its lofty price, Ford Motor lost about $1,000 on each Mark II, although some dealers initially got  a $1,000 premium over its list price. GM lost a whopping $10,000 on each complicated Eldorado Brougham, which had such things as an air suspension.

Only 1,325 Mark IIs were sold in 1956 and just 444 units found buyers in 1957, when the car cost $9,996. Cadillac sold just 400 Eldorado Broughams in 1957 and merely 304 with an unchanged price in 1958.

No matter how much each car contributed to its builder's prestige, no Detroit auto could survive very long as such money losers.

The Mark II and Eldorado Brougham were radically different. The Mark II was understated and downright elegant, with little chrome and no fins, while the Eldorado Brougham was flashy and brash, although still well-done.

Few were surprised to see that the Continental Mark II was gorgeous because it revived the famous line of glamorous Lincoln Continentals of the 1940s.

Among new features of the low, sleek Mark II was a chassis that dipped low between the wheels and allowed a low center of gravity for better handling and comfortable, chair-high seats without the need for a high roofline.

The Mark II had the original, clean Continental's styling theme: long hood, short rear end--and a "continental" spare tire outline on the trunk lid. (The actual spare was inside the trunk.)

Even the Mark II's bumpers were elegant, and taillights were neatly inset. In fact, the Mark II styling was years ahead of its time. The  Eldorado Brougham, with its heavy use of chrome, fins and even a brushed stainless-steel roof, was much more in tune with the 1950s. Its styling today screams "Fifties!"     

The Mark II interior was simple and elegant, inspired by aircraft and locomotive designs. It contained top grain leathers, expensive fabrics and thick, luxurious carpeting. It was loaded with power accessories and other equipment. There were even dual heaters. The only option was air conditioning, which had ducting built into the headliner on the inside roof.

The Mark II look trim and fast, but was no fireball despite its strong V-8 because it was large and weighed a hefty 4,800 pounds. It wasn't slow, but acceleration was average. This was no car for kids. However, it could cruise silently and effortlessly all day at speeds well above the legal limit.

The Mark II vanished much too quickly. Its demise broke the heart of Bill Ford, who had planned a line of Continentals, including convertible and four-door models. He was said to have little interest in a Ford Motor auto for a long time after the Mark II was dropped.

The Mark II was replaced by the Continental Mark III. It was a huge, Lincoln-based car that came as a sedan, coupe and convertible. It had elongated fenders, large chrome appliques, huge tail fins and canted quad headlights. It lacked the Mark II's custom-style assembly and cost about $6,000.

Continental sales improved with the Mark III. But for 1959, "Continental" vanished as a separate marque, again becoming a Lincoln model. The Continental Division was absorbed by Lincoln-Mercury.

When the Mark II was discontinued, its luxurious executive offices were taken over by another new Ford Motor division, which Ford was sure would produce a winning new car. The auto was called the Edsel.