1956 Lincoln Continental MKII 2-Door Hardtop Coupe
2022.0053.0001, Savoy Collection
Engine: 368 cu. in. (6 L) Cast-iron block, OHV, V-8
Output: 300 HP @ 4,800 RPM
Transmission: Turbo-Drive 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 126 in.
Overall Length: 219 in.
Weight: 4,825 lbs.
No. Produced: 2,550
Original Price: $9,966
Manufacturer: Ford
After successfully bridging the pre-war and post-war eras, Lincoln’s flagship V12-powered Continental was discontinued in 1948, and the name was briefly retired. But within a few years, Ford Motor Company charged Edsel Ford’s 28-year-old son, William Clay Ford, with developing a new division. Positioned above Lincoln which could compete successfully with Packard and Cadillac. The team envisioned an American luxury car and, Continental, a name Ford had used in the 1940s was considered the perfect name for a new European-inspired personal luxury car.
The Mark II was the first model from Ford’s new Continental Division – a separate, stand-alone company independent from Lincoln, tasked with creating America’s finest automobile. The new model, from a team led by John Reinhart, utilized a unique unibody design chassis with outboard frame rails, which allowed the body to sit much lower and provided “step-down” footwells. The Continental Mark II was launched with a $10,000 price tag (the most expensive American car at the time), but the division never turned a profit, and declining luxury car sales led to its closure after 1957.