| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 1977–1979 |
| Assembly | Wixom, Michigan, USA |
| Predecessor | Lincoln Continental Mark IV |
| Successor | Lincoln Continental Mark VI |
| Class | Personal luxury car |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine | 400 cu in (6.6 L) Cleveland V8 460 cu in (7.5 L) 385 V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed C6 automatic |
| Wheelbase | 120.5 in (3,061 mm)[1] |
| Length | 230.3 in (5,850 mm) |
| Width | 79.5 in (2,019 mm) |
| Height | 53.1 in (1,349 mm) |
| Curb weight | 5,042 lb (2,287 kg) |
The Lincoln Continental Mark V was a large coupe sold by Lincoln, the Ford Motor Company's luxury division, between the 1977 and 1979 model years. The Mark V was a restyled Mark IV, replacing that car's more rounded styling with a more squared-off, sharp-edged detailing. The Mark V was highly successful with an average of 75,000 units being sold each of the three model years. The car also was the highest selling of the entire Continental Mark line.
Contents |
The standard engine was now the Ford 400 in³ (6.6 L) Ford 335 engine instead of the 460 in³ (7.5 L) Ford 385 engine, but the latter was available as an option everywhere but in California in the first two years of production.
Mark V was the last generation to be available with the 460 V8 engine.
| engine displacement, type, carburetor type |
max. motive power at rpm |
max. torque at rpm |
transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 cu in (6,555 cc) Cleveland V8 Motorcraft 2150 2-barrel |
179 bhp (133 kW; 181 PS) @ 4,000 |
329 lb·ft (446 N·m) @ 1,600 |
3-speed C6 automatic |
| 460 cu in (7,538 cc) 385 V8 Motorcraft 4350 4-barrel |
208 bhp (155 kW; 211 PS) @ 4,000 |
356 lb·ft (483 N·m) @ 1,600 |
|
| [2] | |||
An innovative and unique new optional feature for the 1978 Mark V was the "Miles-To-Empty" indicator. This was a small rectangular display, located to the right of the steering wheel, which sat in place of the standard equipment "low fuel" warning lamp. The amber LED readout would indicate the estimated distance (in miles) available before reaching empty based on remaining fuel, fuel consumption, and driving habits. This system was a precursor to the electronic digital full-instrumentation which would be available on the 1980 Continental Mark VI. The system represents a first for an American automobile manufacturer, as it is the first dashboard LED display of an automobile's mechanical function.[3]
During production Mark V was offered in many designer editions.
Designer Editions included Bill Blass, Cartier, Givenchy, and Pucci, each featuring a unique option package and exterior and interior colors. One unique feature of the 1979 Bill Blass edition was a "carriage" roof design. This canvas top configuration gave a "convertible top" look to the car. All 1977–1979 Lincoln Continentals featured a Cartier timepiece.[4]
Ford Motor Company celebrated its 75th year in the automobile business in 1978. To commemorate this Ford produced two very special automobiles as limited editions. The 1978 Continental Mark V was one, the 1978 Ford Thunderbird was the other. The Mark V version truly was limited with production of just 5,159 cars.
To set it apart from the ordinary Marks, the Diamond Jubilee was available in just two colors: Diamond Blue and Jubilee Gold. Whichever color you chose, it would be repeated throughout the car. In addition to the special Clearcoat paint, the vinyl-insert bodyside moldings, vertical bars on the grille, bumper guards and rub strips, turbine-style cast aluminum wheel vanes, and padded vinyl deck lid kickup with matching vinyl-insert lock cover were all coordinated. Additionally, the operational exhaust vents on the front fenders held chrome beading.
Interiors were the most luxurious ever installed to date by Lincoln in a production car. Also matching the exterior color scheme, the interior featured front bucket seats with a padded center console. The console provided extra storage, and came equipped with an umbrella built into the underside of the padded armrest. The seats were upholstered in luxury cloth with a unique sew style.
Other distinctions included padded leather in high wear areas of the interior, as well as ebony wood-tone inserts on the instrument panel, door trim panels, front seat backs, and console - even the ignition and door keys held a matching ebony wood-tone insert. All Diamond Jubilee Marks were supplied with a leather bound owner's manual and tool kit. The outside edges of the opera windows were also beveled, and featured Diamond Jubilee Script and a simulated diamond chip laminated between the glass. The unique hood ornament featured crystal-like inserts within the Lincoln "star" emblem. After delivery, the customer could choose to have his or her initials monogrammed on the doors, interrupting the bodyside stripes. Most Mark V optional features were standard on this car, including the new digital "Miles-To-Empty" fuel gauge that calculated approximately how far the car could be driven with the remaining fuel in the tank, based on fuel level, driving speed, and fuel consumption rate.[13]
Every new owner was given the special car keys and could request a Ford created cookbook entitled "Ford Diamond Jubilee Recipe Collection".[14]
The 1979 Collector's Series Mark V was equipped essentially the same as the Diamond Jubilee Edition of 1978; virtually every Lincoln luxury was provided as standard equipment on these cars. Offered in just two colors initially, Midnight Blue Moondust Metallic and White, two additional colors, Light Silver Moondust Metallic and Diamond Blue Moondust Metallic, were offered later in the year.
Midnight blue cloth bucket seats and a console were standard, however seats were also available in a choice of blue leather or white leather. A price reduction was provided for the leather-equipped cars, which did not include the console or the folding center rear armrest. Unique paint stripes on the bodyside and hood, as well as Collector's Series script on the rear roof quarters, gave the Collector's Series unique touches. Unlike other Mark V models, these cars did not include opera windows. Gold colored grille bars and a padded contoured decklid accent with matching vinyl insert also set it apart. Naturally, this, and the above-mentioned Diamond Jubilee Edition, remains the most collectible example of the late seventies Mark V. Actor Tom Selleck was used in media advertisements for the car; this was prior to his television fame as Magnum, P.I. Being as fully optioned as the car was, naturally the retail price reflected this abundance. The "Collector's Series" option almost doubled the retail price of the standard Continental Mark V to almost $22,000 US dollars. This option package was also available on the Lincoln Continental sedan which boosted the retail price of that car to almost the same amount.[19]
| Type | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Entry-level luxury car | Lincoln-Zephyr | WWII | Lido | Versailles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Capri | Continental | Continental | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premiere | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L-Series | K-Series | H-Series | Cosmopolitan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal luxury car | Mark III | Mark IV | Mark V | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Limousine | Custom | Continental Mark III–V | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halo car | Continental | Continental | Continental Mark II | Continental Mark III–V | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
