In 1956 Ford Motor Company introduced the Continental, which was not actually a Lincoln, but an entirely separate, stand-alone brand deve...
In 1956 Ford Motor Company introduced the Continental, which was not actually a Lincoln, but an entirely separate, stand-alone brand developed with the simple goal of being the world’s finest luxury automobile. The model, the Mark II, was hand crafted to exacting standards that were specifically meant to exceed those of Rolls Royce.
With sleek, atypically restrained yet imposing styling, the Mark II had a commanding presence, and Continentals found their way into the garages of the likes of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, D.W. Eisenhower, the Shah of Iran and Nelson Rockefeller. And, with a base price of almost $10,000 when new – five times the price of an average Ford and half the cost of an average home in 1956, exclusivity was assured. Famously, FoMoCo claimed to have lost $1,000 on every Mk II they sold. Not surprisingly, the experiment lasted just two model years, producing barely 3,000 cars in total.
PRICE ESTIMATE $11,500 US
