Here's one I restored a while back and then fixed a fender bender last summer. I would really like to ditch the handles and emblems.
Compared to the garish Caddy, Lincolns, and Imperials of the era, the Mark was both stunning and clean. This is one of those cars that I have in my head (knowing I'll never have deep enough pockets to realize the vision). The car needs four body mods IMO to really make it look like the 'Grand Touring' car that it is; one, lose the 'spare tire' hump off the decklid. Two, chop the top about 2" (no more than that) and lean the windshield back. The greenhouse is just a bit too tall and upright. And do something with the headlights; this is the most jarring feature of the car IMO. A pair of '56 Desoto Fireflite headlight rims frenched in would be perfect. Add a 'Ferrari'-esque eggcrate grill to give a more aggressive look and you're there. Wheel choice will make-or-break the look; a set of '56 El Dorado aluminum wheels with Chrysler wire wheel caps would be perfect.... Leave the rocker panel trim, and DO NOT paint the lower half of the bumpers... And name one other car that had chrome door jambs!
I think it is the cleanest, most refined design ever executed. I posted this photo before but I guess it is appropriate here too. Was sitting in a yard just north of Houston.
BamaMav what your explaining sounds like my 71 Lincoln Mark 3 Just my 3.5 Cents Live Learn & Die a Fool
I should have been more clear. As I understood it from the owner Kindig-It is making it into a convertible.
Well I'm not going to gush all over them and preach their beauty and status Nice car? Sure it is, but that roof. Knowing that men still wore hats now n then explains why the roof was so damned tall. A chop should simply remove the bulk on roof panel above the windshield. I believe Liz Taylor got one for free, custom painted to match her eyes.
That air intake scoop on the top of the rear fender is a brass casting, brazed and leaded into the fender. Lots of hand work on them.
theres been one of these beautiful cars on ebay here in the UK a few times but unfortunately its way too expensive for its condition. seems pretty complete though, just very untidy. always looking at it, thinking it'd make a stunning mild custom and have to agree, the first mod would be to lose the spare wheel bulge.... then probably spend weeks staring at it building up the courage to take a cutter to it..!!
“It's like a first gen thunderbird, a 60's era mercedes, and a first gen Riviera had a baby.......” Well I’ve had 2 of the 3, always dug these when they weren’t as nearly appreciated. A black one would be just fine.... not change a thing. . (My 55 Bird used for styling comparison) These were truly special hand built cars, Continental Division lost a grand on each $10k purchase in 1956-57. Remember that a 1956 2 seat bird w/Continental kit was about at $3k, That’s a 3-1 ratio. Most people opted for the bird. Executives and Leaders of Industry knew that the Continental was a stellar automotive work. One of America’s Greatest Acheivements in Automotive Design and Execution of Styling.
a few years back, I answered a Craig's List ad for a 56 Continental that was for sale. It was a nice black A/C car with original interior. Some fool had painted the roof to maroon, which matched the interior. The OEM wheel covers were absent. It barely ran. But the price was right, so I bought it. I had the roof repainted to black. The carburetor was rebuilt, so it now ran right. There was a bit of detailing and adjustment required on the interior, but no big deal. But the big deal was what was in the trunk. A box of musty books, some parts and some old documentation. It seems this car was bought new and driven by Fairfax (Fax) M. Cone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfax_M._Cone http://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/21/a...e-founder-and-chairman-of-ad-agency-dies.html Fax was the owner of one of the major advertising firms in the US. He was living in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, as he was the manager of the Chicago office for his firm and was also on the staff of the University of Chicago. The story goes that he was returning from Detroit, licking his wounds after losing a major account, and found a message to contact one of the honchos at Ford. He decided that he needed to make a statement, so he purchased a new Continental and drove it to Detroit for the meeting. Long story-short, his advertising agency ended up being awarded a HUGE long-term contract to conceive and produce an advertising campaign for a brand-new line of cars to be introduced by the Ford Motor Co. Yup, you guessed it, the Edsel. Fax Cone wrote some great books about his experiences. Both of his books were in the box within the trunk of the car. I was fortunate to have read them. https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/fairfax-m-cone/ His contract with Ford was abruptly ended and his firm was offered a severance package. His firm lost money due to gearing up for such a huge contract, but not near as much as Ford Motor Co. and the dealer network lost. As I understand it, the Continentals were basically hand-built. There were not many options, but the main decision was air-conditioning. Supposedly, there were two stacks of quarter panels on the assembly line. Those for the A/C cars had the fresh-air intake scoop that was mentioned earlier. The Continental was meant to stand as its one line of car. While much was derived from the Lincoln, it technically was not a Lincoln. However, it was know by most as a Lincoln and the Lincoln dealers sold them. Did you know there was a song about the Continental?
These 1956/57 Lincolins were designed by Gordon Buhrig the man that designed the 810 812 cord and 51 Ford Victoria hard top, they are a beautiful car. JW
I've always loved the Mark II. They came out when I was in high school, and the school I was in at that time was in a really good neighborhood. One of the kid's at the school had a dad that was the salesmanager at a Lincoln dealership here in St. Louis. One day, in the Fall of 1955, while some of us were waiting for the school bus to take us home, the kids dad (who drove him home everyday) pulled-up in a just-in-to-the-dealership-super-glossy-like-it-was-just-waxed, Black '56 Continenal Mark II with a Black & White Interior. IT WAS AMAZING ! I had seen preview pix in Motor Trend...but to be about 5 feet away from this "Dream Machine" was awesome! It's a picture that's been lodged in the "hard drive of my brain" since that moment in time, and every time I see a '56-'57 Mark II it reruns that event all-over again ! BTW: The bad news is...they were SO well-built, almost "handbuilt" in many ways, so-well pampered in Detroit & when they got to the Dealership, that Ford lost money on every Continental Mark II they built. Robert McNamara, who was the head "bean counter" at the time (before he went to work for the Kennedy's), wanted to focus on the Falcon and smaller cars that would turn a heavier profit...and that was the "death" of the Mark II before it ever took hold. Same for the Edsel...but that's another story. Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net
I heard that when Ford had gone into public share ownership they couldn't keep the Continental line running at a loss as shareholders were not impressed and so it was discontinued. They went public on January 17th 1956.
When I was 8 yrs old and living on a gravel pot hole filled road in Dearborn Twp., Mi., the cars were each tested on my street. They all had a bicycle like fifth wheel attached to the rear bumper. I've wanted one ever since ! Will never happen cause I do not play the lottery !
Here in finland local guy build one.Blowed sbc 4l80e fourlink ford 9 and air suspension. It came very nice looking car.Sadly no pictures on internet. I was lucky.I bought the original 368 and transmission from him.Very low mileage. Installed engine in my 57 turnpike cruiser which was missing one. Now we are both happy.
Designed by Gordon Buehrig who designed the Cord 810, 51 Ford Victoria and these 56 57 Marks. one of the best Industrial Designers.
I love these cars, they manage to be both of their time AND ahead of the times, styling-wise. One just came up for sale in Calgary Alberta. Any Canadians out there with 15k burning a hole in their pocket? Here's your chance to be a hero: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/calgary/1956-continental-mark-2/1315771960
I too have a friend with a Mark, so I did these design suggestions for him. Scroll down a bit to see the custom version. I am from the more-is-less school, so I retain the original style but just clean it up a bit......section the stock grille and fill in the gaps around it. Re-finish the grill with less chrome. Makes it look wider. Leave the upper bumper portion stock, get rid of the vertical guards and either paint the lower bumper, or create a new rolled pan shown here. The mods are subtle so check out the before and after.
Then, as a matter of stance and tire choice, I like several. I'm not a fan of skirts for the sake of skirts, but I think it's a design that would shake things up a bit. A couple show a very slight top chop. My friend thinks taking off the spare tire bump is a sacrilege, but I kinda like it gone.
I thought I was gonna stop obsessing over buying a Mark II one day. I just got my rivi lowered 3 inches level all around, got some spokes for it, shopping for some thin white wall bias plys as I type this, even daily drove it a year straight for almost 10k miles. Then you had to come along and post this photochopped Mark II. The first pic of the front 3/4 view slammed and the rear 3/4 without the spare hump have officially pushed me over the edge. Guess I'll be on craigslist tonite. Nice work @Tom davison
Spent the last couple of years building this one It belongs to my Dad It's now a convertible with a functioning top not a "roadster"
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