Ryan submitted a new blog post: The Continental Mark II Introduction Continue reading the Original Blog Post
While I don't care for the additions Barris did; I really like the body color of his. Love this picture of him with his Rollei.
I was probably too strong against it. The color is great... the stance is ok... etc... I just don't dig on the spot lights or the caps he chose... and I can't stand the addition of the landau thingies... "Hey, look at me!" has never been my thing.
That mauve is really nice- matches the rocks. The white one reminds me a little of early sixties Mercedes. Headlight placement, I think. I think of them as really big 1st gen Thunderbirds. They are to my eye, one of the few "perfect" cars. The only thing they need is gas and a spot in my garage. Cool videos.
It's like a first gen thunderbird, a 60's era mercedes, and a first gen Riviera had a baby.... Yeah, it's the gold I don't dig on...
Yeah, it's gorgeous... but I don't know if it's any better than the stock. In my opinion (and I know everyone has one), I'm not huge on the bagged stance (although I think this IS an appropriate car for bags) and I'd prefer if it wasn't chopped quite so much. Overall, the car is just a bit too smooth for my tastes. I really miss the stainless kick plates along the bottom of the body for example... That all being said, I do like the car a lot and have seen it in person. The craftsmanship is over the top good and I love the fact that it was built.
One of the Mark II design team members, Jim Powers, opened an ad agency handling speed equipment manufacturers. He had one of each Continentals from '39 to the Mark III parked under his office. For awhile, the car of choice of the magazine advertising guys and agency strokes was Mark III or IV.
The Mark 2 lines are still perfect and back in the day I loved them, but the last time I saw one in the wild the proportions all looked wrong. The overhangs were too long, the greenhouse was too short and too high and the wheels were buried too far under the fenders. That design definitely hasn't aged as well as the 53 Studebaker coupe or the 63 Riviera.
When the cars were shipped to the dealers it was done in an enclosed hauler and had a sheep skin lined car cover on it. Charles Clardy, owner of Clardy Air Conditioning had one he brought in to the dealer I worked at in the 70's. The motor in it had gotten worn out from him driving it so much and he had a 460 and C6 transplanted in it. His was a non a/c car so he had his engineers build a system for it. It was maroon and the paint looked as good as it did when new.
Lee Well's sectioned '56 is one for the books, and was built '50 (+) years ago! The original Marigold flake paint job, sprayed by Junior Conway, was one for the ages! https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...utside-of-a-sexshop-in-chicago-really.330465/
My favorite 50's car from the first tine I saw one when I was 11. Anyone can do what they want but to me they were, and still are, perfection from the factory
I have a white 57, don't know if I will ever get to it. But my fav was a black one that made the rounds a couple of years ago. Mine sits a couple of feet from my 57 brougham. Both are my favorite factory customs
Kindig-It Design is working on one. I spoke to the owner of the Copper Caddy & that's what they are working on for him now. I'm not 100% but I seem to recall he said it is to be a convertible.
Foose built one for Good Guy's Gary Meadors a while back. http://streetscenesauto.com/1956-lincoln-continental-mark-ii-coupe-foose-custom/ A different more mod custom look......a bit too "street " for me. The more I look at these MKII 's the more I want one. Spendy to find one done. Too spendy to do one. Still Bitchin' with class.....
To get them smooth like that, you have to rid of so many details... and its the fine details that make these cars special.
I took the picture of John Cooks car outside my old house maybe nine years ago. John did some great work on that car. It has now gone to a new home in Victoria I think. John will be looking at something special again soon.
John Cooks Lincoln is local to me and very subtle. It definitely stands out in the crowd. Here's a article on it View attachment 3697228
Here's Gary "Goodguys" Meadors' Lincoln Mark II Custom ... circa 1994 ... before it was sold to a Texan (i.e., the version of car in the article linked by @corncobcoupe):
I have had honor of working on an original one......Black with white interior....just to stand back and look at that car was jaw droppin.
I know where there is one for sale. It was repainted last summer, a gaudy dark red with a white top, and I don't think they knew what a long sanding board was, you can see the waves in the body from 50 foot away. I saw it advertised for $20,000, way too much IMHO. It sits outside everyday by a dusty, gritty road in the sun, baking the paint off. Sad way to treat a classic. Only thing I don't care for on those cars is the grille, something about it just looks out of place with the rest of the car. The custom grilles look somewhat better, but still off just a bit. One of those things that you can see, but just can't put your finger on how to improve them without screwing everything else up.
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