Ironically, the Continental Mark IV is the most “American” car ever. It’s the ultimate counterpart to that most continental/ European car ever, the VW Rabbit/Golf Mk I that appeared about the same time. The Golf was a brilliant triumph of modern design: space efficiency, economy, light weight, visibility, sparkling performance and handling. And in Europe, the Golf became known as the “classless” car; one that didn’t make a statement about its owner. The Mark? Well, take all those qualities, turn them upside down, inside out, and then toss them out the window. Americans have long had ambivalence about “modern” anyway; it hinted at socialistic and intellectual influences that didn’t always sit so well. The most modern American car ever was the Corvair, and look how that turned out. Even the Kennedy Lincolns were a touch too modern. America was ripe for the first true post-modern car, and Ford was the obvious company to make it. (Read More…)
Tagged as Cadillac Eldorado, continental, henry ford, Henry Ford II, lee iaccoca, Lincoln, Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark VI, mcmansion, ronald reagan, zephyr
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Derek Kreindler - If you are ever in town, let me know. I don’t get up to Ottawa much but I’ll be in Perth at the end of July to visit my old summer...
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