QOTD: The Best and the Worst?

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

As you read in the previous post, Lincoln has finally admitted what everyone by now knew — that the Continental’s days are numbered. The marque plans to shelve the model after pulling the plug on production at the end of the year.

Big sedans have all the appeal of an uncontrolled cough in a crowded elevator right now, so there’s dim hope that the Continental name will ever grace a stately, rear-drive sedan or coupe in anyone’s near future. At least we have our memories, though… not all of which are good ones.

Perhaps this writer is speaking for himself. Maybe you’ve never seen a Continental you didn’t love. Others will disagree and choose to play favorites.

There’s certainly a long list of vehicles from which to choose. The first-generation, Tinseltown Contis never did it for me, style-wise, but one can appreciate their presence and panache, as well as their V-12 powerplants. The exceptionally expensive, crafted-with-care Mark II of ’56-’57 was a jewel, but maybe too much of one. The unibody behemoths of the late Fifties, so hated by Robert McNamara, were Exhibit A at the Dangers of Capitalism trial.

Ah, but the slab-sided Sixties… Mmmmm, that was where it’s at. The best Continental, in this writer’s entirely subjective opinion? The ’64. Stretched three inches for that year, it best combined the minimalist elegance that defined the Kennedy-era Continentals with the hulking size that emerged later in the model’s run.

A close runner-up is the Continental Mark III (1969-1971), which deserved top billing in The French Connection. A money maker by design, the quintessential personal luxury coupe came into being after Lee Iacocca looked at the floundering four-door Thunderbird and figured its underpinnings could be put to better use. The idea certainly panned out. With margins as wide as its split front bench, the Mark III was a license to print money, as well as a gorgeous thing to look at.

Maybe your tastes lie elsewhere, though. Maybe a two-tone Mark V with the faux cabriolet roof is your bag. Maybe the bustleback of the Fox-body Continental of 1982 gets you hot under the collar — especially when you think of the oh-so-rare BMW diesel engine option. Then there’s the Mark VII and VIII coupes that aimed to inject a much-needed dose of sport into Lincoln’s calcified veins.

Is it possible your favorite Continental emerged after that date? Maybe a late-’80s example — the kind often seen with a blown rear suspension, its bumper bouncing off of speed bumps in a mall parking lot? We won’t judge you if that’s the case. Not publicly, anyway.

There’s lots to choose from here, folks. A lifetime of Continentals, but for each of you, there can be only one best and one worst. What are they?

[Images: Lincoln Motor Company, Murilee Martin/TTAC]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Arthur Dailey Arthur Dailey on Jul 03, 2020

    There can be only one best and @GS455 named it. The Mark IV Pucci edition. The ultimate in brougham. Yes it was the height of the 'malaise era' but every other manufacturer was toiling under the same restrictions.A wonderful highway cruiser. A true 'boulevardier' Whether when it was new or now, if you show up in one, you will attract a crowd.

  • El scotto El scotto on Jul 06, 2020

    A Mark V for me for sentimental reasons. On warm summer nights I'd get selected to pilot a Mark V back from Cincinnati Reds games. Maybe because dad had a few too many Hudepohls and grandpa would say something about having to get up early the next morning and slipping into the back seat. Of course the AC would be off and the windows would be rolled down. 700 WLW on the AM radio and dad's 8 track tape needing pushed in. Rolling west on U.S. 50 I'd catch glimpses of small Indiana towns early in the morning. For those who raised crops and animals or knew up such things, the cool night air would bring in usually subtle scents of their activities. Freshly mowed grass, hay that had been cut that day and humus that had just been disked. Sadly, my grandpa has passed on and the small towns I passed through on U.S. 50 are slowly dying. Lincoln is going out with a fight, offering superb customer service. However, showing my mom how to play music from her phone does not nearly equal opening up a 460 Ford engine on a long straightaway.

  • 1995 SC As this is another car with Toyota badging that they didn't actually build, perhaps this is the new Supra.
  • ToolGuy Weather was cooler yesterday and there was a slight noise on startup several hundred miles from home. We better add 'water pump' to the watch list for the daily driver. Can you remind me when we get home? Thanks.
  • ToolGuy Is it pronounced BMW (-"uh") or BMW (-"eh")?
  • Tassos This makes zero sense. IF Stellantis' dismal showing is indeed HIS fault, why keep him another 14 months AT LEAST? The Billions of extra losses will be 100 times more than the few millions they would give him for early termination. But I am pretty sure it is NOT his fault, but the DISMAL PRODUCT he had to work with. ..................Maybe it will take more than 14 months to find a DECENT REPLACEMENT for him?
  • 3SpeedAutomatic 66 yr old retiree. Had ‘12 Ford Escape at $780 each six months. Recently replaced with ‘22 Passport $900 each six months. Liability at max ($250k), plus comp/collision on each due to many in Louisiana without auto insurance. Could not afford uninsured motorists for that would double premium.Latest scam are those with temporary license plates on older cars. Sign that they don’t have insurance. Temporary tags are easily duplicated. Getting out of hand. 🚗🚗🚗
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