A True Barn Find In 99.9% Original Factory Condition. A 9-out-of-10 Show Example on 2040-cars

Lincoln
Continental Mark III

1971

A real time-warp find!

This is a really authentic, great condition Continental Mark III coupe. The car is very original in all aspects and is a rare and wonderful find. Although not necessarily considered a "collectable" by purist standards, its sheer condition makes her so.

This is a genuine 1 owner car that spent its whole life in Illinois and showing a very low 28,000 miles. We do not know unequivocally whether this is the true mileage but she certainly looks every bit of a 28,000 mile example. We do know the car has sat in a barn for more than 25 years and has all the signs of a sparingly used example. It still sports its original set of factory fitted Michelin thin whitewall tyres and a matching spare that has NEVER been used. These tyres have not been in production for more than 20 years now.

Finished in medium green metallic ("Ivy Bronze Moondust Poly") with a Dark green "Cavalry Twill" vinyl top and Dark Green leather interior - all 3 being optional extras. The "Moondust" paint was a very special option high metallic paint finish and the leather was an additional option over cloth seats.

The 1971 Lincoln Mark III was the first production car in the world to boast ABS.

This Lincoln has been recently gone over by a local work-shop and everything is in good operating condition. A new factory specification exhaust system was fitted ($800) as the original one was completely "thin". The only thing that is not original on teh car is a fitted Holley carburetor. This was done by the archaelogists who discovered her in the barn. Having said that, as a result, the engine runs smooth and powerful. Brakes are good and the car stops sure. All features and functions work well with the heater hot and A/C cold. Windows, seat adjustment, central locking, seat belts, wipers, radio, exterior and interior lights all work as they should. The clock keeps its own time, however. Headlight covers open and stay close as they should. The car has its original spare and tools.

The paint on the entire car is 100% original without any respray in any part. The body is mostly rust free but for some small surface spots under the right rear quarter (photo included) and lower passenger side. This is strictly "paint-deep" surface rust from barn sitting. The underside is clean. The whole car is very straight, accident free and has never had any body repair. This is evidenced by the original factory stickers and markings on the inside edges and under the hood. For original paint, it is stunning with a deep luster and shine. There are little nicks and minor chips but nothing major and certainly nothing that needs repairing. It is very shiny, consistent and simply looks great from close and afar. Although not perfect, VERY impressive for a 40 year old car!

All rubber, glass and trim fixtures are in wonderful condition without any signs of fading, marks or scratches. The hubcaps are without any scuffs or rashes and look perfect. The bumpers and wheel arch mouldings are virtually prefect.

The interior is absolutely fantastic! Finished in a dark green leather, she looks incredibly sharp. The dash is perfect without any sun-fading or cracking. All the vinyl, real walnut wood on the dash & doors and carpets are great. The dash cluster is clean and straight but for slight tarnishing on the chrome surrounds of the instruments. The Mark III was the first Lincoln to use real walnut wood on the dash. The steering wheel is without a single crack. The leather seats are in simply amazing presentation and condition, totally clean and without even a scuff, scratch or thread pulled. This is surely the best testament for a low mileage example. Carpets, door panels, handles, switches, knobs and every little item is excellent. The headliner is good but for 1" hole that looks to have been a mouse's supper sometime during its barn sojourn. Otherwise perfect. The interior is without doubt a 9.5 out of 10. Just stunning.

The car all round is very original in all respects. Sporting original hubcaps on original rims with its original whitewall tyres. It has its original operating manual.

Overall, this Lincoln Continental Mark III coupe is an excellent unrestored and original example. Whether this is a "show class" car by true definition, I don't know, but it would certainly rank very high in a "preservation" category at any show. You could certainly drive her with pride as-is to your next Lincoln meet and attract a lot of attention. It ranks a clear 9-out-of-10 driver condition and would make a great low-cost investment for any 70s car collection.

  For some 200 photos, click on this link below. The images are in super high resolution so you can zoom in on every detail and defect:

Click HERE to see additional photos! 


 













































    




















































   













   

   





   































   







Click HERE to see additional photos!


 

Wikipedia:

The Mark III was created when Lee Iacocca, president of Ford Motor Company at the time, directed Design Vice President, Gene Bordinat, to "put a Rolls Royce grille on a Thunderbird" in September 1965. The Mark III was based on the 4-door Thunderbird model, which was first introduced for 1967.

Intended to compete head-to-head with Cadillac's heavily redesigned Eldorado, the Mark III made its debut a clear notch above less expensive, less well-appointed personal luxury cars. As the Eldorado was built upon the Toronado frame, so the Mark III was the Thunderbird's. While the side-rail frame was identical to the Thunderbird's, the Mark III bore almost 300 lb (140 kg) more bodywork. Power was ample from Lincoln's all-new 460 cu in (7.5 l) 365 bhp (272 kW) V8, a member of the Ford 385 engine family.

Introduced in April 1968 as an early 1969 model, the model was a remarkable commercial success because it combined the high unit revenue of a luxury model with the low development costs and fixed-cost amortization utility of platform-sharing, in a car that was appealing enough to buyers that many units were sold. Iacocca said, "We brought out the Mark III in April 1968, and in its very first year it outsold the Cadillac Eldorado, which had been our long-range goal. For the next five years [Marks III and IV] we had a field day, in part because the car had been developed on the cheap. We did the whole thing for $30 million, a bargain-basement price, because we were able to use existing parts and designs." Iacocca explained that this transformed the Lincoln-Mercury Division from losing money on every luxury car (via low unit sales on high fixed costs) to a profit center that in its best year of the series earned Ford almost $1 billion profit from Lincoln alone, making the new Mark series as big a success as any he ever had in his career. Iacocca explained of the Mark series, "The Mark is [in 1984] Ford's biggest moneymaker, just as Cadillac is for General Motors. It's the Alfred Sloan theory: you have to have something for everybody [...] you always need a poor man's car [...] but then you need upscale cars, too, because you never know when the blue-collar guy is going to be laid off. It seems that in the United States the one thing you can count on is that even during a depression, the rich get richer. So you always have to have some goodies for them."

In style, the Mark III was squarer and more upright than the sleek Thunderbird, featured a Rolls-Royce like grill, hidden headlights, and a classic albeit ersatz Mark II spare tire bulge on its trunk.

There were only small changes for 1970 and 21,432 were sold. The vinyl roof was made standard, windshield wipers were now concealed, and the wheel covers were redesigned. Michelin radial tires were standard equipment (a first for an American car), and a locking steering column/ignition switch replaced the dash-mounted switch per federal mandate. The metal horn ring used in '69 was deleted from the steering wheel. Increasingly stringent Federal safety requirements mandated the addition of red reflectors to the rear bumper, and yellow reflectors to the sides of the front parking lamp assemblies. The interior wood appliques were upgraded to genuine Walnut. The door panels were redesigned and the power seat controls were moved from the seat edge to the door arm rests. The pattern of the stitching on the seats was modified.

~~oo00oo~~

This Lincoln is part of a private collection. I am not a broker or retail-style car dealer; although licensed, I am a professional car collector of some 30 years with considerable experience and knowledge of British and European Cars. I have a long standing reputation being associated with Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor cars which I take seriously. I take a lot of pride in my cars and have fun in collecting and restoring them. However, auctions are not a game so when you place a bid or offer, and you are the winning bidder, please understand you have entered a binding contract. You cannot bid and win the auction and expect not to meet the terms and conditions. Bidding and/or winning does not mean you are expecting me to “hold” the car until you have the opportunity to inspect it. Any inspection contemplated should be undertaken BEFORE you bid or make an offer and I openly welcome any potential buyer to come and personally inspect the car. Once you bid or make an offer, you are doing so to buy WITHOUT conditions. A $1500.00 deposit (non-refundable) is required within 24 hours of the close of the auction and payable by PayPal. The balance of funds are required within 7 days of the close of the auction and must be provided by cashier’s check or bank wire. I cannot accept PayPal for the balance unless you are willing to meet the cost of transfer fees. Full payment must be made (and payments cleared) before the title and/or the vehicle is released. All payments are non-refundable. Payments as described above form an important part of this purchase contract and so, if all the funds are not received as outlined above, I reserve the right to terminate the transaction without notice. If there has been any deposit or other part payments received and I elect to terminate the contract, I reserve the right to keep any such deposits or payments and resell the vehicle to another bidder or interested party or re-list the vehicle at any time. I am happy to assist with shipping arrangements on a national and worldwide basis but the winning bidder takes full responsibility for pickup and/or shipping and at his cost.

As a collector and experienced restorer of classic cars, I make every effort to bring my cars to a very high standard. Unless specifically stated, the car is not of show standard but of good quality "driver" condition. Please understand, the very nature of these classics is such that it is not always possible to attend to every single item, or perhaps I may have inadvertently overlooked an item. Please note, fitted radio/stereo systems are usually subject to upgrade by purchasers so I do not ensure operation of these. Further, a feature or function that is working perfectly one moment, may decide to play-up the next. After all, it is some 40 years old. For this reason it is necessary for the following condition:  

The vehicle is being sold "as-is/where-is" with no warranty expressed, written or implied. Any descriptions or representations are made with reasonable judgment and all efforts are made to ensure fair assessment and accuracy but they are for descriptive and identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. The seller shall not be responsible for errors in description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, unforeseen imperfection, defect or damage. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have satisfied himself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects at the buyer’s request prior to the close of the auction.  Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. Being a classic car in excess of 10 years of age, in most US states, the mileage may be recorded as “exempt”. In this regard the seller makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the mileage indicated or shown. I can hold the vehicle up to 30 days while you arrange shipping but you must immediately insure it. I will not bear any responsibility for any additional costs including storage, transportation, or repair after the close of the auction. Whereas I am happy to store the car in excess of 30 days from auction end, a cost of $35 per day shall apply beyond 30 days of auction end. Also, you must remember that this is a classic +/-40 year old vehicle, and while it is up to you, I do not recommend that you just “hop in and drive it across the country”.  At least, I have never done that.  I have always professionally transported the cars in enclosed carriers from where I bought them to my home.  

PLEASE; IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ABIDE BY THESE TERMS, MESSGAE ME BEFORE YOU BID AS, RESPECTFULLY, THERE CAN BE NO EXCEPTIONS.