When the folks at Ford found a winning formula with the ’72-76 Continental Mark IV, they weren’t about to mess with it for the ’77 Mark V.
Bill Blass Designer Series
While the Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln brand has known some critical acclaim over the years, the Continental Mark IV was its first great commercial success. (See our feature on the ’72-’76 Mark IV here.) The personal luxury coupe outsold its chief rival in the category, the Cadillac Eldorado, allowing Lincoln to pass the 100,000-vehicle mark in annual volume for the first time. So when the time came to replace the Mark IV with the Mark V for 1977, Ford and Lincoln-Mercury senior management were careful to tread lightly. You don’t tamper with a winning recipe.
There were a few tweaks. Vice president of styling Gene Bordinat was never crazy about former CEO Bunkie Knudsen’s final choice for the Mark IV’s exterior design, finding it too rounded and voluptuous for a big coupe. He had the curves replaced with creases, sharpening up the look, so all the exterior sheet metal was new. However, the classic Rolls-style grille and simulated spare tire bump remained. Conceived by product chief Lee Iacocca for the 1969 Continental Mark III, they were the Mark series’ key visual identifiers.
Givenchy Designer Series
While the Mark’s body-on-frame chassis and 120.4-in wheelbase was carried over, slightly greater overhangs increased the overall length 2.2 inches to an imposing 230.3 inches. But meanwhile, curb weight was reduced to 4,652 lbs, roughly a 400 lb savings. The comprehensive diet plan included swapping out the massive 385-series V8 with 460 cubic inches for the more compact 400M V8 (335 series) with 400 CID and 179 hp. Why? The federal government’s fleet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements were now in effect, even for the giant luxury cruisers. And just for the record, the Mark V was rated at 12 mpg city, 19 mpg highway.
Bill Blass (left) and Givenchy Designer Series interiors
The winning formula included the Designer Series models introduced in 1976, the Mark IV’s final year. For the ’77 Mark V, the celebrity roster: Bill Blass, Cartier, Hubert G. Givenchy, and Emilio Pucci. In practice, Lincoln styling personnel submitted proposals on exterior colors and interior trim to the fashion celebrities, who reportedly made the final selections. The Designer Series editions gave the Mark V buyer an additional level of exclusivity while providing a tidy markup for the Lincoln-Mercury division as well—$1,600 to $2,100 over the $11,396 base price.
Cartier Designer Series
The cautiously executed update was certainly successful, as sales rose 43 percent to more than 80,000 cars, providing 42 percent of the Lincoln brand’s total volume for the ’77 model year. Sales remained strong for the following two years of the Mark V’s three year run, too, for a total of 228,262 cars. In fact, of all the eight Mark Series cars (seven Continentals and one Lincoln) from 1940 to 1998, the Mark V is the best selling Mark in Ford Motor Company history.
Large, extremely quiet, softly sprung land yacht. At the time I yearned more for an athletic vehicle like the 69/70 type Mustangs, but know the memories of driving in these behemoths was true ecstasy.
they had quite the presence; huge and dripping with affectations, “which was the style at the time” but somehow still sleek, they certainly did it better than the El Dorado which looked ungainly by comparison
Sleek, indeed. I’ve long believed that this generation was a high-water design mark (no pun intended) for Lincoln. It’s a beautiful car, and I would love to have one.
To celebrate Ford’s 75th anniversary, Lincoln offered a Diamond Jubilee Edition of the 1978 Mark V. The Diamond Jubilee package added $8,000 to the $12,000 price tag. A $20,000 car in 1978 … and even at that price, Ford still sold 4,800 Diamond Jubilee Edition Mark Vs.
Ford really loved that dark blue with tan vinyl top and interior, they used it on everything from the Mark down to the Mustang II Ghia.
That navy blue and tan color combination was a major part of Bill Blass’s design language during the ‘70s and into the ‘80s. I remember my mother having a few Bill Blass clothing articles during that time, and it seemed to be his preferred colors in his collections.
In addition to Ford adapting it from the Bill Blass Mark to its other models, the color combination also frequently showed up on European makes, as well, most notably Mercedes-Benz.
I sold these in tampa. It was a very enjoyable time even during the malaise era.