At one point in the development of the Continental Mark V, the luxury coupe was shrunk down to intermediate size, and it looked an awful lot like a Pontiac,too
What, downsize the Lincoln Continental Mark series? The luxurious, jumbo- sized ’69-’71 Mark III and ’72-76 Mark IV coupes were hot properties that turned Lincoln sales around. Who would mess with this remarkable success and propose such a radical move?
As the story goes, it was Henry Ford II himself, the man with his name on the sign out front. Reportedly, when the 1976 Mark V (later postponed to ’77) was in the early planning stages, he directed that the luxury coupe be shrunk down to fit a 114-inch wheelbase. In this smaller form it could continue to use the same platform as the Ford Thunderbird, which was also scheduled for downsizing
What’s more, the stylists were encouraged by management to take their design cues from the successful Pontiac Grand Prix. Hence the uncanny resemblence to the ’69-’71 Grand Prix on the full-size studio model shown here. The front and rear end treatments are almost dead ringers for the GM personal luxury coupe,
As things turned out, the Thunderbird was indeed downsized to the 114-in LTD II platform for 1977, and it became the best-selling T-Bird in history. However, the Lincoln plan changed. A new Mark V also appeared that year, but it wasn’t sharing a floorpan with the Thunderbird. Rather, it was based on the same 120-in footprint as the previous Mark IV, though with more sharply chiseled styling. And, you will notice, there’s a classic Mark series grille at the front and the trademark spare tire bump at the rear, with no hint of Pontiac anywhere.
While the ’77 Mark V (below) was nearly 400 lbs lighter than the Mark IV, the better to meet EPA corporate fuel mileage standards, it was more than two inches longer—a full 230 inches. Buyers said yes, as sales shot up 42 percent to 80,000 cars. It was only inevitable that the Mark series was finally reduced in size with the 1980 Mark VI, which was based on the Ford Panther platform and was offered as a coupe, and for the first time, a four-door sedan.
As Henry got older, he got more cautious. Iacocca literally forced him to approve the Mustang, but he would not allow the minivan, missing an important new market. So it’s no surprise that he wanted to copy the Grand Prix, the hot car at the moment. Fortunately, calmer heads prevailed and the Mark remained a Mark.
Juat to clarify: It’s not known that Henry Ford II had a role in the Pontiac resemblance.
Automotive concept planning and design is a monkey-see, monkey-do business. Look at the proliferation of hexagonal grille treatments on unrelated models and brands. Back then Grand Prix was a thunderclap across Detroit, no one had ever successfully penetrated the top of personal luxury with a low-cost light car platform. Once the Ford accountants and planners saw how GM did it, the race was on to replicate it. Probably wise of Ford to pass on a smaller Mark – or, it was until it wasn’t and “The Shah left town…”
For Ford it all worked out. The Thunderbird was moved downmarket against the Grand Prix for ’77, and it outsold the GP by 100,000 cars. The Mark V stayed big in ’77 and its sales shot up 42 percent.
Are you sure this isn’t a concept for the Mk IV? I ask that because this one lacks the 5 mph bumpers front and rear that were mandated in ’73 (front) and ’74 (rear). The Mk IV came out in ’72, before they were required.
Yes. The Mark IV was already signed off.
The more I look at the pics, this can’t possibly be for ’77 production.
Why?
1. Ford’s styling team wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of fitting a ’72-style front bumper, what with the regulations already in place requiring the giant chrome railroad ties that Lincoln (and Mercury and Ford and others) were using.
2. This car seems several inches wider than the Torino-based ’77 T-bird package. Definitely a more “full-figured” car.
3. Lincoln dropped pivoting vent windows after ’69.
4. I don’t see so much a GM-inspired design here as I do the genesis of the flying buttress roof of Mercury’s ’71-73 Cougar hardtops.
5. Which begs the question, why would FoMoCo (or, frankly, ANY company) copy an 8-year-old design (the ’69 GP) for 1977?
Lead times. The mk V was originally scheduled for 76 introduction, so production would have to start in aug 75. So this project would have to be at least 3 yrs earlier,
5 mph front bumpers started in the ’73 model year. 5 mph bumpers in the rear started in ’74. There’s no way that pic is of the proposed ’76 or ’77 Mk V
PDQ, the the bumper regulations weren’t announced until late 1971.
The Mark IV was signed off by Semon E. Knudsen in 1968.
And that should make the front bumper of the production ’72 look very familiar, because it’s in these pictures on this page.
Another reason I have to insist makes this an early MkIV idea instead of a V is … no opera windows! The IV introduced them, the V and VI kept them, and thank God someone had the good sense to dump ’em before the VII came along.
It’s not too difficult to find reliable corroborating sources for this particular subject matter, rather than speculate.
MCG has properly researched this piece, as usual, and his assertions here are absolutely correct.
If only the 1980 Mark VI’s proportions could have been something like this prototype. With the Mark VI, I could never get past the placement of the front wheels; had they been placed further towards the front of the car it would’ve looked much better. As it was it looked like a Mark V balanced precariously upon a Pinto platform.
I’m surprised that this prototype lacks the notorious Ford “battering ram” bumpers of the era, hidden headlamps, and the spare tire hump on the decklid. But then again it was supposed to be a departure from what was being produced at that time.
Okay, Grand Prix in the front, but maybe Cougar in the back? (Backlight/sail panel area?) Not a good look ; glad it wasn’t produced as such.
Bunkie Knudsen pretty much ruined a lot of cars’ styling by promoting that stupid front end “beak.” No styling exec at GM or Ford could resist.
Bunkie Knudsen was gone before this car was in the planning stages.
That was the first thing I thought of when I saw it … which begs the question, knowing how much Iacocca hated Bunk, how the hell did this even get past a sketch?
The back end reminds me of the later, downsized Caddy Eldorado.
Ole Bunkie was the reason the 71-73 Mustang dash looked like a 67-68 Camaro. And those nose beaks, used on Mercurys in particular, but also on some Fords, were pure GM styles. A strange period for Ford when Bunkie was there for sure.
It strikes me how much this resembles the 1979 Eldorado.