Continental MkII the most expensive US automobile in 1956
The Continental Mark II is an ultra-luxury coupé that was sold by the Continental Division of Ford for the 1956 and 1957 model years. The only product line ever marketed by Continental during its existence, the Mark II served as the worldwide flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. The vehicle derived its name from European manufacturing practice, with "Mark II" denoting a second generation (succeeding the 1939–1948 Lincoln Continental).
As the most expensive American-produced automobile of the time, the Mark II was marketed against the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Produced solely as a two-door hardtop coupe, the Mark II used standard Lincoln mechanical components, including its "Y-block" V8 and automatic transmission. The rest of the vehicle was largely hand-assembled, leading Ford to lose thousands of dollars for each example produced.
Following the 1957 model year, Ford discontinued its flagship Continental division, with the division phased into Lincoln from 1958. For 1969, Ford revived the chronology of the Mark series with the debut of the (second) Continental Mark III coupe, leading to five successive generations; the model line currently ends with the 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII coupe. In modified form, Lincoln still uses the four-point star emblem introduced by the Mark II; each version of the Mark series (and the 1982-1987 Lincoln Continental) was styled with a "Continental" spare-tire trunklid.
Intended as a successor to the Lincoln Continental, effectively making its predecessor a Mark I, the Continental Mark II made its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955.The Mark II debuted in the United States at Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. With a $9,966 base price (equivalent to $95,100 today), the Mark II was the most expensive domestic-produced automobile sold in the United States at the time. The only extra cost option offered for the Mark II was a $595 ($5,700 today) air conditioner. Despite its high price, Ford Motor Company estimated it lost nearly $1,000 ($9500 today) for every unit produced
To streamline production, powertrain components were adapted from the Lincoln model line and checked through the division's quality-control program during production. The 368 cubic-inch Lincoln Y-block V8 powered the Mark II, paired with the 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic transmission. For 1956, the engines produced 285 hp, increased to 300 hp for 1957
Total productions for the two years produced was 3005 units including about one half dozen preproduction and prototypes.
Continental MkII the most expensive US automobile in 1956
The Continental Mark II is an ultra-luxury coupé that was sold by the Continental Division of Ford for the 1956 and 1957 model years. The only product line ever marketed by Continental during its existence, the Mark II served as the worldwide flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. The vehicle derived its name from European manufacturing practice, with "Mark II" denoting a second generation (succeeding the 1939–1948 Lincoln Continental).
As the most expensive American-produced automobile of the time, the Mark II was marketed against the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Produced solely as a two-door hardtop coupe, the Mark II used standard Lincoln mechanical components, including its "Y-block" V8 and automatic transmission. The rest of the vehicle was largely hand-assembled, leading Ford to lose thousands of dollars for each example produced.
Following the 1957 model year, Ford discontinued its flagship Continental division, with the division phased into Lincoln from 1958. For 1969, Ford revived the chronology of the Mark series with the debut of the (second) Continental Mark III coupe, leading to five successive generations; the model line currently ends with the 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII coupe. In modified form, Lincoln still uses the four-point star emblem introduced by the Mark II; each version of the Mark series (and the 1982-1987 Lincoln Continental) was styled with a "Continental" spare-tire trunklid.
Intended as a successor to the Lincoln Continental, effectively making its predecessor a Mark I, the Continental Mark II made its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 1955.The Mark II debuted in the United States at Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. With a $9,966 base price (equivalent to $95,100 today), the Mark II was the most expensive domestic-produced automobile sold in the United States at the time. The only extra cost option offered for the Mark II was a $595 ($5,700 today) air conditioner. Despite its high price, Ford Motor Company estimated it lost nearly $1,000 ($9500 today) for every unit produced
To streamline production, powertrain components were adapted from the Lincoln model line and checked through the division's quality-control program during production. The 368 cubic-inch Lincoln Y-block V8 powered the Mark II, paired with the 3-speed Turbo-Drive automatic transmission. For 1956, the engines produced 285 hp, increased to 300 hp for 1957
Total productions for the two years produced was 3005 units including about one half dozen preproduction and prototypes.