The Mark VI is rear-wheel drive with body-on-frame construction; it is fitted with coil-spring suspension on all four wheels. In most models the interior dimensions were increased as a result of the new body styling. There were red and gold accent stripes on the hood, body sides and decklid. The styling done either by or under Eugene Bordinat was extremely square and crisp with knife edges on the fenders. Sunroof. My 1970 Mercury Marquis headlight doors closed nice and quietly. Moving to the Panther platform, the 1980 Mark VI lost 6 inches of wheelbase and over 14 inches in overall length. Perhaps that is the greatest sin? Doug Mattix points up several problems with 1980-83 Lincolns and Marks. Rare Rides Icons: The Lincoln Mark Series Cars, Feeling Continental Then they sent them back with color samples and called it good. Its all going to be about the appraisal. Additionally, repair parts for the most part are really cheap. 15 results per page. Original Cameo White paint over dark blue velour interior Loaded w. Inside, it offered an LED display and computer in its interior, with enough room for five occupants. If the Thunderbirds aero styling werent the hit it was, I seriously doubt Lincoln would blockade the fully developed Mark VII from hitting showrooms after. Under the hood, we see the good old Ford Windsor 302 engine, also known as the 5.0 V8. He has also recently replaced the transmission, the carburetor, the water pump and the alternator, all of which he sees as normal maintenance, given the mileage on his car. 5 is ironic in one way. The availability and use of the mid-sized Mercury Montego chassis dictated that the car they originally designed as the Mark VI be up sized. This car was no Mark. Note, an un-retouched photograph of the interior of my recently acquired 1982 Mark VI accompanies this text. I agree I think this color combo on this car is absolute perfection. This review is overly harsh. Although it hasnt been well publicized, the Mark VI also used many Lincoln Town Car body panels. For 1980, the Designer Series made their return to the Mark Series coupes, including Cartier, Pucci, Bill Blass, and Givenchy Editions. Instead of seeing the car as a cohesive whole, the eye views it as two halves. We hope to hear from Gene in another 17 years about how his Mark VI is doing. They sold well once buyers saw that they were not reall too small. . Lincoln only sold 64,000 two-door Marks during the Mark VIs entire four-year run. The carriage vinyl roof was a midnight blue cloth. 5925$ Nada average retail 81 mark coupe. Ford's Lincoln Division introduced the downsized Continental Mark VI in 1980 and kept the model in production through 1983. Inside, it offered an LED display and computer in its interior, with enough room for five occupants. It came with a Ford branded cassette tape with a variety of pop song selections to enjoy the Premium Sound System. Accent stripes were dark red. Id take a VI over a VII in a hart beat. Try lincolnland in Clearwater fl. Lincoln Mark Series Classic Cars for Sale - Autotrader Classics There are many low-priced Lincoln Continental models available for sale out there, particularly on auction sites. The Continental Mark VI was produced alongside the Lincoln Continental and Town Car at the Ford Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan. Just looking at the ridiculous, excessive overhang of the Mark V shows a culture in love with itself and not giving a damn! Building this thing on the longer chassis would be a step in the right direction. Where were the engineers when this thing was approved for production? Sometimes what people say they like in customer clinics is not what they would actually buy. Atleast the trunks on these mini marks are big enough to hold two 22 inch subs. I think the buyers were not prepared to pay MORE for a smaller car in 1980 than in 79 when they could still get the V. Enough said for me I like all Marks but the VII. Also, it was the first year for the EEC III engine management system which kept fuel economy high and emissions low, an industry first. I would often catch him standing in the window staring at it. The "wire spoke" aluminum wheels on the Designer Edition cars look much nicer than the wire-wheel-influenced hubcaps that went on lesser Mark VIs. MK 3. From 1977 through 1979 Lincoln produced 36,562 Mark Vs. For 1980 there were 20,647 two-door Mark Vis, then 18,740 for 1981, then 11,532 for 1982 and 12,743 for 1983. I can make a similar observation about this car because I knew Lincoln Marks. I happen to be sympathetic with the older peoples point of view on this (since Im sure if I had been alive then, Id have liked the really big 70s models and not wanted them to be downsized or have to compromise), so I can understand why theyd have been attracted to theseFord and GM were basically saying look, the government is forcing us to make smaller cars, and your kids tastes are changing, but well still keep making something that has a vinyl top and a hood ornament and kind of looks like what we used to make, because we see a profit in selling you a product that allows your generation to not feel uncomfortable in this new world increasingly populated by peppy little German and Honda cars that confer status in ways you dont really grasp. Your email address will not be published. Gas mileage is OK. For 1982 and 1983, the Mark VI Signature Series underwent a revision, as it became available in any exterior and interior color offered for the Mark VI. All of the I wish it was still the 70s design touches like the fender gills, covered headlights, and opera windows now stand out as unique. This is two-doors only, not four doors, and in most years four-door production was greater than two-door production. Young men usually dont get excited about couturiers. Mark IV 16 classic Mark IVs for sale. Best of the best. (first posted 6/22/2013) From the introduction of the 1969 Continental Mark III through the last 1979 Mark V, Lincoln absolutely owned the personal luxury market. Lincolns management and designers understood their mission and accomplished it with deadly efficiency: by 1978, the Imperial was gone and the Cadillac Eldorado was an also-ran. I remember the 1988 Vice Presidential debate, in which Sen. Dan Quayle mentioned that he was the same age Jack Kennedy had been when Kennedy was president. Just before selling the car they spent $1,100 on the computer electronics and replaced the Black Cambria carriage roof. There was a Pastel French Vanilla specialty roof in Bayville textured vinyl. Maple Grove, MN 55311-6715, Phone: 763.420.7829 Well, my grandparents 87 Fox Continental had it. Brake release. My 83 signature series mark vi continental is an excellent car. Track recent comps for the classic or exotic cars you own - or the cars you want. The overall length of the Mark VI four-door and Lincoln Continental was 219.2. Snow white on white on white with navy inserts. At the 1983 Chicago Auto Show, the Lincoln display had an 83 Emilio Pucci Mark VI sedan on a podium. It's clear that the Lincoln Continentals value may rise with time. Check out this rare collectors Lincoln of the 80s. The accident was her fault and progressive gave me 1300 $. Junkyard Gem: 1982 Lincoln Continental Mark VI Bill Blass Edition As with 1980, all examples were produced with red interiors, in leather or velour. Your subject car is in sad shape, but can be made into an elegant machine again! I soeak from some 45 years of experence and from ownership of some 50 different Lincolns over the years. I have looked at a bazillion pictures of these cars, and it doesnt matter the color, angle or setting the miserable thing is just an awkward, ungainly, and badly proportioned car. The average price has increased by 22.1% since last year. Cadillac had already started to downsize and to many former Cadillac owners, it looked and felt that Cadillac had abandoned the luxury car buyers who werent ready to downsize yet if ever! When I consiser adding to my cleection of cars I look for a Mark VI first. Is that how it left the factory?? Just because the Mark VI didnt sell well doesnt mean it was a bad car. . That both the Mark V coupe and sedan come off looking like Town Cars that were hit with the full 70s aftermarket customization crap. fuel crisis. This car gets all kind of attention. Seeing them exposed is the sign of a poorly maintained car/vacuum system. Learn how your comment data is processed. The Lincoln Mark VI allows me to enjoy modern highway travel, along with drinving a classic car and I also enjoy very good fuel economy. I have owned many older cars and had a Mark VI 2-door, not in the best shape that I bought for only $700 around 2010. Bad ford design is my theory. You rarely see these at Lincoln Continental Owners Club (LCOC) meets most have evidently been sent to the scrapper. I wasnt a good period for the economy or cars, but I think Ford did a great job From the 1976 through 1992 model years, Lincoln sold Designer Edition members of the Mark Series . If these sold in better numbers that could have been a real widespread problem! 6 power windows. I even thought about buying one and redoing it to look like mine but parts are impossible to find, especially the Lincoln wire wheels. Also the ac and windows and 4 wheel drive didnt work. It appears Hartford called 2 junk jipo auto sales lots in Alaska who quoted the $4200. All the criticism above is valid, similar to the deserved criticism (and rare praise but not from me) of the 77&78 LeSabre based Rivieras. If you look at the 2-door then Id go for one without the opera window it stretches the car. I cant stand this whole idiom particularly the interiors, with the rectilinear IPs, cheap plastics, and wood appliqu so I dont really grasp why anyone other than Lincoln-Mercury accountants loved the Mark III/IV/V, but I think this was really the point where Lincoln began its transition from status symbol to retiree-mobile. They had several problems with this system which they never did get worked out so they went to an EEC4 system in 1984 with a throttle body fuel injection, and then in 1986 they went to a sequential port fuel injection and a different engine management system which has proved to be virtually trouble free. As the Mark V remained throughout its production, much of its sharp-edged design played a role in the design of the downsized Panther-platform Lincolns. Other features include a premium sound AM/FM w/Cassette system, Lighting Off-Delay, Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Windows, Key-Pad Entry, Power Antenna, and much more. I swear they went un-noticed beside his Lincoln. I think the comment Continental caricature hit the nail on the head. Lincoln four-door buyers now had a choice of the mid-sized Versailles, Lincoln Continental, Lincoln Continental Town Car option, Continental Mark VI, and Mark VI Signature Series. Ford's Lincoln Division introduced the downsized Continental Mark VI in 1980 and kept the model in production through 1983. As it was, the 1981 Imperial (CC here) gave the Mark VI a run for its moneythats sad, considering that for a decade Lincoln virtually held the deed to that market. It is as dry as a bone, and with a new battery and gas at engine-point it cranked right up and ran smoothly! Rear seat legroom was increased and even luggage capacity was increased. Beemers? I always liked the opera windows, hidden headlights and tire hump, and the four door, to me, represents everything that a Lincoln should be. In 1996, Gene made the decision to keep his Mark VI, instead of trading it off, because it is the last of the classic Lincoln Marks and it is as comfortable as any new car on the road today. (All of the Designer Series Models carried the designers signature inone form or another. ) MK 5. Another highlight of the Mark VI Continental was the adoption of the new panther platform. Nothing wrong with the Mark VI that a wheelbase stretch cant fix . RELATED: A Detailed Look At The Lincoln Black Label Continental. All Rights Reserved. Plus the timing gear and timing chain are weak spots on any of the 302 motors from this era. 15 results per page. 1983 Lincoln Continental Mark VI Bill Blass Edition grbeck Member Posts: 2,358. Cosmopolitan. 1983 Lincoln Mark Vi V8 Things got much worse in the spring of 1979 and finally times caught up with Lincoln. Make Lincoln Model Mark Generation MKVI In late 1980, my widowed mother asked me to come down from Austin for the weekend so she could look at the 1981 Imperials at Bill Heil Chrysler in San Antonio. Lincoln Mark VI Car is hard to start Inspection at your home or office. Blass, however, kept tossing concepts at the Mark: Fawn-and-navy (1981), red-and-white (1982) and finally, as seen on our subject car, Light French Vanilla and Midnight Black (with either available as the primary colorblack, as in the brochure; or vanilla, as on the subject car). My first new Mark VI was a 4-door 1982. By the end of the 1980 model year, Mark VI sales had plunged by more than 50%. Buy back was 300 $. Question type: Maintenance & Repair. After quad headlights came out, it was the cheaper cars which had dual 7 inch sealed beams. As mentioned at the conclusion of our last entry, the Mark VI pivoted from the Luxury Group options that allowed every Mark buyer a feeling of broad color and trim customization. These have been temporarily saved. Auto dim and headlights. I must say the most trouble free and enjoyable where the 79 and 81 or the Mark V and VI. Peterson, looking for new design directions, enthusiastically backed the Aero Luxury Car for development and supported it for production. I have a 1981 Lincoln She paid 800 for it 2 years ago. . In some ways, the Mark VI is a forgotten car from the 1980s, caught between the grand Mark V, and the new 'aero' Mark VII in 1984--in many ways, it's the last Mark version of a traditional American . Shop Lincoln Mark VI vehicles for sale at Cars.com. 1982 Lincoln Continental Mark Vi DFW AIRPORT, TX | Hemmings Only damaged passenger door and rear quarter panel. Accent stripes were Light Fawn on the Bittersweet panels and Bittersweet on the Light Fawn panels. Its limited run and customization options in my opinion make this a collectible car going forward. MK 7. P.O.Box 1715 The seats were Bittersweet leather with no accents. The Bill Blass was either Midnight Black uppers and lowers with French Vanilla body sides or French Vanilla uppers and lowers with black body sides. For 2004-2008 Ford F-150 & 2006-2008 Lincoln Mark LT 4WD Front Complete Struts (Fits: Lincoln Mark LT) $145.76. Customer clinics are one thing but voting with the wallet is what matters. All the body panels, chrome trim, badging, and lower chrome panel on each side look good on this 81,000 mile pampered Lincoln. . This is a rare find and a well-kept original car. June 2002. Proud former owner of a 1983 Mark VI, and two 1989 Lincoln Town Cars. This is a 5 year old comment, so you may not get a response. Parts & Accessories for Lincoln Mark VI for sale | eBay Engine Computers for Lincoln Mark VI for sale | eBay At the time, Lincolns were redesigned and were selling like hot cakes versus Cadilacs. Of course I wouldnt leave it stock. I guess my answer is that it probably would have been as ugly as everything else that came from Lincoln that year. If the baby boomers were too young in 1980-83, they were just the right age to buy the Town Car in 1985-89. It was owned by an old couple who bought the car new and only put 84,000 miles on it. By the early 1980s, the square look had run its course at Ford Motor Co. and by 1984 the new Mark VII showed the more rounded aero look ushered in by the 1982 Taurus and Sable. East Coast AMOCO Super Gold; California Chevron Supreme or UNOCAL HIgh Performance. Instead of having hard lifters that ride on the camshaft like in a racing engine. Benzes? If the four-door looks better proportioned, its because it shared the Continentals 117-inch wheelbase. There were wide body side moldings with a dark blue vinyl insert and silver sparkle accent stripes. As I know it, the Aero Tbird and Mark VIII was essentially the same, but backwards, story as the 61 Continental and Bullet Bird. AUTOMATIC. [1] However, due to budgetary constraints, Ford product planners chose a different design direction for the Mark VI, as the project switched from the compact/mid-size Fox chassis to the (downsized) full-size Panther platform, to allow increased parts commonality with the Lincoln Continental. If the salvage title is that big of an issue (and im not sure it is on a car of this age and value if everything is well documented) you could always do repairs out of pocket and take a deduction on your taxes for a casualty loss. The Givenchy had its upper body sides in black, body sides in Dark Pewter and lower body sides in stainless steel. The third combination was a Black Cambria carriage roof, black body uppers, red body midsection and black body lowers.The interior was all black with either black cloth seats or black leather with contrasting Red straps and buttons. That sort of marketing strategy works for a while but they milked it for about 5 years too longCadillac did okay until the mid-80s and then when they went FWD Lincoln played out the strategy until the 1990s with success (actually forcing Cadillac to keep making the Brougham so as not to totally lose all of its target buyers). Research, compare, and save listings, or contact sellers directly from 4 Mark VI models nationwide. As to perspective, I remember well these cars on the show room floor and thinking And my nephew wrecked a 91 explorer with 3000000 miles and got 3200 $. When you attempt to start the car cold, if you cycle the key to the run position 4 or 5 times, will the car start then? Unique features included a rechargeable glove box flashlight, special seat sew pattern, gold and Macaser Ebony wood treatments and a complete digital instrument cluster with fully electronically controlled EEC III engine with a 4-speed AOD, and a leather-bound tool kit in the trunk. But of course the notch was just a rip off of the Mercedes SLC right down the the proportions and louvres. There was tri-band pinstriping. 106,360 Miles. Perhaps because a four-door Mark had been so overwhelmingly popular in 1958-60? 4) , model year 1980, version for North America U.S. 1980 Lincoln Continental Mark VI 2-Door 5.0L V-8 EFi (aut. Were they driving lights only for fog and inclement conditions? Yet, knowing the required lead times for new car designs in Detroit, Ford and its competitors had to be anticipating the trend to smaller luxury cars as early as 1977, and redesigned and re-engineered accordingly. The CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark (CMB) represents a benchmark value for vehicles in this market based on data accumulated by CLASSIC.COM. The 1981 Lincoln Mark VI Continental debuted as a sixth-generation release of the popular Continental vehicle. In 1982, some reworking in the designer trim department occurred, as the Pucci edition became a four-door-only trim. This is a fine and beautiful car and hits the mark. Did you resolve? In total, 131,981 examples were produced. Instead, both the 1980 Continental and the Mark (now called Mark VI) would be based on the new Panther platform. It looked just as elegant to me in a more modern package for the 80s. How does the ride and handling compare to a 90s Town Car? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Lacy spoke aluminum wheels were color keyed. Ugly but Cool. And these details on this car are horrendous. is it a rarity? But the 1983 and 1989 experiences you had were probably much better than the 1981-81 cars which were not without their powertrain issues. My uninformed 2 cents is that the special auto show build might be worth something on a highly collectible car but isnt going to get you much on a Mark VI. I was only ten years old when it first launched, but I had a neighbor who had twoone in triple black, and one that was green/green/white. Beautiful car, black and gray. A true luxury car should be beautiful, smooth and quiet. My 81 Mark VI does, and I think that is a good advertisement for Ford. It may not be feasible to lower the roof, but adding some more rake to the front and rear screens would return some of the sleekness of the previous Mark. Engine Will Not Start If It Is Turned Off After Perhaps 3 Minutes Or So. Ive had many cars several Mustangs including 3 Cobra Convertibles but none have got the attention that the Mark got. 28 - 1982 Lincoln Continental Mark VI Bill Blass in Colorado junkyard - photo by Murilee Martin. 1983 LINCOLN MARK VI. Considering this. The Continental Mark VI is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Ford Motor Company from 1980 to 1983. For more information on how we collect and use this information, please review our Privacy Policy. In line with its flagship model status, the Mark VI had more ornate styling than the Lincoln Town Car, including hidden headlamps, fender vents (non-functional), C-pillar oval opera windows, and forward-sloping taillamps; the Continental tire trunklid returned nearly unchanged from the Mark V. The Mark VI also was one of the first cars seen with several features commonly seen today; it came with the all-new Keyless Entry System, digital instrumentation (VFD), and trip computer. This generation was also installed with Ford's "Auto Lamp" feature, and if the system was active, the touring lights would not be used when the conventional headlights came on (stowing the touring lights). Its seats came upholstered in a fine foam to keep its occupants comfortable, even in the longest journeys. Not sure if SIG coupes had opera window or not. I would guess its all about miles and condition. Mine was doing the same thing, or it would start but if youd give it gas it would die. By changing the chip in the computer you can probably get 175 hp outof these later engines. The Mark VI still stands out to me as special. All 1980 Lincolns and Marks had EEC, a new Electronic Engine Control that incorporated an onboard computer and seven sensors to monitor engine operation. Somehow Lincoln believed that Mark owners would accept a smaller Mark that looked like a kit car of the original. Classic Lincoln Continental Mark VI for Sale - ClassicCars.com I like the Mark VI as well as I do like the Mark V. I simply love angularity. The only gripe I have is the finishing around the headlights, but on the other hand it is something Id only see when washing or replacing said headlights so I dont think It would really bother me. Does not take miles into consideration. Especially noticeable with light coloured paint. Not here. Feel free to use mine. Lidded eyes, Kardashian butt, Gold anodized and polished snowflake legs. I continue to look for one that compares but have yet to find one. in comparison I never really get excited at seeing a Mark V- its always has the same steering wheel, interior etc. Well, you can always wake that 302 up by putting some engine goodies designed for the foxbody mustang and get an extra 100 out of it easy, I wonder if I may be the last to ever read this write up as all comments are many years ago. Mark VI Continental When luxury cars needed to lose their size during this era, they also lost their class and elegance.