Lincoln Mark IV / 49k orig mi / nice driver / solid / survivor / 100 pics

1975 Lincoln Continental Mark IV / 49k orig miles / survivor / nice driver / solid car
You are viewing a well kept Lincoln Continental Mark IV which I purchased this past summer. To my knowledge I am the 3rd owner. The previous owner told me he bought it from an estate near Bethlehem PA, in which the original owner was a retired executive from Bethlehem Steel Company. He bought this as a retirement gift to himself in 1975. It has around 49,200 original miles and is stated as “actual mileage” on the title. This is a solid car that is well worth the asking price. It recently passed the rigorous PA safety inspection as well as the emissions test…both are valid through October 2017.
Weighing in at a beastly 5,264 lbs, it drives like a heavy car should. It cruises 80 mph effortlessly. Tires have no dry rot and have plenty of tread and all 4 tires match. The brakes are fairly new, the muffler and tailpipe were just replaced. The hoses/belts have been inspected and vacuum lines are newer. Spark plugs and wires appear to be fairly new. Cruise control works great. Pop in an 8-track or listen to the FM stereo radio, which both still work. Unfortunately the automatic climate control does not regulate properly, so if you turn it on you can only get heat at the highest setting. You can control the fan speed somewhat, but if it’s too hot you just have to turn the climate control off. I noticed the compressor for the A/C pump still engages when you put the system into “auto” mode, but again, it only gives heat. This will need attention if you want the climate control to work properly, or if you want cold air in the summer. The power antenna does not work; neither does the clock. However, all the power windows, locks, seats, radio, 8-track, cruise control all work fine. The engine is powerful and purrs like a kitten. It does require lots of “pumps” of the gas pedal to start on a cold start. The engine is smooth while driving but occasionally has a slight hesitation, may be due to a carburetor setting. The transmission shifts like it should, and has a good kickdown for good use of engine power. The car can sit for days at a time without a leak on the garage floor.
The body is amazing considering the age and the area we live. It is very safe to say this car did not see much salt (if any) based on the condition of the body and underbody. I don’t believe the body has any bondo. The chrome is decent, although upon close inspection you can see some minor pitting. The glass is all good. Body is solid, no bondo to my knowledge, but has a tiny amount of rust directly behind the left rear tire where the wheel well opening bends inward. There is also a small amount of surface rust underneath the door (which cannot be seen when the door is closed) – see pictures. I believe the car had been repainted at one point years ago – and may have had some blending on certain parts of the sides because you can see some imperfections. The hood and trunk look very good. In certain light you can see the imperfections on the sides (especially the right front fender) where it appears someone attempted to blend in the paint….but they would have been better off repainting the whole section rather than blending it. Not horrible….but not show-worthy…I’d say it’s driver quality, but would not take much to improve this aspect. The biggest flaw is the roof, which is weather cracked from the sun. The vinyl top should be replaced. There are some minor dings/scratches here and there but nothing major. There is a larger scratch on the right rear quarter panel which you can see in the close up picture. My guess is something in the garage fell and made the mark. It is not a dent but a scratch. But the paint still shines and looks good overall. No significant orange peel to speak of, or any paint runs. There is also a small indentation on the rear bumper which you can see from the pictures.
The interior is still in good shape overall. There was a small separation in the seam on the passenger seat but was repaired using a dyed filler material…not noticeable unless you look for it. The seats are very comfortable and do not have much cracking. The dash pad is near perfect. There is a crack around the window control panel on the door panels, as well as cracking on the vinyl door pull straps, which was a common problem on these. Also, the visors look a little wrinkly due to hot/cold weather changes over the years. Carpets and headliner are almost perfect. No smoke smell. Doors close tight and do not sag.
This car is fun to drive, especially with the huge long hood….it feels very retro, like you’re a business executive from the 1970’s. The mileage is stated as “actual” on the title, I can only assume it is correct. I believe the pictures well represent the condition of the car, although the imperfections in the paint blending (on sides of car…especially right front fender) is difficult to see in the pictures. I don’t think you’ll find any surprises with this car upon your personal inspection. This will make a great driver, or with a new roof, a very presentable car for the local car show. I wouldn’t be afraid to drive it anywhere.