Today Good price or no dice lincoln MK VII is an LSC (Luxury Sports Coupe), which means it has Mustang’s high-output V8 and extra gauges. It’s also a bit rough around the edges. Could an attractive price allow you to look past its flaws?
“Don’t mod me, Bro” is a lament we hear time and time again. People who customize their vehicles may find that when it comes time to sell, not everyone shares the same tastes. This was the case last Friday 2003 BMW M3 Convertible. Although it had a topaz-on-cinnamon color scheme from the factory, a selection of aftermarket wheels, hood, and lowered suspension gave the car less than universal appeal. Coupled with an asking price of $17,995, this conspired to see the car fall into a 68% no-dice loss.
Now today 1990 Lincoln MK VII LSC suffers from the same wheel-ite like Friday’s Bimmer did, but given the price difference, I think we might just be able to cut some slack off the big coupe. To help you out a bit, I think we should go back and consider the legacy the car carries on its impressive shoulders… er, the trunk lid.
The history of Lincoln’s halo coupes dates back to the latethirties when industrial heir and global gadfly Edsel Ford returned from a trip to Europe electrified by the continent’s sexy designs that draped the rides of the elite. E. Ford the Elder commissioned a custom design from Ford’s pen chief Bob Gregorie and spearheaded it based on the already impressive V12-powered Lincoln Zephyr. Prepared for his Florida vacation in 1939, the unique, smoothed and channeled Lincoln won over not only Edsel, but everyone who saw it. Ford therefore ordered that the hand-built car be offered to the public.
The beginning of us iInvolvement in World War II halted Continental production, and in 1943 Edsel Ford succumbed to cancer. The Continentals 1946-48 — as almost all cars of the immediate post-war period – were just slightly improved versions of the nearly decade-old design. These cars are the last V12 engined cars sold by a major American manufacturer.
FoMoCo resurrected the Continental in 1956, not just as a car, but as a distinct brand positioned just above Lincoln. The Mark II was, again, a handcrafted car. At $10,000, it was also one of the most expensive in the world. Those dollars bought a jaw-droppingly beautiful, modern car, bearing only a remnant of its pre-war ancestry by tucking its spare tire under an imposing trunk lid.
While the MK II was a dramatic statement, it was far from profitable, so much so that Ford moved the successor to the MK III to a base frame and body shared with the standard Lincoln. At the same time, the MK III’s appeal was broadened by being available as a four-door as well as a coupe.
By the time the iconic fourth-generation suicide door arrived, the Continental brand had become a model line in the Lincoln family. The Mark III, IV and V produced from 1968 to 1979 proved the maxim that if it ain’t baroque, don’t fix it, and made fun of compact parking spaces.
The sixth edition of Lincoln’s personal coupe adapted that chrome and coarseness to a smaller, more Panther-like frame, but things really changed with the introduction of the Mark VII. Moving from the body-on-frame Panther to the monocoque Fox platform, the VII brought aerodynamics and the first hint of handling to the marque. Additionally, it was deliberately designed without prominent shoulders to make it more difficult to apply a vinyl roof. It was also, it should be noted, the first car in America to have flush composite headlights rather than traditional sealed beams.
Lincoln added the more aggressive LSC to the model line in 1986 and around the same time dropped the Continental moniker from the model. Leveraging the shared Fox platform, the LSC used components from the Mustang parts bin, including the high-output 225-hp 5.0L V8 and a retuned suspension aimed at giving the big coupe better handling and a firmer ride.
This one lost its nice BBS-aping factory alloys in favor of larger semi-donk aftermarket wheels. These, along with a “custom sound system” and heavy tinting on the windows, seem to be the only mods that weigh on the car. The factory paint looks decent in the ad, as does all the chrome. The seller notes some “scratches, dings and interior wear”, but claims the car “runs very well” and says it recently passed its emissions test.
The interior shows good wear on the front seats and the steering wheel. To its favor, it also has a Ford-branded cell phone on the console which is a little tacky. It was originally a three big option.
Decent seat covers would do wonders to make the car more livable. At just 140,000 miles, it should also have plenty of life. These aren’t monstrously complicated cars, although things like the on-board computer can be nearly impossible to replace if they fail.
After taking all that into account—and yes, it was a lot—now consider this Lincoln’s $2,295 asking price. Sounds like a lot of car for the money, but is it a bargain? What are you saying, should someone shell out that $2,295 for this Lincoln as it’s advertised? Or, is this LSC just DOA?
You decide!
Antelope Valley, California, craigslistwhere to go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
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