The Lincoln Continental Mark II is one of the most fascinating stories in the history of automobile production. It was supposed to establish Dearborn’s dominance at the top of the market — which it did — but it was somehow supposed to make money — which it couldn’t. Here’s the intriguing story behind the revival of a grand idea that proved too grand even for the 1950s.
The Continental name was revived in 1955 as a separate Ford brand, with its sole model being the Continental Mark II. This version was a unique design with the highest quality control ever seen in the automobile industry. High-class luxury abound in the new Continental — and with very limited availability, it appeared even more exclusive than the original.
Despite its astronomical price tag, Ford Motor Company actually lost money on each one sold. On a side note, Cadillac suffered a similar financial loss with its own Continental rival, the four-door Eldorado Brougham. Vehicles such as these were image builders for the two companies, as well as test beds for new ideas and concepts. The Continental Mark II was sold for just two model years, with about 3,000 total units built. Between the tales of dealers turning potential buyers away because they were not deemed to be the right kind of people to own Continental, and its sticker price found affordable by only the world’s wealthiest, the Continental became almost mythical. Many celebrities drove them, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, the Shah of Iran, Nelson Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger among others. The 1957 film drama Sweet Smell of Success includes a brief glimpse of the Mark II; the car belongs to Burt Lancaster‘s Broadway-columnist character J.J. Hunsecker.