The Continental nameplate has a long-running history with Lincoln. It first appeared in 1938 as a one-off custom built by the factory for Edsel Ford. The design was very well received and put into production for 1939. The original Lincoln Continental, with its V-12 powerplant, lasted until 1948. Ford Motor Company then revived Continental name in 1956, this time as a standalone brand placed above Lincoln at the very top of the market. As homage to the original, the car was known officially as the Continental Mark II. Due to its high cost ($10,000 in 1956) and complexity, its run was brief and the Continental nameplate was rolled back into the Lincoln line up for 1958. After the success of the slab-side, suicide door cars of the 1960s the Continental “Mark Series” was revived in 1968, again as a large two-door personal car. The Mark III sat on the Thunderbirds chassis and featured crisp and elegant lines with a low, chop-top roofline and the signature spare tire hump on the trunk. In 1972 it evolved into the Mark IV, still riding on a modified Thunderbird platform, but with new styling that was even more linear than before, with a low roofline that featured oval opera windows in the C-pillars.

This 1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV is an excellent example of FoMoCos big personal luxury car. Finished in a wonderfully 1970s color combination of green over a green interior, this Mark IV is reported as a genuine one-owner car with minimal miles reported from new. The odometer reads just over 17,000, but cannot currently be verified. Books and manuals are included, as is the original window sticker showing the price of $13,945, a steep sum for 1976. As with most Continentals of the period, this example is very well-equipped with a huge 460 cubic inch V-8 backed by a stout Ford C6 automatic transmission. It also features plenty of power options and 1970s luxury equipment such as power windows, power seats, vacuum-operated headlight covers and even the original AM/FM Quadrasonic stereo system complete with 8-track player. With extremely low miles suggested and one-owner history, this Continental represents a great value as a future collectible. Big 1970s cars are beginning to attract greater attention, and there are few cars from the era that are bigger, better built or more imposing than this wonderful Continental Mark IV.