315 bhp, 430 cu. in. OHV V-8 engine, Twin-Range Turbo-Drive automatic transmission, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel power hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 131"

• From the Karl Blade Collection

• Low-mileage example

• Three owners from new; ex-Cawley Collection

• Multiple Lincoln and Continental Owners Club winner

• Offered with trophies

The 1958 through 1960 Lincolns and Lincoln Continentals were the most massive American passenger cars produced since World War II, built on a 131-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 227.2 inches for the 1960 models. The Mark V convertible tips the scales at an impressive 5,176 pounds. Only 2,044 were produced.

The design is typically credited to John Najjar. However, a little known aspect of this generation Lincoln is the role of the late Larry Shinoda, a junior designer at Ford Motor Company in 1955 and later famed for his work on the 1963 Corvette Stingray. Years later, when Larry was working on a number of Newell projects, he told Karl Blade that he had contributed to the styling of this generation Lincoln. Built at Ford Motor Company’s Wixom, Michigan plant, together with the second-generation Thunderbird, these were Ford’s first unibody automobiles.

The Continental Mark V convertible offered here is a 26,000 actual mile example. The car is finished in Cherokee Red with elegant matching, hand-cut and impeccably-tailored red leather. Its authenticity is fully documented. The original Lincoln assembly plant production broadcast sheets accompany the car, showing that it was assembled at the Wixom plant on November 20, 1959. The car was probably a factory order, as it was delivered to Schwartz Nurseries in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on December 7, 1959. Charles M. Cawley of Wilmington, Delaware was the second owner, purchasing the car in 2001, with actual mileage recorded as 24,787. Ford dealer and enthusiast Allan Tosczak of Saskatchewan, Canada acquired it in 2002, at which time he commissioned a meticulous restoration. Mr. Blade acquired the Lincoln from Tosczak on January 20, 2006, the odometer registering a mere 25,512 miles. The car has traveled approximately 400 miles since.

This Continental has been honored repeatedly, with a Best Senior 1949-1960 and the Lincoln Trophy at the 2005 Lincoln and Continental Owners Club Eastern meet. It received its second Best Senior 1949-1960 award and the William Coughlin Trophy during the 2006 LCOC Eastern meet at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan. In addition to winning show trophies, this Mark V is reported to be exceptionally powerful, smooth, roomy and luxuriously comfortable.