In 1956 the Continental nameplate returned to the Ford Motor Company’s lineup in the form of a new dedicated division spearheaded by William Clay Ford. Styled by noted designers John Reinhart and Gordon Buehrig, the Continental Division’s hand-fitted Mark II luxury coupe was the most expensive car sold in the US, reestablishing the brand as America’s foremost prestige luxury car.

Initial plans for a full range of Mark II body styles never found lasting traction, and the featured convertible is the only example built expressly for the Continental Division. Essentially built as a prototype and show car, this Mark II Convertible was clothed by the Derham Body Company, one of the nation’s best-known coachbuilders. The craftsmen at Derham incorporated a convertible soft top while maintaining the Continental’s striking profile, resulting in a unique open variant of the Mark II.

Originally factory-finished in white paint over a red interior, chassis number C56G3190 publicly debuted at the Texas State Fair in October 1956, and additional exhibition appearances soon followed. After its brief show career the convertible passed to none other than Martha Firestone Ford, the scion of two of America’s most legendary automotive manufacturers.

Prior to delivery, the Continental was upgraded with the latest 300-horsepower 368-cubic-inch V-8, and the Derham coachwork was refinished in sky blue; while the interior was re-trimmed in white and blue Bridge of Weir leather. The cosmetic livery was rounded out with a black convertible top and black Mouton carpeting.

Soon repainted in dark metallic blue-green, the Mark II was eventually sold by Mrs. Ford to a FoMoCo employee named Bob Wagner. He in turn sold the car in late 1961 to dedicated Ford collector Walter Goeppinger, who was the director of The Greater Iowa Corporation. Remarkably enough, the convertible remained in the care of Mr. Goeppinger’s family for six decades, eventually maintained by his sons. Among other measures of maintenance, in 2011 the car was treated to a cosmetic refinish in period-correct sky blue by Anderson Restoration in Kanawha, Iowa, returning the car to its appearance as owned by Mrs. Ford in the mid/late 1950s.

In August 2022 the Goeppinger family consigned the Continental to RM Sotheby’s flagship Monterey sale, and the historically significant car was acquired then by Mr. Boeckmann. Exhibited with pride on the Galpin show floor, this unique Mark II has been displayed and photographed for numerous publications over the years, including Automobile Quarterly, the Lincoln Continental Owners Club publications, and Gordon Buehrig’s book, Rolling Sculpture, A Designer and His Work.

For the Lincoln collector or Continental purist seeking the ultimate factory-commissioned Mark II, this important coach-built convertible offers unmatched provenance.