Car of the Month

[Shelly Harris]

Every Month we honor a member's car as Car of The Month. A picture of the car is prominently displayed on each page of the forum

If you want your car featured and have a nice pic, color or b/w, then please email the pic as an attachment to shelly@markiiforum.com with the subject "Monthly photo". I can use a pic that is exactly 159 px in height and the width can be no more than 330px. That would save me the work of resizing it. But if you can't do that, send the pic anyway and I'll work with it. Your pic need not be a show room or studio portrait. It should be a sharp, well focused pic of your car looking great. All entries will be used.

Photos are added to this post for historical reference. When your car's photo appears please add a post to this thread telling us your car's history and anyother interesting stuff.

Please include your name in the email so I don't have to look it up from your email address.

[Shelly Harris]

If your car is selected to be a "Car of the Month".. please place a post with some history, etc about your car.


I purchased my car in Feb '09 from Dr. George. He restored it with new paint (original color), interior, etc. Other than Dr. George, I am its third owner. It was originally ordered for Gerald Seay, a tennis star of the mid 1950's and delivered to a dealer in Los Angeles. It's second owner was an artist sculptor residing in Beverly Hills.

The car is a '56 with a/c and has "nostrils". Interestingly, the carb, air filter, intake manifold, and distributor are all '57 items. Presently, everything except the motor antenna and radio work. I plan on getting the radio's guts converted to modern electronics this Spring. The car is a great looking driver, which I love to drive and show off.

[Nick DeSpirito]

C56C2453 came off of the assembly line on January 19, 1956 and was delivered new to O' Neil Motors in Wellesley, MA. It was ordered by a person by the name of Charles Copeland. It is finished in Deep gray poly (upper) and White (lower) with a 1B6L interior. It was always a New England car and spent some time on Cape Cod and in New Hampshire.

In my quest for a Mark II, I was searching for a car that was either a fine original, or restored to factory specifications. It seemed that all of the cars I looked at were done incorrectly. I Then stumbled upon an ad in Hemmings in the fall of 1988 for a car that was under restoration in CT. I went to see it and it was in primer, the interior all refinished and laid out on sheets in a barn for me to view, made a deal with the restorer, and the car was finally finished in 1992 and flat bedded to my home. Although I was over three hours away from where the car was being restored, I made frequent trips for some hands on labor to help speed and oversee the process, using the Mark II Authenticity Manual written by Bob Prins, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Mad Scientist]

This is one car that its history is truly known as it was bought by my father at Kronon Motor Sales in Chicago. (Dec 31, 1955) It was a floor model so no personalized name tag. :( The invoice has my mothers name on it but that was undoubtedly done for political reasons. :) My father being a mechanical engineer and owning a small machine shop was the one who truly enjoyed fine cars. Prior to this he drove Lincolns as far back as I can remember and before that he had a Cord. So this was a natural step up. The car was in use until the mid 60’s. After my father died my mother got a small mustang to drive and the MKII basically sat in the garage. It was then one winter due to a lack of sufficient anti-freeze the engine froze and cracked. At the time I was off at school so it just sat. After I finished school, got a job, got married, and got involved in all that usual stuff so the car just sat some more. Of course periodically my mother would say we should sell it and just get rid of it but I keep telling her no because I would eventually get around to it and restore it. Well after about 40 years ago I finally got around to it. You don’t want to rush into this sort of thing.

Naturally by now there were some rust problems to deal with and the paint was all dried out with numerous cracks. Also I was missing a hubcap, the headlight bezels, rocker panels, as these were items I had previously removed and were in my parent’s garage until they were found by a sticky finger neighbor kid. Sometime later his stash of this and other miscellaneous stuff was found under their porch but by then no one knew what it was or where it came from, thus it was thrown out.:eek: And of course when I opened it up the engine it was an unbelievable sight, wall to wall rust, there was no way that engine could have been saved.

At this point I needed to make a decision. Do I try to find lots of expensive hard to find parts to bring it back to original condition or do I modernize it. Not being the purest and for economical reasons I chose the latter. But I do believe that Ford’s stylists outdid themselves with its design so I did not make any major changes here. Consequently on the outside all I have is new paint with some “gold” trim and different hubcaps.

However mechanically there are a few upgrades. I now have disc brakes in the front with a dual master cylinder. The windshield wipers are electric with an intermittent control and I increased their sweep slightly. Not that I intend to drive it in the rain, but just in case. The electric clock now has a quartz movement and is able to keep accurate time. All the two speed blower motors are now run with an infinitely variable speed control. And Oh yes that rusty engine has been replaced with a “small block” 400 cu in Ford. Although this one is not quite built the way Ford was building them. It now has decent compression with decent cam timing. The cam is still designed for low end torque but it now has roller followers and rocker arms. The exhaust is a full header system of a Tri-Y design again for maximum low end torque. This is topped off with electronic fuel injection, electric cooling fans, 100 amp alternator, and a new light weight AC compressor and starter.

Best estimate is that it probably has a 100 more HP then original and the weight is at least 100 pounds lighter. Obviously this is no fire breathing dragster, but that was never the intent, although as the Ford commercials used to say the performance is adequate.

At the time when Ford built this car their goal was to build the best car possible. That was my goal also and I believe this one still is.

[lincoln mark]

Shelly asked for a little history on the cars of the month. I will be somewhat general, as I am not to sure of the dates. I believe around 2004 Robert Gusman of Equinunk Pa. sold this Mark to William Rivera of New Jersey. I bought the Mark from William Rivera in 2005. Now for the story as told to me by Mrs. Gusman. Robert Gusman owned a repair shop in Eastern Pa. He bought this Mark to restore for his wife, as it was her dream car. He took the motor and trans out. he rebuilt the short block and put in a shopping cart. He got no further. Sad to say, but he found out he had cancer and sold all his toys and tools as he was dying. The Mark was then sold to William Rivera in New Jersey. Mr. Rivera said he had 3 small heart attacks and was unable to finish the car he disassembled. The car was in so many pieces, it took 4 hours to gather up the all parts and load them on the flat bed. The car needed everything, rubber bushings, leather, carpet, glass, headliner. Believe it or not, all the parts were there. Nothing was lost in its travels. The body was covered in dents and rust. After board sanding for what seemed like a life time and putting this jig saw puzzel back together it saw the road the 1st time in 2007. My friends saw the Mark being delievered, they told me I would have one big heart attack, not 3 small ones! I lost Mrs. Gusmans address and phone number, if I can find it, I will drive East and take her for a ride this spring. The only work I sent out was the chrome,Tri City Chrome TN. and the seats to a local shop. I let the shop do the seats because he got me a killer price on some close mathing leather, $350 a hide. A one time price from his supplier. I use my Marks and Lincolns everyday weather permitting. I go to the grocery store, I pick up truck parts for my business. A little soap and water and of to the local cruise in the spring. On Friday I used my 56 Premier to take my dogs {Labs} to get their nails cut. It sure does go good in the snow. I do not want to be Mr. Gusman. Life is to short, I hope to wear them out before I wear out. Thanks for picking my Mark as the Car of the Month. Mark A Maromonte.

[Doc]

The documented history of our Mark II begins with a letter from Ford's "Special Product Division" (apparently predating the Continental Division), dated Oct. 13, 1954, confirming my father's intent to purchase one of the newly-announced replacements for the original Lincoln Continental. When production began on the Mark II, my father contacted Wright Lincoln Mercury in San Diego, CA, and committed to purchase the first available car. Manufactured on Sept. 14, 1955, #1209 was the first routed to San Diego. My father paid a deposit on Oct. 11, 1955, with the final price "to be determined by the Continental Division of Ford Motor Company." When the car arrived, it was first displayed at an invitation-only showing on Oct. 20, 1955, apparently to fulfill Wright's obligation to present this "introductory unit" to the public. My parents finalized the purchase on Oct. 24, 1955. For the record, the sticker price (which we have) was $9916--so no, they didn't really cost $10,000, unless you add in tax and license (which made the total $10,367).

The car is a prototypical "introductory" or "early production" unit: black with no A/C; white leather with light blue nylon biscuits (2G6K).

The car has been in the family since its initial sale. When my wife and I took possession a few years ago, we began a fairly extensive restoration--paint, chrome and stainless, upholstery, etc.--and the process is ongoing. The engine was rebuilt in the mid-1990s and it still runs well. We routinely drive it on the Southern California freeways with no problems. We've maintained the car in completely authentic/original condition (with the exception of changing the nylon biscuits to leather). Our hope, of course, is that the car will stay in the family forever and we've already promised our grandkids they can fight over it when we're gone...

I can't let the opportunity pass to again thank Shelly for starting the Forum. Thanks also to Barry and Rich and all the others for your informative posts and to Chuck for the Database. I've obviously been around Mark IIs virtually my entire life, but I've learned more from the Forum than from 50 years plus of exposure. Thanks to all of you!

[SLK]

Thank you Shelly for selecting my Mark II as the car of the Month. I'm sorry for the delay in posting my story.

I guess the best way to start is to work backwards.

I have been entrusted with the care of my 1956 Continental Mark II since May, 2007 when my Father and Sister decided to present my Wife & I with a wedding gift. Since that time, I’ve been taking my time to learn everything I can about the Mark II.

Prior to my ownership, my sister had been the guardian along with a 1966 Continental Convertible that my father couldn’t accommodate into his full time RV lifestyle.

I guess it really all started when my father was looking to purchase a Mark II to keep his 1966 Convertible from getting lonely. He had been negotiating with Elmer Rohn on the purchase of his preproduction car that ended up going to Dennis Carpenter. When he didn’t get it, he was bummed to say the least, so after a bit more searching he purchased C56G3133 on May 20th, 1998 in Chicago (Oakbrook Terrace) from a Joseph Cantore III.

The car had been restored sometime in the mid 1990’s by Mr. Cantore or its previous owner, Ross Laho of Laho’s True Value Hardware in Bensenville, IL. The title certificate copy that I have shows it was issued to Mr. Laho in December, 1976. Prior to that, I know nothing about the car.

According to my files, my father had ordered a rebuilt carb and Mr. Cantorre had a new exhaust system installed. Other than that, I haven’t had to do much, but I do have some projects on the horizon.

If anyone in Chicagoland can fill in any more gaps to my timeline or story, please do.

[Barry Wolk]

Thanks Shelly, it's a perfect summer car.

I had purchased my '77 Town Car with under 13,000 miles and 25 years old about a year before I had a hankering for a motorcycle and went to a Harley dealer. I did a test sit while my wife took a picture of me. I took one look at myself on what appeared to be a Shriner Car-like motorcycle and gave it up. The world was not made for a body this size. The only picture I ever looked normal in was me on the back of a gigantic Belgian draft horse.

So, I gave up on the idea of a motorcycle as my wife breathed a sigh of relief. She had never been a fan of motorcycles as she feared for my safety. She suggested that I get a big convertible instead. Her reasoning was sound as she was only concerned about my safety and liked that I would be surrounded by steel.

Having already purchased the Lincoln that seemed to simply land in my hands I thought it would be an easy bet to find an earlier slab-side Lincoln convertible. Seems you couldn't swing a cat, so to speak, without hitting a slab-side at a car show.

I went to e-Bay and started looking at the '61-'67 convertibles. I wanted something of star quality but found only poorly restored rust buckets. We had been regular spectators at the Meadow Brook Concours for 20+ years and decided that it was time for us to join the exhibitor side.

I didn't find what I wanted and scrolled down into the older cars. I shielded my eyes as I went through the '58-'60 Lincolns :( and gasped as I saw a rear quarter view of the car I eventually bought.

It took my breath away because it produced a visceral reaction to a memory I had as a young teenager. When I was 13 my parents were considering moving back into the old-money section of Detroit. They found a 10,000 square foot mansion that backed up to the Palmer Park golf course. It had a movie theater, pool room, cigar room and all manner of rooms for the gentry crowd. It was the price of a 2,000 square foot home in the suburbs. The house had a 5-car attached garage with an apartment above for the manservants. The realtor pushed all the garage door buttons and revealed the rear quarter view of a Mark II, a car I had never seen before. The car came with the house, as did all the furnishings! The impression must have stuck with me as my reaction to it on e-Bay was just startling. We didn't get the house, or the car, as the utility bills would have wiped us out.

I had never seen a convertible Mark II before. The story the owner told was somewhat close to the truth, except that he had misstated it's origins, badging it with Derham script with an accompanying story to back it up.:rolleyes: I didn't care. I am an art collector and it was a piece of rolling sculpture. It was perfect for our entry into the Concours car world.

I hopped on a plane, the guy backed the car out of the garage and traffic literally came to a stop. The deal was sealed and the rest is history.

I told my wife one day that the best part of owning the Mark II is that I look normal size with it. She said, "No, you don't!"

http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/1361/1921/3400960092_large.jpg

[continentalguy]

Hey Everyone!,

I was asked to tell a little bit about what I like to call "Sir Costs a Lot" aka my Mark II :). Well sorry about the delay in posting the history I have been gone for two weeks to Seattle, WA we drove out for my cousin's wedding. So anyhow this white beauty was originally purchased in 2003 from the owner of Capital City Ford in Indianapolis, IN. It was to be our first classic car. When we bought it we knew nothing about it, heck I did not even know they made something like this! We just bought it cause it looked like a fun old car. We had one other decision to make before purchasing it though and that was which car were we going to buy? Yes, that's right there were TWO Continentals behind this dealership. Both cars were 56s but the other car had no A/C and we kind of liked the idea of having it so we bought the one with A/C. So there we were an old car title and car in hand but my dad's a dentist and I was a high school student, so we found a local mechanic. It ran slightly but not good enough to drive it home to Bloomington. My father drove it around the dealership parking lot even though it had no brakes! It was so cool to see the salesmen trying to sell cars and then seeing this thing go by lol. We finally got it running by that local mechanic and filled the tank and drove her home :). It ran rough and as my brothers always said it smelled like a dead body haha. After a long time of not fooling around with it too much we had it fully restored and even back in its original color, white. A previous owner had painted it black because they always thought Lincolns were meant to be black. With the picture that is posted as car of the month is as it currently sits. The only major thing that does not work is the A/C. The Mark II really started the car crazy sensation with my father and I but we have had fun! Well if anyone has any other questions about it or something I need to elaborate on lol I can let me know.

-Allan Tharp

[Phil Gevertz]

My Mark II has been in North Carolina its entire 54 years, having been sold in Greensboro, NC in March, 1956. I am the third owner, having purchased it in 1998. Over the years, I have restored the interior (seats and carpeting) and painted it (from beige to Starmist White). This is the 2nd Mark II built with a factory headlamp dimmer. It has factory AC. Engine and transmission are original (never rebuilt) Presently has about 75,000 miles. Mechnically, I have done the typical items: water pump, generator, mufflers from front to back, power steering pump, brake booster. Runs great. For the future, I endeavor to fix the AC (all there) and dimmer. I have shown it at one LCOC event, Hickory 2003, and at local / nearby AACA shows. Car is in Raleigh, NC, I would be happy to show it to any forum members that may be in the area and contact me.

[Rick Payton]

My car C56I3299 was purchased new by Million Bree of Pasadena CA. Mr Bree kept the car until his death in the early 90's he had moved from CA to CO. The car was then purchased by a LCOC club member who sold it to the people I purchased the car from. Barbara and Lee owned the car for twenty years and she drove the car for many years as here primary car. I have every liscens plate that has been issued to the car as well as a ton of documentation on the car. My Mark has been converted to disk brakes ( so it will actually stop), modern AC compressor, Electric wiper motor. And converted AM/FM town and country radio. I have all the original parts as well as a lot of spares. I just replaced the interior with new leather and complete carpets. I have wanted one of these cars for many years and have inspected several before taking the plunge on "Connie". I am honored to own her and to be part of an exclusive group of owners like all the Mark II Forum Family!

[Kevin Garrison]

My Mark II has a rather interesting story: It is told that the car was shipped to South Shore Lincoln Mercury in September 1956 and would become the grand prize at a Chicago fashion show and charity auction sponsored by designer Christian Dior. The winner was a patent attorney, John Hughes, from La Jolla, California. Also that day, Mr. Hughes met the Dior model who was promoting the car and was newly emigrated from Germany. The two would later marry. At the time of my purchase, Mrs. Hughes was reported to still be living in La Jolla.

The Hughes had the car nearly thirty years before selling it with 44,000 miles. In the mid-1980s the car was partially restored by Buddy Holiday. A subsequent owner would further restore the car, completing a rebuild of the engine and transmission as well as adding a stock Mark II air conditioning unit retrieved from a donor car.

The car spent its entire life in southern California until April of this year when I purchased it and brought it to Athens, Georgia. I was particularly drawn to the colour combination - black exterior with a deep grey (biscuits) and medium grey (bolsters) interior. Since purchasing the car, I have thoroughly enjoyed put about a thousand miles on the car, traveling all over north Georgia. My most recent trip was a fall colours driving tour with the Cadillac & LaSalle Club. Albeit the car is in excellent overall shape, I look forward to a few winter projects including the installation of a new exhaust system, repairing the air conditioning, and potentially repairing the radio. Then it'll be time for another season of enjoying the Mark II. Happy motoring!

[Sean Rollins]

My mark ll Has been in my family since 1958. It started out in Manitoba, where a lincoln dealer's wife drove it for a year, then got the new model. A fellow from Calgary that my father knew bought it sight unseen and when it arrived, the fellow realized that the car was too big for him to drive, so he sold it to my father. It was a daily driver until the late 60's, then slowly was relegated to the garage and forgotten for about 20 years. I call her my addiction since I have been fanatical about looking after her since I was a kid. It has always seemed to me a work of art and will probably be the only car I could never bring myself to hotrod. It has has a repaint in 1962 after a small accident, and other than maintenance is a survivor. There's nothing like taking her for a drive to put a smile on my face.

[crystal59]

Well said and a terrific story. I love those keepers and a Mark II is definetly a keeper. Since 1958 warms the heart. Gary

[lincoln mark]

Very nice Sean, very nice. Love the color. Mark A Maromonte.

[Shelly Harris]

Don't be shy. I need more Car of the Month entries.
Send your pic as an attachment to:

shelly@markiiforum.com

[lincoln mark]

Come on Shelly, Tell us a little about your Mark ll. It is the Car of the Month. Mark A Maromonte

[Shelly Harris]

Come on Shelly, Tell us a little about your Mark ll. It is the Car of the Month. Mark A Maromonte

Mark:

Thanks for asking but my car is a repeat COTM. Read the second post in this thread. My car first appeared for only a week before this series started.

Need I repeat again... Members, get your photo to me and be honored as having a COTM!

[lincoln mark]

Is it not fitting that a artist/sculptor would want to own a Mark ll ? Mark A Maromonte

[Pat Marshall]

My car C56I3299 was purchased new by Million Bree of Pasadena CA. Mr Bree kept the car until his death in the early 90's he had moved from CA to CO. The car was then purchased by a LCOC club member who sold it to the people I purchased the car from. Barbara and Lee owned the car for twenty years and she drove the car for many years as here primary car. I have every liscens plate that has been issued to the car as well as a ton of documentation on the car. My Mark has been converted to disk brakes ( so it will actually stop), modern AC compressor, Electric wiper motor. And converted AM/FM town and country radio. I have all the original parts as well as a lot of spares. I just replaced the interior with new leather and complete carpets. I have wanted one of these cars for many years and have inspected several before taking the plunge on "Connie". I am honored to own her and to be part of an exclusive group of owners like all the Mark II Forum Family!

Rick, I have been researching LCOC Directories and Continental Comments. Here is the history that I have come up with for your car. The infiormation source is to the left of the Date.

LCOC 1957-84 Million M. Bree CA/NE
LCOC ??-?? Million Bree's Daughter CO (Continental Comments #172 1988)
LCOC ??-1986 Marvin E. Arnold TX
LCOC 1986-88 Michael P. Heeley TX
Rick P.1989-2009 Barbara & Lee ??? TX
MKIIF 2010 Rick Payton, Austin TX

[Rick Payton]

[QUOTE=Pat Marshall;14673]Rick, I have been researching LCOC Directories and Continental Comments. Here is the history that I have come up with for your car. The infiormation source is to the left of the Date.

LCOC 1957-84 Million M. Bree CA/NE
LCOC 1984-1986 Million Bree's Daughter CO (Continental Comments #172 1988)
LCOC 1986-1986 Marvin E. Arnold TX
LCOC 1986-1988 Michael P. Heeley TX
Rick P.1988-2010 Barbara & Lee Lunge Austin TX
MKIIF 2010 Rick Payton, Austin TX

[Don Keller]

Barry,

Your car looks great as usual and you look pretty debonaire yourself. You're so tall though that you make it look a bit like a Bantam. Actually, I almost bought a '40 Bantam, but I have a similar height problem. My wife saw a picture of it and said it was a "clown car", so I dropped it. Thanks for sharing the picture.

Don Keller

[Barry Wolk]

Actually I didn't. I believe Shelly took that at the Krasl Art Center Concours last year.

Speaking of Bantam.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/100_3822.jpg

[Don Keller]

Barry,

Hey, you don't fit too badly, but could you use the pedals? I think that's the best Bantum restoration I've seen! They may make a comeback if any oil supply is actually lost. I'll have to make that picture my screensaver.

Don

[Bob Barger]

My uncle bought my car from a used car lot in Compton, CA in 1969. He parked it in his garage and never touched it. I bought it from him in 1982 and it sat for years before I did anything to it. I am a retired mechanic so I did all the work myself. I took it down to the bare body and frame and rebuilt it from there. It was complete so I didn't have to search for any parts but it needed everything rebuilt. The interior was in shreads and the paint was cracked and faded. If I could figure out how to post some pictures, I would. My car is early production, September 55 and I think it was number 316. I changed the colors, it was originally light blue with light and dark blue interior. It is now deep grey metalic (an original collor according to Buddy Holliday) and the interior is dark grey leather which I got from Bridge of Weir and black matlesse (spel?). I am really pleased with the finished product. I have made some changes to make it more drivable. The first thing I learned was that you could not stop the thing so I converted it to 4 wheel disc brakes. The master cylinder is the only thing that shows as non-stock when the hood is up. I found an alternator in a generator case and it looks perfect. I installed a new carburetor with an electric choke and thats about it. The only mistake I made was installing bias ply tires, first chance I get I am going to put radials on it. I take it to about 8 car shows a year and am almost always the only Mark, the exception it Knotts Berry Farm in April the sometimes has others. I talk to a lot of people that have never seen a Mark before and enjoy talking to anyone that is interested. Many thanks for posting my car, I am very proud of it. Bob

[Don Keller]

Bob,

Your car looks great. If I lived near you I'd show you how to upload pictures. It isn't too difficult, but the reducing the size can be for some of us. It sure help us to see the pictures and you should be proud, it looks great.

Don Keller
C56R3838
Jackson, TN

[Mad Scientist]

.......... so I converted it to 4 wheel disc brakes.

I’m curious what did you use for your disc brake conversion?
I also converted to disc brakes (front only) but not being able to find any “off the self kits”:D I just designed and made my own.

Your rebuild experience sounds a lot like mine.

[Bob Barger]

I posted what I did with my brakes in a technical thread. Bob

[Dan]

I've uploaded Bob Barger's images for him

[Harry Nicholson]

I purchased my 1956 Mark II from Billy Huffman of Hickory, North Carolina in 2001. I have spent several years collecting the history on this car. Billy told me that he bought the car from the White family estate in Hickory back in 1999. The Whites apparently purchased the car while vacationing in Florida years prior to that from the Beardsley family of Fort Lauderdale. Records indicate that the original owner was Melville Beardsley III of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have made several efforts to contact members of the Beardsley family who revealed that their father, Melville, was one of the largest paint contractors on the East coast during the 1950s--which might explain why he ordered a one-of-a-kind paint combination: white body, blue top. Another Forum member also told me that he had read that Melville Beardsley was also the inventor of the hovercraft and had an interesting background in the military and business world.
When I acquired the car, it was a solid, 63,000 mile car in great driving condition. We have since restored the car---repainted, reupholstered and rechromed---over several years time, as our budget would allow. We often comment that we have restored a "champagne car on a beer budget."
I would like to thank Lowell Domholdt for all of his assistance over the years. He was my "go to" guy before the Forum came into existence. He spent many hours over the phone helping me with technical questions and documentation. This Forum is a great asset to anyone who is in the process of restoring a Mark II today.

[Barry Wolk]

Harry, that is a handsome two-tone.

[Bob smith]

Not many people would have made those color choices but they are great. The car must have been a hit on the streets in Florida in those colors.
Harry and Joni, it's a beauty!

[Harry Nicholson]

Thanks, guys, for the nice comments about the car. We have really enjoyed taking it to shows and just driving it around town. We enjoy looking at all Mark IIs that we see at shows. They are such beautiful, classic automobiles.

[AU_MK2]

Thanks for selecting mine as car of the month.......

I purchased my car on 24 December 2010... Merry Christmas too me!!!
I had been looking for a while and had limited my search to a few specific colours, but the preferred colour was 08 medium brown metallic, as there were only 65 built in this colour and many seem to have been painted another colour it made the search hard. Added to this that my choice of trim was white bolsters, white biscuits and brown welts the numbers got even shorter with a documented 7 being built.
I originally looked at 2112 (the car with the wheel spats) but they wouldn't budge on the $60k price, I then found 1885 for sale and closed the deal.
Many thanks go to Chuck Lutz for having a look at this car for me prior to the decision to buy.
The history of the car is documented in the registry so I won't replicate it here again.
It had 62,000 miles on the clock and had only done under 5000 in the last 25 years and had thousands spent on repairs over that time.
The car was repainted sometime prior to Sam Thompson buying it in 1985. The paint is still fairly good but is starting to fail on the upper surfaces but as far as rust goes it is quite good.
Mechanically it still needs a few things done but nothing major and I have been driving the wheels off it since it arrived in April 2011, I've done nearly 700 miles without any problems (touch wood) and plan to put many more on this coming summer.

[Barry Wolk]

That's funny, we "Knock on wood".

Glad you're using it. They love it when you do.

[AU_MK2]

We're pretty lucky here tomorrow is going to be 16C (60F) so I may be out in the Mark II for lunch. The problem is the other 6 cars aren't getting driven so I need to address that too

[Shelly Harris]

This month's COTM is a convertible prototype built sometime in 1954. It was one of several which Ford created prior to the final model which began manufacture for sale in the 1956 model year.

[Barry Wolk]

That's the Retractable. It's the hard-top drop-top. I have pictures of that being built in 1954 at Hess & Eisenhardt.

Found them.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/1%20Mark%20II%20docs/img045.jpg

I used to believe that Ford, or Ford Styling, did a lot of this stuff in-house. It seems that Derham, H & E and others subcontracted a lot of Ford's show cars and prototypes.

[lincoln mark]

Do you have any pictures of how they did that? Do you know where it is now? Thanks, Mark A Maromonte.

[Barry Wolk]

That's the car that's rumored to have been stolen by one of the engineers when summarily dismissed when the program ended. The car is supposed to be in a garage in Dearborn somewhere. People swear they've seen it.

[Shelly Harris]

I need more pictures of your cars for Car of The Month honors.

Please send your pictures as an attachment to

shelly@markiiforum.com

[Shelly Harris]

The COTM for December is Frank Sinatra's C56A1884. There is no doubt that the VIN is correct. However we can't be absolutely sure of the photo shown.

It is believed that Sinatra's car was used in some brief shots in the film "High Society" released July, 1956, a film in which Sinatra appeared along with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly. Actor Louis Calhern is seen exiting the car while being greeted by Kelly. Records show the car being delivered in December, 1955 so it seems a good bet that the Sinatra car is indeed the one in the film. The photo that we are using this month is from the motion picture as are the others in this post.

[Joseph Stebbins]

Here is a link to a clip with the car on youtube...

http://youtu.be/PxUmpNMohHM

I particularly like the title of the post.

Joseph

[JeffBagley]

My 1956 Continental Mark II was purchased August 12, 2011. It was originally purchased at Coral Gables, Florida Lincoln Mercury by Arthur Vinings Davis, the President and CEO of ALCOA aluminum.

The car was last titled in South Carolina in 1998. I believe it was purchased by Carlos Zelmat around that time who did the restoration returning the car to its original Naiad Green color. It was transferred to Al Chelena in April, 2011 and then to me. I am unaware of its history between the original owner and the South Carolina owner. So as far as I know it has been owned in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

I just finished changing the aluminum wheels to steel wheels and stock wheelcovers. It has factory air that works.

I really enjoy driving the car and getting used to it. I also have a 1961 Lincoln Continental Convertible (Aqua Turqouise) , a 1972 Continental Mark IV, black, a 1960 Chevy Corvetee Convertible, red with white coves, and a 1970 Mustang Mach I ( red)

[Dan]

Thanks Jeff and what a nice car!
Any other pictures?
That happens to be my favorite color.

[JeffBagley]

Dan,

Yes, I have others. They are on flickr. here is the link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54087035@N04/6200478733/

My favorite too. By the way , forgot to identify the car. It is C56A1881 and my wife named it Elizabeth after the wife of the original owner.


Jeff

[lincoln mark]

Hi Jeff, Very nice. What year Lincoln are the hub caps from in the front to rear drivers side photo? Thanks, Mark A Maromonte

[Joseph Stebbins]

Hi Jeff, Very nice. What year Lincoln are the hub caps from in the front to rear drivers side photo? Thanks, Mark A Maromonte

They look like 64 or 67 to me - I've switched mine around between the two cars so much I no longer know which is which. My 67 currently is wearing the caps from my father's 77...

[JeffBagley]

The hubcaps photographed on the driveway are for a 67. I had photographed them earlier this year when I posted them for sale.

[lincoln mark]

Hi Jeff, The last photo taken on the grass? Thanks, Mark A Maromonte.

[Continentalfan]

Hi Pat
Only chance I am going to get to give you the info on 3077 you current COM.
#3077 was originally sold to Betty Curtis of Indiana and started out white with white leather and red welts. It is an original air conditioned car. Appears that sometime in late 70's the car was redone in deep red and that paint remains on the car to this day. This old beauty passed through several hands and lived most of it's life in Texas and California where it ended up with black plates and a very caring owner named Greg Taylor circa 2001. Greg makes his home in Burlingame California and I believe that he was 3077's best friend. It was Greg that did most of the reclamation work to make the car such a great driver while maintaining all the original features. Since moving the car to Canada in early 2011 I have made a few improvements to steering and intake system but these have been minor compared to the work and care provided by Mr. Taylor. 3077 is a joy to drive and is a great reminder that these cars of the 50's were actually very well designed and beautifully appointed. Having owned over 100 automobiles since boyhood I can say that this is the first car I have had that causes me to smile whenever I see it..even just a chance glimpse sitting in storage. I bought the car from Greg without seeing it in person and when it rolled off the transport it was exactly as he had represented, right down to every little paint flaw. What a great hobby.
\

[Dave Harris]

David, I see you're car of the month. Looks really good in that red color.

[Stank-67-98]

#3687 deserves a book…… in 1993 after sitting behind a very rural body shop for 11 years waiting to get painted I gave it a home. Then buying 5 more MarkII’s for parts, in 1997 it went to its first LCOC meet in Redmond, OR . Never did get less than First Place or Best of Show. In 2000, after winning Best of Class at Meadow Brook and over 200,000km on the trailer, I then knew #3687 was the Best of the Best. Presently, Shepard and Jane Ellenburg are the proud owners of 3687.

Thanks to Jerry Capizzi, Doug Mattix and Jack Rosan for their encouragement and help. David Jenkins, Jeff Hersh, Chris Cimarusti, Rob Sabourin and many more fellows that love the car know the Mark II is NOT for the faint of heart!

[Dan]

Now there's a standard to work towards!
You've set the bar pretty high.
Congratulations!
Would you please post other pics?
Engine, interior, trunk etc?

[Shelly Harris]

If you want your car honored as Car of The Month, now is a good time to email some pictures. Please email to shelly@markiiforum.com

[Shelly Harris]

The Car of The Month for May, 2012 we salute the 1956 Introduction Car which appeared on brochures and publicity releases by Ford at the time.

I know nothing about this vehicle. Was it an actual car sold or is it a mock up? Perhaps one of our members can supply the information.

BTW I need photos of your car so that this series can continued. Now is the time to have your car honored. Send photos as attachments to shelly@markiiforum.com today!

[Barry Wolk]

How about using "cars and stars" pictures? I'm sure there are a couple of Elvis out there.

[Pat Marshall]

Well, it wasn't a pre-production car, since none of them were white. I checked the early production white Mark IIs and could find no clues. Does anyone know the date of the Paris Show?

My hunch is that they wouldn't have wanted to pay the expense of shipping it back to the US and would probably have arranged for a European buyer.

Begining with 1121 a number of IIs were sent from the factory directly to Civic Showings. Two of these were white (8/1955 production) and there is no info after their US showing.

My personal suspect is 1183 (9/1955 production) which was sent to Burris of Essex, Inc. Newark NJ and then appeared in Qatar in 1957 with the Emir of Qatar. The Emir sent the car back because it had no A/C. There is no record that it got back to the US, with the next documented owner being in Switzerland. Perhaps the Emir bought the car in Paris?

The date of the Paris show is a key to this scenario.

[linc64]

The date of the Paris show is a key to this scenario.
The Paris Auto Show was October 6 1955.

[Pat Marshall]

Thanks Jim, that might be the car. It was completed the morning of 9/12/1955.

[crystal59]

How about using "cars and stars" pictures? I'm sure there are a couple of Elvis out there.
Hey Barry. I tried very hard but I could not resist. Needless to say, there are more.
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab251/crystal5959/3db4624d.jpg