How Long Have You Owned Your Mark II?

[linc64]

I'm curious as to how long you've owned your current Mark II(s).
If you've owned it more than ten years, please reply with the number of years you've owned it.

[JPolstra]

I inherited my Mark II 10 years ago from my parents, who received it from my grandfather as a gift in 1971. My grandfather was the original owner/purchaser.

[depmike38]

Bought my car in 2002 from 2nd owner who is personal friend and had owned it since 1984. I helped do the light restoration that was done back then and then he more or less stored it behind literally a ton of old car parts as well as a number of antique autos. In the last several years we've worked our way down to it so I can finally get it out and home.

[Nick DeSpirito]

I have owned my Mark II for 22 years.

[linmk2]

I've had mine since 1984. It appeared for sale in the local newspaper. Oddly, the ad was for a 74 Mustang II. The Mark was mentioned as an after thought with the following words "also 56 Mark II nice". I currently have it stored a few blocks from my home. I've given some thought to selling it, but I not made a decision in that regard.

[2MarkIIs]

I got the two about 3 months ago but was trying to get them for 2 years.

[Shawn Newcomb]

I bought mine in the fall sometime in the late nineties. I would have to check the registrations to know if it was '97, '98, or '99.

[5bird7]

20 years and still like it was when we bought it. not driveable

[Don Henschel]

I bought mine inthe fall of '93, and thats when all the fun started:rolleyes:

[Barry Wolk]

That is when my fun started. I bought mine completely restored in October of 2002. I joined the LCOC and was almost immediately invited to show the car at Ford World Headquarters in a club display for two weeks a couple of months prior to the Ford Centennial.

Just before the Centennial I showed the car at an LCOC event in Dearborn. That was my only taste of a points-judged show. Not my cup of tea, but enjoyed meeting so many people.

A recruiter from the Amelia Island Concours introduced himself and invited us to bring the Mark II the following March. Since we had been to numerous Meadow Brook Concours we kinda knew what to expect. What we didn't expect was winning an Amelia Award (second place). That hooked us.

Recruiters from other shows approached us and we started doing about 6 shows a summer. Shows led to magazine articles which led to other Concours which led to other magazine articles. We since been in every top show except Pebble. I'm still waiting for my invitation.:rolleyes:

The best thing about the Concours circuit is the people we encounter. There's a perception that Concours are snooty affairs. Not so. The black-tie fundraisers, attended mostly by the local social elite, are a bit high-tone, but the show itself is about as down to earth as you can get. Sure, there are people that don't talk to the attendees and sometimes the price of admission puts some people off, but car people have a commonality that I never found in the art community. I've always said that participating in a Concours, whether spectator or owner, is a chance to rub elbows with the rich and famous, without being either.

There seems to be a universal respect for the Mark II as there is one at just about every Concours. If you haven't, you should really consider attending one. If you like it you can send in an application, which will most likely be accepted.

Our next Concours is this March. Back to Amelia Island. This time with the other Continental convertible. The one that weighs 1,700#.

The thing about Concours is that it's basically a beauty contest. That's why we have so many trophies.:D

[gstarkey]

I bought my Mark II in 1987 off a used car lot. It had 39093 miles on it and I am the fourth owner. I detailed the engine and rechromed the bumpers and won a Ford Trophy at the LCOC meet in Dearborn in 1989.

[sailormkii]

I purchased mine in 1996 (after looking for approx 15 years). They were always either to rusty or to expensive. I was attending an auction in Tulsa and was having breakfast with my father-in-law. He was reading the newspaper and said "here is a quarter - go call this guy, he has a Mark II to sell". I thought he was kidding me but there was the ad. I called and made an appointment to see it later that afternoon. As I nervously drove up I saw it parked under a carport covered in dust. The odometer said 25000 miles and I figured it was 125000. The car seemed straight but it had no A/C.:mad: I took down the data plate info and asked for previous owner info. When I got back to Kansas City I did some searching and found all prevoius owners back to original :). The car was originally a raffle car for the Mount Sinai Hospital womens club. A Doctor Morry Gorden won it and kept it as a Saturday night Driver.I 12 years he put on 23570 miles. Then he shipped it to a man in Kansas City (whom my father-in-law knew). He has the car 19 years and sold it with 23,715 miles to a man id Dallas Texas who put it on a showroon floor for eight years. He sold it with 24,200 miles to the man from which I purchased it. This man thought his wife would drive it, but she said it was to big. Can you belive that? After letting the car sit for one year, he took the loss and sold it to me with 26,000 miles on it. I have and will continue to enjoy it and fix it as necessary. When I die it will be for sale. Contact my widow.:D I have driven it to Houston, Chicago, St. Louis and Duluth for national shows.I never win anything but Who cares. The drive is what it is all about for me. People ask me "arn't you sore after driving that old cas so far"? I tell them "only my cheeks from smiling!" It is up on the lift for winter storage right now. This makes me want spring that much more. Thanks for listening.
C56G3198

[Shawn Newcomb]

The lady who thought a Mark II was too big must be the exception that proves the rule. Women have been the driving force behind this SUV nonsense believing that a stationwagon sitting 6" higher isn't a stationwagon at all and thereby they haven't become their mothers.;)

[depmike38]

:DAmen, I've been telling my wife SUV's were station wagons on big tires for years.

[Barry Wolk]

From all reports, women hated the Mark II. It's ingress and egress are not very "lady like".

I don't like it either. There's not a lot of room for a tall person to swing their legs out of the car. The placement of the "A" pillar, designed to accommodate the huge wraparound window, is kind of a design flaw, IMO.

However, the "A" pillar, was a thing of beauty as it was so small, you could wrap your hand around it. That was GB's biggest challenge.

It's interesting to note that a lot of people think that Gordon Beurhig was a designer for the Mark II. I don't believe that's the case. He was brought in as body engineer and resin model maker after the design was chosen. He translated the artists drawings into something that could be built. Kudos to him.

[Shawn Newcomb]

that dog leg is a real kneeknocker for my brother-in-law who is 6'4". I bet it is even worse on a baby bird. I'm 5'7 no worries, I'll take either:cool:

[Barry Wolk]

I know how he feels, I'm taller than he is.

Nothing Ford has ever made, short of pick-up trucks, was ever designed with a tall person in mind. That may be because of the Ford family's stature.

I keep reminding my auto design friends that we are 19 in 10,000 people. That's at least a niche market for a large 2-door sport utility. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

[Shawn Newcomb]

So truth is you really cut the roof off your car yourself for headroom?:D

Even the '56 era ford p-ups that are so popular had that windshield too did they not?

[Barry Wolk]

Yes, but I don't believe the return was as big.

I've chopped the roof off of many things, but I can't take credit for the Mark II.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/Limo/IMG_3753.jpg

[Mark_II_Mark]

Way too damn long when it's not "cooperating"...

[Gary Oligny]

My Mark II was purchased by my Father, Reg Oligny in 1966, and I have had it for about the last 20 years.

[linc64]

Thanks to everyone who's responded so far. I enjoy hearing the stories about your cars!
Now, if the other 170 or so Forum members would respond , that would be great.;)
Eleven days before the poll closes.

[Mad Scientist]

I got mine when it was new, well at least my father did. It has been in the family ever since. After my father died and then the one winter due to lack of anti-freeze the block was cracked. At that point it just sat and aged. My mother frequently said we should sell it and just get rid of it and I keep telling her no that in time I would eventually restore it. Well it only took a mere 40 years or so to get around to it :) but a couple years ago I finally started work on it.

[Doc]

Like Mad, our Mark II was originally purchased by my parents when it was new (in Oct. 1955). It has been in our family ever since. My mom drove it as her daily driver into the 1990s. When she quit driving, it was unfortunately stored poorly and deteriorated substantially. I took possession about four years ago and have done a major cosmetic restoration since then--paint, chrome, upholstery, carpet, etc.--along with the predictable mechanical repairs.

[Ed Cramer]

Hello to everyone. This is my first post on this forum. I was going to wait until I had scanned a picture of my car and figured out how to get it onto the forum before talking, but when I read this subject and saw the deadline, well I had to jump in! I bought my car at a very odd auction in April of 2005. A relatively young and reckless contractor had died in a motorcycle accident (flipped it over running around at his company's annual party) and his daughter was auctioning off his estate. It was a 20+/- acre site with everything a "keep all things" contractor would have acquired over the years. There were literally thousands of lots and the auctioner had to get thru them all in one day. They ranged from gravel sorting equipment to a wrecked airplane to rows and rows of cars to a pool table, machine tools, railroad cars, etc. It was all over the place. At the end of the day the auctioner was saying what am I bid for everything remaining from this fence line to that fence line! The Mark II was one of the more hyped items on the listing, but it sold in about 1 minute! The auctioner was really not fooling around. If you didn't speak right up, you were out of the runing! One guy who had been on a cell phone as an agent for someone else (having the remote party listen to the engine run over the cell phone was a treat to see while I was killing time prior to the car lot coming up) was going to bid but he was asleep at the switch when the crowd came to the car.:D It was a real zoo! But I was able to hang in and get the car!:) Some where during the auction the oil bath sticker on the side of the air cleaner disappeared. :( Now I am trying to keep the coastal elements from taking out the car while I accumulate funds and parts to fix it up.

[Barry Wolk]

Hi Ed,

Welcome to the site. Check your PM.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/ttiwwop-1.gif

[Chuck Lutz]

Great story, Ed. Welcome to the Forum and enjoy.