Lincoln Continental Mark VI

Continental Mark VI
Continental Mark VI
	1980 Continental Mark VI Signature Series 4-door
Overview
Manufacturer	Lincoln (Ford)
Model years	1980–1983
Assembly	United States: Wixom, Michigan (Wixom Assembly)
Designer	John Aiken (1976)
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size personal luxury car
Body style	2-door sedan; 4-door sedan
Layout	FR layout, body-on-frame
Platform	Ford Panther platform
Related	Lincoln Continental (1980); Lincoln Town Car (1981–1989)
Powertrain
Engine	302 cu in (4.9 L) 5.0L V8; 351 cu in (5.8 L) Windsor V8 (1980 only)
Transmission	4-speed AOD automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2-door: 114.4 in (2,910 mm); 4-door: 117.4 in (2,980 mm)
Length	2-door: 216.0 in (5,490 mm); 4-door: 219.2 in (5,570 mm)
Width	78.1 in (1,980 mm)
Height	2-door: 55.1 in (1,400 mm); 4-door: 55.8 in (1,420 mm)
Curb weight	3,892–4,219 lb (1,765–1,914 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Continental Mark V
Successor	Continental Mark VII

Last updated January 07, 2025

The Continental Mark VI is a full-size luxury car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1980 to 1983 and marketed by its Lincoln-Mercury division. As the fifth generation of the Mark series, the Continental Mark VI served as the flagship of the entire Ford Motor Company model line.

The first complete redesign of the Mark series since 1972, the Mark VI was the first to undergo downsizedgeneration, nolonger sharing its platform with the 1967–1976 Ford Thunderbird (its companion model since the inaugural 1969 Mark III) and now sharing its platform with the Lincoln Continental (renamed Lincoln Town Car for 1981). To distinguish itself from the Town Car, the Mark VI was fitted with model-exclusive features, including Designer Edition trims. Alongside the traditional two-door sedan bodystyle, the Mark VI introduced a four-door sedan to the model line (last offered in 1960).

The Continental Mark VI was manufactured alongside the Lincoln Continental and Town Car at the Ford Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan. In total, 131,981 examples were produced. For the 1984 model year, the Mark VI was replaced by the Continental Mark VII.

Development

Ford began developing a downsized Continental Mark VI in the mid-1970s as a successor to the Continental Mark V, using what became the Ford Fox platform to be shared with a revised 1980 Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar XR7.^[1] Due to budgetary constraints, planners chose instead to the base the Mark VI on the full-size Panther platform, increasing parts commonality with the Lincoln Continental.^[1]

Based on the success of the Mark IV and Mark V, Ford executives (led by Lee Iacocca) sought to expand the Mark series from a single personal luxury coupe into a comprehensive model line, reviving a stillborn approach proposed 20 years earlier with the Continental Division.^[1] As part of the switch to the full-size Panther platform, executives sought to add a four-door sedan, a woodgrained station wagon, and a premium 2-seat coupe to the Mark VI model line.^[1]

Following the 1978 departure of Lee Iacocca from Ford, the expansion of the Mark V model line was pared down to a four-door sedan. While the shift to the Panther chassis meant only an intermediate degree of downsizing (leaving the Mark VI far larger than the redesigned Cadillac Eldorado and Chrysler Cordoba), the Mark VI remained an intermediate step down from its Mark V predecessor. Along with its high degree of parts commonality with the Lincoln line (and mass-market vehicles such as the Ford LTD), allowing for the model line to be profitable, the Mark VI was to combine both luxury features and advanced technology.

Overview

Chassis

The Continental Mark VI is based on the Ford Panther platform, shared with the Lincoln Town Car and other Ford Motor Company full-size cars of the 1980s into the late 2000s in North America. The Mark VI is rear-wheel drive with body-on-frame construction; it is fitted with coil-spring suspension on all four wheels.

In comparison to the Continental Mark V, the Mark VI is 800 pounds lighter and nearly 14 inches shorter than its predecessor. The Mark VI is the only version of the Panther platform that is built on two different wheelbases. The four-door sedan shares the 117.4 wheelbase with the Lincoln Continental/Town Car; the two-door utilizes the 114.4 wheelbase shared by the Ford and Mercury variants.

Prior to 1981 production, there was no distinct indicator in vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for vehicle make or manufacturer. Previously VINs only had indicators for the model year, assembly plant, body series (which represented only the vehicle model name and body style type), engine size and sequential production number. From 1981 onward, all vehicle manufacturers were required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to use a 17-character VIN-code with more detailed information. The first three digits is the World Manufacturer Identifier which indicates the country of origin and make of a vehicle. The 1981–1983 Continental Mark VI has the separate VIN code 1MR which designates Continental as the make instead of 1LN as Lincoln (used by the Lincoln Town Car).

Powertrain

In order to remain in compliance with increasingly stringent federal fuel economy standards (under CAFE, Ford Motor Company was required to average 20.0 MPG for all of its vehicles for 1980), significant changes were made to the powertrain for the Continental Mark VI. The 460 and 400 cubic-inch V8s seen in the Mark V were replaced in favor of lower-displacement V8 engines.

The standard engine for the Mark VI was a 302 cubic-inch V8, producing 140 hp. The first Ford V8 produced with throttle-body fuel injection, the engine was marketed by its 5.0L metric displacement (slightly rounded up from the technical 4.94L figure). As an option, a 351 cubic-inch (5.8L) V8 was offered; it used an electronically-controlled 2-barrel carburetor. After 1980, the 351 was discontinued on the Mark VI, due to poor sales and the lack of a distinct power advantage over the 5.0L V8.

Both engines were paired to the AOD automatic transmission; introduced for 1980, the AOD replaced the commonly used 3-speed configuration with a 4-speed overdrive configuration, significantly lowering engine RPMs (and fuel consumption) at highway speeds. The 4-speed AOD was standard equipment on the Mark VI and all Lincolns (except the Versailles) for 1980 and was adopted by Panther-chassis Ford and Mercury vehicles for 1981.

Engine	Displacement	Years produced	Horsepower	Torque	Transmission
Ford Windsor V8 (5.0L) ^[2]	4.9 L (302 cu in)	1980-1983	140 hp (104 kW) at 3600 rpm	231 lb⋅ft (313 N⋅m) at 2000 rpm	4-speed Ford AOD overdrive automatic
Ford Windsor V8 (351W)^[3]	5.8 L (351 cu in)	1980	140 hp (104 kW) at 3400 rpm	265 lb⋅ft (359 N⋅m) at 2000 rpm	4-speed Ford AOD overdrive automatic

Body

As the Mark V remained throughout its production, much of its sharp-edged design played a role in the design of the downsized Panther-platform Lincolns.^[1] While the hardtop roofline of the two-door was replaced by a fixed B-pillar (with framed door glass), the Mark VI two-door shared a similar roofline with its predecessor; the four-door shared its roofline with the Lincoln Town Car (distinguished by oval opera windows).

In line with its flagship model status, the Mark VI had more ornate styling than the Lincoln Town Car, including hidden headlamps, fender vents (non-functional), C-pillar oval opera windows, and forward-sloping taillamps; the Continental tire trunklid returned nearly unchanged from the Mark V.

The Mark VI also featured Ford's proprietary keypad entry system marketed as SecuriCode, digital instrumentation (VFD), trip computer and Fords EEC III engine management systemst.

The Mark VI offered low-power decorative lights, marketed as Touring Lights, mounted on the hidden-headlamp doors. The touring lights provided a level of lighting insufficient for night driving or as daytime running lights.) only when the parking lights were activated, and were automatically deactivated and stowed when the headlights were active. Each Mark VI was also equipped with parking lights integrated with the front turn signals.

Trim

Alongside the standard Continental Mark VI, two additional trims were offered within the model line, including the Designer Editions and the flagship Signature Series.

Signature Series

For 1980, the Signature Series was available in both coupe and sedan formats. Intended as a successor to the 1979 Collector's Series option package, the Signature Series included nearly every available feature as standard equipment. The option was offered with either burgundy or silver exteriors; all vehicles came with a red interior (leather or velour upholstery). When first introduced in September 1979, the listed MSRP for the coupe was $20,940 (equivalent to $87,900in 2023) and $21,309 USD (equivalent to $89,500in 2023).

Unique features included a rechargeable glove box flashlight, special seat sew pattern, gold and Macaser Ebony wood treatments and a complete digital instrument cluster with fully electronically controlled EEC III engine with a 4-speed AOD, and a leather-bound tool kit in the trunk.

The Signature Series returned for 1981; red and silver exteriors were again offered, with black and white exterior colors becoming an option near the end of the model year. As with 1980, all examples were produced with red interiors, in leather or velour. For 1982 and 1983, the Mark VI Signature Series underwent a revision, as it became available in any exterior and interior color offered for the Mark VI. The tool kit and glove box flashlight were no longer featured as well.

Designer Series

For 1980, the Designer Series made their return to the Mark Series coupes, including Cartier, Pucci, Bill Blass, and Givenchy Editions. As before, each Designer Series option carried exclusive exterior and interior color combination and additional equipment over the standard-trim Mark VI. Bill Blass exterior came with Dark Blue Metallic with white upper accents and Midnight Blue with white accents in leather or cloth upholstery. Cartier came with Light and Medium Pewter paint with matching Light and Medium Pewter interior in leather or cloth with red accent stripes on the fenders and interior surfaces. Pucci came with Light and Medium Fawn Brown Metallic exterior paint with matching Light and Medium Fawn upholstery in leather or cloth upholstery. Givenchy offered Light Fawn Brown with Bittersweet Red metallic paint with matching interior combinations in leather or cloth upholstery.^[6]

For 1981, these trim packages remained unchanged through 1982. The Givenchy color combinations were Light Fawn and Bittersweet Red Metallic for exterior paint and interior upholstery in cloth or leather. The Cartier color combinations were light and medium pewter exterior paint with a dark red accent stripe, and the interior offered matching light and medium pewter color combinations in cloth or leather. The Pucci offered light and medium Fawn metallic exterior and interior color combinations. The Bill Blass color combinations were dark blue metallic with white upper accents. The Givenchy package added $1,739 (equivalent to $7,300in 2023), the Cartier and Pucci packages added $2,191 to the Signature Series MSRP (equivalent to $9,200in 2023), and the Bill Blass package added $2,809 (equivalent to $11,800in 2023).^[6]

For 1982, the series underwent a shuffle of sorts, with the Pucci edition moving from the sedan from the coupe. The Cartier edition was shifted from the Mark VI to the Town Car, leaving the Bill Blass and Givenchy edition coupes.

For 1983, the Givenchy Edition was shifted to the Continental, leaving the Bill Blass coupe and Pucci sedan; a coupe version of the Pucci edition made its return as a mid-year introduction. For the final year of the Mark VI Designer series, the coupe was available with either Pucci or Bill Blass color combinations, while the sedan was only available as Pucci. The Bill Blass coupe came in two, dual-shade color combinations; Midnight Black and French Vanilla upper accent with a Cambria cloth carriage roof, or French Vanilla and Midnight Black upper accent exterior with matching French Vanilla cloth or leather upholstery. The Pucci Designer Series offered Blue Flannel Mist exterior paint with Academy Blue cloth or leather upholstery.^[6]

Sales

Year	Sales
1980	38,391
1981	36,398
1982	26,336
1983	30,856
Total	131,981

Related Research Articles

Lincoln Motor Company, or simply Lincoln, is the luxury vehicle division of American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Marketed among the top luxury vehicle brands in the United States, Lincoln is positioned closely against its General Motors counterpart Cadillac. However, beginning with the 2021 model year, they only offer SUV and Crossover vehicles.

The Continental Mark II is an ultra-luxury coupé that was sold by the Continental Division of Ford for the 1956 and 1957 model years. The first product line of Continental, the Mark II was developed as the worldwide flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. Developed as a successor for the 1939–1948 Lincoln Continental, the Mark II derived its nameplate from European manufacturing practice, denoting a second generation of the model family; Ford would later use this nomenclature for the Mark Series of flagship personal luxury cars.

The Continental Mark III is a personal luxury car marketed by Lincoln from the 1969–1971 model years. The namesake successor of the 1956–1957 Continental Mark II, the Mark III likewise served as the flagship vehicle of Ford Motor Company. Offered as a two-door hardtop coupe, the Mark III was noted for its hidden headlights, Continental spare recalling the Mark II and its Rolls-Royce styled grille.

The Continental Mark IV is a personal luxury car that was marketed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from the 1972 to 1976 model years. The third generation of the Mark series, the Mark IV grew in size over its Continental Mark III predecessor. As with the previous generation, the Mark IV saw little direct competition in the American marketplace, competing nearly exclusively against the Cadillac Eldorado.

The Oldsmobile 98 is the full-size flagship model of Oldsmobile that was produced from 1940 until 1942, and then from 1946 to 1996. The name – reflecting a "Series 90" fitted with an 8-cylinder engine – first appeared in 1941 and was used again after American consumer automobile production resumed post-World War II. It was, as it would remain, the division's top-of-the-line model, with lesser Oldsmobiles having lower numbers such as the A-body 66 and 68, and the B-body 76 and 78. The Series 60 was retired in 1949, the same year the Oldsmobile 78 was replaced by the 88. The Oldsmobile 76 was retired after 1950. This left the two remaining number-names to carry on into the 1990s as the bread and butter of the full-size Oldsmobile lineup until the Eighty Eight-based Regency replaced the 98 in 1997.

The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to 2011, with the nameplate previously serving as the flagship trim of the Lincoln Continental. Produced across three generations for thirty model years, the Town Car was marketed directly against luxury sedans from Cadillac and Chrysler.

The Mercury Cougar is a series of automobiles that was sold by Mercury from 1967 to 2002. The model line is a diverse series of vehicles; though the Cougar nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various stages in its production, the model also was offered as a convertible and a hatchback. During its production as the mid-size Mercury line, the Cougar was also offered as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon.

The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced between 1939 and 2020 by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edsel Ford, who commissioned a coachbuilt 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr convertible, developed as a vacation vehicle to attract potential Lincoln buyers. In what would give the model line its name, the exterior was given European "continental" styling elements, including a rear-mounted spare tire.

The Continental Mark V is a personal luxury coupe marketed in North America by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company for model years 1977–1979. It was the third generation of the Mark Series that first began with the 1969 Continental Mark III. At 230 inches (5.8 m) in length, it was the longest two-door coupe Ford has ever marketed.

The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company from the 1978 to 1993 model years. Originally introduced to underpin compact sedans, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of vehicle designs for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. Serving as the direct replacement for the long-running Ford Falcon architecture, the downsizing of intermediate-size cars expanded its use, with the Fox platform also replacing the Ford Torino platform. For the 1980s, the chassis came into wider use, supporting both the Ford Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Panther platform</span> 1979–2012 motor vehicle platform from Ford Motor Company

The Ford Panther platform was an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company from the 1979 to 2012 model years. Following the downsizing of the General Motors B-bodies and C-bodies by two years, the Panther platform marked the end of production of full-sized American sedans. Originally slated for discontinuation during the early 1980s, the Panther architecture was used for 33 model years, making it one of the longest-produced platforms in North American automotive history.

The Continental Mark VII, later changed to Lincoln Mark VII, is a rear wheel drive luxury coupe that was produced by Lincoln. Introduced in August 1983 for the 1984 model year, the Continental Mark VII shared its Ford Fox platform with the Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar, and Lincoln Continental. The Fox platform was originally introduced for the 1978 Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr. The same platform was also utilized as the base for the 1982–1987 Lincoln Continental sedan, the Mark VII's four-door companion. Like its predecessor the Continental Mark VI, the Mark VII was manufactured at the Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan through 1992. It was replaced by the Lincoln Mark VIII in 1993.

The Mercury Marquis is a model line of automobiles marketed by Mercury from 1967 to 1986. Deriving its name from a title of French nobility, the Marquis was introduced as the divisional counterpart of the Ford LTD; four generations of the two model lines were paired through rebranding. Initially slotted as the flagship Mercury full-size range, the Marquis would serve as the basis for the later Mercury Grand Marquis.

The Ford LTD Crown Victoria is a line of full-size cars that was manufactured and marketed by Ford from the 1980 to 1991 model years. Deriving its name from the Ford Fairlane coupe of 1955–1956, the LTD Crown Victoria served as the flagship of the Ford LTD model range in North America. Serving as the Ford counterpart of the Mercury Grand Marquis, the model line was offered as a two-door and a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon.

The Continental Mark series is a series of personal luxury cars that was produced by Ford Motor Company. The nomenclature came into use with the Continental Mark II for 1956, which was a successor to the Lincoln Continental of 1939–1948. Following the discontinuation of the Mark II, Ford continued the use of the Mark series on Continental-branded vehicles from 1958 to 1960.

The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of luxury cars that was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Lincoln Model K, it expanded Lincoln to a second model line, competing against the Chrysler Airflow, LaSalle, and the Packard One-Twenty.

The Chrysler Executive was a car offered by the American automobile producer Chrysler from 1983 through 1986 during the malaise era of American automobile manufacture. The Executive was a stretched version of the Chrysler LeBaron aimed at the then booming market segment of limousines. Chrysler chose to use the stretched wheelbase E-body instead of the M-body platform used by the rear-wheel-drive Chrysler Fifth Avenue.

The North American version of the Ford Granada is a range of sedans that was manufactured and marketed by Ford over two generations (1975–1982). Developed as the original successor for the Ford Maverick, the Granada shares its name with Ford of Europe's flagship sedan. The model line was marketed as a luxury compact vehicle, expanding the segment in the United States.

In the context of the automobile industry, downsizing is a practice used to transition vehicles from one size segment to another. Commenced during the Malaise era, downsizing is done in response to consumer and government demands influencing vehicle design. As vehicle product lines completed their model cycles, automobile manufacturers developed the next generation of a vehicle with a smaller exterior footprint to allow for weight reduction and increased fuel economy, using a shortened wheelbase and body length.

The Cadillac DeVille is a model name used by Cadillac over eight generations, originally to designate a trim level of the 1949 Cadillac Series 62 and later for a standalone model in the brand range. The last model marketed specifically as a DeVille was the 2005 full-size sedan, at the time, Cadillac's largest model.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gale Haldeman: Mustangs, Marks, and More, Part II".
1 2 3 4 5 "1980 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL MARK VI 2-Door 5.0L V-8 EFI data in". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
1 2 3 4 "1980 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL MARK VI SIGNATURE SERIES 4-Door 5.8L V-8 data in". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
↑ "1980 Lincoln Mark VI 2-Door specs, performance, photo & data". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
↑ "1980 Lincoln Mark VI 4-Door specs, performance, photo & data". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
1 2 3 Flammang, Ron; Kowalke, Ron (1999). Standard Catalog of American cars 1976-1999 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 592–626. ISBN 0-87341-755-0.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[stylists-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gale Haldeman: Mustangs, Marks, and More, Part II".

[automobile-catalog1980-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "1980 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL MARK VI 2-Door 5.0L V-8 EFI data in". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.

[automobile-catalog2-3] 1 2 3 4 "1980 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL MARK VI SIGNATURE SERIES 4-Door 5.8L V-8 data in". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.

[4] "1980 Lincoln Mark VI 2-Door specs, performance, photo & data". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.

[5] "1980 Lincoln Mark VI 4-Door specs, performance, photo & data". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.

[Lincoln-6] 1 2 3 Flammang, Ron; Kowalke, Ron (1999). Standard Catalog of American cars 1976-1999 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 592–626. ISBN 0-87341-755-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]