Lincoln Continental Mark IV (1972–1976)

the car produced from 1972–1976

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 (redesigned for 1971). As with the Mark III, the Mark IV shared its chassis with the Ford Thunderbird, with the Mark IV receiving its own bodywork below the windows. Hidden headlights made their return, along with a radiator style grille, and a Continental spare tire trunklid. For 1976, the Designer Series option package was introduced; in what would become a tradition for the Mark series (and later Lincoln), the option consisted of specially coordinated exterior and interior trims developed between Lincoln and contemporary fashion designers. Ford assembled the Continental Mark IV at its Wixom Assembly Plant (Wixom, Michigan) facility alongside the Ford Thunderbird and the Lincoln Continental. For 1977, the Mark IV underwent a substantial revision, becoming the Continental Mark V.

With designers again using sharp edged fenders, hidden headlamps, and a tall radiator style grille, the Continental Mark IV retained the traditional "long hood, short deck" coupe proportions of the Mark III along with its faux spare tire trunk lid, marketed as a "Continental" decklid. The spare tire was in fact stored immediately behind the rear seat. The Mark IV and Ford Thunderbird were closely badge engineered variants of each other, with an increased parts commonality compared to their previous generations. The roofline, doors, and inner body panels were shared, with different outer body panels below the roofline. In 1973, the Mark IV received revised front bodywork, necessitated by the addition of 5 mph bumpers. For 1974, a 5 mph bumper was added to the rear body work, moving the taillights from the bumper into the rear bodywork. All Mark IVs were equipped with a vinyl roof. The Mark IV introduced an rear side window, marketed as an opera window, to the Mark series — a feature that was featured on the Mark through the discontinuation of the Mark VI after 1983. For 1972, the opera window was an almost universally specified option, becoming standard for 1973.

All Mark IVs were equipped with the 4V Ford 385 series V8 (with two valves per cylinder, "4V" is in reference to the four venturi Autolite carburetor). Rated at in the Mark III, the 460 was carried over to the Mark IV. For 1972, rated output underwent a numeric decrease to SAE net. In order to comply with changing EPA emissions regulations, Ford was required to decrease the compression ratio of the engine. The same year, American auto manufacturers adopted SAE net horsepower as its standard of measuring engine output, to better reflect real world engine performance (as installed in vehicles). All examples of the Mark IV were equipped with a Ford C6 three speed automatic transmission. A feature retained from the Mark III was the "Sure track" brakes. Both front seats were power adjustable. Performance was not quite competitive with contemporary premium personal luxury cars. However, no other "personal luxury" models were six passenger vehicles, except the Cadillac Eldorado.

USMetricvs. Mark IIIWheelbase120.4 in3058 mm +2.7%Overall length228.1 in5791 mm +1.9%Width79.8 in2027 mm +0.5%Height53.5 in1359 mm +1.1%Weight5,264 lb2,388 kg +11.1%EngineFord 385 series V8Displacement460 in37.5 LBore × stroke4.36 × 3.85 in111 × 98 mmPower (SAE)202 hp148 kW@ 3800 rpmTorque356 lbf·ft482 Nm@ 2200 rpmCompression8.0:1CarburetorMotorcraft 4350TransmissionFord C6 3 speed automatic