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 and a faux Rolls-Royce chrome grille were retained, 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 in Michigan) facility alongside the Ford Thunderbird and the Lincoln Continental. For 1977, the Mark IV underwent a substantial revision, becoming the Continental Mark V.
The Continental Mark IV retained the traditional "long-hood, short deck" coupe proportions of the Mark III, retaining its sharp-edged fenders, hidden headlamps, and signature faux Rolls-Royce style grille and decorative Continental spare. (The spare tire was in fact stored immediately behind the rear seat.)
The Mark IV and sixth-generation Ford Thunderbird were closely badge engineered variants of each other, with an increased parts commonality compared to the Mark IV's previous generation. The roofline, doors, and inner body panels were shared, with otherwise 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 a rear side window, termed an opera window, an almost universally specified option in 1972 that became standard the following year and remained through the discontinuation of the Mark VI after 1983.
All Mark IVs were equipped with the 460 cu in (7.5 L)-4V Ford 385 series V8 (with two valves per cylinder, "4V" is in reference to the four-venturi Autolite carburetor). Rated at 365 hp SAE gross (272 kW) in the Mark III, the 460 was carried over to the Mark IV. For 1972, rated output fell to 212 hp (158 kW) SAE net due to an industry-wide shift to reporting SAE net horsepower as the standard for 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, and Lincoln's "Sure-track" brakes.[clarify][1] Both front seats were power adjustable.[2]
Performance was not quite competitive with contemporary premium personal luxury cars, including the equally large Cadillac Eldorado, its direct competitor.
For 1976, Lincoln-Mercury introduced optional appearance packages, marketed as the "Designer Series", with flourishes by notable fashion designers (Bill Blass, Givenchy, and Pucci, and the famed jeweler Cartier. Each package featured an individually coordinated exterior and interior color combination with specific trim and interior fabrics. The opera window was fitted with the signature of the corresponding designer, and the dash was fitted with a 22-karat gold-plated dashboard plaque, which could be engraved with the name of the original owner.
A total of 278,599 Mark IV's were produced:
.jpg/1280px-1976_Lincoln_Continental_Mark_IV_Givenchy_designer_series_(front).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-1976_Lincoln_Continental_Mark_IV_Givenchy_designer_series_(rear).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-1976_Lincoln_Continental_Mark_IV_Givenchy_designer_series_(interior).jpg)