Pick of the Day: 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV

I must have been a dumb kid, as it seems I didn’t mind the big-bumpered cars of the 1970s. My dad owned a 1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV, and that influenced my preference for this car with the federalized front and rear bumpers. Our Pick of the Day is the purest vision of this car, the 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV. This particular example is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Kentwood, Michigan. (Click the link to view the listing.)

The Lincoln Continental Mark III was a sales success in its 1968-71 existence, but I never saw many of them as a kid. The Mark IV? Sales were at least twice as good. Of course, everything that was great about the Mark III was exaggerated for the Mark IV. “Though the styling changes are evolutionary, they are also dramatic,” claimed Lincoln. With a bolder grille, longer and lower hood, and a seemingly lower roofline, the Mark IV still maintained its hallmarks: hidden headlights and spare tire cover shape. New were opera windows with the Lincoln logo etched into the glass, though that could be superseded by a traditional bright star ornament instead of the window. The overall effect was a pimpin’ personal luxury car that featured the proportions of a pony car.

Power came from a 460ci V8 that was rated at 365 gross horsepower in the Mark III, but when the Mark IV debuted for 1972, compression was cut per federal mandate and the huge big-block was now rated at 224 net horsepower. Included as standard equipment was Sure-Track anti-skid braking, an early version of anti-lock braking that would start to reappear in the late 1980s.

During my adolescence, I noticed different versions of the IV: segmented versus wraparound taillights and tidy parking lights versus larger, ribbed versions. The ’73 was the hybrid of the bunch, with the federalized front bumper and the original rear. To my eyes, the 1972 Mark IV looked like it had buck teeth compared to the federalized front bumper (a feeling I also had about the 1971-72 Mercury Cougar).

I still feel this way, but adulthood has set me straight, so I understand why the 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV is considered the most desired model year of the bunch. This Medium Green Metallic example features the standard Cavalry Twill vinyl top in white, which really sets off the car. As you can imagine, the Mark IV included plenty of standard equipment, including the green Lamont Cloth and vinyl interior, but it’s worth noting the options that include a front bumper guard (note the horizontal trim on the lower part of the grille), Automatic Speed Control, an AM/FM stereo, and the aforementioned anti-skid braking system.

“This Mark IV does come with some nice features such as power steering, power brakes, power windows, power front seats, new shocks, a new starter, a new gas tank, new valve cover gaskets, and more,” says the selling dealer. With 93,297 miles on the clock and subtle little blemishes that can easily be taken care of by a seasoned car guy or gal, the $13,900 asking price appears to be in line for a car that out-pimped the Eldorado the same year.