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1968 Lincoln Continental

Lincoln's fourth generation of the Continental was announced for 1961, wearing a clean and elegant appearance that set the tone for large and luxurious American cars for years to come. They were devoid of superfluous ornamentation and chrome excesses of the Fifties, wore 'slab-side' body panels, and had a low greenhouse that emphasized the long and lean appearance. The unitary construction and integral chassis were rigid enough to cope with the rear-hinged back doors.

The styling was courtesy of Ford design vice president Elwood Engel, and when introduced, was offered solely as a four-door, as either a sedan or a convertible (the first post-World War II four-door production convertible). Its wheelbase measured 123 inches through 1963, when it grew to 126 inches. The only available engine offered was the 430 cubic-inch MEL V8 carried over from the Mark V.

The first two-door Continental arrived in 1966, along with the introduction of the 462 cubic-inch V8 engine. The Continental wore new sheet-metal and a refreshed interior and came standard with a long list of amenities, including an automatic transmission (the Ford C6 automatic), power steering, power seats, power front disc brakes, power windows, a windshield washer, and full carpeting. The optional list included air conditioning, an AM/FM push-button radio, an automatic headlamp dimmer, and a moveable steering wheel.

Minor trim updates followed in 1967, the final year of the Lincoln Continental convertible, with 2,276 examples sold. Styling changes continued for the 1968 models, many in reaction to new federal safety standards, including incorporating the parking lights, taillights, and front turn signals into a wraparound design to comply with Federal standards for side marker lights. Safety additions for the interior included torso seatbelts for the outboard front seats.

The 1968 Lincoln Continental received a new hood that accentuated the protruding center section of the grille and was devoid of a hood ornament, and the 'Continental' wording was removed from the front fascia and replaced by the Lincoln star emblem. The hood ornament had been removed in anticipation of a federal ban, which never came into effect.

Standard equipment on the 1968 Lincoln Continental includes a windshield washer, power windows, power disc brakes, an automatic transmission, dual exhaust, four-way emergency flashers, remote-control outside rearview mirror, seat belts, an electric clock, Two-Way power seat, and a padded instrument panel.

The overhead-valve, V8 engine displaced 462 cubic inches and had a cast-iron block, a Carter four-barrel carburetor, 10.25:1 compression, and delivered 340 horsepower at 4,600 RPM.

The two-door hardtop Continental had a base price of $5,740, and the sedan listed for $5,970. The sedan was the most popular body style, with 29,719 examples built along with 9,415 of the hardtop coupe.

1969 would be the final year for the styling introduced in 1961, and the 460 CID V8 became the sole engine, backed by the Ford C6 three-speed automatic transmission.

The Continental Mark III Series was introduced in April of 1968, as a 1969 model. Offered solely as a two-door hardtop coupe, it was priced at $6,590 and came equipped with a 460 CID V8 with 365 horsepower. It had Flow-Thru ventilation system, a rear lamp monitoring system, center folding armrests, and individually adjustable front seats. The Continental had a 126-inch wheelbase, and the Mark III measured 117.2 inches.

by Dan Vaughan

Hardtop Coupe

For 1968 the Lincoln Continental had wrap-around signal lights, wrap-around taillights, and a new hood with a protruding center section. Other than this, styling remained mostly unchanged over the 1967 model. Powering the Continental was an overhead valve 462 CID V-8 engine rated at 340 horsepower. Also standard was an automatic transmission, power steering, seat belts, remote-control outside rearview mirror, four-way emergency flashers, power disc brakes, dual exhaust, power windows, and windshield washers. Body styles included a 2-door Hardtop Coupe and a 4-door sedan. The sedan, though slightly more expensive, was more popular, with 29,719 examples sold. 9,415 were hardtop coupes.

In April of 1968, Lincoln introduced the Mark III Series (as a 1969 model). These models had a rear deck spare tire hump, and a long hood, and were filled with many standard features. These hardtop coupes had individually adjustable front seats, front and rear center folding armrests, a rear lamp monitoring system, and Flow-Thru ventilation system.

by Dan Vaughan