Yahoo Autos The Spirit of ’76: Lincoln Continental Mark IV, When Blass Was Class
The 1970s were famously a time of hedonism in America; the period earned the sobriquet “the Me Decade” from novelist Tom Wolfe. That sensibility found expression in automotive culture as well with the phenomenal popularity of the “personal luxury car.” Rather than a roomy four-door, these machines were equally large but with two doors exclusively, their smaller cabins comfortably seating just two (although more in a pinch), and the design devoting vast acreage to overly long hoods as swaggering statements of style.
Although the biggest sellers were popularly priced mid-sizers such as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, at the very apex of the personal-luxury pyramid in 1976 stood the Lincoln Continental Mark IV along with its crosstown rival, the Cadillac Eldorado.
The Mark IV piled on the grandiosity of the period with its hidden headlights, Rolls-Royce grille, stand-up hood ornament, miles-long hood, half vinyl top, and oval-shaped opera windows. In 1976, Lincoln gave the Mark IV an extra dose of snob appeal with special models that had color schemes and options selected by famous designers. Seen here is a Bill Blass version, which actually was one of the more tasteful renditions, in midnight blue with tan accents.
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This Bill Blass Mark IV appears to be in time-warp condition, having covered just 49,434 miles. As of this writing, it’s up for auction in Allen, Texas, by the Premier Auction Group. (Note the license plate, EWING 3; it’s a reference to those famous Texans, the Ewings of the late ’70s and ’80s prime-time TV soap opera Dallas.) This Lincoln boasts deep-dish chrome wheels, cold A/C, a two-tone leather interior, and the pièce de résistance: a quadraphonic eight-track stereo (better start scouring eBay for some Engelbert Humperdinck tapes).
But first, you’ve got to land this whale. The auction ends July 14; bid online or over the phone. This is a no-reserve sale, so you might be able to swoop in and steal this apotheosis of personal-luxury motoring for a song.
“The Spirit of ’76” is C/D’s Fourth of July holiday series highlighting some of the most awesome cars for sale from our nation’s bicentennial year.
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