Media | Articles
Why It’s Time to Think About the 1984–92 Lincoln Continental Mark VII
My gap in giving any thought (serious or otherwise) to the Lincoln Mark VII probably spans close to four decades. As a teenager in the late 1980s, I remember a neighbor (who was I believe an orthopedic surgeon) owning one. Not the silly Designer Edition on whitewalls and fake wire wheel covers, but an all-black LSC (Luxury Sport Coupe), with black BBS-style wheels wrapped in blackwall Goodyear Eagles. I remember thinking at the time that if you have to drive an “old guy” car, you could do a lot worse than one that looked like Darth Vader’s rental. The major magazines of the day essentially echoed that sentiment, albeit a bit more enthusiastically. Like a canceled lackluster sitcom, I didn’t give Mk VIIs any further though after they disappeared from daily use. Until now.
Lately, I’ve been seeing some nice ones pop up for sale. Their handsome looks, American swagger and easy Fox-platform modifiability have given me pause to consider them a potentially interesting and cheap V8 cruiser.
The Continental Mark VII (later known as the Lincoln Mark VII from 1986-92) probably marks the single biggest improvement from one generation of American luxury coupe to the next. The Mark VI was a flawed, Panther platform design and ultimately an unsuccessful attempt at downsizing. It kept many of the styling cues and generous overhangs of its peak land yacht predecessor (the Mark V) but with so much wheelbase carved out, the car looked utterly comical. Even worse, its key buyers were aging and those who were replacing them preferred to shop the big coupes from BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz instead. Simply refreshing the Mark VI concept was out of the question if Lincoln was to attract any of these buyers. Its new Mk VII replacement, on the other hand, stood a shot at stemming the outflow of profitable luxo-coupe buyers, without necessarily alienating the core audience. Older buyers had the soft Designer Edition while more progressive buyers could opt for the LSC. Ford seemed to have a winning strategy on its hands. Sales were consistently strong with around 191,000 units produced from 1984 through 1992.
The car mags of the day responded in appropriate fashion. While the Mark VII was no BMW 635 or Mercedes 560 SEC, it was easily the best handling American personal luxury car of that era. Larry Griffin, writing for Car and Driver opined that while the Mark VII didn’t quite match the sharp steering or Autobahn tuned suspension of its German rivals, it was easier to live with on a daily basis. Perhaps most importantly, though, the car was great to look at. The Mark VII combined Ford’s NASCAR aero-tuned look from the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, with some more traditional cues like the chrome grille and vestigial spare tire hump. Oddly enough, it all worked. The Mark VII was handsome then, it’s handsome now, and it was a bit of a trailblazer. The Mark VII LSC was the first American car with four-channel ABS brakes, and modern composite headlights with replaceable halogen bulbs.
The Mark VII wasn’t a bad performer for its day. Built at the end of the Malaise Era, it benefited from improvements to the venerable 5.0-liter V-8 that powered the contemporary Mustang. In general, later is better with the Mark VII. 1989 and later models get sharper steering, an improved analog dash, and the 225 horsepower HO V-8. But all of that is really just the starting point for owners today. The Interwebs are chock full of blogs and YouTube videos that feature heavily performance modded Mark VIIs. Virtually every upgrade available for Fox Mustangs is available for the Mark VII. Aging and troublesome air-suspension can either be repaired and upgraded or replaced with firmer steel springs and conventional shocks. Bigger wheels and brakes are available along with burbly exhaust systems that contrast nicely with the car’s luxury looks. I’ve even seen a manual transmission swap.
Another thing that caught my attention when looking at Mark VIIs is how relatively cheap they are. Prices shot up noticeably during the pandemic boom, yet the most expensive one in the Hagerty Price Guide is the 1989 LSC with a condition #2 (“excellent”) value of $25,000. They only go down from there, and the many examples out there in #3 (“good”) condition are a lot closer to nine or 10 grand. And that’s what sets the Mark VII apart. You really can treat a Mark VII as a blank canvas and turn it into the car that Dearborn might have offered if it had an unlimited budget—a car that really could embarrass M6s and 560 SECs for half the price.
I have fond memories being a passenger in the back seat of one of these things and the owner floored it as a kid. I just remember the torque pushing me deeply into the seat and smiling the whole time. I do consider getting one of these from time to time.
Black 1989 LSC was my first new car. Still have it, 33,000 miles.
The key here is to think about buying the best car you can as parts are hard to find and expensive. Like many cars of this era the cost to restore are much more than the values.
So buy the best example you can find.
I tested an LSC for a week back in the day for a radio feature and came away very impressed. Easy to drive in town and a really nice highway car (at 120 km/ph). Here in 2025 good luck in finding one in decent shape and not needing work. Restoring one would be a major challenge in many ways.
I am restoring my midnight 1989 Mark VII right now and I am loving it. It is pretty easy to work with and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here!
This is a car where if the right one buzzed past my venus flytrap, I’d be figuring out where to put it
I spent the 80s (80-87) stationed in W. Germany. Drove a lot of cars I’d read about over the years, and owned a pair of BMW sedans… a 528i 4spd, and a 733i auto. Came “this close” to buying a 635.
Come back to the States, and what do I see but the Mark VII LSC. What a ride. I still want one.
David E. Davis demanded that an LSC be his company car back the day.
In 1988 or so, my mother was shopping for a red mustang lx. 2 different dealers had one with slightly different options. Rear defrost was the big sticking point. She got the better deal on one with louvers added, which was the best choice in my mind. At that dealer they also had that exact black Mark VII in the showroom. I was in love with it. Fast forward 30 years or so and I saw the same car in traffic with a manual swap and modified exhaust. It was glorious. Wish I had the time and money to make it so in my garage. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have a black CTS coupe in my garage without those memories and thoughts in the back of my head.
The photo of the gold-ish example gives me 6000 SUX vibes. Just can’t shake it. 🙂
It is most certainly a “handsome” gentleman’s car especially in the -Lincoln Sports Coupe-? version. Fords styling department got it just right. A few minor bolt on upgrades would work. The pesky air-ride rear suspension would be first on my list and maybe a little more gear in that LSC Traction-Lok while I was at it. Something around a 3:55 that came on the early BMW diesel models maybe. So while you say it is a blank slate I wouldn’t want to go too far. No Trans-Am tribute or GTC recreation that I don’t care for regardless of rarity. A nice clean
midnight black country club set car. Though I do like those what appear to be SVO Mustang rims shown on the Mecum Auction pics.The BBS knockoff off look were a bit too common in that period. We’ll just store those for posterity.
First one I saw created a desire to test drive one, I was hooked. Finally ran across one I could afford. In 1990 I bought a 2 year old LSC with 85,000 miles, figuring they had to be highway miles I wasn’t afraid to pull the trigger. It was our daily driver for 15 years. Loved that car with it’s stout torque and smooth power and handling that could take on the twisty’s.
I have one for sale 90,000 miles on it
“Fox body Modifiablity” hmmmm, makes me think: “Son, you’re gonna drive me to drink’n If you don’t stop driving that Hotrod Lincoln.”
Loved these when new and still would love to have one of the newer ones today. I pulled a set of the BBQ-esque wheels years ago and ran them on my ’86 Mustang GT (with a 5 lug conversion) – really dressed it up!
I am looking at a 2016 Like some thoughts on buying one Very low miles. Thank you
I have a 1987 LSC in great condition and only 22,500 original miles. Always garaged and never driven in bad weather. I would consider selling it for $30,000
Thank you for sharing that information. But no thank you.