Designer edition dash plaque

[kdtbird]

Has anyone purchased a designer edition dash plaque from Jake on Facebook. Are you happy with it?
Is there any way to tell what the original number was on a particular car?

[LithiumCobalt]

I have not purchased one from him, but he is a stand-up guy, if you are concerned. No way to track original number of the car as the plaques are not serialized.

[1Bad55Chevy]

Stupid question...

What is a Designer Edition?

[Dan Szwarc]

Bill Blass, Givenchy, etc. Trims of mid-late 70s Mark Vs. They were fancy designers of 70s fashion.

[LithiumCobalt]

Cartier and Emilio Pucci too

[Lee]

And AMC had Gucci, Oleg Cassini, and Pierre Cardin…

[Mike]

[Dan Szwarc]

Cartier and Emilio Pucci too

That's what I said: etc.

[1Bad55Chevy]

Was there actually anything special about them or was it just a marketing scheme?

I know the Mark iii has the clock that says "Cartier" but I figured that was just a gimmick like all the "name brand" audio systems equipped in vehicles today.

[LithiumCobalt]

Basically marketing. Some unique color schemes and maybe some equipment standard rather than optional.

Mark IIIs didn’t have any designer editions. The Cartier clock was simply a gimmick

[LithiumCobalt]

Cartier and Emilio Pucci too

That's what I said: etc.

Sorry to offend you

[TonyC]

As all the other vets have already said, the Designer-Series options were mainly a marketing gimmick to increase sales, starting in 1976 with the last year of Mark IV. Lincoln held onto that gimmick into the '90s, starting with only the Mark models but eventually expanded to the full-sizers and later Continental models before fizzling out in the late-'90s. It did work, however; they made the appeal of fancier, pricier trim designed by big names in fashion and jewelry a temptation for richer buyers, keeping sales relatively strong. Even Ford eventually jumped on the bandwagon, with Eddie Bauer trim options for its suvs. The first four Lincoln options were Cartier, Blass, Pucci, and Givenchy; a few others jumped on later on, a few withdrew over the years. Each Designer option had its own distinctive paint and trim scheme, which was how they were identified; and each option tweaked its look year after year, sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious.

Many have made the mistake of thinking that the Cartier-branded clocks used since 1970 were the telltale of a Cartier model. It was discussed, debunked, and clarified on this Forum years ago.

---Tony