Weird Mark VI

[sleebbie]

Hi Everyone,

New to this forum, and I have an opportunity to buy a Mark VI here locally in Jersey. I have been researching this car for awhile now, and kind find virtually no information on it. I want to try and guage how much its worth before going forward, and thought maybe someone can help me with some info. I will lay out what I know about the car from what I have seen:

Its the 2 door Mark VI. Dark blue with the "carriage top" look. First weird point: NO opera windows. Looks like they were a factory delete.

The headlight covers are stuck open (vacuum tube problems as I understand), when closed, they have a faux (or perhaps real) headlight on the headlight cover. I have heard something about this being a "SuperFly" package, can't confirm.

This has some badges on it saying "Ghia" on the front fenders, small badges with red background and gold lettering.

Non-leather tan interior.

It has what appear to be factory spot lights on both the driver and passenger sides front window pillars (something ive seen only on ex police cars from that era)

I know it is the 80-83 model, but not sure which year. I dont believe it is one of the "designer series" as from what I have seen of those and descriptions I've read they all had opera windows and a few other features which this car does not have.

If anyone can help, it would be great I'd love to know more about this car before going forward. i know it needs some work and such but seems solid overall.

Email is keithroberts8@comcast.net

Thanks!

Keith

[LINC400]

If it has a carriage (fake covertible) roof, the opera windows would be covered over.

The "pimp lights" on the headlight doors were an option on Mark VI's

Leather was an option, not standard

There were Ghia Granadas and Mustang II's in the '70's. I have never heard of any Ghia Mark VI. I would guess the badging was taken from one of those 2.

Spotlights in the A pillars would be aftermarket add ons, not factory.

[sleebbie]

Hi Everyone,

Okay I have more info on the car as the owner contacted me. It is a 1980, he's the second owner. Has 60k original miles. He says everything works perfectly on it and that he has about $8k into it and is looking for a "reasonable offer". Any ideas on what this car is worth? I know old car price guides are putting it at around $3k.

Thanks,

Keith

[Nick DeSpirito]

Keith,

There's one on craig's list north jersey that has been there for months with no takers. Nice car with 72,000 on the clock. I think they're asking $4,900.00. That should give you an idea of what the one you're looking at is worth. I think you're in the right range if it's nice.

[Silent Thunder]

If the one in NJ is a black and grey one, I looked at it. The paint was completely shot and the drivers door pull was ripped off half way and a cobbed up example worth about $2500 at most. Since yours sounds to have some non authentic tweeks I would say 3500 on the top end.

[MMM]

they have a faux (or perhaps real) headlight on the headlight cover.

Touring Lamps. Not faux. They work with the parking lights.

[Dan Szwarc]

[TonyC]

It just occurred to me: Is it possible that those were, like, a precursor to the "driving lights" thing that hit about 1996--when they designed the headlights to stay on at half-power as a proposed safety feature? Maybe not, but it would have been an interesting idea if that had been on the designers' minds. It also would have given Lincoln another first to its legacy--the first American car to offer "driving lights."

[Dan Szwarc]

It just occurred to me: Is it possible that those were, like, a precursor to the "driving lights" thing that hit about 1996--when they designed the headlights to stay on at half-power as a proposed safety feature? Maybe not, but it would have been an interesting idea if that had been on the designers' minds. It also would have given Lincoln another first to its legacy--the first American car to offer "driving lights."

Nope. Just dorky looking running lights.

[LINC400]

It also would have given Lincoln another first to its legacy--the first American car to offer "driving lights."

What "firsts" does Lincoln have? I was discussing this before, and was unable to come up with anything that Lincoln had first. It appears that Cadillac, Packard, and Chrysler had all of the firsts.

[linc64]

What "firsts" does Lincoln have? I was discussing this before, and was unable to come up with anything that Lincoln had first. It appears that Cadillac, Packard, and Chrysler had all of the firsts.

According to this article, the 1921 Lincoln was the first to use a multiple-barrel carburetor.
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles01/article827.shtml

[TonyC]

Oh, well, it was a nice thought that maybe someone had been thinking outside the box with those goofy-looking lights. However, there are quite a few significant firsts to Lincoln that nobody gives them credit for.

More recently, Lincoln was the first domestic luxury marque to break the conventional thinking that trucks could not be made into luxury vehicles (see 1998 Navigator and 2002 Blackwood), and the first-place domestic luxury marque in 1998 and '99. Historically, Lincoln was the first of all luxury cars to utilize disc brakes as standard equipment, in 1965 (don't even bother counting the Imperials of '49); only three other cars, none of them mainstream vehicles, had standard discs first. Lincoln started the warranty wars with their 24-month total-car warranty, when the most anyone else dared to offer was 12 (90 days was the norm). They were the ones that changed the auto industry's thinking in car design with the advent of the '61 Continental. They were the first to render the practice of the initial 1000-mile lube check obsolete. They were the first to standardize anti-lock brakes and radial tires in America (the '70 Mark III). AND, Lincoln came first in the three consecutive years of the Pan-American road race. Take that, Cadillac!

---Tony

[78_towncar_460]

Lincoln was the first American automaker to use composite headlights on the 1984 Mark VII as opposed to the sealed beams that were so popular.

Lincoln was the first American maker to build cars with HID headlights on the Mark VIII.

[LINC400]

As much as I like my Lincolns, and would like to think they are responsible for some innovations, I don't consider making standard an option that someone else invented a "first". Also I would imagine most car companies had a car that won a race at some point or another. That is not a "first" like Packard with the first auto air conditioning in 1939 when most houses didn't even have it.

If Chrysler had disc brakes in 1949, and 3 other companies had them before Lincoln made them standard in 1965, then they are not a Lincoln first. Even if Chrysler's were really bad and no one ordered them, they still had it first.

Range Rover and even Hummer were high end SUV's before Lincolns

Extended warranties are not technical innovations either. Neither is how many cars they sold.

The 1961 Continental did not change the industry's styling. It was different than most of the chrome laden cars at the time. But more companies are currently copying Lexus styling than ever copied the 1961 at the time or since. Besides,even that started out as a T-bird.

The headlights came to mind, but I believe they were only the first U.S. companies to use them. They were already in use in Europe long before that.

It looks like the only thing they might have is the multi barrel carb, but this is the first I have heard of that and haven't checked into it yet. It would be nice if they could claim Something.

[78_towncar_460]

The headlights came to mind, but I believe they were only the first U.S. companies to use them. They were already in use in Europe long before that.

Not too much earlier, (if you are talking about HIDs) 1991 BMW 7 series was first.