In the world of classic cars, some vehicles are simply not selling for what they should.  Often these vehicles were not very successful in the marketplace despite fine craftsmanship and great styling.  A perfect example of this underappreciated group is this 1956 Continental Mark II for sale on eBay out of Stillman Valley, Illinois.  With a current high bid of $18,100 there doesn’t seem to be much of a demand for such a fine vehicle.  Often, Continentals sell for less than first generation Ford Thunderbirds of comparable quality.  Why are these hand-built luxury cars still unappreciated 66 years after they rolled into showrooms across the US?  Thanks to T.J. for the tip on this silver beauty!

The original Continental was born after Edsel Ford instructed head stylist Bob Gregorie to create a custom vehicle for him to drive in Florida during his summer vacation.  The car was a hit among the well-off who traveled in the same circles as Edsel, and he called Detroit to order production on the car.  Continental coupes and convertibles were made until 1948, then the car was unceremoniously discontinued as Ford had finally shifted to postwar bodies.  In the early 1950s, William Clay Ford wanted to honor his father Edsel with a rebirth of his beloved Continental. 

What William Clay Ford and the team he led created was a masterpiece.  In a sea of cars with garish fins and enough chrome to be seen from space, the Continental was remarkably subtle and free of extra adornment.  The cars were essentially built by hand and were sold with a $10,000 sticker price.  The only option was air conditioning, which ran an extra $595 for the then rare addition.  While the cars were intended to be “halo” products of the company, the sales were never where they needed to be.  Rumors had Ford losing $1,000 on each car despite the fact that celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley were often seen tooling around in these beautiful coupes.  By the time sales came to a halt in 1957, only 2,994 Continentals had been built.

While Continental is a name that we quickly associate with the Lincoln brand, Continental stood on its own as a division during this brief period.  Afterwards, the name was rolled into the Lincoln universe and the high expectations that the second-generation car was built upon receded a bit.  Still, the car was a fitting tribute to Edsel Ford and a magnificent display of the Ford Motor Company’s ability to produce high quality automobiles.

You would think that such a fine automobile would emerge as one of the most iconic and desirable cars of the fifties.  However, it was eclipsed by such cars as Ford’s own two seat Thunderbird and Chevrolet’s 55-57 Bel Airs in the minds of collectors and fans of the era.  Prices seem to be on the rise, but most unrestored examples usually trade hands in the $10-20,000 range.  There are exceptions to this for special versions like this one-off factory convertible owned by the Ford family.  This beautiful blue stunner is expected to sell for $250,000-350,000 at the upcoming RM Monterey auction.

The Continental seen in these photos will never draw that kind of cash, but it appears to be a very solid and useable example of the marque.  Pictures of the body and undercarriage show a minimum of rust and little sheet metal damage.  The seller tells us that the car was originally painted black and had a black vinyl top, thus with the black interior making it a desirable black on black automobile.   This furthermore makes the seller’s claim that it has an S on the passenger side of the engine denotes the car to be one equipped with air conditioning more believable.  There is an air conditioning control fastened to the lower dash, but it inexplicably says “MARK IV.”  Perhaps a reader can clue us in on this.

Pictures of the upholstery look fantastic for the cars age.  A closer look, however, shows a small rip in the driver’s seat.  We are told that the car does not show any accident damage, and that the doors open and close with no issues.  The glass is intact and in good condition, but the front bumper does have some chrome flaking off.

Under the hood is a 386 cubic inch Lincoln V-8 pushing out around 300 horsepower.  You would need all of that horsepower to move this 5,000lb car around in the smooth and effortless fashion that this level of buyer would expect.  The seller tells us that the car sits on a set of one year old Coker wide whitewall tires and that it runs just fine.  The engine neither leaks oil or overheats and the transmission shifts like it should.  The only fault visible is the lack of an identifiable compressor for the air conditioning system.

While it would take a considerable amount of folding money to bring this car up to concours condition, it appears to be just a little more work away from being a very nice driver.  Riding in a luxury car of this caliber is a much more pleasant experience than riding in a standard car of the same era.  This Continental just brings that up a notch more.  While these hand-built luxury cars aren’t bringing prices comparable to prewar classics of the same prestige, they still offer an incredible bargain for someone wanting a distinctive cruiser with all of the luxury touches.