Lincoln · 1977–1979

Lincoln Continental Mark V

The Continental Mark V is a personal luxury coupe marketed in North America by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company for model years 1977–1979. It was the third generation of the Mark Series that first began with the 1969 Continental Mark III. At 230 inches (5.8 m) in length, it was the longest two-door coupe Ford has ever marketed. The Continental Mark V was assembled alongside the Lincoln Continental at Wixom Assembly (1957–2007), and were offered in several commemorative and designer editions; notable examples include the Diamond Jubilee Edition that was available in 1978 and the Bill Blass edition that was sold throughout the Mark V's three-year production run. For 1980, the Mark V was replaced by the significantly downsized Continental Mark VI.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Lincoln Continental Mark IV · Successor: Lincoln Continental Mark VI

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Chassis

The Continental Mark V shares its chassis with its predecessor, the Continental Mark IV, with curb weight reduced from 5000 to 4600 pounds. In the interest of fuel economy, the 1977 Continental Mark V was equipped with a 400 cubic-inch V8.[1] This engine was shared with the Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar and Ford LTD/Mercury Marquis. Outside of California, the 460 V8 remained available as an option. In 1979, the dual-exhaust version of the 400 was discontinued; the 460 was discontinued in the Mark V (and in all Lincolns) by 1980. The Ford C6 three-speed automatic was the only transmission offered.

Body

The exterior design of the Mark V began life in the late 1960s, as an alternative design proposal for what would become the Continental Mark IV. During development, engineers intended for the vehicle to use especially wide Michelin tires, leading to an increase in the flare of the wheel openings, which remained even though the wider tires were deleted from the development program. In Mark-series tradition, the Mark V retained the faux "spare tire" decklid (marketed as the Continental decklid), oval opera windows, hidden headlights, and a radiator-style grille. The front fenders were given functional louvers behind the front wheels. In a style similar to the Mark III, the Mark V was designed with vertical blade taillights. During its development, stylists tested taillights that curved into the top of the rear fender blades, which failed to gain approval of the focus clinics. While technically a $187 option, all Mark Vs were fitted with a vinyl roof unless specified otherwise. For the 1979 year model, the vinyl roof could no longer be deleted.

Engines

== Year-by-year changes == 1977. Previously standard issue on Marks III and IV, Ford's 7.5-liter (460 cid) V8 was optional for 1977, as a smaller 6.6 L (400 cid) V8 became standard. The 7.5 L V8 was not available at all on Mark V in the state of California, as it could not meet that state's tougher EPA certification standards. For 1977 only, California-bound Mark Vs were offered with the newly optional turbine-style aluminum wheels as standard equipment, to compensate for the missing engine option. Also, 1977 was the first year since 1960 that a Mark-series model came with an all-metal, body-color painted (non-vinyl covered) roof as standard equipment. The full-vinyl roof – previously standard on Mark IV - was now optional, as was the rear-quarter Landau roof. The Givenchy Designer Series featured a forward-placed vinyl roof for all model years. Mark IV's successful Designer Series Editions continued with revised color combinations on the new Mark V, as well as revised Luxury Group Option color trim packages. First available in mid-1975, as the "Versailles Option", a renamed-for-1977 "Majestic Velour Luxury Group" carried over to the Mark V - for 1977 only (minus the upper door trim panel wood-tone moldings - which were on Mark IV with the Versailles option). The returning Gold/Cream and new Cordovan Luxury Groups came with an available unique (small block pattern) "Romano Velour" on the seat pillow inserts and matching upper door panel inserts. The optional Spring Luxury Group came with either Dove Grey (1N) or Dark Blue Metallic (3G) exterior paint, a choice of Dove Grey or Dark Blue for the vinyl roof color, bodyside molding color, and paint stripe color — and a standard two-tone, Dove Grey and Dark Blue, leather interior. Luxury wheel covers, dating to the 1972 Mark

Editions

Through its production, the Mark V was offered with appearance packages, marketed as the Designer Series, as well as a Luxury Group option package. Two commemorative editions included the 1978 Diamond Jubilee Edition, marking Ford's 75th anniversary, and the 1979 Collector's Series, marking the end of Mark V production. Luxury Group (1977–1979). From 1973 to 1981, Lincoln offered the Luxury Group option for Mark-series buyers, allowing a customer to select cloth or leather/vinyl interior trim, one to four exterior paint colors, landau or full-length vinyl or painted metal roof, bodyside molding (otherwise black) decklid paint stripe, wheels or wheel covers and black or whitewall tires. Along with these combinations, customers ordering could order other options as well. Below are some examples of the Luxury Group colors available during production: Gold-Cream (1977–1979) Cordovan (1977–1979) Light Jade/Dark Jade (1977–1978) Turquoise (1979) Midnight Blue-Cream (1977) Red-Rosé (1977–1979) Wedgewood Blue (1978–1979) Champagne (1979) White (1979) Majestic Velour (1977) Designer Series (1977–1979). Designer Series appearance packages were available in Bill Blass, Cartier, Givenchy, and Emilio Pucci series — each with coordinated exterior paint, interior upholstery and trim, vinyl roof and body-side moldings. Each was distinguished by a corresponding decklid decal, the designer's signature in the opera window glass, and a dash-mounted 22-karat gold-plated nameplate. Designer Series options varied each year. In 1979, the Bill Blass, Cartier, and Givenchy Designer Series adopted color-keyed alloy wheels alongside the Collector's Series (a feature introduced on the Diamond Jubilee Edition). Diamond Jubilee Edition (1978). To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Ford Motor Compan

Sales

Although only on sale for three model years, with a total of 228,262 examples sold, the Continental Mark V is the best-selling version of the Continental Mark Series.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

Manufacturer

Lincoln (Ford Motor Company)

name

Lincoln Continental Mark V

Body style

2-door coupe

Engine

400 CID 335 Series V8, 460 CID 385/Lima V8

Transmission

three-speed C6 automatic

Wheelbase

120.4 in

Length

230.3 in

Width

79.7 in

Height

52.9 in

Kerb weight

4762 -

Related

Continental Mark IV, Ford Thunderbird (1972–1976)

Layout

FR layout

Designer

Gene Borndinat and team

Class

Personal luxury car

Model years

1977–1979

Assembly

United States: Wixom, Michigan (Wixom Assembly Plant)

Predecessor

Continental Mark IV

Successor

Continental Mark VI

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1128811CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Continental_Mark_VCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1360181265 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Continental_Mark_V_(Auto_classique_Laval_%2710).jpgPublic domain · Photo: Bull-Doser · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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