Beschreibung:

1956 CONTINENTAL MkII COUPE Registration No. WSJ 748 Chassis No. C56 F3058 Engine No. 10-1F6M-413-4 Pastel green with green and white leather interior Engine: 90 degree V8, two pushrod operated valves per cylinder, single 4-barrel carburetor, 368ci., 285bhp at 4,600rpm; Gearbox: three speed Turbo-Drive automatic; Suspension: independent front solid rear axle and leaf springs; Brakes: four wheel drums. Left hand drive. Edsel Ford led Lincoln to a great classic history with consistently beautiful and powerful automobiles, but his greatest contribution was the landmark Continental of 1940, a design of style and grace that remained in production until 1948 and is still coveted by collectors. The success of the Continental was still in Ford's mind, and in 1956 the Continental Mark II was introduced, it was again a triumph of subtle style that stood out in the offerings from Detroit where styling seemed to mean ever more flamboyant and extraneous decoration, chrome and embellishment. Its goal was to be the finest car of its generation, above even a Cadillac, and was the result of nearly three years of development by the Special Projects division of Ford. Penned by Harley F. Copp, Chief Engineer at Special Projects the chassis was a double dropped 'cowbelly' design, which allowed a spacious interior without compromising the the sleek avant garde styling. The interior was a brilliant example of modern simplicity with a plethora of toggle switches set in a brushed finish dash and door trims. In every aspect, the attention to detail reflected the handbuilt nature of the project, which was thorough to the point of trail fitting of bodies to chassis, and de-bugging of any problems so that the cars arrived in the perfect order that buyers prepared to part with the massive $10,000 price tag would expect. The only optional extra was air-conditioning, as on this car, at $740. Amazingly even at this figure, it is estimated that Ford lost $1,000 on each car. Praised on both sides of the Atlantic, the Continental Mk II was to many a landmark car, but this euphoria did not last, and with slowing sales in the second year of production a cheaper version was deemed necessary, the Mk II was curtailed after just 1,800 cars had been produced. As with many car enthusiasts, acquisitions of collectors cars are often nostalgic reunions with a make or model that had appealed to them earlier in life, and it is not too surprising that the Continental Mk II could have had such an effect. For our vendor this was certainly the case, having seen one in his youth, in latter years of car collecting he succumbed to a growing desire to own a Mk II in the late 1990s, when he found this example on the West Coast of the United States. The car was originally sold new to Whit Adams, who was based in the Los Angeles area, as was its second owner, W.D. Glover. In 1963, at approximately 63,000 miles, the car had migrated slightly North to Santa Barbara into the hands of the former owner, who kept it until 1998 by which time it was in basically serviceable though sound condition and had covered 110,000 miles. With great excitement the Continental was purchased and promptly shipped to the UK. It was then delivered to Jim Denne at West Hoathly Garage for restoration. The extent to which the car was refurbished cannot be underestimated and mirrored the original build quality of these extraordinarily luxurious cars, every aspect was attended to from mechanics to bodywork, to paint and trim. Choice of livery was a period pastel shade of green, with a matched interior of cream and green leather upholstery and green carpeting, the result of which is simply stunning. The total cost of this comprehensive concours rebuild was a staggering £83,400, the work being completed late in 1999. A full record of this work, through photographs and invoices is presented with the car, which remains in excellent order today. It was last serviced at the beginning of the year, when it was not