Thirty years ago in 1993, Lincoln upped its game in the personal luxury segment by kicking off a six-year production run for its new Mark VIII coupe. The Mark VIII was both longer and wider than the outgoing Mark VII, and best of all, it had a motor that would later be repurposed in the Ford Mustang Cobra.
The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Letart, West Virginia. (Click the link to view the listing)
“Garage-kept, excellent condition,” the listing says.
This coupe comes from the Mark series’ last generation, as there was no direct successor to this model. In fact, the “coupe” market in general has all but dried up in the new-car marketplace today aside from sports cars and a handful of hatchbacks. The Mark VIII rode on the FN10 chassis and shared engineering with the Ford Thunderbird, the Mercury Cougar, and – as we’ll see shortly – the Ford Mustang.
A facelift was applied in 1997 that brought rounder front and rear fascias, a larger grille, and an aluminum hood. In addition, the “hump” in the trunk lid that was reminiscent of the spare tire enclosures of prior generations became significantly toned down.
In line with the car’s luxury aspirations, appointments were relatively advanced for the time. The Mark VIII came standard with automatic climate control, two-position memory for the driver seat, illuminated keyless entry, and automatic headlights. On top of that, buyers could opt for a power moonroof, an upgraded JBL audio system, and more. For model year 1996, the base price of the Mark VII crept above $40,000 for the first time, commanding $40,290 at dealership showrooms.
Showing just 32,853 miles on the odometer, today’s example is well-preserved. Performance buffs take note: Power comes from a 32-valve InTech 4.6-liter V8 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. This Modular V8 was closely related to the engine that would later power the fourth-generation Mustang Cobra, making this Lincoln a bit of a “sleeper” in terms of driving dynamics.
The seller says that the car remains all-original with exception of replacement shock absorbers. The listing says, “Runs great, lows of power with good gas mileage.” The Michelin tires are new, too, so this car is ready to roll.
The asking price is $11,000 for this primo-condition Mark VIII.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Interested
Most intriguing that the spin orientation of the rear road wheel is different from the front one- not typical of a luxury automobile
That’s because they’re directional wheels and someone put a left wheel on the right and vice versa. Easy fix.
I had 3 Mark VIII s an 1993, 1996 and a 1998 these are a very much under appreciated car. In 1993 Lincoln set the land speed record with it for a production car albeit tweeked a little such as removing the mirrors and rear brake pads to run 173 mph. There were many advanced features on this Lincoln as the air springs would lower the car by 3 inches above 60 mph for better aerodynamics. the 32 valve 4.6 V8 was also state of the art at the time. I loved all three of mine and wish I had kept my 1998 LSC version. The one fault I feel was the 1993 -1996 head-lights which were improved in 1997. These were beautiful cars.
The 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII, looks really nice.
Are you open to offers?
How many people have owned this car?
What is the maximum speed for the 32-valve, 4.6 Liter, V8 engine? I am hoping for over 200 kms/hr.
If you want to sell the car before the winter, let me know what price you will consider please?
Double digits just seems a little high for a ‘not very popular car’ that is 27+ years old.
You need to reach out to the seller. The ad for the car can be found in the links within the article.