1978 Continental Mark V Cartier Designer Edition, $9800 Restoration!

I've put $9800 into restoring this car which makes this Mark V far and away the best one for sale anywhere. The items that show the most are all new. Paint makes up the vast majority of the exterior and it is in new condition. In the interior. what you see the most of is the upholstery and it is new with no wear and tear. Both the paint and upholstery are done in the factory original style and color and you can't tell that the Lincoln factory did not do them. $4000 wet-sand paint job in correct. original factory color. $3500 in upholstery work: all upholstery replaced with original. factory correct material done in original factory correct style. The upholstery looks just like it was done by the Lincoln factory. $800 new vinyl roof in original factory color and material. Plus. $1500 in preventative maintenance replacing items that were still working fine (see below). This is a rust free Texas car that has never been driven in snow or road salt. I purchased it in 1986 solely as a spare car in case something happened to the other 1978 Mark V that I drive. so it has been in indoor storage for 29 years. The 1986/1987 inspection sticker is still on the windshield. While in storage. I drove it back and forth a few feet every month or two to avoid problems that can arise from allowing a car to just sit. This car is in better condition than about 99% of all other Mark Vs. You won't be disappointed. This is the highly desirable and rare Cartier Designer Edition. It has the "must have" options including power moonroof. power vent windows. 460 engine. tilt wheel. cruise control. "luxury group" interior styling. individual 6-way power front seats. and reclining passenger seat. It is also loaded with additional options (see below). Don't forget. the desirable 460 engine was no longer available on the 1979 Mark V. so stay away from the 79 model year. Some nice options didn't come out until the 1978 model year. so stay away from the 1977 model year. That leaves only the 1978 model year as the year to get when it comes to the Mark V. The "luxury group" interior styling looks much better than the styling of Mark Vs without this option. Those other Mark Vs have a very "plain Jane" interior with only simple vertical lines on the seats and the soft inserts above the four armrests. The Luxury Group seats have a plush "added pillow cushion" look to them. Over $1500 of preventative maintenance work performed even though none of the items replaced were giving problems. I did this to make this car even that much better than any other Mark V now for sale. (Remember. none of these items were broken when I replaced them. that is why this is called preventative maintenance)carburetor rebuiltnew starter motormost engine seals/gaskets replacednew engine timing gear/chain setbrand new distributor including magnetic pickup. rotor. and capnew water pumpnew fuel pumpnew plugsnew plug wiresnew high current cables for starter. alternator. starter solenoid. and engine groundnew heater hosesnew radiator hosesnew fuel hosesnew beltsnew thermostatnew fan clutchnew radiator cap. No crashesFrame never bentOriginal radio. original wheels. original power antennaNo smokers or pets have been inside this carDoesn't burn oilLoaded with original factory options: 460 engine power moon roof power vent windows cruise control tilt wheel dual 6 way power seats reclining passenger seat power door locks power trunk lock remote controlled passenger door mirror am-fm/8 track radio interval windshield wipers illuminated entry system rear window electric defroster heated driver door mirror individual map lights space saving original mini spare tire lighted sun visor vanity mirrors All Steel factory original wheels with an upgrade to the wire wheel hubcapsList of just some of the standard features on this car: Automatic transmission Power steering Air conditioner Power windows 4 wheel power disc brakes Power antenna Automatic parking brake release that releases parking brake when gear selector is put into any forward or reverse gear Headlights concealed behind automatically opening/closing headlight doors Remote controlled driver door mirrorMileage is 78. 51 which is absolutely nothing for a Mark V which is built to last for many. many. many more miles than that. Only a few minor things that won't cost tons to fix don't work: the clock. the a/c needs a new charge (I don't want to charge it because I have no idea if the new owner would want the original R-12 coolant or the newer R-134 coolant). That's it. everything else works!What is surprising is how cheap it is to own this car. Highway gas mileage is 15. 5 mpg when cruising at 60 mph. not something horrendous like you might think. Parts are relatively cheap. A water pump. for example. is not $200+ like on some Japanese car. but is only $35. This car is exempt from emissions inspections! Does that ever save a fortune compared to cars needing this. year after year after year. huge savings. One of the best options this car has is actually something it doesn't have. It has no "check engine" light to turn on and cost you $700 or so every time it does like what happens to people who own newer cars that have those lights. Do you know that if a "check engine" light is on. you will be refused a state inspection sticker? Then some mechanic has you over a barrel and will force you to spend whatever he feels like charging you that day. Either that. or soon you can't legally drive your car anymore. All the mechanics know you are over a barrel if you come to them and they see the "check engine" light is on so they will really jack up their prices on you. And. this car is extremely safe. There is nothing like having the almost 5000 pounds of weight of this car on your side if ever there is an accident. Just about any other car that runs into this car is going to be reduced to being 2" high everywhere. When I drive my other Mark V. I look underneath when I get home just to be sure I didn't crush any Toyotas and drag them home without noticing it. It really shows that this is a Texas car. that it has been protected from bad drivers and incompetent mechanics because it was safe inside an indoor storage facility for 29 years. has never been in snow or road salt. has all the "must have" options. has $9800 in restoration work. nbsp; is loaded with additional options. is the best looking car ever made. and is longer than a 59 Cadillac!!!The coolest you will ever look is when you are driving this car. Photo Gallery - click to enlarge Photo Gallery - click to enlarge