1956 Lincoln Mark II

"The Continental Mark II was a car produced by the newly formed Continental Division of the Ford Motor Company during 1956 and 1957. Many aficionados of the automobile consider the Continental Mark II one of the classics of the postwarperiod. The new Continental was intended to be not the largest nor the most powerful automobile, but rather the most luxurious and elegant American car available. What emerged was something quite unlike other American cars of the period. While other makes experimented with flamboyant styling, chrome everywhere, and all the glitz and glamour they could manage, the Continental Mark II was almost European in its simplicity of line and its understated grace. Even though the Continental Mark II was technically not a Lincoln, it featured the Lincoln hallmark spare tire hump in the trunk lid, was sold and serviced at Lincoln dealerships, and the vehicle's drivetrain and forebears also came from Lincoln; thus causing many to think of the Mark II as a Lincoln. The Lincoln drivetrain featured the new standard Lincoln 368 in (6.0 L) V8. Most of the car was effectively hand-built to an exacting standard, including multiple coats of paint hand-sanded down and double-lacquered and polished to perfection. Due to this manufacturing process the Continental Mark II cost US$10,000, as much as a Rolls-Royce or two top-of-the-line Cadillacs. Famous owners included Elvis Presley, as well as Frank Sinatra, the Shah of Iran, and a cross-section of the richest men in America. Today, approximately half of the cars still exist, about 1,500. Prices range between around $8,000 for a running example in poor condition to around $70,000 in concourse condition - thus, a car in perfect condition costs now, adjusted for inflation, about the same as the new one did in 1955, the notable exception being the aforementioned Mark II owned by Elvis Presley which sold at a Las Vegas auction, in 1999, for US$250,000."