This 1956 Continental Mark II is equipped with Lincoln's new V-8, OHV, cast iron block engine that displaces 368 cubic inches and develops 300 Hp at 4800 rpm. The car sits on a 126 inch wheelbase and is loaded with options. Its lustrous paint scheme is "Mother of Pearl" and the vehicle had a factory base price of $9966.

Even though the Continental Mark II was technically not a Lincoln, it featured the Lincoln hallmark spare tire hump in the trunk lid. For authenticity, the spare tire was actually mounted beneath this, unlike later Lincolns in which this was just a styling feature.

The 1956 Continental was not intended to be the largest, nor the most powerful automobile, but rather the most luxurious and elegant American car available. What emerged was quite unlike any other American car of the period. While other makes experimented with flamboyant styling, chrome everywhere, striving for all the glitz and glamour they could manage, the Continental Mark II was almost European in its simplicity of line and its understated grace.

The Continental returned in 1956 as the Mark II and was produced while Continental was a division of Ford Motor Company, separate from Lincoln. After 1958, when Continental merged with Lincoln, the Lincoln Continental became the flagship model. The Mark continued to be sold as the Continental Mark II.

1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II