Lincoln Mk. VII LSC
Call me a Lincoln-hater, but it's been some time since a new Lincoln last stirred my mind into anything even approaching interest. And no, the Lincoln Blackwood doesn't count. In fact, the last Lincoln that really piqued my lust was the mid-1980s Lincoln Mk. VII LSC.
The Mk. VII, like its over-ostentatious, elephantine predecessors (the appeal of which is described here), was a domestic personal luxury coupe, ostensibly competition for the fat and sassy Cadillac Eldorado, Chrysler LeBaron, and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Unlike its predecessors and competition, however, the Mk. VII was modern, trim, and had some serious aspirations--nothing less than to be a legitimate rival for the BMW 6-series.
The Mk. VII didn't quite clear that lofty bar, but it came surprisingly close. Based on the new, leaner, and more aggressive Ford Thunderbird, the Mk. VII was a big break from Marks past; it was much smaller, vastly more aerodynamic, and much more purposeful. The Mk. VII was even the first American car to sport ABS brakes and aerodynamic flush headlights. The Mk. VII still wasn't as feral as a BMW 6-series, but at least it was in the game.
To that promising foundation, the LSC sub-model added a sport suspension, dual exhaust, and, as a coupe de grace, the 225-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 from the Ford Mustang GT. I find that last bit hugely compelling. Ford didn't have a sophisticated inline 6 like BMW, or a torquey V-12 like Jaguar, so it brought its own uniquely American muscle car thunder and wedged it into its luxury sport coupe. This gave the Mk. VII a torquey all-American flavor of its own and inspired a metric ton of annoying "Hot Rod Lincoln" references in road tests and reviews.
The Mk. VII LSC still wasn't quite a world-class sports luxury coupe; while it nearly matched the 635CSi in acceleration, it couldn't keep up when the road turned twisty, and it couldn't boast the same panache. The upright grille and hideously embarrassing traditional spare tire lump in the decklid clashed with the car's aerodynamic flanks, though I personally find the mismatch oddly endearing.
While it didn't topple the 635CSi or Jaguar XJ-S, the Mk. VII was at least somewhere in the same area code--which was still an important statement as American automakers were struggling to change their mindset to trimmer, more adept, more European-style cars. Even today, Mk. VIIs catch my eye--I'll take my LSC in black over black, with a tasteful exhaust system amplifying the 302's sweet burble. That's a definition of American 1980s luxury that I can get behind.
By the way, in reference to coupe de grace above, the coupe pun is intended--very much intended. Sorry.
The first photo is from Flickr user ArgentLA, the second is from Flickr user proud2_bdad, and the third is from Motortopia user Hizhonor.
--Chris H.
jiminjersey on July 09, 2008 at 04:59 PM
I don't get. I will say that it's performance was excellent. But was it that much better than a T-Bird Turbo Coupe? It looked exactly like a T-Bird with a big grill and that ridiculous tire hump on the trunk. I would bet that the Lincoln cost considerably more than the Turbo Coupe and did you get a lot more perfomance. I would have paid less and taken the Turbo Coupe over this any day.
It kind of reminds me of the Cadillac Cimarron. Don't go crazy I know the Cimarron was one of the worst cars of all time and that it was a Cavalier with some chrome and leather and was much, much slower. But that is what the Mk VII looks like. A kind of fancy T-Bird. There was nothing original about it.
David Colborne on July 09, 2008 at 05:44 PM
The trouble with turbos, especially 80s turbos, is that they tend to burn their host engines out after 100,000 miles or so. Those V-8s, on the other hand, were the only engine that Detroit could crank out with any sort of consistency or build quality. Besides, that turbo 4 was only good for 190 HP, which is still a good 35 HP less than that V-8 in the Lincoln.
Also, the T-Bird Turbo Coupe didn't come out 'til 87. The Mark VII LSC came out in '84.
Mochi Mochi on July 09, 2008 at 05:55 PM
Is this basically the same car as the Cougar and the T-Bird from the mid-80's? If so I had a blast rocketing around back roads and highways between Huntsville Alabama and Chattanooga. The car, later dubbed, the "Sport Cougar", took a lot of abuse. Including a flat out decent of Lookout Mountain. Said decent was inspired by a sudden realization that there was a 1hr time zone difference between Huntsville and Chattanooga which had not been accounted for. And that meant my flight was taking off 1hr earlier than expected.
The Cougar was actually not bad in some very twisty mountain driving. But the brakes were completely cooked by the time I reached the bottom of the mountain. Two feet on the brake pedal was required to keep the car from moving forward while in "drive". The smell of cooked smoking brakes surrounded and followed the car for miles. As I walked away from the rental agency I could still smell them. The car lives on in memory as a fun and peculiar part of a very odd business trip to visit a nuclear reactor run by the TVA.
SilentStorm on July 09, 2008 at 06:40 PM
Just as a short note...
I think you could say that the Mark VII was a super-sized Thunderbird, not just a spiffed-up Lincoln version of a standard mid-80's Cavalier/Cimmaron-esqe Thunderbird.
If the Mark VII was a cat, it was a King Lion. The T-bird and Cougar were just neutered zoo cats in comparison.
Frank Black on July 09, 2008 at 06:48 PM
Personally, I prefer the Mark VIII. Mostly the '80s did little for me, although there are a couple of years of Mustangs that I like.
rob the SVX guy on July 09, 2008 at 06:53 PM
YES!!!! YES YES YES! Chris, you've (again) hit one my sweet spots. I love these lincolns. In fact, I have a photoshopped version of the flavor I would prefer, that I did back in 1998 or so. Here it is:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y142/cash68/mark7.jpg
That picture was originally a silver car, but yeah, I wanted a black one. The facets of this car that appeal to me are many: It's RWD, which is always nice, it has a level of refinement and luxury, it looks pretty sinister, but by far the best part about the entire package is the engine. A 5.0 V8, shared by the mustang, with literally thousands of performance parts available from your nearest Summit or Jegs catalog. Think of it. Find a clean one sitting in a garage at an estate sale, pick it up for next to nothing, throw some $900 heads on it, a perf cam, and a new exhaust, and you have one hell of a fast ride. The best part? It'd barely be noticed by anybody (excluding people such as Chris and myself), you don't have to worry about it much, and parts are practically free.
I think of this car every few days, as one parks down the street from my house, and I always notice it when walking my dog. Some part of my brain goes through the same routine "Man, what a great looking car! 5.0 V8 too! RWD! What fun! How stealth! I wish I would have bought one of those instead of my 1968 Charger.... but... well... the Charger was really really really cool... but if I hadn't found a Charger, I'd have totally bought that car!". The bad part is, seeing as how these things are now 16-22 years old, they're getting hard to find in good shape. The even worse part is realizing that now that gas is $4 a gallon, I'll probably never own one. It feels awful to love a relatively affordable car, yet realize you will never actually get one, ever. But by far the worst part about the entire thing, in my mind, is that as gas prices rise, the value of cars like this will decline even more rapidly, and their chances of being crushed, junked, abandoned, destroyed, or left in a field to rot increase substantially.
Actually, as much as I love this car, I just wind up feeling sad knowing what great potential they once had, yet realizing what dim futures lie ahead for most of them.
Lost My Cookies on July 10, 2008 at 04:58 AM
I love these cars. Back in the 80's my family had a 76 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon and an 84 Plymouth Voyager (the first one, with no wiper on the back and the "Magic Wagon" decal). I could only dream of the performance and luxury the Mark VII would provide. Glamour too, we used to call them "Mafia Staff Cars" back in Philly.
David Drucker on July 10, 2008 at 06:37 AM
As the result of one of my typically convoluted trading binges, I wound up with an LSC in 1992. It was a low-mileage charcoal grey '88, with the typical peeling clearcoat on the trunk. In all other respects, it was in near-new condition, so I had the paintwork done and was a very happy camper indeed.
Having owned a couple of similarly-equipped Mercedes-Benz sedans, I was initially a bit leery of the air suspension's long-term prospects. (Of course, very few cars stayed with me long enough for that to be a concern.) In the near term, though, the air suspension worked beautifully, delivering a Benz-like combination of smooth ride and predictable handling at eight-tenths. The nicely weighted steering, and fat leather-wrapped wheel contributed to the Mark's unusually satisfying (for a Mark) roadability.
The LSC replaced the standard Mark's digital dash with a full set of analog gauges, which was sporty, if wholly unnecessary from a practical standpoint. The trip computer, once mastered, was far more interesting than the primary gauge cluster. (With an automatic tranny and electronic rev limiter, what's the point of a tach? Really!)
The front seats were Recaro-like in their construction and bolstering, with plenty of lateral support. The power adjustments of height, tilt, etc., used controls borrowed from Mercedes: miniature seats mounted on the doors. The leather seating surfaces were perforated -- again like Mercedes -- which made them comfortable even in hot weather. And speaking of hot weather, the A/C was simply stellar.
The back seats were useless for adults, but held plenty of groceries. That's a good thing, because the trunk was astonishingly tiny. Perhaps by way of compensation, an automatic mechanism grabbed the lid and pulled it shut once you brought it to within an inch of being closed. (I first encountered this feature as a wide-eyed, car-crazed kid, when an uncle demonstrated it on his '57 Caddy.)
Although 225HP isn't much by today's standards, in '88 it was just 15HP shy of what the Corvette offered. Of course, the Mark was burdened by an additional 500 lbs, but it still took off with surprising enthusiasm.
It's worth noting that when David E. Davis Jr. started Automobile Magazine, he was told to select anything he wanted as a company car, as long as what he wanted was American. He chose a Mark VII LSC.
Once in a while I see a nice one for sale, and am sorely tempted. Fortunately, I also see a bad one from time to time, and by bad I mean one whose air springs have given up the ghost, and which hunkers down, bodywork an inch or so from the pavement. Having opened and partaken of that particular can of worms on more than one occasion, I file that image in the back of my mind, and recall it when reality needs to trump lust.
But if I had loads of dough, and loads of space for extra cars, a nice LSC would be on my list.
Chris Hafner on July 10, 2008 at 08:04 AM
Rob, great point about all the performance parts available for the 5.0-liter V-8 and how Summit, Jeg's (and, *ahem*, Amazon!) all have thousands of add-ons. I would bet that 302 Ford is behind only the small-block Chevy engine in terms of cheap upgrades and performance parts.
I'd never put that together with the Mk. VII before, but it makes the car even more compelling - brutal muscle with a veneer of refinement. Fantastic.
Chris Hafner on July 10, 2008 at 08:07 AM
David, is there an interesting car that you *haven't* owned? I envy your car ownership history.
I remember the seat adjustments that were represented as a tiny seat. At the time it seemed brilliant, but now I'm not so sure that it's particularly useful. Remember how it was a competitive advantage to have 82-way adjustable seats? Seems like we've figured out that fore-and-aft adjustment, along with rake and perhaps height, is really enough.
David Drucker on July 10, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Chris, my list of cars exceeds even my list of ex-wives! I've had more than my fair share of both, which is why I'm not retired and living in the lap of luxury.
I still think the tiny seat is a swell idea. There's no mistaking what must be done to affect the desired motion in the larger analog. Contrast it with what BMW was doing at the time: 30 or 40 identical buttons on the console. A nightmare.
I agree that too many adjustments is silly, but the tiny seat-based system seems ideal. Fore/aft, up/down for the front and back of the cushion, and recline. I've got it on my Grand Marquis, and couldn't be happier.
BTW, it's worth noting that the Mark VII could be had with BMW's diesel for a while. Zero to sixty in three tries.
jfruser on July 11, 2008 at 04:14 PM
The performance quotient gets even more interesting, as there was a bolt-on supercharger/intake available for that engine. One of the auto rags bolted 'er on and saw the pony count go from 225 to 300+.
That was MY car lust for about 10 years: a grandpa-mobile Lincoln sleeper 'rod.
David Drucker on July 13, 2008 at 07:42 AM
Man, a 300HP LSC would be so sweet!
Richard on July 24, 2008 at 02:55 PM
I was just going through my car ownership history on the brink of trading my MB SL500 on a BMW convertible which reminded me of that 1989 LSC that I owned and loved for four years. I just missed being able to trade that leased car in on the last year of the LSC. It had some mechanical problems late in life, but it was the best, most beautiful and best riding car I ever had - even better than the SL500. Occasionally I see well maintained LSCs here on the streets of NY and wish I still had it. Kelly BB says it's still worth about $2,500. Maybe it's not too late.
mike pizzuto on August 29, 2008 at 08:46 PM
Great story the lsc will always be a hot car i own a 1989 lsc
V8 hot laps on November 26, 2008 at 01:18 AM
I love my 91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. (Luxury Sport Coupe) It's my first car and plan on keeping it for the rest of my life and handing it down to the next generation of my family.
Aleks Ristic, Toronto on December 20, 2009 at 01:48 PM
I remember really liking these when they first came out. My dad knew somebody who had one and I greatly enjoyed getting a few rides in it.
Something about Lincoln's steering wheels and interior design really hit the spot for me in terms of having the right look and feel for a relatively affordable mass production luxury car. The Mk.VII seemed to be an updated successor to the late 70's Lincoln Versiales (which I thought had the most pleasant interior of any non-british car at that time)
The biggest miss with this car was the huge, un-filled wheel wells which plague so many North American cars and Ford's in particular - the guts of the suspension visible form 20 feet away - just can't get away form putting some pick-up truck DNA in almost everything - ugh!
And as with many Detroit creations, it would have been even better had they shortened the tail by 8-10 inces and taken it in a little... oh well.
I wonder if the spare tire arch had any side benefits in rear-end lift reduction by slightly increasing pressure in the middle of the rear edge? Or if the bulge in the back assists in shrugging of trailling air by breaking up the flatness? In the mid 90's I drove a 1988 T-bird V8 wich was wonderful but I thought I could actually feel some rear lift and wobble on the freeway which was not present in the MK VII.
LincolnMarkOwner on April 10, 2010 at 12:51 PM
The Mark VII was really one of the few cars in the 1980's that was worth a darn. Like another post or two has mentioned the power the Mark VII had for 1988 standards was excellent. Later Mark VIII's had BBS wheels, and the wider tires, sport seats, and information display were way ahead of their day. Also, the build quality and attention to detail on Mark VIII's interior was excellent. Compare a BMW 5 or 6 series interior of the 1980's to that of a Mark VII LSC and the LSC has aged much better.
tomm on June 29, 2010 at 02:12 PM
The T-Bird turbo coupe was offered in 1983-88, not just 1987-88 as someone posted.
sam on October 26, 2010 at 04:35 PM
I've owned both an '87 and a '90 LSC. Both were great cars. I've read all the posts and have to say that on balance most people think they are cool. Despite the quirkiness of the suspension and the occasional failures it was an easy system to troubleshoot and repair once you figured it out. Of course, I love the venerable 5.0 HO that makes great low end torque. The controls and instruments are definitely a plus, what with the metrics you can monitor ( I always thought DTE/distance to empty and trip/MPG stuff was interesting). No doubt the car when fitted with flowmasters was quiet normally but sounded dirty when you opened it up. Really overall a fun car to drive and few problems. Decent stereo too. Didn't care that the trunk had a hump or little space - the leather seats made up for it...
Johnny on June 26, 2011 at 05:01 PM
I first fell in love with the Mark VII back in 1999. My aunt bought a white LSC with blue interior. I was truly in love. She sold it three years later and I was heartbroken. Three years later I was riding down the road with my mom and I seen the car on the side of the road for sale. Even though it had been three years since I'd seen it last, I knew that was the car. I knew that I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by. The car was for sale for $995, but I got it for $400. It wasn't so much that I had gotten an awesome deal for the car, but it was the fact that I was 14 and had just bought my first car. I kept it for two years when the brake accumulator went up in it, and would've cost $3,300 to fix. I've missed that car everyday, and have been looking for another one since.