Barry Wolk
10-09-2021, 11:57 AM
The Orphan Car Show is one of my favorites. There were so many makers in the '30-'50s that it was difficult to keep track of them all. Many were just like the Mark II, a boutique assembler that manufactured no parts. When I got the car in 2003 I applied and was rejected. I was told that Lincoln Continentals were not allowed as the parent Division was still in business. After the third rejection I asked if I could meet up with the organizer at the Hudson Museum in Ypsilanti, MI. It was about 2010, when Mercury was on the chopping block. It had already been deemed an upcoming orphan. I met with significant resistance until I gave him a picture of the Continental factory. His first response was, "If it's not a Lincoln, they why did they use the symbol?" I explained that it was specifically designed for the Mark II and was taken to tie the 1958 Lincoln "Continental" into the lore of the Mark II.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/1%20Mark%20II%20docs/.highres/1240540_212270505607773_1408068765_n_zps7425bc22.j pg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
I started talking to him about the Rotunda and asked if he knew about the introduction there. He knew all about it, but never put together that the Mark II wasn't a Lincoln. I clinched the approval when I showed him a picture of the Rotunda sign on the day the Mark II was introduced. It clearly shows the Continental Star, dead-center, as their premiere division. It also shows Lincoln's 8-point star, lower left. I think I convinced him when I asked if he knew the other badges on the sign as he grabbed a magnifying glass and rattled-off all the rest. That did it. We were in.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/1%20Mark%20II%20docs/.highres/Mark%20II%20Folder%202_0385_zps7moci1oc.jpg?width= 1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
I think it incumbent upon Mark II fans and owners to spread the word. Please help. Let's be an example and call it what it is. It's not a Lincoln, it's not a Mk-anything, It's a Continental Mark II, powered by Lincoln. There are many, many, examples of drive lines by major manufacturers used in limited production vehicles made by others. This is no different.
I have received many compliments for my Hagerty article on the subject. It has swayed the most dug-in. I just post it as a response to myth and misinformation. There is one error. Not sure it's mine as I know better. Editor injected misinformation he had found on-line. It wasn't designed by Gordon Buehrig.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/why-the-continental-mark-2-should-never-be-called-a-lincoln/
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/1%20Mark%20II%20docs/.highres/1240540_212270505607773_1408068765_n_zps7425bc22.j pg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
I started talking to him about the Rotunda and asked if he knew about the introduction there. He knew all about it, but never put together that the Mark II wasn't a Lincoln. I clinched the approval when I showed him a picture of the Rotunda sign on the day the Mark II was introduced. It clearly shows the Continental Star, dead-center, as their premiere division. It also shows Lincoln's 8-point star, lower left. I think I convinced him when I asked if he knew the other badges on the sign as he grabbed a magnifying glass and rattled-off all the rest. That did it. We were in.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/1%20Mark%20II%20docs/.highres/Mark%20II%20Folder%202_0385_zps7moci1oc.jpg?width= 1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
I think it incumbent upon Mark II fans and owners to spread the word. Please help. Let's be an example and call it what it is. It's not a Lincoln, it's not a Mk-anything, It's a Continental Mark II, powered by Lincoln. There are many, many, examples of drive lines by major manufacturers used in limited production vehicles made by others. This is no different.
I have received many compliments for my Hagerty article on the subject. It has swayed the most dug-in. I just post it as a response to myth and misinformation. There is one error. Not sure it's mine as I know better. Editor injected misinformation he had found on-line. It wasn't designed by Gordon Buehrig.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/why-the-continental-mark-2-should-never-be-called-a-lincoln/