Car stories are always more interesting when there’s a DNA connection between the first and second owner.
That’s because the car (or truck) never left the family—this ’71 Lincoln Mark III is an excellent example.
Jerry Sutherland
Colin Scott is the current caretaker of this family legacy car, and he knows its history from Day 1. That’s because his dad bought the Lincoln new in 1971 and paid the equivalent of an entry-level house for it—over 12,000 dollars.
Colin took over ownership of the Lincoln when his dad passed away in 2011. The car has 87,000 documented likes on it now, because Colin’s father only used the car in the summer when he went golfing. The Mark III was always garaged and never saw winter, so it is truly a survivor.
He grew up with the Lincoln, so Colin was happy to be the next owner. His dad told Colin he’d “be the next owner”—so he truly respects the honor of ownership.
Colin is a student of the Mark III, so he learned how things work in this high-end car. There’s a massive vacuum system in the Lincoln because so many functions are vacuum assisted. The windshield wipers, power door locks, cruise control and hidden headlights are all powered by the vacuum setup in the Mark III, so it has three tanks. This is a complicated system because the wipers work off the power steering pump.
The car came with the factory 460 big block, so Colin decided to make sure everything was perfect in the engine department. He stripped the engine down to the block and updated the ignition system. Colin also replaced the alternator and power steering pump to avoid any unpleasant surprises on the road.
The ‘71 Lincoln Mark III 460 was still a high-compression engine that required high-octane fuel. Colin buys the best fuel he can get (94-octane) and bumps it up with octane booster to avoid the dreaded pinging under hard acceleration.
Colin has no problem driving the Lincoln because he’s a snowbird with a winter residence in Arizona. He ran into problems with his insurance guy about driving a car with an out-of-country plate, so he bought a five-year Arizona plate for a fraction of the cost.
The Lincoln passed an inspection without a problem, but now he has to bring his plate to customs to explain why a Canadian car has Arizona plates. It’s a small price to pay for ease of insurance coverage.
This Lincoln is very original and stock—except for the missing smog pump. That was a California smog rule, so Colin dismissed it as unnecessary. Colin said the car does about 9 miles per gallon in town and a more comfortable 21-22 on o the highway because he doesn’t push it at 65-70 miles per hour.
The original spare is still there–Colin explained how his father, “only used it a few times”. The spokes in the factory wheel covers are lost to time because they were brittle and hard to fix, but the rest of the wheel appointments are still there.
This Lincoln is a mint survivor for two reasons—the first and second owner. Dad left a legacy car behind.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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