In 1979, the Lincoln Continental Mark V was the still the large-and-in-charge flagship of the Ford Motor Company, despite the fact most domestic cars were undergoing a switch to smaller models because small foreign cars had carved out their own place in the North American car market.
Lincoln Continental buyers were typically upwardly mobile types who wanted luxury much more than they wanted performance and good gas mileage, so the luxury Ford model still had a place in the upscale car market.
Jim Sutherland
A buyer could walk into a Lincoln-Mercury dealer and drive away in a Mark V back in 1979 because the buyer wanted the Ford’s ultimate luxury car.
However, there was a very small number of Lincoln Continental Mark V customers who owned a unique Ranchero version of the luxury yachts back in 1979. Ford built its Ranchero on lower end car models and made it a hybrid car/truck combination for a niche market buyer who wanted an open truck bed behind the car cab.
The 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V Ranchero was not built in a Ford factory. Instead, it was custom-built in Beverly Hills, California by American Custom Coachworks and primarily used as a flower car by funeral companies.
Greg Cowan owns a 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V flower car that attracts a ton of attention whenever he hits the road in it. Greg has always liked the big Lincolns and used them as commuter vehicles in the past.
He spotted his unique ’79 Lincoln flower car about 26 years ago and said, ”I gotta have this”, in Greg’s words. The car ‘s previous owner had a fleet of flower cars and leaned heavily towards his Cadillac models but was not interested in selling his Lincoln flower car at the time.
However, Greg was finally able to buy the Lincoln Ranchero about 13 years ago and got the unconventional vintage ride he always wanted from the first time he spotted it. He described his ownership goals as “halfway through the restoration”, but the process allows Greg to enjoy every opportunity to drive his unique Lincoln Continental Mark V.
The car is well-suited for the road because it has all the luxury features of a Lincoln Continental Mark V, including power windows, power steering, power seats, air conditioning, and even power 4-wheel disc brakes.
The Lincoln’s factory 400 cubic-inch engine is connected to a smooth Ford C-6 three-speed automatic transmission. It is a solid powertrain combination for Greg’s driving excursions in his ’79 Lincoln Continental flower car.
The 1970s may have been a decade of significant change for domestic car manufacturers, but not a Lincoln because the luxury marque did not change its emphasis on luxurious automotive transportation in large packages.
The custom-built 1979 Lincoln Continental flower car was not built to handle large loads, but its existence as an ultra-rare custom version of a conventional model ensures the car attracts plenty of attention from curious onlookers whenever Greg takes the car on the road.
Number us here at MyStarCollectorCar among the very curious when we spotted it.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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