1976 Continental Mark IV Givenchy: Aqua Heaven

I’ll always love personal luxury cars. Riviera, Eldorado, Mark III, IV and V! Toronados and Thunderbirds and other glitzy, over-the-top personal conveyances! And the colors! Back then, people aspired to cars like these. And it showed in the mid-size PLCs that came onto the scene as well, like the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix and Elite.

But the top two were unquestionably the Continental Mark IV and Cadillac Eldorado, circa 1976. Sure, the Toronado and Thunderbird (which shared the same basic body with the Connie) and Riviera were all quite nice, but it was the Lincoln and the Cadillac that headed the list.

These were the cars that you bought to show you made it, you were there, and you could sweep up to the entrance of a country club like Rodney Dangerfield—with or without a mini-TV in your golf bag.

And in 1976, Lincoln came up with a brilliant idea: The Designer Series. They had already begun the process in 1973 with the Luxury Groups, the first being the Silver Luxury Group, which combined a metallic silver exterior and matching Cavalry twill vinyl roof with a rich cranberry-hued interior.

It was very popular, and led Lincoln to add additional Luxury Groups, including a Gold Luxury Group and a Saddle and White Luxury Group in 1974. By 1976, there were no less than seven Luxury Group options, including Blue Diamond, Saddle/White, Lipstick/White, Gold/Cream, and Dark Jade/Light Jade.

But wait, as the man famously said. There’s even more! For in ’76 there were now four extra-special (and extra pricey) Designer Series Mark IVs.

All had high-toned designers creating their special color schemes: Cartier, Givenchy, Bill Blass and Pucci. The Cartier wore light pearl gray with matching interior and top and sported white and dark red pinstripes, the Bill Blass navy blue with tan top and interior, the Pucci burgundy with silver Landau roof and burgundy upholstery, and the Givenchy, in a gorgeous metallic turquoise with white top, black and white pinstriping, and a matching turquoise interior with exclusive light birch toned simulated wood interior trim.

As the 1976 Mark IV brochure explained, the Designer Series was something really special. “For 1976, there’s something noticeably new about America’s classic personal car, Continental Mark IV.

“Introducing the Mark IV Designer Series…Hubert de Givenchy has made his mark many times over as one of Paris’ premier designers.

“The Givenchy Edition Mark IV is the sparkling turquoise of the Mediterranean Sea. Matching velour upholstery [or leather, as in today’s featured car]. A light, simulated woodgrain instrument panel. And the forged aluminum wheels and color-keyed luggage compartment carpeting common to all the Designer Series Marks.

“From its black and white pinstripes to the Givenchy signature on the opera window and instrument panel nameplate, a brilliant example of couture design.”

Of course, all this luxury and exclusivity came at a price. I could not find pricing for the Designer Series in my many Lincoln books, but even the “standard” Mark IV, which was anything but basic, stickered at $11,060 before options.

Of course, with the vast interior and exterior color choices, one could order a Mark IV very similar to the Designer Series and save a couple grand, but they didn’t have the opera window signatures or pinstriping, or other special details. And of course, it wasn’t quite as fancy to folks in the know! And the color schemes rubbed off on other buyers. I bet there were quite a few midsize Grand Prixes, Ford Elites, and Monte Carlos sporting close approximations of the Mark Designer Series color schemes at the time.

These were big cars, by any standard, with a 120.4″ wheelbase and an overall length of 228.1″. Each Mark IV came with a 460-CID V-8 backed by a Select-Shift automatic transmission. Curb weight was 5,264 pounds.

Today’s mint example, owned by my friend and fellow LCOC member Humberto Garcia, was seen last summer at the excellent Geneva Concours d’Elegance. My fellow club members, including Humberto and John McCarthy, insisted that I needed to check out this excellent show, and I’m glad they did.

They were right. I actually got there a little later than planned and had to park many blocks away, but it was worth the wait and the walk! Lincoln was one of the featured marques, and several LCOC member cars were on display.

Including this car, a lovely ’64 Continental convertible along with Joe and Barb Esdale’s gorgeous maroon Continental Mark II, among others.

I spotted the Givenchy next to Humberto’s pristine triple dark green 1971 Continental Mark III, and we chatted for some time. And I asked that one question all car guys will understand: can I sit in it?

He said “Hell yes!” and even took my picture. It was a very comfortable experience. I really miss the ultra-luxury, cosseting seats like this. Does everything, even modern Lincolns and Cadillacs, really have to have hard sport seats and “Nuburgerkingring” track times?

I say no. And I wish we could still get bold, brash, unapologetically American-styled cars like this. I don’t see that happening anytime soon, but at least we can go back in time by attending fine shows like the Geneva Concours—and experiencing the generosity of fellow car nuts like Humberto.

Thank you, sir. You’re a gentleman and scholar!