Comfort and Class

There is something to be said for the comforts of life. In cars, those are things like power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, quietness, softer ride, etc. Don and Gloria Clayton’s ‘32 Ford roadster had none of the above. So at Gloria’s suggestion, he started looking for something to fulfill the wishes and a key one of his own: to have something unique and classy. He settled on the Continental Mark II, made by Ford Motor Company only from 1956 until 1957. He found a ‘56 at a Southern California foreign car dealer that had been traded in. With only the carburetor, distributor and seat upholstery having been changed and an odometer that read 89,000 miles, the car was a “survivor.” The body was straight and rust-free, and the interior had reasonable wear and no tears. It had been sitting for ten years in a garage and needed some TLC, but it was basically sound and the price was right. When he got it home, he found the lack of use necessitated overhauling the engine to clean out the accumulated sludge, resealing the exclusive Turbo-Drive trans, rebuilding the power assist units, and much rewiring. Still, he now has quite a rare car that is in very good, unrestored condition. All Mark II’s came loaded with what were normally extra-cost options. These cars were virtually hand-built, with a $10,000 price tag that was over twice the price of a Cadillac and almost as much as a Rolls Royce. This high quality, high price image attracted some notable buyers. Frank Sinatra, Cecil B. DeMille, Elvis Presley and the Shah of Iran were once Mark II owners. But most important to Don and Gloria is that now they can cruise with fellow Roamin Angels in comfort in their classy Mark II.

While reminiscent of the ‘56 T-Bird in looks, it is a very different vehicle. With it’s long, low styling, the Mark II shows a European influence. Appropriately, it was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in 1955. Only about 3000 were made, with most of them the 1956 model.

This 368 CID “Y” block engine puts out 285 HP and is a bored and stroked version of the 312 CID T-Bird engine of that year. Because of the car’s low ground clearance, the exhaust went through the fender wells, then through the rocker panels and out the rear bumper.

Every luxury of the day, including P/S, P/B, P/W and P/Seats, was included on the Mark II. A/C was the only factory option, which this car has. Full gauges were very unusual for cars then and Mark II’s had them, including a tach.