I have worked on vehicles my whole life. I am 62 now and grew up doing body work and today own my own shop. The cars that you own keep taking me back due that my mother and father drove so many vehicles like you own. Mostly large Mercury's and Ford's. Keep up the good work. I always love it when you post a new video. I also have seen all your older videos.

It’s amazing how many”car guys” on KZfaq don’t know the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof. Adam set them straight in this video!

Since it’s Indy 500 weekend- In my 20’s I belonged to the Lincoln Continental Owners Club (I owned a ‘65 Continental convertible- thank you, Dad!) and we held a National Convention at Indy one summer… I drove a mint 34K-mile Continental Mark III at good speed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (over the bricks)…what a thrill! I remember that spectacular car was mostly Turquoise- great day!

I ran across a warehouse in Las Vegas from a old car collector who is long passed. I got invited for a private tour of this 100 car collection. In the collection is 4 Bricklins, but like wow, 29 Mark iii ranging from 1969 to 1971, well preserved. I mean they were in excellllleeeent condition. I'm in contact with the widow in the hope to pick up one of these beauties.

These were and still are Beautiful Cars.

Love these cars. I was eleven when they first came out. The grill and hump became so iconic for Lincoln. It’s nice to look back on these glory days of automotive design. Thanks Adam.

My favorite Lincoln of all time.

Terrific! I top like the non-vinyl roof.

A great overview, Adam. FYI, the gentleman standing next to Lee Iacocca and the Mustang was Donald N. Frey, the Mustang's engineering program manager. (See page 208 of Jim & Cheryl Farrell's Lincoln Design History for a photo of L. David Ash.) BTW I'm impressed that you were able to find a recorded interview! The power electric sunroof was first introduced on a Ford product as a regular factory option on the 1968 Cougar and featured in the only magazine advertisement for the XR7-G model. There is a white example of this car at The Henry Ford that was donated by ASC.

Be sure to ask your salesman about the extra storage capacity in the rocker panels.

Yes, it's 1969 and Wixom is just rolling along ! A t-bird with a tux!

The car at 12:00 is the first non-vinyl roof model I've ever seen and is the ultimate.

That front end styling was a huge change for the good back in 1969. It made people want it! Pimps too.

Chris Schenkel of ABC sports narrating the video.

One of my good friends owns the silver 1969 Mark III without the vinyl top you used in the video!

Always loved this car. Beautiful car. Truly miss this design. It is sorely needed today.

All of 19 when the Mark III's came out, I was skeptical of a design with throwback elements, and associated them with white shoes and belts worn by my parents generation; I couldn't resolve the contradiction of mixing a Mark II hump on back and a 1930-ish radiator on front. But Iaccoca knew his market; he was of the generation who were children when Packards, Pierce-Arrows and the like represented the epitome of luxury, and the market for these cars was his contemporaries, who might have kids out of college and a nice upper management position. Those earlier stages you showed at the end of the video could have been mistaken for Mopar fuselage renderings. Another great video, Adam! Nobody else is doing anything like this.

I always thought the Mark III absolutely blew the Eldo away as far as elegance and quality. Fit and finish was top notch and the car just looked right.

I really, really, really LOVE the quality, detail, and content of your videos. Just amazing! Please continue the amazing work!

Wish to suggest a small correction; the person standing to Iaccoca's left and behind the red Mustang in the pic is not the designer Dave Ash but Donald Nelson Frey (pronounced Frī ) (1923 - 2010), a product manager at FoMoCo at the time of Mustang development

Beautiful car.... and worthy of the Continental Mark III name

I can vouch for this. A high school friend picked me up for a ride in his dad’s black one and It left the impression of smooth power as I felt it pushing me into the seat effortlessly, no noise or down shifting jolts. The doors had counter balances in them.

Great video Adam! When I was just a kid, Mrs. Ung across the street had a black 1969 Mark III. I Loved it. She went on to get a Mark IV and a 1977 Seville.

I just love these behind the design episodes! ❤👍🏻👊🏻🇺🇲

I always liked the cars Frank Cannon drove in the tv series. He mostly drove a mk4 but did have a mk3 in some shows. I can't believe no one else mentioned him.

Thanks for another great insight into the cars of the wonderful era in which I was lucky to be a boy. I enjoy the memory lane, plus I've learned more and more! Thanks, Adam! - Greg in California

Great video, Adam! Thank God for Lee Iacocca or the Mark III would never have turned out the way that it did! I remember when these were introduced and they were nothing less than jaw droppingly gorgeous!

Your videos are so well put together excellent work

I'm surprised to hear you dis the 4-door T-Bird. That is my absolute favorite.

Thanks Adam. Great insight into how Product Development works, including the involvement with Finance, in new vehicle development.

Adam, the Mark III Introduced the Power Sunroof. The Power Moonroof was introduced on the 1973 Continental Mark IV and only on the Silver Luxury Group edition. A gold moonroof became available in 1974 but there were no glass moonroofs on Mark III other than a prototype or two done by ASC.

Adam, thank you for doing your research on obtaining these recordings and videos. It’s so interesting to hear these bosses and design engineers talk about the great cars of the 60’s-70’s. That they worked on.

FYI Ford was the first post war company that introduced the sunroof on the 1960 Thunderbird.

Nice video. I've always loved the final design.

Elvis Presley, James Brown and Isaac Hayes loved the Mark III!

I confess I am one of those guys confused about sun / moon roof. Thank you for the explanation refresh. My favourite design point would be the raising of the rear deck lid and the difference those 2” made. So glad they decided against the Cadillac rear end! The horizontal light theme combined with the continental trunk is infinitely classier on this body style.

My beloved uncle Curt had a '71. As a young kid I remember how UTTERLY silent the world became when the windows were up and the a/c was on, in Florida on a summer day. That, and the fantastic heft of the doors.

Wow talk about a design getting changed around , All the mixed bag ques from other auto manufacturers Rolls Royce, Cadillac, Packard, Lincoln's MKII, Mercury as it's changes from the first proposal to the finished product. I had one 25 years ago and it was a well built great fit and finish automobile . I really liked the non cordovan top version your image was the first time I have ever seen one that way. Very interesting and learned something new thankyou for this video.

Thank you Adam, great pictures and information. Your video has made me curious about the 4dr Tbird.

I love those cars . Nice job.

The Lancelot rear looks like Caddy lights as you said but also Delta 88 trunk lid and bumper. The L on the front nameplate looks like the L on Laverne's blouse (Laverne and Shirley). I think I would have to always defer to engineering when they state something although at that point perhaps it was too late.

The Mark III is beautiful!!!! GOB BLESS LEE IACOCCA ! (That 1965 model proposal looks more like a Cadillac than a Lincoln!)

Excellent video. Lancelot! Sword logo. Brilliantly nuts

Hey would love to know more about roof designs. Such as sunroof, T tops, convertible, etc. evolution.

Keep up the great work, Adam. Your new video is always welcomed.

Always think of Dean Martin as Matt Helm when I see these beauties.

I can't understand why, but I just had to click to resubscribe to your channel. I've been watching for years as a subscriber.

#11 pimps loved it

Excellent video didn’t know they planned it initially to look like a 67 coupe deville from 3/4 of the car

Here is a design specifically meant to say that the owner is not climbing up-- he has already gotten there and is now looking down at you. I love this channel and appreciate so much of the discussion, but one thing I don't love: the automobiles that were always meant to state decadence and supremacy. Haughty, they are. Everyone have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday.

Excellent video and some new to me info. One mention.......the 'in process" Mark was called "Launcelot" no "Lancelot", which is quite visible in a few shots.....very strange name.

Thanks for another wonderful video of one of my favorite cars. The styling of the earlier design proposals, before Lee Iaccoca insisted on adding the Rolls-Royce grill, were all handsome ideas. What they lacked was anything distinctly Lincoln or Mercury, and what they all shared were Cadillac and Buick styling cues. The production version was distinctive and immensely popular. I'd love to get my hands on one of those 95 cars from the 1969 production run that were delivered without the vinyl top, just a much cleaner look overall. Thanks Adam, excellent content as always 😁

Was sad to see one of those taken apart for the movie The French Connection. That car was a luxurious tank.

Hmm. I'm a 3rd generation Lincoln owner and the power glass moonroof option first appeared on the '73 Continental Mark IV and it also required the Silver Luxury Group option to be ordered as well. I have seen plenty of Mark III's with the sunroof but not the moonroof.

15:30. I had the factory sunroof by ASC in my 69 Mercury Cougar. The components (Motor with worm gear and two cables)were same ones used by BMW. There was a pan that the sunroof panel slid into, and there were drain/nipples in the A-pillar corners with plastic tubes that drained down through the A-pillars and out behind the front wheels.

Off topic and I've never heard you discuss trucks, but the 1994 Dodge Ram is a story that I think needs to be explored and told. This vehicle was a raging success (taking Dodge from 7% to 21% of the pickup market) and yet I've never really heard it discussed or anyone attempting to take credit for it.

Very interesting insights.

Love the clean looks of that Mark III w/o the vinyl roof. It reminds me of my 1969 T'bird Sports Coupe (Medium Lime Green, bucket seats, console, A/C) that I bought new... it too sans vinyl top. My Dad loved it so much that he traded in his 1969 Grand Prix that summer for a great deal on an end-of-the-year 1969 Thunderbird 4-door Brougham. I was just glad to unload my '67 Toronado. My 2-door got pummeled in a Texas hailstorm whilst we keep Dad's 4-door for 29 years. Still running and looking almost as good as it first came home to roost. JJS

thanks for posting I started buying cars in 1972 so I remember most of your videos

I had a 69 and 70 mark 3 in the early 80s . Awesome ride

I thought it cool how they raised the deck lid and that in doing so without raising the roof, it squeezed the roof line. I would never have thought of that being the result. And in regards to the front overhang…if they could have seen a few years ahead and look at what the Eldorado became in the 1970s, they’d have had no qualms. Those Eldon’s had huge front overhang as did the Lincoln Town Cars.

The Mark 3 is Beautiful!!!! Great Ride and Plenty of Power!!! 💪

The Mark III always reminds me of the 1971 movie The French Connection. Thanks to Adam for helping to keep automotive history alive...

Fun fact: This wasn't a Lincoln though it was sold at Lincoln dealerships. The brand name was just Continental. It was a Continental Mark lll

Those styling proposals are really fascinating, with some definite shades of the 70s Grand Marquis coupes on display.

Good video 😀

Ford Australia's LTD 1976 to 1979 had a similar front and grill without the hidden headlights

One gorgeous sled.

One of the most beautiful cars ever produced, unmatched to this day - I'll take a '71 with the real wood on the dash and high back seats please! I didn't really like the original hubcaps (17:12) and thought they stuck out too far, prefer the later model hubcaps (6:53) myself. I'm usually a fan of vinyl roofs but that smooth top at 12:15 is stunning. The back end of the model at 7:44 looks like a Buick Electra 225 the front at 22:22 and 23:48 looks like a '71 Mercury Marquis.

I consider the four-door Thunderbird to be a masterful execution on a difficult platform. The interior and especially the rear were and are very comfortable. I guess beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

very nice car.

I enjoyed the whole show 👏

To me, the '65 proposal looks like Cadillac styling

Iacocca was a genius!!

Thank you Adam. The facts and the design story and proposal was interesting to see. The video was well explained and broken down. A lot of inspiration came from the past. The other thing that was interesting how it got is own unique features. The most interesting thing was the fact Mercury was against this car and they later copied aspects of the design. The other interesting thing was the inspiration from Europe and they later did it again in the 1980's where the Mark VII was inspired by European cars. That early design proposal looks like a early 1970's Mercury Marquis.

Masterful re-working. Doubt the average customer in 69 had any idea. I like the 4dr T-bird, but it only works in dark colors which somewhat hide the cut line. Another (perhaps) little known fact is that Hermann C Brunn was largely responsible for the very elegant interior - son of Hermann A Brunn whose firm had bodied a number of Lincolns back in the marque's Classic heyday.

Out of the three years of the continental Mark three 1971 was the best year because more things that were optional were standard. The early models came with high back seats, which are the most comfortable seat you ever going to sit in all the wood is real on 70 and 71 instead of tape and 69 also the 70 was the first year for radial tire, and the Mark was the first car to be mass produced with the radial tire

Is it just me, or does the tail of the "Launcelot" styling exercise at 7:35 look somewhat like some higher end GM full size cars from the late 60s/early 70s?

I like the lines of this Mark III, except for its lights, grill, and the spare tire hump unfortunately (as opposed to the original 58 Mark III, which I like all of). That said, if the prototype pictured at 8:00 was the model actually produced, I would be hunting for one now in a heartbeat!

Very cool

The 61 Linc is my favourite but these are pretty nice as well.They look even better without the vinyl roof. The Lancelot with the sword emblem was great! Too bad they scrapped it.

I think the four-door T-bird should have gotten an even longer wheelbase considering how short the rear doors are, even though they cut into the sail panels.

The name "Lincoln" is not on the vehicle. Even the info plaque when raising the hood is "Continental Mark III".

Wow, that big, red and black "Launcelot" looks like a '69-'70 Caddy!

Another great episode. The car shown in the commercial is an interesting color. Brown? Amber? Regardless, when they show the side view, the front cap seems to be a shade off. Did Lincoln paint the front-ends separately? I would have thought on a prestige car, all panels would be shot together.

Nice

I am fairly certain that ASC was also contracted by General Motors to turn the W-Body Cutlass Supreme into a convertible.

The door cards are works of Art

Beautiful car. You coul order a moon roof on the 68 Mercury Cougar. It's prominent in many adds of the time both print an television.

I wonder if Chrysler ever floated the idea of an imperial luxury coupe. To compete with this and the Eldorado. In this time period. It would be interesting to see the designs if they did.

Adam, At 3:20 you chose a photo of a 4 door Thunderbird which includes a portable outhouse or 'Go Hut' in the background. Is this intended as a sly editorial comment? 🤔

I noticed that one of the later design prototypes had cornering lights. Did any production Mark IIIs ever have them?

With the 1956 Mark II trunk hump, it looks like a re-envisioned Mark II tail light came along for the ride.

Video good. Excessive commercials/ads NOT GOOD.

That close-up front view of the prototype looks like the production Mercury of that era.

Some of those early design concepts had a bit of an 'Eldo-centric' look to them, at least in the front.

I love hearing from the original design people, in this case Dan Ash

Is that Chris Shenkel doing the voice over on the commercial at the start of the video?

My favorite years

Yes, the vinyl roof looks good. But DAYUM...the slick-top is SVELTE! That "Lancelot" proposal looks waaayyy Cadillackie from the rear. Merlin, Lancelot: remember that (late) Kennedy administration was referred to as "Camelot" from the musical from the early 60s period of that proposal. Interesting how it was so much of it's era.