1998 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC

Description

If you go into a Lincoln store today, you'd be forgiven for not quite knowing where you were. Ford's luxury division seems to have forgotten the cars that made Lincoln great, and there's just no excuse for not having a Mark personal luxury coupe on the showroom floor. The Mark VIII was the last of the breed, and fortunately, this 1998 Mark VIII LSC is a fantastic performer with low miles and exemplary maintenance, so you can satisfy your high performance Lincoln coupe craving without having to settle for whatever sedan they're calling a MK these days.

The Mark VIII was a great showcase of Ford's silky smooth 4.6 liter DOHC V8, which gave the LSC the moves of a much lighter car. American through and through, it's big, strong, silent, and capable of eating up vast stretches of highway without breaking a sweat. The LSC (which stands for Luxury Sport Coupe) was ostensibly the most sporty of the bunch, with a firmer suspension, bigger tires, dual exhaust, and a few other niceties to make it feel less pillowy and more aggressive. In truth, they seemed to nail the balance of luxury and sport, creating a car that looks handsome and refined, yet distinctive, and whose performance exceeds expectations. With just under 67,000 original miles, this handsome coupe shows extremely well, with the white pearl paint glowing in the sun and showing very few signs of use beyond a scuff on the front bumper. LSCs like this one got upgraded headlights, a color-matched grille (instead of chrome), and a full-width taillight treatment that includes a neon tube that lights the center section.

The tan leather interior is simply gorgeous, with a wrap-around instrument panel that feels very futuristic. The seats show very little wear and certainly no signs of damage beyond some slight wrinkles and even the carpets remain in excellent shape. There's some wood on the center console and a wide instrument panel that houses big, round analog gauges that you can read at a glance. Obviously, as Lincoln's flagship, everything was standard, from automatic climate control with ice cold A/C, to power windows, locks, seats, and mirrors, to a trip computer that monitors, well, just about everything. Cruise control buttons are on the steering wheel and there's a powerful AM/FM/cassette stereo system with CD changer and in the hushed Mark VIII's interior, it sounds amazing. There's also a big trunk that makes road trips a pleasure.

With 280 horsepower on tap, the Mark VIII is alarmingly fast, and that DOHC V8 makes a sound akin to ripping silk as it roars towards redline. In truth, there still aren't many cars that are faster on the roll, and punching this car at highway speeds produces an unending stream of torque that hurls the big coupe forward effortlessly. It's properly maintained and if service in Mustang Cobras has taught us anything, it's that this Modular motor is virtually indestructible. The 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission has a knack for always being in the right gear and it just loafs along at highway speeds thanks to tall gears out back. The all-independent suspension was originally equipped with airbags at all four corners, but that troublesome setup has been wisely replaced with coil springs, which preserve the ride and handling but eliminate the headaches. Big disc brakes with ABS haul it down from speed without drama and it's fitted with gorgeous chrome alloy wheels wearing 225/60/16 Michelin radials all around.

The last of Lincoln's personal luxury coupes is still a fantastic car, and at this price, you get incredible performance and luxury for pennies on the dollar. Call today!