Is This the Pinnacle of American Luxury? The 1969 Lincoln Mark III Was Luxury Perfection

Lee Iacocca was an automotive marketing genius.

I worked for the Lincoln Mercury Division in the 1980s. The Mark III was regarded with great reverence in that decade, as it was widely known inside the company that the Mark III had the best build quality, assembly, materials and quality control of any Lincoln in the post-war era.

My grandfather drove Cadillacs until the Mark III, after that it was a new Mark almost every year! He let me drive his Mark IV when I had my learner's permit. It was so smooth and quiet I was going 95 before I knew it. He said "I think you better slow it down!".

It's so great to see these classics still around and owned by someone who understands and appreciate them as much as you. I really miss the style of these old American cars versus today's mostly homogeneous looking cars. Your videos always remind me of how much more enjoyable driving used to be, at least in my opinion. Thanks for the ride.

Remember buying my 1970 MKIII, 21K miles 2 owner 1 family car in Arizona in late 90ties, Yellow car with brown leather and brown roof. Having driven mid and late 60ties Cadillac's as dailies mostly I was truly amazed by the quality of the Lincoln, as opposed to what I was used to on earlier ford products. Drove the car for 5 weeks touring the US and purchasing more cars before shipping it to Europe. Car drove like a dream, comfortable, silent, mountains of torque, ice cold AC, and a memory that will last forever, of a John Denver 8 track tape getting stuck in the player... 5 weeks of "country roads, take me home" is not something one forgets easily. She is also quite a thirsty girl, but that is easily forgiven. Timeless classic. :D Love the color on yours, beautiful car.

Yes, yes it is. Having owned one of these wonderful cars, I can also attest what unique luxury cars they were, in so many ways. In particular, the quality of materials and assembly were quite something for the time, and I do agree -- unmatched for the price. And, as I've mentioned before -- fiendlishly complicated.

50 years later it remains iconic. Drop dead magnificent. On the shifter jumping into reverse, my 1964 Continental did that a half hour AFTER being parked. From that day forward, I always put a chock behind the rear wheels.

Ford is pretty good at keeping historical touches in their vehicles. All Ford trucks and full size SUVs have that interior door handle. They still use the blue/green lighting and the PRNDL is still in the center of the dash. Absolutely beautiful car. It looks expensive and luxurious even by today’s standards.

My late stepdad had a '69 triple black with combination leather and fabric seats with an 8 track player. Beautiful, comfortably riding car. It looked worth the price and then some. He later traded it in for a '72 Mark IV in 1973. Appreciate looking at yours. Brings back memories. Thanks again Adam!

Just to confirm what you stated about the Mark III's design and quality - YES, they were a cut above anything else coming out of Detroit at the time. The level of detail in the interior, as well as the fit, finish and materials were so much nicer than anything from Chrysler Imperial or Cadillac. In fact, I recall that when the Mark IV was introduced I was so disappointed when inspecting one in the showroom for the first time in the Fall of 1972. The Mark IV was based on Ford's intermediate Torino platform and the quality was about the same as the lesser car. That also explains the smaller trunk. All of the expensive trim pieces, the tight fits and the precision in the body panels went out the window. The IV was a great LOOKING car - but the build integrity was just standard FoMoCo. They really took cost out of the interior in comparison to the Mark III as well. Anyway, thanks for the ride in your beautiful 1969 Mark III. That is one of the finest Lincolns ever built & a very special car!

According to the Encyclopedia of American Cars, the '69 Mark III sold 23,088 vs 23,333 for the Eldorado. Base prices were $6758 and $6711 respectively. As model years progressed, the Continental started to outsell the Eldorado, and by 1977, the Mark V, with over 80,000 sold, had twice the sales of the Eldo.

What a beautiful automobile. I just love looking at it. The sight lines, hidden headlamps... so nice.

I would own one of these in a heartbeat. I got to drive a number of these but never owned one unfortunately. It amazes me how you keep all your car facts so precisely correct, Adam. Great videos!

My now deceased neighbor Samuel Maverick of Houston, Tx bought one of these (black on black) from Plaza Lincoln Mercury. I was 16 at the time - it was as if a space ship had landed in his drive way , it was a breath taking creation.

In addition to these being very well made cars with great quality materials , I think one of the reasons that these have a pretty high survival rate is because of how beautiful they were and how much their owners loved and took care of them !!! Great cars

What a beautiful car! I miss the ride of these older luxury cars. Please leave the hood ornament! A few things I miss on newer cars are the hood ornaments, opera lights, 12" rear view mirrors, and soft seats just to name a few. And yes, I had a 65 Thunderbird and it popped out of park very easily. The whole shift mechanism just felt lightweight and underwhelming. Then on the other side of the spectrum on my 72 Country Squire, the gear shift itself just broke off in my hand one day. I had to shift with vise-grips for awhile until my uncle helped me install a salvage yard steering column.

I was 15 in 1970 and a friends parents let him drive their newly purchased white Mk III to school. Probably not a good decision. We’d take that amazing ride to lunch and “fly!” I remember thinking how this had to be the most beautiful car ever conceived. Love the subtle Mark II reference in the silhouette. Glad Ford made sure this new Mark more price-accessible than the II, which obviously contributed to its success. I want one! Thanks Adam

I remember when I purchased my first Lincoln after being let down by my 1979 Eldorado/Biarritz diesel and again by my 1982 8-6-4 Fleetwood d'elegance I took it to my grandmother's house to show her and she said: "Cadillac is a nice car but Lincoln makes a statement". She was so right in so many ways. The last Lincoln that I purchased or rather ordered was the 2002 Lincoln LS and I still have it to this day, it runs and looks like the day I bought it with 119K.

I love the sweeping rear of the fenders and that faux spare tire became one of my young mind's iconic signs of a Lincoln, like nothing else. Astounding that the seals in the AC have held up. Some cars have them poop out almost as an undeclared maintenance item. That's the quality you alluded to.

For a long time, the mark III was my dream car. It's still one of the most beautiful cars ever made, as far as I'm concerned. These cars are magnificent designs and are super well executed. I think burgundy is the best color on these, and just overall your example is truly a pretty example of a wonderful car. All of those complicated automatic systems with vacuum control is probably the main reason why this isn't exactly my first choice for a daily driven classic in the modern world.