1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II

While competitors competed to build the tallest fins and heaviest chrome bumpers, Ford Motor Company took a radical turn toward aristocratic restraint with the 1956 Continental Mark II. Chief stylist John Reinhart rejected prevailing space-age gimmickry, shaping a long-hood, short-deck silhouette with crisp horizontal bodylines and subtle brightwork. Chrome was applied with surgical precision: a fine egg-crate grille, slender bumper blades, and the iconic stamped spare-tire trunk bulge. Hand-assembled with peerless craftsmanship, each Mark II cost around ten thousand dollars, matching a Rolls-Royce. Powered by a 368-cubic-inch V8 delivering 285 horsepower, it offered a dignified masterclass in mid-century American elegance.