A rarely driven Lincoln Mark V resurfaces after decades, showing just 40 original miles today
When it comes to classic cars that sit for decades, most end up parked due to mechanical problems or because owners moved on to something newer. This 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V tells a very different story. The woman it was meant for passed away, and the family chose to store the car instead. More than four decades later, it’s come back as a true low-mileage time capsule.
This final-year Mark V was originally a gift from a husband to his wife. Tragically, she died not long after the car left the showroom. At that point, the odometer showed only 40 miles. Devastated, the husband placed the Lincoln into storage, where it remained untouched for over 40 years.
When the car finally resurfaced, it was in remarkably clean condition, still showing those same 40 miles from 1979. The coupe was later featured by the YouTube channel “CARFINDER” at a local auction, and the footage shows just how well-preserved it is. It even retains its original window sticker, identifying it as a Collector’s Series model.
The Mark V was produced from 1977 through 1979 and sold alongside the standard Continental lineup. While the regular Continental came in multiple body styles, the Mark V was strictly a two-door coupe. At 230 inches long, it was slightly shorter than its sedan counterpart, yet it still held the title as the longest two-door coupe ever built by Ford Motor Company at the time.
Over its run, the Mark V was offered in several special editions. These included Designer Series versions inspired by names like Bill Blass, Emilio Pucci, Cartier, and Givenchy. There was also a Diamond Jubilee Edition released in 1978 to celebrate Ford’s 75th anniversary.
For 1979, Lincoln introduced the Collector’s Series as a send-off for the Mark V. It was essentially an upgraded version of the Diamond Jubilee Edition, packing in nearly every available option as standard.
This version skipped opera windows and came in just four colors: Midnight Blue Moondust, Diamond Blue Moondust, Light Silver Moondust, and white. Blue and white models featured matching vinyl tops, and all examples included gold-accented trim on the grille, hood ornament, and wheels.
The package itself added a hefty $8,000 to the price, pushing the total close to $21,500 back then—roughly $102,900 in today’s money. With options like a moonroof and delivery fees, this specific car came out to $23,243, or about $111,200 today.
Even with that steep price, the Collector’s Series still attracted 6,262 buyers. The white version seen here is one of 2,040 produced in that color, making it the second most common, though still a small fraction of total production.
This particular Lincoln showed up at an auction in Palm Springs. While the exact date wasn’t mentioned in the video, records suggest it crossed the block in early 2020. At that point, it had just come out of storage—meaning this car had been sitting for an incredible 41 years.
In the end, the coupe sold for $28,885, a modest price for such a rare and well-preserved piece of automtive history, even if time had kept it almost entirely off the road.