Car Collector’s Corner: 1979 Collector Series Lincoln Mark V

Like most car guys, Wayne Cooper always had one particular "must have" car on his wish list. Most guys have familiar names like Corvettes, Challengers, or Mustangs on their lists. Not Wayne. His all time chart topping car was a 1979 Lincoln Mark V (Collector Series). Like most motivated car guys, he eventually reached a point where he could find and acquire his dream car. It didn't start out that way. In 1979 this car listed at $24,000 and that kind of money was far beyond the reach of a younger Wayne Cooper. But he did have the option to drive his employer's Mark V on a regular basis and that's how the hook was set. As Wayne explained, " I fell in love". His search took several years. He did eventually find this incredibly low mileage Mark V via an estate sale. Even then, the purchase didn't happen overnight. He looked at the V in Oct. 2007 and didn't actually buy it until 6 months had gone by. Finding this rare Lincoln was fortunate.Wayne had been to hundreds of car shows and he'd never seen one at any of the shows. One of the byproducts of my owner interviews is the opportunity to learn about non-mainstream vintage iron. This Mark V is a classic example. These cars were better equipped than the relatively new F-15 fighter jet at the time. The list of standard equipment was the size of a grocery list for a family of twelve-up to and including an 8 track stereo with "quad" sound. The seats have an infinite number of adjustments so Wayne reports, " I can drive this thing at 75 or better for 7 hours and never get tired thanks to the seats and the ride". The Lincoln "sees the real world" according to Wayne despite the low miles on the car (55,000). The Mark V looks like it belongs in a museum thanks to a lifetime of quality maintenance, no winter driving and a temperature controlled garage. The end result is an impeccably well-preserved piece of Lincoln history. These are the cars that don't get the same press as a Boss 302 Mustang, yet they are a significant part of Ford's history. Wayne used to dabble in classic era 5-6-7 Thunderbirds back in the 70s, but a fateful day back in the waning days of disco set off an atom bomb in his car guy world. He drove a brand new 1979 Lincoln Mark V (Collector Series). For more of J Sutherland's work go to mystarcollectorcar.com from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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