The LSC was amazing back in the day. These SC ones are still around and that air suspension can be set up to really drop it for the track. I was always partial to the 635 coupe and this was a fair bigger American version ha.
I had 2 LSCs, one I converted to a stick, one I just did a catback on. Loved them both. Great road trip car, great looking and comfortable. I would love to get another one and Coyote swap it but my pockets aren’t that deep lol. I’m glad you made this video, the Mark VII LSC doesn’t get enough love!!
There was a guy near me in Charleston, SC who bought a '87 Lincoln Mk VII LSC and immediately took it to a custom shop- he had all the chrome blacked out, had a set of BBS wheels with polished rims and black centers installed, and finally a local speed shop added a Paxton supercharger to the already potent (for the time) 5.0L HO V8 and a custom exhaust. That was a sinister-looking and performing luxury sports coupe no doubt! I'll admit I loved the MK VIII when it first dropped, but always had a special love for the MK VII LSC, along with the Cougar XR7 and T-Bird Turbo Coupe.
I had the opportunity to purchase a 24,000 mile, 1991 LCS, 6 months ago. I was extremely fortunate to find such a pristine example, it’s just like brand new!
@@paralyzes I’m guessing you won’t post anything on it because it only exists in your mind. You’ve explained a $35-$45k example of that car man. If you really had it, you’d show it off
The Mark VII LSC is my favorite Lincoln of all time. Those 200+ hp cars with the mean sound of the 302, along with the minimum chrome exterior, black wired wheels, and thick rubber make it a very attractive car. And it had the perfect exterior and interior styling to make it modern European contemporary for its time, along with American muscle, American luxury, and American hot rod.
@michaelsimko7694 they aren't wired rims they are mesh, like BMW rims. And they are badass, there's ones for the Ford crown Vic and the mercury grand Marquis as well with both having a a center cap with each Brand's logo respectively. I've seen people put them on rx7s and other stuff with 5lug and it looks cool. One of Ford's cooler rim designs.
Murican Alert! A 302 is not a mean V8. The full plastic interior is not Luxurious. The Lies the Suspension tells are unforgivable for anyone interested in driving near the machines ability. Those rims may be weird, they might be cast aluminum designed to mimic a "wire wheel," but they aren't wired to anything.
What he is showing as the 302 is actually the 1988 to 1991 Mark 7. The 84 and 85 Mark 7 had a round air cleaner with throttle body injection and had at least 200 HP and were mean. I know this because I worked at Hertz car rental back then as a shuttler. And there is no way they could be compared to a mustang
@@EarlGuyton425 That's right. 1987 was when the 302 began to make serious horsepower for its time, making my favorite years of the Fox Body Mustang and Mark VII LSC 1987 to 1991.
One time Mom and Dad took a trip in my Aunt and Uncles Mark VII up to Montreal Canada. Mom said "Your Aunt has a lead foot and was making good time. How much is 100 KPH in MPH?" I said "Mom, Auntie was driving 100 MPH. Her speedometer doesn't magically change to kilometers just because you crossed the border!"
@@philpacella7849 ... Maybe the suspension of the Lincoln Lied so well to Auntie, that she was unable to determine the 40 mph difference? Anyone else in the car could have said, "Auntie, press the black button, and our next chance for gas (and B-room) is thirty, er, fifty minutes out." But they probably where thinking of their bladders over Auntie's driving record, or the possibililty of a moose out for a walk.
100 KPH = 62 MPH, just for future reference! 🤣 That's why when you see road tests either conducted in Europe or on a European-spec car they time 0-62 MPH, that's because they actually timed 0-100 KPH. I was wondering if this guy was going to cover the GTC version of the Mark VII LSC...also wondering if it's at all possible to recreate one if you got your hands on a more normal Mark VII...
The Mark VII was one of the coolest cars Lincoln ever built. I've personally never owned one, but I have had many Lincolns, including four Mark VIII's and several Town Cars and Continentals.
my dad was going to buy one of these in 1988, but ended up at a Jeep dealer and took a Wranger back to my irate mother. Legend. We had a Continental, but was too bad he never got a Mark Vii or Viii
Your poor mom! That's so funny😂! My mom would have made dad drive the Wrangler straight back to the dealer. "It's going back now. Get it done before dinner."
Did you guys have the Continental at that time. If so, he probably made the right choice with the Jeep. Continental's were a similar level of comfort and luxury. My mom actually wanted a Continental and was convinced if she brought it home as a test drive loaner from a dealer friend, that my dad would buy it. She was furious when he flat out said no in the driveway. That was not a great day...
@@rarecars3336; I've just subbed to your channel. I'm very fond of older American cars especially those from the 50's on. I'm familiar with the Lincoln MK7. I had a few friends of mine own them. I did a service on the BMW diesel engine version. As you said, the engine is similar to the BMW 524 TD. While they weren't powerhouse engines,they DID get impressive fuel economy. This was their main selling point and of course to compete with BMW and Mercedes Benz. My friend's cars had the 302 CFI V8 of '84-'85. In my experience with these cars, I found the ABS brakes and air suspension system to be very troublesome. On one car I actually converted it to a standard braking and suspension system. The reason was it was just too expensive to repair the original ABS and Air suspension system. Otherwise these cars were basically at the top of their game in the mid '80's. If I had the funds,I'd get a Californian car and mod it a bit for better performance. Thanks again for the video. Keep up the great work.👍👍💪🇨🇦🇺🇸🇯🇲
I worked at a Ford Performance shop in the early 2000’s and we had a customer that had one of these in blue on blue and we did a Vortec supercharger and a GT40 upper and lower with bigger injectors and fuel pumps/fmu system to support it all. We also did 3.73 gears and restacked the clutch packs to give it less slip on hard launches. It was a total sleeper and at the end of its build it had a 408 stroker, larger Procharger supercharger and a 150hp NOS system just for shits and giggles. I think it ran low 11’s, which was amazing for a car that heavy back then and had cold air and room for 5. Love these cars.
When my Dad bought his Cougar in '85, there was a black Mark 7 convertible LSC in the showroom. Probably made by American Sunroof. It was stunningly beautiful.
My dad worked at a Ford Lincoln dealer in Canada. He had many of these as his demonstrators (demo). Mostly LSC'S. Would sometimes only have them a week. I would get to drive them to high-school sometimes. He didn't want to get up and drive me to hockey practice at 5 am. Not the best in winter to drive. Boy were they fast and fun to drive. I was lucky I didn't wrack one up as a teenager driving around it with my buddies.
Always a Ford guy, but was never really into Mustangs. I preferred cars that were different. Out of the numerous cars I've had, two of my favorites were my Turbocoupes. I kept thinking of swapping a V8 in one of them, but didn't have the heart to actually do it. About 20 years ago, a Mark VII at a small town dealer lot kept catching my eye. No need to V8 swap, this would be very similar. So I test drove that car with every intention to buy. Super nice, very similar feel to a Tbird, but traded some lighter weight nimbleness for a 5.0HO. It didn't feel faster than the Turbocoupe, but definitely had better low end pull. When I went to negotiate with the owner, he told me, "if you like that, you should drive this Mark VIII I just got in." I wasn't too interested. The VIII looked way fatter, and had a smaller engine. But why not? I wasn't expecting much, and I was already sold on the VII... until I punched her down. The VIII stomped the VII a new butthole, no doubt. I still have that VIII today. If it wasn't for that quick detour in fate, I'm certain that the Mark VII would have been in my stable for a long time. Very comfortable, quick, and a little odd.
The Mark VII was based on the fox platform, so it was kinda like a bigger, more powerful and luxurious version of the '83 thru '87 FoxBody T-Bird. The Mark VIII came out a few years later and was based on the 1989 Thunderbird's MN12 chassis, which was heavier and had an independent rear suspension. The motor was a high-output 32-valve version of Ford's modular 4.6L V-8.
This was my first car! A 1987 Mark VII LSC because my parents told me I couldn't buy a Mustang because I would hurt myself. LOL My first tattoo was also a tribute to it. I hope to buy a later 92 LSC SE and swap everything out of my Cobra, IRS, engine and all into it sometime!
@@rarecars3336 yep, I thought I was being sly.. lol My dad new better being a mechanic but didn't rat me out to my mom. lol. Not a bad $400 first car either!
@@douglasmcdowall5006 Why do I think I hear a rattling going on out back in the shed where a suspicious "Rat Rod Jack Roush" sleeper is coming along?? That would be a serious sleeper!! Nowadays, nearly no one would know what is was and then they'd just be staring at tail lights!! Good Luck Doug...there's a lot of fun in them thar hills!! 😂🤣
When I was about 19-20 years old, back in 1998-2000, my daily driver was a 1988 Lincoln MarkVII. We bought the car from our local mechanic, who we trusted, and who restored and sold cars as a side business out of his shop. My car in particular was an LSC trim that had a Bill Blass interior installed. The car originally had an interior fire and was pretty damaged. Our mechanic bought it for cheap at auction, sourced and installed the Bill Blass interior, and re-did the fuel system on the car. We drove the car pretty reliably for a number of years until some electrical gremlins surfaced and the air ride suspension started to malfunction. We had to turn off the auto-leveling feature, so the car wouldn't unexpectedly let air out, or fully pump up the airbags while driving. I really enjoyed driving that car, and I was certainly the only person at college who had a MarkVII. Love the sound of that Ford 302 as well.
The best all around Hotrod Lincoln ever. My quick story is....working at Wendle Ford and when I saw it....I literally got goose bumps. It was my introduction to PowerBreaking. What an awesome car...still today.
Intriguing fact: The Fox body Mustang and the dowdy Fairmont came out at the same time on the same chassis. Ford looked at their Thunderbird/Cougar/Mark products and knew they needed a radical redesign and that is what they did, ditching the squared off look for the rounded curves of their later cars. Midway through the design process, Jack Telnack the designer looked at the proposed Lincoln Mark VII with it's very formal rear roofline and sweeping rear side window, and at the beautiful curves of the Cougar. "Hey, why don't we swap these? Let's give the Cougar design to Lincoln, and make the Lincoln design the Cougar?" And that is exactly what happened. If you look carefully at a side view of the Mark VII you will vaguely see the rear roof shape that mimics the 1968 Mercury Cougar. I got this information from Jack Telnack himself.
@@philpacella7849the notchback roof line was never the problem stylistically so much as that weird "upside down" curving window that would be remedied with the 1989 to 1997 MN-12 Mercury Cougars. Which had a normal rear window and looked fine with very similar notchback roof styling. Seriously whoever approved that rear side window on those 80s Cougars needed to be slapped for that styling choice it just looked awkward and awful.
Did Jack have anything to share about why they went with that awful side rear window on the Cougars too? It would have been just as awful if it had been badged a Lincoln. What were they thinking? They nailed it with the Thunderbird and the LSC, very nice looking cars, then the Cougar was just sort of a styling abomination. Mostly due to that side rear window. Never liked them, and I like a lot of different model Cougars. The right answer would have been to nix the design that became the Cougar, let the LSC be the Cougar it should have been, and styled a decent-looking LSC for Lincoln instead of that ugly thing that ended up being pawned off as a Cougar. :)
I owned an '87 LSC! Great car. BBS, spoiler, pitch black windows, the works! People thought I was nuts when I took the performance bits off of my '88 Mustang GT and put it on the LSC. They didn't believe it was the same engine. Awesome sleeper.
The Lincoln MKVll LSC was one of the hottest, bad ass cars of that era. Along with the MKVll, the 1989 to 97 Ford Thunderbird SC and Mercury Cougar Xr7 are three automobiles that are still beautiful to this day. The styling was so clean that these cars continues to look modern.
Thanks for doing this video. Brings be back to my childhood when my mother had purchased a graphite grey 1986 Lincoln Mark VII LSC brand new. She kept it for years until we got a 1993 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer at which point, my brother was gifted the Lincoln. He of course didn't take good care of it and ended up sitting around our yard until the early 2000's. It was such a stellar car though, lots of interesting tech and lovely growl from the 5.0. I recall it being at the Ford dealer many times for the front air suspension failing but for the most part, it proved reliable. Cheers!
I had an 87 LSC and this car was absolutely amazing. The interior was gorgeous in dark grey leather, and very comfortable. Digital dash was cool, but the car was loaded and had every option. I miss that ride. Moved on to an 98 LSC, WOW!
I love, love, love the Mark VII. I got a summer job at a Lincoln dealer in 1990 and I remember just how beautiful those cars were when they'd come in for service, especially the triple black BBS wheels version. I really only remember them with the 5.0 engine. Another hot ride at the time was 3.8l supercharged Cougars XR7 and Thunder-chicken SC. Two years later, I picked up another shift at that same dealer as Ford was developing the modular engines. I had plenty of first hand knowledge of the performance of the new Mark VIII's and a couple of Mustangs. The Mark VIII was much faster than Mark VII in stock form but no where near as pretty.
When I was a teenager a man in town had an all black one with a centrifugal supercharger, and a fat cam. This was the late 90's, this was a VERY FAST car for back then.
I almost bought a used LSC in 1993 but instead bought an SHO Taurus because of the manual transmission. While I was never disappointed in my decision, I often wondered if it was the right one. I have wanted an LSC ever since. It is probably what lead me to buying a Lincoln LS in 2006. The LSC just had such presence. A beautiful car. And so many people do not know about the GTC. I knew Roush was involved in making some 351 LSC's with upgraded suspension parts but I forgot the lettering they used. Thanks for the reminder. I will now be lusting after a black on black GTC with a 351 and a T5 in my dreams...
Big fast cars were my thing ! I had 2 mark 7s, 1 T-bird SC and 3 mark 8s !!! a few other cars mixed in but those were my main rides ! loved them!!! 😃👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
When I crashed my 88 LSC in 90, 8 replaced it with the Thunderbird TurboCoupe. I wanted to get the Olds Grand National, but I couldn’t wait 3 months to get one.
This is one of the nicest videos I've on the history of the Mark 7. On Christmas Day. 18 years old my step-grandfather handed me the keys to my first car 1986 Mark 7. More than 20 years later I owned to Mark 7 and 2/97 Mark 8. This car let me to be independent on maintenance and working on any part of this car. And yes This includes rebuilding on the ABS system. My first car had 245 /60/ 15 BFG tires. This car shouldn't be underestimated around corners. 😯 This car has true highway capabilities. If you know what you're driving.
My dad bought my mom a charcoal gray LSC in 1987. After getting home from selling religion in Alaska in 1989, I borrowed that car all of the time! Driving friends to Astro Burger, getting in races on I15, and taking-out Blond chicks in this sweet machine…excellent memories abound!
I've done my share of wrenching on Mark VIIs. One thing you didn't talk about here, other than mentioning it had ABS, was how insane that system was. It wasn't set up like we're accustomed to, even today. Instead of a vacuum brake booster the Mark VII had an electric pump and accumulator. And yes, when that thing failed.... which they did.... you didn't have brakes. Think about how the brake system works on pretty much any modern car: the pedal under your foot pushes directly onto a piston, the motion of which is aided with a vacuum brake booster. The VOLUME of brake fluid sent to the wheel cylinders was directly proportional to pedal travel. Makes sense, right? But that's not how Mark VII brakes worked... Until you got to the bottom of the stroke, where there was some... symbolic emergency braking capability, the brake PRESSURE was directly proportional to pedal travel. I know what you're going to say: 'pushing the pedal in any other car increases pressure, dummy!' And yes, that is true, but the pressure increases because of the volume of brake fluid moved by the piston and the compressibility of the brake system as a whole. So you push the pedal, some volume of fluid is forced into the brake lines, and pressure builds as a result. Ok? ok... The Mark VII, with it's electric pump and accumulator controlled actual brake pressure. Fluid flow to the cylinders was dependent on the pressure, not the other way around. Because of that, it could absorb some faults.... like a leak! The pump and accumulator will apply pressure to the lines, and if fluid is being lost it will continue to maintain pressure until the accumulator runs dry. This happened to my brother. In about 2007, when his rust belt Mark VII was 18 years old, one of the rear brake lines rusted through. But he didn't know. There was no warning light. There was no pedal fade. One day the accumulator finally ran dry, at which point it kicked the pedal back out at him and the car proceeded to be REALLY hard to stop. It was when we were bleeding the brakes post line replacement that we discovered how the system worked. We had a certified Chrysler dealer mechanic working the bleed fittings, my brother pumping the brake, and I was supervising. Brother pumped 3, 4, 10 times and it never pumped up. It never built pressure. We all peered down at the master cylinder for a while and argued about what to do next. Was the cylinder failed? Did we just get air into it and have to re-prime? I recognized the pump instead of a booster and suggested turning the key on. Chrysler mechanic says 'no way keying this on is going to make a difference bleeding the brakes,' but I can be persuasive, especially when I've had a mechanical aha moment. Brother keyed the car on and what do you know, the pump starts humming. Dealer mechanic gets back underneath and prepares to open the bleed screw while brother pumps. I kid you not. When the bleed valve opened the car shot the brake fluid 6 feet. Once the accumulator went dry it kicked the pedal back up at my brother's foot. We did that a couple of times then finished the job having made a big brake fluid mess.
I delivered one of the 5 speed models once. 32 actual miles, 200 miles, and I'm by myself. What do you think happened? It even came with an operating car phone for the buyer. That was a great 4 hrs. (I took the scenic route.) : )
I had a Lincoln LSC Mark 7 in black paint with gray leather interior and the BBS style wheels with HO 5-liter. I had a 5.0-liter fox body Mustang at the time and was blessed with my first child, my daughter Nicole. So, I did the responsible thing and sold my Stang for a Lincon Mark 7. I loved the Lincoln LSC Mark 7 because it was luxury, styling and performance all wrapped into one vehicle.
I traded my first vehicle, an '86 Silverado short box for an ;86 MK7 straight across, though I regret getting rid of my Chev Shorty. This car was something else though! My only complaint was the air ride compressor. It was hard to find and I went through 3 of them. It really sucked at highway speeds when your compressor failed and your wheel wells all of a sudden are rubbing on your wheels. FYI its tough to pull off the road when your wheel tubs are on top of your tires. That being said, it was a wonderful car to drive. You felt like you were sitting in your Grandpas recliner while floating down the highway. Meanwhile it would do doughnuts for days with ease and drift if one so felt like breaking loose with great control. I honestly miss my MK7 more than that short box looking back almost 20 years later. Thanks for covering such an unknown, "Badass car" like you said! It was a sports car that had class is how I would sum it up.
Dad had one as a company car for a short time. Very smooth ride. Fast engine. A "sporty luxury" interior. It looks rather big now but at that time it was a mid sized car. The Mark 7 and 8s were good cars.
I had a family friend with one of these and rode around a lot in it when it was new. These cars were in a class of their own in the late 80s, early 90s.
Hot is a very apt description, lol. I've owned 3 LSCs and another is on my bucket list. Any 5 speeds were the GTC upfits and are very rare. At one point a 5 speed was mentioned in the Lincoln sales brochures for the LSC but, to my knowledge, none were ever confirmed built. However, being a Fox chassis, it's a pretty easy swap using Mustang parts.
I had an 86 LSC that I bought new, and loved it. Got a good laugh when I put it in to have a 10 disc cd changer installed and they ran the battery down while the guy was in the trunk. I pulled up while they were pushing it out of the shop bay and the ass end was about 15 inches higher than it was supposed to be. As soon as we jumped it the air ride went back down, but what a sight. It gave its life for me in a crash on I-495 after 2years of enjoyment.
I just traded a ‘93 mustang four banger roller that I paid $300 for a few years back for an ‘84 SVO. The SVO did have a fire under the hood way back in ‘01 & it’s sat undercover since then but it will rise from the ashes. It looked terrible when I towed it home but after a wash, it’s actually just bad & ugly. This will be the third SVT/SVO that I’ve put back on the road. I rebuilt an ‘03 Mach1 that was wrecked and an ‘04 Focus SVT with a blown engine that sat for 8 years in a garage. All three were all under 60k miles. Cheep gems are out there if you look.
I had four Mk VIIs '86, '88, '90, & '92. Only 88 was a designer series all others were LSCs. Unfortunately they were all stolen because Mustang hotrodders needed the engine, trans, rear Axle and 4 wheel discs. In '98 I had a MKVIII which I still have along with my '71 MK III which has all the Bottom end grunt you could ever want 525 ft lbs. of torque to lift that 5350 lbs. of Lincoln away from a stop light. The MK III has 332K miles on Original engine and Trans. The VIII has 256K miles om Orig. Engine and Trans, and in '03 The brakes were switched to Mustang Cobra Discs front and rear along with 18" wheels great improving the stopping power and Handling.
Love these cars! Factory headers, add a shift kit, and you got a sweet ride. I had a 1990 LSC that I wish I would have kept. I was tired of dealing with a leaking air bags in the front suspension. Should have fixed it and kept it!
I've owned 3 of the LSC Mark Vll cars. One developed a problem with the air suspension leaking down, which I converted to an aftermarket coil spring kit on all four corners. Also, I swapped out the anti-sway bars for those larger bars from a Ford Thunderbird turbo coupe. Adding V-rated tires and cross-drilled & slotted brake rotors really improved the ride comfort, handling and braking. I would have enjoyed that car even more, if Mercury had offered a 1980's-style Mercury Capri convex glass lift-gate (like a 'shooting brake-style') to the rear half of the car. I never liked the phony spare tire cover-look of the trunk lid.
I had a brand new 88 Mark VII LSC black with a tan leather interior. Handled beautiful and the anti-lock brakes saved my posterior more than once. I kept it for 6 years and 200,000 miles.
My Dad bought a MarkVII LSC with the BMW Turbo Diesel for my Mom. She hated it, but my buddies and I used to rip around in it and it got great mileage. The air suspension was fantastic. It was Silver with back interior and we called it the Silver Bullet (really unique, right?). Great on the highway at speed but slow out of the hole due to the diesel, but overall a pretty cool rig.
I went to visit a buddy of mine. As I turned down the street to his place there was a root beer barrel brown Mark 7 parked on the guys front lawn that looked a bit ratty. I knocked on the front door and the wife answered. I asked if the car was for sale and if so can I take a look at it. She let me pop the hood and it had the turbo diesel under the hood. I gave her my # and told her if he wants to sell it I would buy it. Sadly, I never heard from the guy. :(
The Fox platform was introduced in 1977 as the 78 Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr. It then became the base of most of Ford's rear wheel drive cars, with the exception of the largest cars.
I had an '84 LSC in high school that did 13s in the quarter mile on pump gas. It was the beginning of my love affair, to this day, with "up badged" cars The switch in the trunk to turn off the air bag suspension and make it an instant low rider was pretty sweet.
As a kid in the late 80s ,my grandparents always did Cadillac. I always liked them because they were Shinny 😄. But my parents always did Mercury. My Mom bought a brand new '89 Mercury Cougar. Whiles get an oil change one time, sitting in the waiting area. On the Show Room floor i remember seeing this car. Didn't know what it was at the time. Sitting next to a Town Car and a Mercury Sable. My Mother went to look at it along with other people. With that being said this Generation and the last Generation of the Marks were my favorite
I was 19 in 1987. I had a 1983 5.0 Mustang GT 5 Speed, but I dreamed of owning a 1987 Mark 7 LSC. I used to go to the Lincoln dealerships to check them out. I'll never forget how low they sat when parked. But, when turned on, how they raised in height.
I always thought that these were lovely cars. I worked with someone who had one (A Japanese woman actually) and her Lincoln definitely had an air of sophisticated, understated class. I never knew that it was a Fox body variant. Nice video! 👍
The only manual transmission Lincoln since WAY back in the day is the LS from the 2000s.. only came in the 6 cylinder.. but at least RWD. I had no idea the mark 7 had a t5 option. Wow.
The franchise owner of the Spur gas station and convenience store I worked at in the mid to late 1990's owned a Lincoln Mark VII. One December night his kids that worked the store threw a "Christmas party". We had a dinner at the store's food service area, exchanged little gifts (still have the Metallica CD they gave me). We took a taxi van to the Orlando downtown "entertainment district", where some of our customers got us into the best nightclubs. We had a fun time and drank a bit (a lot, actually), but could not get the taxi companies to send a van to pick us up - so the kids called their dad to pick us up. All *seven* (the 3 kids, their partners and myself) piled into the Dad's Mark VII. Luckily we had only about 5 miles to get back to the Spur store. I am still surprised that all 8 of us full sized adults fit into that two door car. It wasn't completely "comfortable" but we all fit. Tho... I made the mistake of commenting about a church we passed, it was the parents "home church"... I was duly chagrined.
I sat in an LSC at the Auto Show in LA in my teens and instantly fell in love! I've always been a Foreign Car sotra guy but I knew Foord was onto something good from that moment on!
I had a Mk LSC in 1988. A Beautiful car! ... That leaked into the trunk since the day I got it. The factory power amplifier was mounted in the trunk ... and got damaged every time we got heavy rain here in New England. The dealer could not stop the leak, and after replacing the power amp many times in warranty, offered my entire purchase price toward any new Lincoln or Ford on their lot. I ended up with a White 1988 Mustang GT convertible. I loved both cars!! 😁
@@rarecars3336 The Mustang, being smaller handles MUCH better, but - The Lincoln, especially compared to Lincolns of the day was AWESOME, quite a flex actually. It REALLY was a great car, discounting my car's flaws.
I was unaware of the gtc 351W version, but it makes sense considering roush built a 351W foxbody, and ford’s 95 cobraR even had a 351W despite having less space in the sn-95 platform. There fox chassis crown Vic’s with the police package also had a 351W as an option too. Thanks for the info Makes me miss my 79fairmont with a 408w/Gforce T5 combo
My 89 LSC was made into a SE clone. I called it the LSC-GT. Under drive pulleys, 2.5” X pipe, flowmasters and dumps, cougar eliminator hood scoop, crown Vic BBS wheels for an extra inch sticking out. AOD built would bark 2nd and 3rd. Miss that car every day for 20 years. 🛠️
Lsc was the car. Any one of us that had a fox 5.0 mustang or Capri would have traded what we had for this car, without question. If someone only offered.
I had an 87 LSC, which overall was an awesome car back in the day. Only issue I had with it was fuel injection problems which I got really tired of dealing with. I honestly wish I still had that car.
I'm surprised people still hate the Mustang II. The Mustang II was amazing. Not only because of its suspension, but also because it was a compact car that could fit a Windsor in box stock form.
I'm one of the few people who prefers the Mustang II styling over the boxy Fox Body Mustangs (which look to me like glorified Escort EXP coupes). Back in the early 90s, a friend's dad had a 1978 King Cobra with T-tops and I thought it was a really nice car. What some people tend to forget is that the Mustang didn't start out as a muscle car, but as a nice looking daily driver mainly aimed at women drivers. The King Cobra was actually faster than the 1964 and 1965 Mustangs, and the Mustang II was the best handling and well put together Mustang up to that point. People also make the false assumption that it was just a glorified Pinto, but it was actually a heavily modified version of the Pinto chassis that ended up making it a different car altogether. From Hagerty As the Mustang grew more muscular and larger through the late 1960s, sales dropped. Lee Iacocca, the Ford executive considered the father of the original Mustang, advocated development of a smaller and more economical second-generation model. The success of Ford’s own German-built Capri sport coupe, sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealerships, helped validate the new direction. Following Iacocca’s edict to build a highly refined small car - a “little jewel” as he called it - the Mustang II introduced numerous measures to quiet the ride, including an isolated front subframe. The Mustang II rode on a longer wheelbase than the Pinto, and the two shared only a few components. The Mustang II also brought a higher level of interior fit and finish than was seen in earlier Mustangs. “There’s less Pinto in a Mustang II than there is Falcon in a 1965 Mustang,” Clor said. The Mustang II arrived in August 1973 with a choice of coupe or fastback (hatchback) body styles. Two engines were available: an 88-horsepower 2.3-liter four-cylinder or the 2.8-liter, 105-horsepower V-6 from the Capri. A 13-second 0-60 time for the V-6 Mach 1 impressed no one. Greatly improved fuel economy compared with the previous Mustang, however, ensured the car’s success when the oil embargo that began in October 1973 sent sales of small cars soaring. Ford built 386,000 Mustang IIs for 1974, the most since 1967. Mustang II sales reached 1.1 million over the model’s five-year run. A 302-cid V-8 with a two-barrel carburetor became optional for 1975. Its 139 horsepower for 1977-78 models matched up with the 305 cubic-inch V-8 offered in the Chevy Monza and was, Clor points out, comparable to the 289 two-barrel V-8 in 1960s Mustangs. For a Car Craft magazine review, the Pro Stock drag racer Don Nicholson - Dyno Don to fans - coaxed a 17-second quarter-mile time at 80.7 mph from a stock 1978 Mustang II King Cobra. For the record, that was slightly quicker than Road & Track recorded with a 1967 289 four-barrel coupe.
People hated it because they recognized it was a re-bodied Pinto! Fords cheapest POS economy car and now you're gonna tell us it's a Mustang?! Sacrilege! Never mind that the original Mustang was built out of Falcon parts, Fords cheapest POS economy car at that time. Charlie's Angels sure looked good driving them, though.
The mrk 7 was really cool but the mrk 8 was on a whole nutha level. As a young highschool'er ( mid 90's ) I fantasied about a lowered, wide 17 inch bbs mesh wheels, 5 spd swap and a 5.0 with a B cam and headers.....never got that car but I have had some pretty sweet rides😏
We were a young family building a house. Needed to clear debt before closing so I sold it in 04 for $2500. Broke my heart! It had been to the Southern Super Heavy Shootout in Bradenton where the fords (7s, 8s, tbirds, cougars, crown Vic’s, marquis, town cars) drag raced the GMs (impala SS, caprice, eldorado). That was a fun time. I took 3rd in the fords due to three 7s breaking. Mid 13s in the 1/4. The 5 speed 7s were the coolest. Big Ant Petrone had a 351 race engine with a huge hood scoop. We called it the Moose Lodge. The shell is currently for sale near Miami. Good times. I’ve looked for it for 20 years and found out it was crushed in 2015. Time to build another.
My Dad owned an 88 Mk7 LSC and I took it out all the time. It was a seriously masculine high performance car. The suspension and brakes were incredible. People don't mention it often, but the JBL sound system w/ Dolby C cassette was outstanding. These cars were a terrific package. Buyers were not thinking of LSC vs European. The LSC is distinctly American.
It was the 2nd car I ever bought...and I LOVED it!! My family was expanding and I had to sell it. I think about it regularly and plan to get another one day.
My favorites of the Mark series were the Mark V and the Mark VII LSC. I wasn't greatly fond of the Mark VIII. I remember that Ford in the late 80s was working on a H.O. version of the 351 Windsor with the intent on offering it in the Mustang GT. They put a "5.8" badge on one sort of as a teaser. It was estimated to put out 250 bhp and 350 ft/lbs of torque. Both more than the Corvette at the time. In the end Ford decided not to do it but that engine was also going to be in the Mark VII LSC. I can only imagine what could have been.
Nice video and I appreciate the work that went into making it but at the 2:05 mark, no pun intended, why did you show a gen 6 Continental built off the Panther platform and not the Fox body based 7th? It was also the first American car with ABS and composite headlights. Even though it never went into production a casual mention of the Comtech Mark VII would have been cool. I guess they let Buick experiment with marketing touch screens in 1986.
Thanks man I appreciate that - had no idea this video would do so well given these cars are still financially pretty attainable which is awesome to see
I always loved the LSC!! Only thing about them that gave them a bad look was that suspension would fail often and once they failed not many people would pay for the repairs!! My uncle has one sitting in his garage to this day! The body is still in good condition and the motor also! He has the replacement parts for the shocks but it’s a headache not many want to deal with!! Very Fun Car to drive though!!😎👍🏽
So what do you think of the MK7?
Have you done a vid on the 84 T-bird Elan 5.0?
Love the 7. One of my favorite cars.
The LSC was amazing back in the day. These SC ones are still around and that air suspension can be set up to really drop it for the track. I was always partial to the 635 coupe and this was a fair bigger American version ha.
My Dad bought 2 of these used, and probably sold them at the wrong time! Good cars! I didn't know about the diesel!
I had 2 LSCs, one I converted to a stick, one I just did a catback on. Loved them both. Great road trip car, great looking and comfortable. I would love to get another one and Coyote swap it but my pockets aren’t that deep lol. I’m glad you made this video, the Mark VII LSC doesn’t get enough love!!
There was a guy near me in Charleston, SC who bought a '87 Lincoln Mk VII LSC and immediately took it to a custom shop- he had all the chrome blacked out, had a set of BBS wheels with polished rims and black centers installed, and finally a local speed shop added a Paxton supercharger to the already potent (for the time) 5.0L HO V8 and a custom exhaust. That was a sinister-looking and performing luxury sports coupe no doubt! I'll admit I loved the MK VIII when it first dropped, but always had a special love for the MK VII LSC, along with the Cougar XR7 and T-Bird Turbo Coupe.
I believe that may be the car on Tony's Classic yt channel
I had the opportunity to purchase a 24,000 mile, 1991 LCS, 6 months ago. I was extremely fortunate to find such a pristine example, it’s just like brand new!
Post a video of it, or at least a picture. Let’s see this gem
@@paralyzes I’m guessing you won’t post anything on it because it only exists in your mind. You’ve explained a $35-$45k example of that car man. If you really had it, you’d show it off
shouldn't it be an LSC (luxury sports coupe)...these cars were GORGEOUS!
The Mark VII LSC is my favorite Lincoln of all time. Those 200+ hp cars with the mean sound of the 302, along with the minimum chrome exterior, black wired wheels, and thick rubber make it a very attractive car. And it had the perfect exterior and interior styling to make it modern European contemporary for its time, along with American muscle, American luxury, and American hot rod.
@michaelsimko7694 they aren't wired rims they are mesh, like BMW rims. And they are badass, there's ones for the Ford crown Vic and the mercury grand Marquis as well with both having a a center cap with each Brand's logo respectively. I've seen people put them on rx7s and other stuff with 5lug and it looks cool. One of Ford's cooler rim designs.
Murican Alert!
A 302 is not a mean V8.
The full plastic interior is not Luxurious.
The Lies the Suspension tells are unforgivable for anyone interested in driving near the machines ability.
Those rims may be weird, they might be cast aluminum designed to mimic a "wire wheel," but they aren't wired to anything.
What he is showing as the 302 is actually the 1988 to 1991 Mark 7. The 84 and 85 Mark 7 had a round air cleaner with throttle body injection and had at least 200 HP and were mean. I know this because I worked at Hertz car rental back then as a shuttler. And there is no way they could be compared to a mustang
@@EarlGuyton425 That's right. 1987 was when the 302 began to make serious horsepower for its time, making my favorite years of the Fox Body Mustang and Mark VII LSC 1987 to 1991.
@@michaelsimko7694 My favorites were the 84 and 85 year models
One time Mom and Dad took a trip in my Aunt and Uncles Mark VII up to Montreal Canada.
Mom said "Your Aunt has a lead foot and was making good time. How much is 100 KPH in MPH?" I said "Mom, Auntie was driving 100 MPH. Her speedometer doesn't magically change to kilometers just because you crossed the border!"
If it had the led gauges (digital) there’s a little black button… press it once and it reads out in km per hour. Maybe Auntie wasn’t that crazy.
The Mark VII is my favorite of the Lincoln cars. They were probably the best cars that they made.
@@philpacella7849 ... Maybe the suspension of the Lincoln Lied so well to Auntie, that she was unable to determine the 40 mph difference?
Anyone else in the car could have said, "Auntie, press the black button, and our next chance for gas (and B-room) is thirty, er, fifty minutes out."
But they probably where thinking of their bladders over Auntie's driving record, or the possibililty of a moose out for a walk.
100 KPH = 62 MPH, just for future reference! 🤣 That's why when you see road tests either conducted in Europe or on a European-spec car they time 0-62 MPH, that's because they actually timed 0-100 KPH. I was wondering if this guy was going to cover the GTC version of the Mark VII LSC...also wondering if it's at all possible to recreate one if you got your hands on a more normal Mark VII...
As a person who saw these when new we used to call them the rich man’s mustang. Still a sharp looking car today.
I remember one of the magazines (I think it was Road & Track) referring to it as a Mustang In A Tuxedo.
The Mark VII was one of the coolest cars Lincoln ever built. I've personally never owned one, but I have had many Lincolns, including four Mark VIII's and several Town Cars and Continentals.
Drive it.
my dad was going to buy one of these in 1988, but ended up at a Jeep dealer and took a Wranger back to my irate mother. Legend. We had a Continental, but was too bad he never got a Mark Vii or Viii
Lol I’m sure she would have appreciated the comfortable ride of the Lincoln but the doors coming off the jeep
Your poor mom! That's so funny😂! My mom would have made dad drive the Wrangler straight back to the dealer. "It's going back now. Get it done before dinner."
Did you guys have the Continental at that time. If so, he probably made the right choice with the Jeep. Continental's were a similar level of comfort and luxury. My mom actually wanted a Continental and was convinced if she brought it home as a test drive loaner from a dealer friend, that my dad would buy it. She was furious when he flat out said no in the driveway. That was not a great day...
Maybe your Dad was gay
I had a 1989 Mark VII LSC in Midnight Red metallic. I absolutely LOVED everything that car! To this day, I remember it with great enthusiasm!
That was my favourite colour.
@@SurnaturalM Thank you! Mine, too!
Every Rare Cars video is an immediate click.
Thank you man! I appreciate that!
Got that 🔔 notification set 👌
@@rarecars3336; I've just subbed to your channel. I'm very fond of older American cars especially those from the 50's on. I'm familiar with the Lincoln MK7. I had a few friends of mine own them. I did a service on the BMW diesel engine version. As you said, the engine is similar to the BMW 524 TD. While they weren't powerhouse engines,they DID get impressive fuel economy. This was their main selling point and of course to compete with BMW and Mercedes Benz. My friend's cars had the 302 CFI V8 of '84-'85. In my experience with these cars, I found the ABS brakes and air suspension system to be very troublesome. On one car I actually converted it to a standard braking and suspension system. The reason was it was just too expensive to repair the original ABS and Air suspension system. Otherwise these cars were basically at the top of their game in the mid '80's. If I had the funds,I'd get a Californian car and mod it a bit for better performance. Thanks again for the video. Keep up the great work.👍👍💪🇨🇦🇺🇸🇯🇲
Yup!!
I worked at a Ford Performance shop in the early 2000’s and we had a customer that had one of these in blue on blue and we did a Vortec supercharger and a GT40 upper and lower with bigger injectors and fuel pumps/fmu system to support it all. We also did 3.73 gears and restacked the clutch packs to give it less slip on hard launches. It was a total sleeper and at the end of its build it had a 408 stroker, larger Procharger supercharger and a 150hp NOS system just for shits and giggles. I think it ran low 11’s, which was amazing for a car that heavy back then and had cold air and room for 5. Love these cars.
Guy backing up at 9:48 almost caused 2 crashes in 5 seconds...gotta be a record!
When my Dad bought his Cougar in '85, there was a black Mark 7 convertible LSC in the showroom.
Probably made by American Sunroof.
It was stunningly beautiful.
I had a 85 Cougar 302 V8 best riding car I owned. My brother had a Mark 7 it was a little better.
@@eldorado1830
I agree. I ended up with my dad's Cougar. It was just a base model but it did have the 302. it was a pretty sharp looking car.
My dad worked at a Ford Lincoln dealer in Canada. He had many of these as his demonstrators (demo). Mostly LSC'S. Would sometimes only have them a week. I would get to drive them to high-school sometimes. He didn't want to get up and drive me to hockey practice at 5 am. Not the best in winter to drive. Boy were they fast and fun to drive. I was lucky I didn't wrack one up as a teenager driving around it with my buddies.
Always a Ford guy, but was never really into Mustangs. I preferred cars that were different. Out of the numerous cars I've had, two of my favorites were my Turbocoupes. I kept thinking of swapping a V8 in one of them, but didn't have the heart to actually do it.
About 20 years ago, a Mark VII at a small town dealer lot kept catching my eye. No need to V8 swap, this would be very similar. So I test drove that car with every intention to buy. Super nice, very similar feel to a Tbird, but traded some lighter weight nimbleness for a 5.0HO. It didn't feel faster than the Turbocoupe, but definitely had better low end pull.
When I went to negotiate with the owner, he told me, "if you like that, you should drive this Mark VIII I just got in." I wasn't too interested. The VIII looked way fatter, and had a smaller engine. But why not?
I wasn't expecting much, and I was already sold on the VII... until I punched her down. The VIII stomped the VII a new butthole, no doubt. I still have that VIII today.
If it wasn't for that quick detour in fate, I'm certain that the Mark VII would have been in my stable for a long time. Very comfortable, quick, and a little odd.
Mark VII appears absolutely dated next to Mark VIII. Both have their charm.
The Mark VII was based on the fox platform, so it was kinda like a bigger, more powerful and luxurious version of the '83 thru '87 FoxBody T-Bird.
The Mark VIII came out a few years later and was based on the 1989 Thunderbird's MN12 chassis, which was heavier and had an independent rear suspension. The motor was a high-output 32-valve version of Ford's modular 4.6L V-8.
@@BCBaron hi. DOHC ~280 hp. Correct?
@@philpacella7849 That sounds about right, but Ford probably got it closer to around 300hp before it was eventually discontinued.
The real Hot Rod Lincoln...
Son. You're going to drive me to drinking if you don't stop driving that hot rod Lincoln!
@@thegoodtom1718 'Lost' planet airmen. Saw em at the 'dillo back in the day many times...
@@289cobra9 core memory unlocked. Dad listening to this on a record in the 80's. Along with Bill Cosby's Noah's Ark album.
@@jwwduke
Now I feel old. 😂
The Fox platform actially appeared first under the 1978 Fairmont/Zephyr.
My great grandmother has a mint 1988 LSC burgundy on red velar interior she bought it brand new. That car has always been my favorite 👍
This was my first car! A 1987 Mark VII LSC because my parents told me I couldn't buy a Mustang because I would hurt myself. LOL My first tattoo was also a tribute to it. I hope to buy a later 92 LSC SE and swap everything out of my Cobra, IRS, engine and all into it sometime!
Haha basically the same car underneath - pretty awesome first car!
@@rarecars3336 yep, I thought I was being sly.. lol My dad new better being a mechanic but didn't rat me out to my mom. lol. Not a bad $400 first car either!
Sounds like a great idea..Go for it.
@@douglasmcdowall5006 Why do I think I hear a rattling going on out back in the shed where a suspicious "Rat Rod Jack Roush" sleeper is coming along?? That would be a serious sleeper!! Nowadays, nearly no one would know what is was and then they'd just be staring at tail lights!! Good Luck Doug...there's a lot of fun in them thar hills!! 😂🤣
When I was about 19-20 years old, back in 1998-2000, my daily driver was a 1988 Lincoln MarkVII. We bought the car from our local mechanic, who we trusted, and who restored and sold cars as a side business out of his shop. My car in particular was an LSC trim that had a Bill Blass interior installed. The car originally had an interior fire and was pretty damaged. Our mechanic bought it for cheap at auction, sourced and installed the Bill Blass interior, and re-did the fuel system on the car. We drove the car pretty reliably for a number of years until some electrical gremlins surfaced and the air ride suspension started to malfunction. We had to turn off the auto-leveling feature, so the car wouldn't unexpectedly let air out, or fully pump up the airbags while driving. I really enjoyed driving that car, and I was certainly the only person at college who had a MarkVII. Love the sound of that Ford 302 as well.
Yeah - I just trashed the air-lift and put-in shocks with springs around them called “Load Levelers” - good - fast -cheap fix.
The best all around Hotrod Lincoln ever. My quick story is....working at Wendle Ford and when I saw it....I literally got goose bumps.
It was my introduction to PowerBreaking. What an awesome car...still today.
Intriguing fact: The Fox body Mustang and the dowdy Fairmont came out at the same time on the same chassis. Ford looked at their Thunderbird/Cougar/Mark products and knew they needed a radical redesign and that is what they did, ditching the squared off look for the rounded curves of their later cars.
Midway through the design process, Jack Telnack the designer looked at the proposed Lincoln Mark VII with it's very formal rear roofline and sweeping rear side window, and at the beautiful curves of the Cougar.
"Hey, why don't we swap these? Let's give the Cougar design to Lincoln, and make the Lincoln design the Cougar?" And that is exactly what happened. If you look carefully at a side view of the Mark VII you will vaguely see the rear roof shape that mimics the 1968 Mercury Cougar.
I got this information from Jack Telnack himself.
I always wondered about that weird Cougar roofline. Now I know.
@@philpacella7849The fairmont was 78, mustang was 79.
So basically Mercury got effed with the ugliest variant of the trio. 😂
@@philpacella7849the notchback roof line was never the problem stylistically so much as that weird "upside down" curving window that would be remedied with the 1989 to 1997 MN-12 Mercury Cougars. Which had a normal rear window and looked fine with very similar notchback roof styling.
Seriously whoever approved that rear side window on those 80s Cougars needed to be slapped for that styling choice it just looked awkward and awful.
Did Jack have anything to share about why they went with that awful side rear window on the Cougars too? It would have been just as awful if it had been badged a Lincoln. What were they thinking? They nailed it with the Thunderbird and the LSC, very nice looking cars, then the Cougar was just sort of a styling abomination. Mostly due to that side rear window. Never liked them, and I like a lot of different model Cougars.
The right answer would have been to nix the design that became the Cougar, let the LSC be the Cougar it should have been, and styled a decent-looking LSC for Lincoln instead of that ugly thing that ended up being pawned off as a Cougar. :)
I owned an '87 LSC! Great car. BBS, spoiler, pitch black windows, the works! People thought I was nuts when I took the performance bits off of my '88 Mustang GT and put it on the LSC. They didn't believe it was the same engine. Awesome sleeper.
The Lincoln MKVll LSC was one of the hottest, bad ass cars of that era. Along with the MKVll, the 1989 to 97 Ford Thunderbird SC and Mercury Cougar Xr7 are three automobiles that are still beautiful to this day. The styling was so clean that these cars continues to look modern.
Great presentation, thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks for doing this video. Brings be back to my childhood when my mother had purchased a graphite grey 1986 Lincoln Mark VII LSC brand new. She kept it for years until we got a 1993 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer at which point, my brother was gifted the Lincoln. He of course didn't take good care of it and ended up sitting around our yard until the early 2000's. It was such a stellar car though, lots of interesting tech and lovely growl from the 5.0. I recall it being at the Ford dealer many times for the front air suspension failing but for the most part, it proved reliable. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing that, glad the video brough back some cool memories for you!
I had an 87 LSC and this car was absolutely amazing. The interior was gorgeous in dark grey leather, and very comfortable. Digital dash was cool, but the car was loaded and had every option. I miss that ride. Moved on to an 98 LSC, WOW!
I love, love, love the Mark VII. I got a summer job at a Lincoln dealer in 1990 and I remember just how beautiful those cars were when they'd come in for service, especially the triple black BBS wheels version. I really only remember them with the 5.0 engine. Another hot ride at the time was 3.8l supercharged Cougars XR7 and Thunder-chicken SC. Two years later, I picked up another shift at that same dealer as Ford was developing the modular engines. I had plenty of first hand knowledge of the performance of the new Mark VIII's and a couple of Mustangs. The Mark VIII was much faster than Mark VII in stock form but no where near as pretty.
I had an 87 MKVII ivory exterior. Navy interior. LCD screens. The 5.0 HO! All the hills in Hawaii, this thing ate them and asked for more. Great car.
There couldn't have been many of these rolling around in Hawaii were there?
When I was a teenager a man in town had an all black one with a centrifugal supercharger, and a fat cam. This was the late 90's, this was a VERY FAST car for back then.
Wow that must have been a sleeper and a half back then - sounds like a wicked ride
Never been a Ford fan. But these Lincolns are pretty good.
Right they are sinister 👍
I almost bought a used LSC in 1993 but instead bought an SHO Taurus because of the manual transmission. While I was never disappointed in my decision, I often wondered if it was the right one. I have wanted an LSC ever since. It is probably what lead me to buying a Lincoln LS in 2006. The LSC just had such presence. A beautiful car. And so many people do not know about the GTC. I knew Roush was involved in making some 351 LSC's with upgraded suspension parts but I forgot the lettering they used. Thanks for the reminder. I will now be lusting after a black on black GTC with a 351 and a T5 in my dreams...
Big fast cars were my thing ! I had 2 mark 7s, 1 T-bird SC and 3 mark 8s !!! a few other cars mixed in but those were my main rides ! loved them!!! 😃👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
When I crashed my 88 LSC in 90, 8 replaced it with the Thunderbird TurboCoupe. I wanted to get the Olds Grand National, but I couldn’t wait 3 months to get one.
This is one of the nicest videos I've on the history of the Mark 7. On Christmas Day. 18 years old my step-grandfather handed me the keys to my first car 1986 Mark 7. More than 20 years later I owned to Mark 7 and 2/97 Mark 8. This car let me to be independent on maintenance and working on any part of this car. And yes This includes rebuilding on the ABS system. My first car had 245 /60/ 15 BFG tires. This car shouldn't be underestimated around corners. 😯 This car has true highway capabilities. If you know what you're driving.
Always loved these. Would love to get my hands on a nice one.
My dad bought my mom a charcoal gray LSC in 1987. After getting home from selling religion in Alaska in 1989, I borrowed that car all of the time! Driving friends to Astro Burger, getting in races on I15, and taking-out Blond chicks in this sweet machine…excellent memories abound!
The Fox Platform was introduced in 78 NOT 79. And the MK VII used a 4.3" stretched T Bird/Cougar Fox chassis.
1978 Ford Fairmont & 1978 Mercury Zephyr. 👌🏼
That’s what I thought. I had an ‘85 & it looked like my homies cougar & thunderbird
I've done my share of wrenching on Mark VIIs. One thing you didn't talk about here, other than mentioning it had ABS, was how insane that system was. It wasn't set up like we're accustomed to, even today. Instead of a vacuum brake booster the Mark VII had an electric pump and accumulator. And yes, when that thing failed.... which they did.... you didn't have brakes.
Think about how the brake system works on pretty much any modern car: the pedal under your foot pushes directly onto a piston, the motion of which is aided with a vacuum brake booster. The VOLUME of brake fluid sent to the wheel cylinders was directly proportional to pedal travel. Makes sense, right? But that's not how Mark VII brakes worked... Until you got to the bottom of the stroke, where there was some... symbolic emergency braking capability, the brake PRESSURE was directly proportional to pedal travel.
I know what you're going to say: 'pushing the pedal in any other car increases pressure, dummy!' And yes, that is true, but the pressure increases because of the volume of brake fluid moved by the piston and the compressibility of the brake system as a whole. So you push the pedal, some volume of fluid is forced into the brake lines, and pressure builds as a result. Ok? ok... The Mark VII, with it's electric pump and accumulator controlled actual brake pressure. Fluid flow to the cylinders was dependent on the pressure, not the other way around. Because of that, it could absorb some faults.... like a leak! The pump and accumulator will apply pressure to the lines, and if fluid is being lost it will continue to maintain pressure until the accumulator runs dry. This happened to my brother. In about 2007, when his rust belt Mark VII was 18 years old, one of the rear brake lines rusted through. But he didn't know. There was no warning light. There was no pedal fade. One day the accumulator finally ran dry, at which point it kicked the pedal back out at him and the car proceeded to be REALLY hard to stop.
It was when we were bleeding the brakes post line replacement that we discovered how the system worked. We had a certified Chrysler dealer mechanic working the bleed fittings, my brother pumping the brake, and I was supervising. Brother pumped 3, 4, 10 times and it never pumped up. It never built pressure. We all peered down at the master cylinder for a while and argued about what to do next. Was the cylinder failed? Did we just get air into it and have to re-prime? I recognized the pump instead of a booster and suggested turning the key on. Chrysler mechanic says 'no way keying this on is going to make a difference bleeding the brakes,' but I can be persuasive, especially when I've had a mechanical aha moment. Brother keyed the car on and what do you know, the pump starts humming. Dealer mechanic gets back underneath and prepares to open the bleed screw while brother pumps.
I kid you not.
When the bleed valve opened the car shot the brake fluid 6 feet. Once the accumulator went dry it kicked the pedal back up at my brother's foot. We did that a couple of times then finished the job having made a big brake fluid mess.
I had an '87. Loved that car! Wish I had it back!
I delivered one of the 5 speed models once. 32 actual miles, 200 miles, and I'm by myself. What do you think happened? It even came with an operating car phone for the buyer. That was a great 4 hrs. (I took the scenic route.) : )
The Fox Chassis actually debuted in late 1977 for the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr
I had a Lincoln LSC Mark 7 in black paint with gray leather interior and the BBS style wheels with HO 5-liter. I had a 5.0-liter fox body Mustang at the time and was blessed with my first child, my daughter Nicole. So, I did the responsible thing and sold my Stang for a Lincon Mark 7. I loved the Lincoln LSC Mark 7 because it was luxury, styling and performance all wrapped into one vehicle.
I always loved the LSCs. You were remiss not to mention the available JBL sound systems, which were fantastic for that era.
Man a GTC 5.8 with a 5 speed would be sick
I traded my first vehicle, an '86 Silverado short box for an ;86 MK7 straight across, though I regret getting rid of my Chev Shorty. This car was something else though! My only complaint was the air ride compressor. It was hard to find and I went through 3 of them. It really sucked at highway speeds when your compressor failed and your wheel wells all of a sudden are rubbing on your wheels. FYI its tough to pull off the road when your wheel tubs are on top of your tires. That being said, it was a wonderful car to drive. You felt like you were sitting in your Grandpas recliner while floating down the highway. Meanwhile it would do doughnuts for days with ease and drift if one so felt like breaking loose with great control. I honestly miss my MK7 more than that short box looking back almost 20 years later. Thanks for covering such an unknown, "Badass car" like you said! It was a sports car that had class is how I would sum it up.
Dad had one as a company car for a short time. Very smooth ride. Fast engine. A "sporty luxury" interior. It looks rather big now but at that time it was a mid sized car. The Mark 7 and 8s were good cars.
I had a family friend with one of these and rode around a lot in it when it was new. These cars were in a class of their own in the late 80s, early 90s.
God that's hot. I had no idea about the 351 5 speed ! I get it, there weren't many but dang that's awesome
I know right!? What an insane car
@@rarecars3336 freaking glorious
Hot is a very apt description, lol. I've owned 3 LSCs and another is on my bucket list.
Any 5 speeds were the GTC upfits and are very rare. At one point a 5 speed was mentioned in the Lincoln sales brochures for the LSC but, to my knowledge, none were ever confirmed built. However, being a Fox chassis, it's a pretty easy swap using Mustang parts.
A Roush 351 with Roush tuned suspension and a panhard bar plus much much more.
I had an 86 LSC that I bought new, and loved it. Got a good laugh when I put it in to have a 10 disc cd changer installed and they ran the battery down while the guy was in the trunk. I pulled up while they were pushing it out of the shop bay and the ass end was about 15 inches higher than it was supposed to be. As soon as we jumped it the air ride went back down, but what a sight. It gave its life for me in a crash on I-495 after 2years of enjoyment.
I just traded a ‘93 mustang four banger roller that I paid $300 for a few years back for an ‘84 SVO. The SVO did have a fire under the hood way back in ‘01 & it’s sat undercover since then but it will rise from the ashes. It looked terrible when I towed it home but after a wash, it’s actually just bad & ugly. This will be the third SVT/SVO that I’ve put back on the road. I rebuilt an ‘03 Mach1 that was wrecked and an ‘04 Focus SVT with a blown engine that sat for 8 years in a garage. All three were all under 60k miles. Cheep gems are out there if you look.
Had 3 1997-98 Lincoln mark viii’s lsc. All black. Cobra intake, bigger sway bars. Kept the air ride. Man what a smooth handling ride.
I had four Mk VIIs '86, '88, '90, & '92. Only 88 was a designer series all others were LSCs. Unfortunately they were all stolen because Mustang hotrodders needed the engine, trans, rear Axle and 4 wheel discs. In '98 I had a MKVIII which I still have along with my '71 MK III which has all the Bottom end grunt you could ever want 525 ft lbs. of torque to lift that 5350 lbs. of Lincoln away from a stop light. The MK III has 332K miles on Original engine and Trans. The VIII has 256K miles om Orig. Engine and Trans, and in '03 The brakes were switched to Mustang Cobra Discs front and rear along with 18" wheels great improving the stopping power and Handling.
Beautiful cars but plagued by the recession inspired low quality of the period. You did a great job of glamorizing it. Thanks.
Love these cars! Factory headers, add a shift kit, and you got a sweet ride. I had a 1990 LSC that I wish I would have kept. I was tired of dealing with a leaking air bags in the front suspension. Should have fixed it and kept it!
I had about 5 LSC and loved them all. Wish they still made them
Agreed modern day Lincoln except the Navigator and Aviator is a very bland brand
My dad had a LSC. Loved it. Ran great on the highway.
We had a 86 thunderbird, but this was the car my dad really wanted..
The tbirds are still cool but I could see why he wanted the Lincoln - just such a cool looking car
I've owned 3 of the LSC Mark Vll cars. One developed a problem with the air suspension leaking down, which I converted to an aftermarket coil spring kit on all four corners. Also, I swapped out the anti-sway bars for those larger bars from a Ford Thunderbird turbo coupe. Adding V-rated tires and cross-drilled & slotted brake rotors really improved the ride comfort, handling and braking. I would have enjoyed that car even more, if Mercury had offered a 1980's-style Mercury Capri convex glass lift-gate (like a 'shooting brake-style') to the rear half of the car. I never liked the phony spare tire cover-look of the trunk lid.
I had a brand new 88 Mark VII LSC black with a tan leather interior. Handled beautiful and the anti-lock brakes saved my posterior more than once. I kept it for 6 years and 200,000 miles.
My Dad bought a MarkVII LSC with the BMW Turbo Diesel for my Mom. She hated it, but my buddies and I used to rip around in it and it got great mileage. The air suspension was fantastic. It was Silver with back interior and we called it the Silver Bullet (really unique, right?). Great on the highway at speed but slow out of the hole due to the diesel, but overall a pretty cool rig.
I went to visit a buddy of mine.
As I turned down the street to his place there was a root beer barrel brown Mark 7 parked on the guys front lawn that looked a bit ratty.
I knocked on the front door and the wife answered.
I asked if the car was for sale and if so can I take a look at it.
She let me pop the hood and it had the turbo diesel under the hood.
I gave her my # and told her if he wants to sell it I would buy it.
Sadly, I never heard from the guy. :(
The Fox platform debuted in the 1978 Fairmont/Zephyr models, not 1979. The first Fox body Mustang was 1979.
Love these Lincolns, but also love the Mark VIII.
I have owned a 88 Bill blass, 90 lsc/se and currently have a 92lsc. The 88 will always be my favorite..
Was that because it was your first?
Had a 1984. Loved it. A kid ran a stop sign, struck it awfully hard, and bent the fram, totaling it. I was devastated.
The Luxurious Mustang LX 5.0 😮 of the late 80's 👌 👏
The Fox platform was introduced in 1977 as the 78 Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr. It then became the base of most of Ford's rear wheel drive cars, with the exception of the largest cars.
I had an '84 LSC in high school that did 13s in the quarter mile on pump gas. It was the beginning of my love affair, to this day, with "up badged" cars The switch in the trunk to turn off the air bag suspension and make it an instant low rider was pretty sweet.
As a kid in the late 80s ,my grandparents always did Cadillac. I always liked them because they were Shinny 😄. But my parents always did Mercury. My Mom bought a brand new '89 Mercury Cougar. Whiles get an oil change one time, sitting in the waiting area. On the Show Room floor i remember seeing this car. Didn't know what it was at the time. Sitting next to a Town Car and a Mercury Sable. My Mother went to look at it along with other people. With that being said this Generation and the last Generation of the Marks were my favorite
I was 19 in 1987. I had a 1983 5.0 Mustang GT 5 Speed, but I dreamed of owning a 1987 Mark 7 LSC. I used to go to the Lincoln dealerships to check them out. I'll never forget how low they sat when parked. But, when turned on, how they raised in height.
My uncles mother in law had one of these. It was super nice.
Did you ever get to drive it?
I always thought that these were lovely cars. I worked with someone who had one (A Japanese woman actually) and her Lincoln definitely had an air of sophisticated, understated class.
I never knew that it was a Fox body variant. Nice video! 👍
9:55 - This guy was trying to wreck the car. Was he even looking?!
It looked a bit rough.
The only manual transmission Lincoln since WAY back in the day is the LS from the 2000s.. only came in the 6 cylinder.. but at least RWD. I had no idea the mark 7 had a t5 option. Wow.
The franchise owner of the Spur gas station and convenience store I worked at in the mid to late 1990's owned a Lincoln Mark VII. One December night his kids that worked the store threw a "Christmas party". We had a dinner at the store's food service area, exchanged little gifts (still have the Metallica CD they gave me). We took a taxi van to the Orlando downtown "entertainment district", where some of our customers got us into the best nightclubs. We had a fun time and drank a bit (a lot, actually), but could not get the taxi companies to send a van to pick us up - so the kids called their dad to pick us up. All *seven* (the 3 kids, their partners and myself) piled into the Dad's Mark VII. Luckily we had only about 5 miles to get back to the Spur store. I am still surprised that all 8 of us full sized adults fit into that two door car. It wasn't completely "comfortable" but we all fit. Tho... I made the mistake of commenting about a church we passed, it was the parents "home church"... I was duly chagrined.
As a kid, I always thought the Mark VII was one of the strongest, most handsome looking cars on the road.
I sat in an LSC at the Auto Show in LA in my teens and instantly fell in love! I've always been a Foreign Car sotra guy but I knew Foord was onto something good from that moment on!
I had a Mk LSC in 1988. A Beautiful car! ... That leaked into the trunk since the day I got it. The factory power amplifier was mounted in the trunk ... and got damaged every time we got heavy rain here in New England. The dealer could not stop the leak, and after replacing the power amp many times in warranty, offered my entire purchase price toward any new Lincoln or Ford on their lot. I ended up with a White 1988 Mustang GT convertible. I loved both cars!! 😁
Darn sounds like that car was a lemon - handling wise the mustang vs the mk7 how did they compare?
@@rarecars3336 The Mustang, being smaller handles MUCH better, but - The Lincoln, especially compared to Lincolns of the day was AWESOME, quite a flex actually. It REALLY was a great car, discounting my car's flaws.
This was immediately my favorite car when i saw the movie “King of New York” 📽️
It was also in the movie The Bad Lieutenant with Harvey Keitel.
So many memories of seeing these and the mk viii around back in the day with blown out bags ❤️ they were squatting way before it's time lol
My uncle had one of the LSC versions at the time it was the coolest car I had ever seen in my life and lightning quick
The all black LSC variants are some of the nicest looking cars to come out of the 80s. Still and eye catching today even.
I was unaware of the gtc 351W version, but it makes sense considering roush built a 351W foxbody, and ford’s 95 cobraR even had a 351W despite having less space in the sn-95 platform.
There fox chassis crown Vic’s with the police package also had a 351W as an option too.
Thanks for the info
Makes me miss my 79fairmont with a 408w/Gforce T5 combo
The Stage 3 GTC had a 351 way before the mustang. Plus much much more.
@@lincolnmarkviiguy366 I didn’t/don’t disagree
One of the prettiest cars of the 1980s ... I day dreamed about driving one when I was a kiddo.. still may.. ;) haha.. love them.
My 89 LSC was made into a SE clone. I called it the LSC-GT. Under drive pulleys, 2.5” X pipe, flowmasters and dumps, cougar eliminator hood scoop, crown Vic BBS wheels for an extra inch sticking out. AOD built would bark 2nd and 3rd. Miss that car every day for 20 years. 🛠️
Sounds like a rad daily driver - why did you get rid of it?
@@rarecars3336posted above
The '87 MKII LSC was my favorite of all Lincolns.
Agreed - they are just so sinister!
Lsc was the car. Any one of us that had a fox 5.0 mustang or Capri would have traded what we had for this car, without question. If someone only offered.
I had an 87 LSC, which overall was an awesome car back in the day. Only issue I had with it was fuel injection problems which I got really tired of dealing with. I honestly wish I still had that car.
I'm surprised people still hate the Mustang II.
The Mustang II was amazing. Not only because of its suspension, but also because it was a compact car that could fit a Windsor in box stock form.
I'm one of the few people who prefers the Mustang II styling over the boxy Fox Body Mustangs (which look to me like glorified Escort EXP coupes).
Back in the early 90s, a friend's dad had a 1978 King Cobra with T-tops and I thought it was a really nice car.
What some people tend to forget is that the Mustang didn't start out as a muscle car, but as a nice looking daily driver mainly aimed at women drivers. The King Cobra was actually faster than the 1964 and 1965 Mustangs, and the Mustang II was the best handling and well put together Mustang up to that point. People also make the false assumption that it was just a glorified Pinto, but it was actually a heavily modified version of the Pinto chassis that ended up making it a different car altogether.
From Hagerty
As the Mustang grew more muscular and larger through the late 1960s, sales dropped. Lee Iacocca, the Ford executive considered the father of the original Mustang, advocated development of a smaller and more economical second-generation model. The success of Ford’s own German-built Capri sport coupe, sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealerships, helped validate the new direction.
Following Iacocca’s edict to build a highly refined small car - a “little jewel” as he called it - the Mustang II introduced numerous measures to quiet the ride, including an isolated front subframe. The Mustang II rode on a longer wheelbase than the Pinto, and the two shared only a few components. The Mustang II also brought a higher level of interior fit and finish than was seen in earlier Mustangs.
“There’s less Pinto in a Mustang II than there is Falcon in a 1965 Mustang,” Clor said.
The Mustang II arrived in August 1973 with a choice of coupe or fastback (hatchback) body styles. Two engines were available: an 88-horsepower 2.3-liter four-cylinder or the 2.8-liter, 105-horsepower V-6 from the Capri. A 13-second 0-60 time for the V-6 Mach 1 impressed no one.
Greatly improved fuel economy compared with the previous Mustang, however, ensured the car’s success when the oil embargo that began in October 1973 sent sales of small cars soaring. Ford built 386,000 Mustang IIs for 1974, the most since 1967. Mustang II sales reached 1.1 million over the model’s five-year run.
A 302-cid V-8 with a two-barrel carburetor became optional for 1975. Its 139 horsepower for 1977-78 models matched up with the 305 cubic-inch V-8 offered in the Chevy Monza and was, Clor points out, comparable to the 289 two-barrel V-8 in 1960s Mustangs. For a Car Craft magazine review, the Pro Stock drag racer Don Nicholson - Dyno Don to fans - coaxed a 17-second quarter-mile time at 80.7 mph from a stock 1978 Mustang II King Cobra. For the record, that was slightly quicker than Road & Track recorded with a 1967 289 four-barrel coupe.
People hated it because they recognized it was a re-bodied Pinto! Fords cheapest POS economy car and now you're gonna tell us it's a Mustang?! Sacrilege! Never mind that the original Mustang was built out of Falcon parts, Fords cheapest POS economy car at that time. Charlie's Angels sure looked good driving them, though.
I owned a 1988 LSC which I bought new, I loved it.
The mrk 7 was really cool but the mrk 8 was on a whole nutha level. As a young highschool'er ( mid 90's ) I fantasied about a lowered, wide 17 inch bbs mesh wheels, 5 spd swap and a 5.0 with a B cam and headers.....never got that car but I have had some pretty sweet rides😏
We were a young family building a house. Needed to clear debt before closing so I sold it in 04 for $2500. Broke my heart!
It had been to the Southern Super Heavy Shootout in Bradenton where the fords (7s, 8s, tbirds, cougars, crown Vic’s, marquis, town cars) drag raced the GMs (impala SS, caprice, eldorado). That was a fun time. I took 3rd in the fords due to three 7s breaking. Mid 13s in the 1/4. The 5 speed 7s were the coolest. Big Ant Petrone had a 351 race engine with a huge hood scoop. We called it the Moose Lodge. The shell is currently for sale near Miami. Good times.
I’ve looked for it for 20 years and found out it was crushed in 2015. Time to build another.
I have always had a soft spot for these cars!! My mom had a boyfriend who had an 89 LSC, I drove it and didn’t wanna give back lol 😂
My Dad owned an 88 Mk7 LSC and I took it out all the time. It was a seriously masculine high performance car. The suspension and brakes were incredible. People don't mention it often, but the JBL sound system w/ Dolby C cassette was outstanding. These cars were a terrific package. Buyers were not thinking of LSC vs European. The LSC is distinctly American.
It was the 2nd car I ever bought...and I LOVED it!! My family was expanding and I had to sell it. I think about it regularly and plan to get another one day.
My favorites of the Mark series were the Mark V and the Mark VII LSC. I wasn't greatly fond of the Mark VIII. I remember that Ford in the late 80s was working on a H.O. version of the 351 Windsor with the intent on offering it in the Mustang GT. They put a "5.8" badge on one sort of as a teaser. It was estimated to put out 250 bhp and 350 ft/lbs of torque. Both more than the Corvette at the time. In the end Ford decided not to do it but that engine was also going to be in the Mark VII LSC. I can only imagine what could have been.
I always love those cars. The closest thing I got to one was the Mercury cougar XR7. That's the closest
Nice video and I appreciate the work that went into making it but at the 2:05 mark, no pun intended, why did you show a gen 6 Continental built off the Panther platform and not the Fox body based 7th? It was also the first American car with ABS and composite headlights. Even though it never went into production a casual mention of the Comtech Mark VII would have been cool. I guess they let Buick experiment with marketing touch screens in 1986.
Great friggen video. Got another sub. Plus probably all the buddies Im gonna tell. I love me a road boat.
Thanks man I appreciate that - had no idea this video would do so well given these cars are still financially pretty attainable which is awesome to see
love my 1989 Mark VII LSC. In the process of restoring the air ride suspension.
Always liked this car and the LSC trim line.
The American 80s villain car 💪
@@rarecars3336 I agree 👍
I always loved the LSC!! Only thing about them that gave them a bad look was that suspension would fail often and once they failed not many people would pay for the repairs!! My uncle has one sitting in his garage to this day! The body is still in good condition and the motor also! He has the replacement parts for the shocks but it’s a headache not many want to deal with!! Very Fun Car to drive though!!😎👍🏽
I just put tire slime in the bags to stop the leaks where the bags would bend. 🛠️