Lincoln Mark VIII

The Mark VIII was a large luxurious coupe from Lincoln, sold between 1993 and 1998. The Mark VIII was assembled at Ford's Wixom, Michigan assembly plant and was based on the FN10 platform. They had two models. The standard Mark VIII and the LSC. The 1995 LSC model got 10 hp (7.5 kW) more, true dual exhaust and higher (3.27) gearing. The paint scheme was NOT the only way to tell the difference, though. Distinct LSC badging on the trunk, and perforated leather inserts were added to the seats, along with LSC scripted floormats. The chrome inserts normally found in the body-side moulding and bumper on the Mark VIII was removed on the LSC's. The engine was a ALL-Aluminum engine in all years. The late-1995 and 1996 LSC models were the first cars from an American automaker to be equipped with HID headlights.

2nd Generation (1997-1998)

The 1997 and 1998 model year Mark VIII came standard with HID Headlamps in larger housings. Lincoln incorperated an innovative neon third brakelight across the entire rear decklid. The side mirrors came with the industry's first "Puddle Lamps". The lamps cast a glow on the ground so you could see when entering or exiting. The side view mirrors also incorporated flashing LED's to work with the turn signals to warn drivers on the side of the vehicle of an intended lane change/turn. The interior had "Theater Lighting" whereby the controls and handles had a soft light to illuminate them. It came with a more rounded "Power Dome" hood, and the trunk had less definition to the notorious "hump" associated with the previous Mark series. The grill was bigger and bolder. It came with optional 16" "Octastar" wheels. These looked like solid chrome, yet were very light. The DOHC 4.6L now came with Coil-on-plug ignition, eliminating the use of spark plug wires(seen in the engine image above). Some of the transmission internals were further reinforced in the late 1997 models and all 1998's. The 2nd Generation LSC models had firmer shocks and larger stabalizer bars for better control. They came standard with an all-speed traction control that could be activated and deactived via the vehicle's driver controls in the center-console mounted message center. Failure to compete effectively with the quicker and more nimble Eldorado and generally declining Lincoln prestige led to the cancellation of the Mark VIII in 1998. Towards the end of production, Lincoln offered 2 "specialty" models. The Spring Feature and the Collector's Edition which were the last of the Mark VIII series ever produced.