Lincoln does not build many cars like the Lincoln Mark VIII: a 2-door coupe with 4.6 , built from 1992 to 1998 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Its designer of record is Kyu Kim (1989).
How it came about
The Lincoln Mark VIII is a grand touring luxury sport coupe that was marketed by Lincoln from the 1993 to 1998 model years. The first generation of the Mark series branded entirely as a Lincoln, the Mark VIII again served as a counterpart of the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar. Though maintaining its traditional brand rivalry with the Cadillac Eldorado, the Mark VIII was also developed to become more competitive against luxury coupes from automakers around the world. Replacing the Fox platform used by the Mark VII, the Mark VIII was the exclusive model of the Ford FN10 chassis, an evolution of the MN12 platform developed for the 1989 Thunderbird and Cougar.
Growing slightly in size (primarily in wheelbase length), the Mark VIII adopted four-wheel independent suspension; at the time of its production, the only other rear-wheel drive American cars (alongside the Thunderbird and Cougar) were the two-seat Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper RT/10. The model line also introduced a dual-overhead cam 4.6L V8, becoming the first Ford Motor Company vehicle fitted with such an engine. The Mark VIII was manufactured by Ford at its Wixom Assembly Plant (Wixom, Michigan), with 122,060 produced. As of current production, the Mark VIII remains the final generation of the Mark series and Lincoln has not introduced a direct successor to the model line.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 4.6 . Kerb weight is 3757 lb. The gearbox is a 4-speed automatic. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 113.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Lincoln's history is not in doubt: the Lincoln Mark VII came before it; the Lincoln LS V8 followed it; it was built at Wixom, Michigan (Wixom Assembly Plant), United States. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Subaru Impreza, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the GM (General Motors) Hummer H1. Its Lincoln stablemates include the Lincoln First Call and the Lincoln Funeral Car.