Lincoln Mark VII, 1993
Lincoln Mark VII
Lincoln Mark VII•
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Chassis No.: 1LNLM93W7PS600093
- Exterior: Beige
- Interior: Beige
- Pre-production example built by Ford Motor Company as a class D-stock land speed car
- Numerous safety and performance modifications
- Class record at Bonneville with a two-way average of 183 MPH
- Roll cage
- 4.6L 32-valve V-8 engine with dual overhead cams
- Dual exhaust system
- Automatic transmission
Lincoln built this Mark VIII Prototype to prove the salt of the new modular 4.6L V-8 engine and extensive aerodynamic work for its new model. This machine achieved a class record at the Bonneville salt flats with a two-way average of 183 MPH. But few outside of the Blue Oval family would ever know about this special machine. Under the sloping hood resided a technologically advanced 4.6L, 32-valve V-8 with dual overhead cams producing good power. To prove the capabilities of the new car, Lincoln went back to its racing roots and built a pre-production example as a Class D-Stock Land Speed Racer.
Equipped with numerous safety modifications, Lincoln blueprinted the engine, removed the rear brakes and catalytic converters, and used a true dual-exhaust system. A dynamometer test proved the otherwise stock engine was making between 290 and 295 HP. The automatic transmission was built with rotating parts that had no imbalance and no runout on the shafts, high clutch clearances and bands that would not apply in third-gear runs. A 2.47 rear-axle ratio was used because the test would not use the fourth gear. The suspension, which would automatically lower the car .25mm normally, was programmed to bring the car down nearly 2 inches.
Goodyear insisted the Mark VIII use Goodyear GSCs instead of regular Z-rated tires. With Holly Hedrich at the wheel, the Mark VIII took a few runs, building speed each time. With some adjustments and experimenting from the engineers, the car finally did reach 182.694 MPH in a two-way run, setting a class record. The Lincoln tractor-trailer that hauled the Mark VIII and all the equipment was emblazoned with the Lincoln cross emblem and the words, “Lincoln. What a luxury car should be.” After the record-setting run, white shoe polish finished the phrase, so it read, “Lincoln. What a luxury car should be. Fast—182.694 MPH!”
