Photos by John Walcek and Tim Howley
Originally published in the May/June 2009 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 288.)
Eight Continental Mark IIs were entered at the 2008 Western National Meet in Irvine, California, in October, 2008, which has to be a record for Mark IIs at any national meet in recent years and may be an all time record.
Doctor Richard and Carolyn Gray, Tiburon, California, entered a Naiad Green (light green) 1956 Mark II. They purchased the car in 1989 in Riverside from the widow of the original owner. The car was originally purchased in Lodi, California. The original owner was a general doctor in Lodi who went on to become a radiologist training in Portland, Oregon, and stayed on in Portland after his training. Within a few years he became very well known and invented the heart catherization technique used today by cardiologists worldwide in doing angiograms for coronary artery blockage. He invented the catheters that are still used today and they bear his name, Melvin Judkins. Since Richard Gray is a cardiologist he has a special interest in the car. In about 1970, Dr. Jenkins moved back to Loma Linda where he had gone to medical school and became a professor there. When the Grays bought the car it had not been running in many years and the last license on it was Oregon in 1973. The car now has 76,000 miles.
Recently, the Grays had the car dismantled and the paint totally stripped. After extensive body preparation the car was repainted to the original color. The interior, including the carpet, is still original as is most of the trim. Only the bumpers were re-plated. The engine has been out of the car three times. The valves, rings, and bearings were replaced but the cylinders were not re-bored. Every time the engine went back in something else wrong was found. By the way, on these cars you have to remove both the engine and transmission together. Even after the Irvine Meet the transmission required more work, but at last everything is working now and the car is magnificent.
ABOVE: Dr. Richard and Carolyn Gray with their 1956 Continental Mark II.
Tom Spiel from Riverside entered a 1957 Mark II that was originally owned by Mike Todd and was featured in Lincoln and Continental Comments #275. It is serial number C56T3978 and was approximately the 11th from the last Mark II built and was probably built in August, 1957. The body color is Lucite Medium Grey Iridescent with a special deep red interior. Tom bought the car in very rough condition in 1969, had the car restored in 1971, and then re-restored in 1998. This second restoration took two years with Tom’s restorer Robbie Rash working on it full time. The car won a Lincoln Trophy in Irvine. Tom also owns a gold Mark II which was not shown in Irvine.
ABOVE: Norm Hoskins with his 1956 Continental Mark II.
ABOVE: Tom Spiel with his 1957 Continental Mark II.
Norm and Nancy Hoskins, Yorba Linda, California, entered a 1956 Continental Mark II that was built August 13, 1955, making it, Norm believes, the 175th Mark II built. The color is Briar Brown Iridescent, a deep bronze metallic. It was originally sold to a Doctor Robert Engler in Helena, Montana. The doctor owned the car for many years, then sold it to somebody in Orange County. A speculator bought it from him and Norm bought the car from the speculator. When Norm bought the car it had the original paint, chrome, and tom upholstery. Norm took the car all the way down to the frame which is no easy task on a Mark II. Everything has been rebuilt including the engine and transmission. The restoration took 28 months. The odometer now shows 24,000 miles, which Norm believes to be 124,000. Norm is Director of the Western Region.
ABOVE: Congressman John Campbell with his 1956 Continental Mark II.
ABOVE: Admiring Campbell’s engine compartment.
U.S. Congressman John Campbell from the 48th District in California entered a 1956 Continental Mark II serial number C56C2516. He writes the following about the car.
“I have conflicting information on the original selling dealer and owner of the car. The Biche family, William and Mark, who owned the car for nearly 20 years from 1978 until 2006, say that the car was built on Jan 23, 1956 and was shipped to Harris Miller Lincoln-Mercury in the Bronx, New York, for delivery to its first owner Michael Swartz. This information was apparently obtained from The Continental Mark II Encyclopedia. However, I recently obtained the car’s production order from the Henry Ford Museum (through the ad in Lincoln and Continental Comments) and it shows the car as having been shipped to L&M Motor Sales in Glen Cove, New York, for delivery under a customer order from Mario Giardino. I’m not sure which is correct although I suspect the museum information is more reliable. I would think that 1/23/56 would be too early a build date for car #2516. Anyway, the car was clearly originally purchased in New York state. The second owner is unknown after which the car apparently came into the possession of one Ralph Ruoff in Rochester, New York, around 1975. William Biche (who I believe was director of a Lincoln and Continental Owners Club region on the east coast) purchased the car on 10/25/78 for $3,500. He proceeded to do a frame off restoration (done between 1994 and 1999) and the car won LCOC primary, senior, and William Clay Ford Trophy awards in 1999 and 2000. The Biche’s did not drive the car much according to their records. They only put 1,029 miles on the car between 1978 and when I bought it in May of 2008. That’s only 34 miles per year! I have already put another thousand miles on it in less than one year in my ownership. The car now has just over 65,000 original miles. I purchased the car from a dealer, Hyman Ltd., in St. Louis, Missouri. My understanding is that my purchase was the car’s first trip west of the Mississippi.
Because the restoration now has a few years on it, and because the car had not been driven much in 30 years, I am in the process of freshening the restoration and doing a complete run through of all mechanicals, which need quite a bit of work, to make the car one I can drive and enjoy frequently and reliably.
The car is Cobalt Blue Iridescent Deep Blue (Code 02) with Light Blue Biscuits and Medium Blue Bolsters (Code 1A1A). Biche’s information is that there were only 124 cars built with this exterior color, 31 with this exterior/interior combination, and 16 identical to this one (no A/C or bumper guards).
I have loved Mark IIs since I was a little kid and have always considered them a timeless and iconic design. Before entering politics, I was in the car dealership business for 25 years and was a Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Anaheim, California, for a short time in the early 1990s. I look forward to many years with the LCOC and this car!”
Keith and Diane Johnson’s Cobalt Blue Iridescent 1956 convertible is not really a convertible. It is a parade car made from a parts car that at one time was owned by the late Charles Faye. The roof was badly rotted because there had been a vinyl top. So Keith cut off the top. The car was very good mechanically but everything was gone through. The interior is all vinyl. Keith owns an auto body shop and lives in Calabasas, California.
ABOVE: John Boccardo’s 1956 Continental Mark II.
ABOVE: Diane and Keith Johnson with their 1956 Continental Mark II Parade Car.
John Boccardo, Palm Springs, California, who entered a Medium Gray 1956 Continental Mark II at Irvine was unavailable to tell us about the car. David Sutliff, Burley, Idaho, entered a White Lucite 1956 Continental Mark II. His story could not be completed by the time of publication. Christopher Cimarusti, Manalapan, New Jersey, who entered a black 1956 Mark II at Irvine, has written a separate story about his car.
ABOVE: David Sutliff’s 1956 Continental Mark II.