Lincoln Mark VIII

Lincoln Mark VIII
A 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII (black) and a 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC (Toreador Red): These represent the first and second generations of the FN10 platform, respectively.
Overview
Manufacturer	Lincoln (Ford)
Production	October 1992–June 1998
Assembly	Wixom Assembly Plant Wixom, Michigan, U.S.
Designer	Kyu Kim (1989)
Body and chassis
Class	Personal luxury car
Body style	2-door coupe
Layout	FR layout
Platform	Ford FN platform
Powertrain
Engine	Intech 4.6 L 280 hp (210 kW) V8 Intech 4.6 L 290 hp (220 kW) V8
Transmission	4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	113.0 in (2,870 mm)
Length	1993–1994: 206.9 in (5,255 mm) 1995–1996: 207.3 in (5,265 mm) 1997–1998: 207.2 in (5,263 mm)
Width	1993–1994: 74.6 in (1,895 mm) 1995–1996: 74.8 in (1,900 mm)
Height	53.6 in (1,361 mm)
Curb weight	3,757 lb (1,704 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Lincoln Mark VII
Successor	Lincoln LS V8

The Lincoln Mark VIII is a grand touring luxury coupe that was marketed and sold by Lincoln from 1993 to 1998. The successor of the Lincoln Continental Mark VII, the Mark VIII again shared underpinnings with the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar.

In the late 1990s, the personal-luxury coupe segment saw a major decline in sales. Following the 1998 model year, the Mark VIII was discontinued without any replacement; its role in the Lincoln model line was largely filled by the V8-powered version of the Lincoln LS (a model that largely replaced the Lincoln Continental after 2002). As of the 2016 model year, the Mark VIII remains the last model of the Lincoln Mark series.

As with the Lincoln Town Car and Continental, all examples of the Lincoln Mark VIII were assembled at the Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan.

Development of the Mark VIII (FN-10) began in 1984 with a projected release for the 1990 model year. Design work began in 1986 and was oriented toward evolutionary changes. By 1987, Lincoln designers began to place more emphasis on interior design, as ordered by then Ford design director Dave Rees. In the autumn of 1988, FN-10 development was pushed and went through several revisions. This was done to further develop a more precise product to accommodate the use of a DOHC modular engine, using the upcoming MN12 platform due to be launched in December 1988.

Having seen designs of upcoming models from competitors, Ford ordered a radical redesign, a great departure from any previous Lincolns, while still maintaining Mark lineage cues. By November 1988, under Ford designer Kyu Kim, Ford designers came up with a design named "Stretch I". Stretch I gave overall shape of the production car, featuring scalloped sides, full length, taillights, the spare-tire hump, and waterfall grille, but was devoid of chrome, had small c-pillars, a full length headlight setup, two air-inlets on the front bumper, and taillights that flowed upward on the sides rather than downward on the production car. A clay mockup of Stretch I was finalized within four weeks.