BMW + Lincoln = ?

We’ve known about these for years, but haven’t previously seen one for sale. Ford, with dreams of higher MPG and possible global reach for the Lincoln brand, made a deal to buy BMW turbodiesel engines for a select few models. The Mark VII was one of the lucky few…

Two brothers who were good friends of your humble host had these in the household growing up, so the Mark VII is quite familiar, although those were Bill Blass editions with V8s.

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Ringtown, PA

$200 with no bids and reserve not met. BIN price is an absolutely silly $8,000. If reserve is close to BIN, this won’t sell…
05/24/2013 update: Ended at $1,796.77 with a whopping 30 bids and reserve NOT met.

Yep – there’s the trunk hump. This and the Mark VIII were much less offensive than others, in this regard.

Interior appears to be in pretty good shape.

Digital 80s awesomeness was included, though not as extensively applied as on the 280ZX or Vette.

That ain’t no 5.0!

(Astonishingly long) Ad text:

MY PERSONAL CAR.

THIS CAR WAS ONE OF LESS THAN 1500 PRODUCED WITH FACTORY INSTALLED BMW 2.4L TURBO DIESEL ENGINE.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM THE SECOND OWNER IN 1991.

IT HAD A VERY TIRED ENGINE THAT WOULD NOT START WITHOUT THE BLOCK HEATER BEING PLUGGED IN,

AND HAD BEEN IN A MINOR FRONT END ACCIDENT WHICH HAD BROKEN THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT AND PARKING LAMP,

AND HAD CRACKED THE HEADER.

ONCE STARTED, IT RAN, SHIFTED AND DROVE FINE.

I FOUND A DONOR CAR FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE WHICH HAD 74000 MILES.

I USED THIS ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION AS THE REPLACEMENT.

BEFORE INSTALLING THIS POWERTRAIN, I REPLACED THE WATER PUMP, TIMING BELT, TIMING BELT TENSIONER AND GLOW PLUGS.

THE CYLINDER HEAD OF THE DONOR ENGINE LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN JUST REPLACED AS IT LOOKED BRAND NEW.

THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 1500 MILES SINCE THESE NEW ENGINE PARTS.

ALSO FROM THE DONOR CAR, I USED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT FENDER, BUT HAD TO BUY A NEW HEADER AND PASSENGER SIDE PARKING LAMPS.

I TRIED MY HAND AT PAINTING THE FENDER AND HEADER, AND ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T LOOK TOO BAD, THE SHADE IS OFF AND THERE IS ORANGE PEEL LOOK.

I INTENDED TO GET THE ENTIRE CAR REPAINTED AT A LATER TIME, BUT THOSE PLANS DID NOT HAPPEN.

I ACTUALLY ONLY GOT THE CAR BACK TOGETHER TWO YEARS AGO, AND IT HAS BEEN MY OCCASIONAL DRIVER FOR THAT TIME.

THIS 2.4L BMW TURBO DIESEL ENGINE AND ZF 4 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, COUPLED WITH THE 3.73 LIMITED SLIP REAR AXLE, MOVE THIS RATHER HEAVY CAR VERY NICE.

IT RUNS, SHIFTS AND DRIVES AS IT SHOULD, AND WILL RUN ON THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MILES AN HOUR ALL DAY.

WITH THE SPEEDOMETER ERROR, I WAS NOT ABLE TO CALCULATE THE FUEL ECONOMY, BUT IN THE PAST, I HAD THIS SAME ENGINE, TRANSMISSION AND REAR AXLE RATIO IN A 1984 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL FOUR DOOR MODEL, WHICH GOT 37 MILES PER GALLON, AND THAT WAS COMBINATION CITY/HIGHWAY DRIVING.

THIS IS NOT A CAR FOR THE QUARTER MILE DRAGSTRIP, BUT IT PERFORMS RATHER WELL ON THE HIGHWAY, AND PULLS HILLS WITHOUT TOO MUCH EFFORT.

THE BODY:

THERE ARE A FEW NICKS, DINGS AND SMALL SCUFFS HERE AND THERE. THERE IS A RUST SPOT STARTING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR FENDER AT THE TOP OF THE WHEEL OPENING, VISIBLE IN THE PHOTOS ABOVE.

ALSO THE ASSEMBLY SEAMS ON THE LOWER EDGES OF BOTH DOORS ARE STARTING TO BLISTER. THESE SEAMS ARE NOT VISIBLE UNLESS YOU GET LOW ENOUGH TO LOOK UNDER THE DOORS. THE FLOORS OF THE DOORS ARE SOLID, ONLY THE SEAMS ARE BLISTERING. THERE IS NO THROUGH RUST AT THE SEAMS AT THIS TIME.

THERE IS NO OTHER MAJOR RUST ON THE CAR THAT I SEE.

THE HEADER AND PASSENGER SIDE FENDER PAINT COLOR DOES NOT MATCH, AND IS A BIT DARKER THAN THE ORIGINAL PAINT.

I DID NOT APPLY ANY PAINT STRIPE TO THE FENDER AS I HAD INTENDED TO GET THE CAR REPAINTED/

THE SMALL BODY SIDE MOULDING MISSING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE FENDER AND THE MARK VII EMBLEM, I DO HAVE.

THE UNDERBODY:

THERE IS SOME SURFACE RUST ON SOME OF THE UNDERBODY PARTS, THERE IS NOTHING RUSTED THROUGH THAT I CAN SEE.

THE DUAL EXHAUST SYSTEM IS IN GOOD CONDITION.

THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION BOTH LEAK A SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL, AS MOST 1984 CARS DO.

THE CHASSIS:

THE FACTORY AIR SUSPENSION WORKS AS IT SHOULD, AND WILL HOLD MOST OF ITS HEIGHT FOR WEEKS WITHOUT BEING DRIVEN.

THERE ARE THREE HEIGHT SETTINGS ON THE AIR SYSTEM SENSORS, I HAVE THE HEIGHT SET AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL ON THE REAR, TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR ME TO GET IN AND OUT.

LAST YEAR I REPLACED THE FOUR CALIPERS AND UPDATED THE BRAKE PADS.

WHEN I BLED OUT THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PROPORTIONING VALVE BECAME STUCK IN AN OFF CENTER POSITION, AND I HAD TO BYPASS IT FOR THE REAR BRAKES TO WORK.

THE CAR STOPS NICE AND STRAIGHT, BUT NEW OWNER SHOULD LOOK AT REPLACING THE BRAKE PROPORTIONING VALVE.

THE INTERIOR:

THE CAR HAS LEATHER SEATING, AND THERE ARE TWO TINY HOLES IN THE LEATHER.

SOME OF THE STITCHING OF THE LEATHER REAR SEAT IS DETERIORATING FROM SUN EXPOSURE AND TIME.

THE SEAT BACK OF THE DRIVER’S SEAT NEEDS SOME NEW FASTENERS.

THE CARPETS ARE STILL NICE AND DO NOT LOOK LIKE 114000 MILES OF SERVICE.

THE HEADLINER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.

THE AM/FM RADIO CASETTE WORKS AS DOES THE POWER ANTENNA, WHICH GOES UP AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THE RADIO IS TURNED ON, AND RETRACTS WHEN TURNED OFF.

THE ELECTRONIC HEATER CONTROL WORKS, BUT THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS NOT RECHARGED SINCE THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED, AND WILL NEED AT LEAST A RECHARGE.

SINCE THIS CAR IS NOW GETTING DIFFICULT TO GET INTO AND OUT OF NOW, I WANT TO SELL AND PERHAPS LOOK AT SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NOT AS LOW.

I THINK I COVERED EVERYTHING, BUT ALL QUESTIONS ARE WELCOMED AND WILL BE ANSWERED QUICKLY.

THIS IS A VERY RARE CAR WHICH STILL COULD BE MADE INTO SHOW QUALITY.

ALSO, IF YOU JUST WANT A DAILY DRIVER OR COMMUTER VEHICLE, THIS NICE DRIVING AND RIDING CAR SHOULD SAVE YOU SOME SERIOUS MONEY ON FUEL.

NOW WITH THE BUY IT NOW PRICE:

I HAVE A FULL SET OF ROTUNDA TOOLS MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS 2.4L DIESEL ENGINE.

I OBTAINED THESE TOOLS FROM A CLOSED DEALERSHIP, AND THEY WERE KEPT IN THE DEALERSHIP’S OFFICE AND WERE NEVER USED. THE CASE EVEN LOOKS NEW.

SOME OF THE EXTRA USED PARTS I HAVE THAT WILL GO ALONG WITH THE CAR WITH THE BUY IT NOW PRICE:

FOUR SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TORQUE CONVERTER

FUEL INJECTION PUMP

TURBOCHARGER

EXHAUST MANIFOLD

EXHAUST DOWN PIPE

EXHAUST WYE PIPE

TWO NEW SUSPENSION AIR BAGS

SOME USED HEIGHT SENSORS

NEW BALL JOINTS

USED LOWER CONTROL ARMS

ENGINE OIL PAN

RADIATOR

POWER STEERING PUMP

POWER BRAKE CONTROL UNIT

OTHER SMALL ENGINE PARTS

REAR SIDE WINDOW GLASS

SOME BODY SIDE MOULDINGS

EIGHT ADDITIONAL ALUMINUM WHEELS OF TWO DIFFERENT STYLES, DIFFERENT THAN THOSE NOW ON THE CAR.

SOME NEW OIL FILTERS, AIR FILTER, FUEL FILTER.

THERE ARE MORE SMALL PARTS WHICH I WON’T CATALOG HERE.

ALL OF THE EXTRA ITEMS COME WITH THE CAR IF YOU PAY THE BUY IT NOW PRICE ONLY.

IF YOU ARE WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE, YOU CAN CONTACT ME TO COME AND DRIVE THE CAR BEFORE YOU BID.

WHAT THE CAR NEEDS:

HEADLINER.

OVER THE YEARS OF STORAGE BEFORE GETTING THE CAR BACK ON THE ROAD, THE CLOTH OF THE HEADER CAME LOOSE FROM THE DRIED OUT FOAM PADDING. I TOOK THE HEADLINER DOWN SO THE CAR COULD BE DRIVEN WITHOUT CLOTH LYING ON MY HEAD. ANOTHER THING I HOPED TO GET FIXED AT A LATER TIME, BUT NEVER DID. I DO HAVE THE CARDBOARD HEADLINER AND BUYER CAN GET IT RECOVERED.

THE ELECTRONIC SPEEDOMETER WORKS, BUT OFTEN DOES NOT REGISTER THE CORRECT SPEED.

THIS ALSO AFFECTS THE CRUISE CONTROL, MAKING IT NOT USEABLE UNTIL THE SPEEDOMETER ISSUE WOULD BE CORRECTED.

THE FUEL GAGE ALSO SOMETIMES DOES NOT INDICATE THE CORRECT CONTENTS.

THIS MAY BE AS SIMPLE AS A CONNECTOR PLUG TARNISHED CONTACTS ISSUE.

AGAIN, ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE MESSAGE ME.

IF YOU WANT ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, PLEASE MESSAGE ME.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK THE RESERVE PRICE!

ALL STATE TITLE TRANSFER FEES, SALES TAXES AND NOTARY FEES ARE TO BE PAID BY THE BUYER.

YOU NEED TO PICK UP THE CAR IN PERSON, AS I HAVE NOT HAD GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH SHIPPING COMPANIES.

THIS CAR SHOULD BE ABLE TO DRIVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY IF NEED BE, BUT THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES OR GUARANTEES WITH THIS CAR.

YOU ARE BUYING A USED CAR WITH 114000 PLUS MILES AND ENGINE/TRANS WITH ABOUT 76000 MILES.

PAYMENT IS TO BE MADE IN CASH AT THE TIME OF PICKUP.

NO CASHIER’S CHECKS.

THANK YOU FOR LOOKING, AND GOOD LUCK BIDDING.