The last generation of the Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar and Lincoln Mark VIII are, in my eyes, the most underrated, unassuming and unused cars on the market. There’s all sorts of options for Ford Modular powertrains and there’s an independent rear suspension. The Lincoln also has that leather interior that just coddles you wherever you go. The downside to the platform? Besides a lot of crying about how they are not a Mustang, it’s the power of the engines from stock. These weren’t supposed to be performance cars, ever. Even the Lincoln, the first home for the DOHC version of the 4.6, wasn’t touting performance. That’s a damn shame, too.
Tony Angelo has been messing with this silver soap bar of a Mark VIII for a while now. A turbocharger has been forcing the Lincoln to power realms that nobody at Ford ever would have believed, but that came at the cost of at least one engine. With a fresh bullet in the engine bay (and a fresh turbocharger to take the place of the one that also got smoked), it’s time to see if the last of the personal luxury coupes can throw down a solid number on the dyno.
