Once upon a time in America, there was Lincoln. No, not the president, the automobile brand, owned by Ford. And while the first car that comes to mind when you say Lincoln is the Continental (because, well, Matrix), there was another more popular car, for a different kind of audience. We are talking about the really long and big Lincoln, as in the Town Car.
The Lincoln Town Car was the less jazzy sibling of the Lincoln Continental and stood for a class of American automobiles that was synonymous with the good life back then. And it lasted long, for a Lincoln, sharing the same Panther platform with other equally big-sized cars from Ford Motors.
It finally rested its laurels in 2011, marking the end of an era in American automobile production, and yet there’s something about it that still demands attention whether you see an ‘80s Town Car or a more modern one. So here’s why, even after all these years, the Lincoln Town Car is still cool and probably always will be.
10 Presenting The Lincoln Town Car 'Land Barge'
The Lincoln Town Car was basically full-size luxury and targeted at people who preferred to be chauffeured around in a car that was a traffic jam all by itself, although it was launched in the '80s – a time where the malaise era had killed many a good car.
The dimensions of the Lincoln Town Car differed with its generations and models, and the fact that it came as a sedan and as a limousine, made it change sizes. But at one point, it did reach 18 feet for a standard Town car and 18.4 feet (5.64 m) for an L-edition.
9 The Town Car Comes Very, Very Reliable
Lincoln may have seen its ups and downs in various models, including the poorly thought Lincoln Blackwood, a rebadged but way more luxurious Ford F-150, but they had a winner in the Town Car. Marketed as a sedan but also used as a limousine, the Town Car came perfectly suited for long-time service because nothing went wrong with it.
This is the reason why the Lincoln Town Car was one of the longest mass-produced sedans, in not just the US, but in all the western hemisphere. Size and reliability do matter.
8 It’s Not Just Roomy But House-y
Ask any Lincoln Town Car fan and they will wax eloquent about its body-on-frame ride that is smooth for anyone in the backseat because the body and the frame are two separate units. The ride was smooth and the seatback recliners and six-way power seats also helped.
The plushest of the luxury has to be the 1991 Town Car Cartier which came in the softest supple leather. More plush could be had in a JBL stereo, auto climate control, and memory setting for the driver seat.
7 There Are Plenty Models To Choose From
The Lincoln Town Car as a nameplate came out in 1980 and the idea behind it was to introduce a luxurious car to the public that had a limo feel to it but could be had smaller and a little more affordable. It came riding on the Ford Panther platform and was a real-wheel-drive, sharing it with the Ford Crown Vic and the Mercury Grand Marquis.
The Town Car lasted all the way till 2011, so there are plenty of model years to choose from, from the classic land barge of then to the relatively modern long sedans of the 2000s.
6 The Town Cars Tend To Last Pretty Long
Along with reliability and street cred, the Lincoln Town Car also came built like a tank. Not that it was armored or anything. It simply could run for really, really long and keep on doing the good work in cities and highways.
Many Lincoln Town Cars were also pressed into commercial services, as chauffeured limos, and many of these drivers claim the Town Car was good to run for 400,000 miles, if not more. In case you are the market for one, it would be a could idea to check the mileage on the model you are eyeing, making sure it is not past its prime.
5 Parts & Aftermarket Is Attainable Enough
Cars with a commercial tag, the kinds that are used as taxis or limousines, often spawn a whole aftermarket for parts and sheet metal. The Lincoln Town Car is still in service, commercially and personally, so getting parts for it is not a toughie.
The good thing is that because of its reliability, the Lincoln Town Car does not break down or need repairs all that often but there will be age-related wear and tear and/or fender-benders. But repair and restorations are not a big deal.
4 The Engine Remained Decently Powerful
When the Lincoln Town Car was launched, it came with a 4.9-liter V8 engine that was the first fuel-injected V8 used in North America, good for 130 horses. At the time it ran on automatic transmission and also offered an optional towing package.
The last generation of the Lincoln Town Car came powered by a 4.6-liter V8 that made 240 horses, enough for a sedate but respectable pace. Then again, the Lincoln Town Car was never supposed to be muscle, right?
3 The Town Car Was For Those Who Enjoyed The Journey
For all of its 30 years, the Lincoln Town Car was used as a limo or as a chauffeured sedan. It was not an easy car to drive with that light steering and tons of torque, but for anyone sitting in the back seat, it was a time to marvel at the journey and their own blessed luck.
The “Town Car” moniker itself was floated way back in 1959 but the Lincoln Town Car only came out in 1980, and the people who decided to get one, or hire one, remained loyal fans thereafter. To journey in it was to be in the lap of affordable luxury.
2 All Eyes On You In The Lincoln Town Car
Lincolns are known to be good-looking and usually come with an undeniable street presence whether the nameplates are a hit or a pass. In the case of the Lincoln Town Car, it was definitely a hit. Plus it was the true version of the full-size American luxury sedan, something the Europeans have often looked rather enviously at.
This was the sedan that screamed that you were someone important and accordingly, it made you the cynosure of all eyes. And even today, the sheer size of most of the Town Car models make plenty of eyes bulge.
1 That Old School American Cool
The coolest bit about the Lincoln Town Car is that it’s a veritable legend. Nah, a leviathan. It’s the very last of its kind, an American body-on-frame full-size luxury sedan that brings with it a whiff of the good times, as any Baby Boomer would be happy to tell you.
It was introduced forty years ago and retired a decade back, and yet there is something undeniably magical about one when it arrives as your limo of choice for the night. Is it old-school cool? Sure, but the Lincoln Town Car still announces your arrival in style.
Sources: DriveTribe, Autotrader, Hagerty