The CC Effect is gaining momentum. After the lively discussion stemming from Brendan Saur’s post about a Grand Marquis (here), what photo opportunity should present itself? None other than a Lincoln Town Car pulling a cargo trailer.
How loaded down was the trailer? Good question, but likely it one of two things. He was parked next to a golf course, so perhaps he’s pulling his golf cart. The other – and more likely – possibility is since this Lincoln was just down the hill from the St. Louis Art Museum, the owner was either a vendor or musician at the Friday night festivities. This Lincoln would be a quite comfortable tow vehicle.
This luggage rack could hold some sizable propane tanks or amplifiers. The factory wheels are long gone and have been replaced with these wheels and light truck tires. If I needed an inexpensive tow vehicle, I can definitely think of worse.
My brother was transferred by his company from Des Moines to Orlando in the early 80s, and sold his house and 10 acres in Iowa for enough to afford a nice place in Florida with enough left over for a boat. A Grand Marquis met his needs for a tow vehicle just fine.
Are those wheels and tires off of an airport tug? It needs turbine alloys and whitewalls badly.
Oh, and it’s an ’89. You can tell by the more modern “Lincoln” script on the trunk lid. The ’88 and earlier versions still used the 1970s Lincoln font.
I, too, am curious about where the wheels came from. They almost matched the wheels on the trailer.
The car itself is in amazing condition.
Yes, it looks really clean. Most of these were getting pretty rusty in the Quad Cities over a dozen years ago. Nice car, but I think these look better in darker colors:
The wheels almost look like winter rims for a modern truck. Or maybe four spare rims. They almost look to be tucking in the wheels a bit which would be more of a fwd offset.
I think those are the 15″ spares from a SN95 Mustang. Same bolt pattern, same design, but much much more offset than an 80s Panther has(which is zero, or close to it) and very narrow to boot.
A SN95 has 30mm (~1 1/4″) offset, at least on the regular wheels and they would be sitting much deeper than they are. Plus you can see that the recess where the lugs are is pretty deep. So I don’t think they are for a SN95, I’ve put SN95 wheels on my Panther to see how they sat.
Eric; Take a closer second look; they’re significantly more offset than stock, looks to me by about that 1 1/4″, at least. Look again at that close-up of the rear wheel; it’s almost hiding in there. And the hub of the wheels looks like it’s flush with the outside of the rim. They clearly aren’t stock offset; it looks like one of those pickups/Suburbans that the railroads use to fit on the tracks.
It does look a lot like the SN95 temp spare wheel but at least from this angle it doesn’t look like it is sitting as deep in the wheel well as I think it would. I had the 17 x 8″ Bullit wheels on an Aero and it looked worse than this and the spare wheel is 15 x 4″. I agree that they definitely are not the stock 0 offset. If they are the temp wheels then it certainly makes you wonder who would have mounted regular tires on them since they are so narrow and aren’t really intended for more than having the initial mounting done. I know on some of my Fords the wheel is stamped spare use only and the sticker says not to dismount and remount a new tire. If the tire needs to be repaired or replaced it is supposed to be replaced as an assembly.
A SN95 spare tire and wheel.
The wheels immediately stuck out to me too. The best I can think is they are some of the cheep aftermarket steel wheels like Tire Rack sells for mounting your snow tires. At first glance they look like wheels from a FWD but their offset seems very close to 0 since they aren’t sitting deep in the wheel wells. Or did Mopar use wheels like this on the last of their RWD cars? Either way they really look out of place and ugly. It sure seems as though someone put a lot of effort into painting them grey so they would match the vehicle. I think a better use of time and money would have been to go to Walmart, Pepboys or some place similar and spent $19.00 on crappy wheel covers.
It tows up to 5000 of you itty bitty pounds ok well done for an American car with a V8 engine, But its less than a Falcon 6 can cope with 2200kg is the recommended limit for those, It could be ok on the flat but how will that bouncy turd cope down a steep grade under brakes
Yes, yes we know, a Holden HSV whatever can tow the SS Mauretania, a family of five, two St. Bernards and three hundred bacon cheeseburgers.
How bad are the roads in NZ, that normal cars are destroyed in short order? “Well, I fired a missile at the car and it blew up. It’s not tough enough for New Zealand…”
Tut tut, Thomas. A bit of forbearance might be in order. After all, Humber Super Snipes were know to have towing capacities exceeding 50,000 lbs.
They arent destroyed but the 6 monthly rosdworthy system mean lots didnt last very long before requiring major repairs often more than the cars are worth, 35% of roads are gravel very loose gravel with washboard corrugations back in time the ratio was higher so 50,000 miles of road like Pikes Peak is hard on any car never mind things meant solely for pavement, Some companies most notably Toyota know about this and modify cars for our market even Australian Company Holden let GM NZ spec their cars differently to their domestic models with quicker steering and stiffer springs. Google: Thermal Explorer Highway Napier-Taupo road and do a street view thats one of the bestv driving roads we have all bitumen but steep and twisty, I’m cruising a 22 metre truck/trailer combination on it tonite I watch quite a few well reguarded cars bounce and weave and have dynamic problems on that road the first 130kms are mountains and deep valleys and very tight corners all done at the speed limit in a decent car but many will not stay on the road at that speed, Ive driven many rental cars across that road late model things that are plainly awful but that you guys consider viable motor cars sorry but thats just how I roll.
Bryce; So just what is your point in endlessly pointing out that in NZ the conditions are difficult, and that stock American cars would be challenged by them??? WE GET IT!!! Hearing it for 459687638490th time is getting old and tedious.
American cars were designed for American conditions; can you get that through your head? We can discuss the pros and cons of American (and other countries’ cars) for the conditions they were designed for. But endlessly pointing out that they were perhaps not ideal for climbing Aoraki doesn’t mean anything to us. And we’re ALL TIRED OF HAVING IT REPEATED ENDLESSLY!!!
Fair enough Paul I’ll shut up, exceptv for this the laws both here and OZ were altered to stop the dangerous practice of towing heavy trailers with vehicles that do not outweigh or have the capacity to outweigh the towed vehicle.
Having recently spent 4 wks driving around Europe, I can confirm our Kiwi roads aren’t any more or less difficult than Europe, and I doubt that they’re that much different to large parts of America. Every country has good and bad roads and good and bad cars. When it comes to the pictured TC, I understand they’re designed to be comfy relaxed long distance cruisers. I like comfy relaxed cruising cars, so I’d happily own a TC here in NZ. Bryce doesn’t speak for us all here downunder. 🙂
That road looks truly awesome, but it also doesn’t look like the F1 circuit on gravel you’ve made typical New Zealand driving out to be. Given your description of seeing many cars go off these roads, the mild climate, good road conditions and the utter lack of any traffic, I can only conclude that both most cars and drivers on New Zealand roads are shitty and substandard. Neither of them would last a day on a typical Northeastern US city’s arterial highway system.
Don’t forget, Bryce doesn’t speak for us all here downunder 🙂
New Zealand’s driving conditions are overall no better or worse than the USA or Europe. None of our main roads are gravel, and few of our secondary ones are – although we have our good and bad parts, as I’m sure every other country does.
Our cars are very rigourously inspected on 12/6 month basis (depending on age of car). But after 4 weeks driving around Europe in May/June this year, I reckon we definitely have much more than our share of crap drivers! The UK was such a pleasure to drive in, other drivers seemed so much more patient and courteous than most Kiwis – mind you I was driving a Ford Transit-based motor home which was fairly large and intimidating lol!
Overall, the English drivers were much better than here in NZ. On the other hand, drivers in Rome were both terrible and awesome all at once – most Kiwis wouldn’t survive driving there, and I’m sure the same would go for many cultures! It reminded me of the terrible yet awesome traffic in India when I visited there a few years ago.
The USA is next on my bucket list of places to visit, and like I said, Bryce doesn’t speak for us all, I can’t wait to experience the American culture, and especially the roads and the cars! 🙂
Lol Tom, I can confirm our Kiwi roads are overall great – mostly wide, with big verges and generally excellent surfaces. And I’d jump at the chance of owning a TC and would happily tow stuff with one! 🙂
2,200 kilograms is 4,840 pounds. Advantage: Lincoln.
Aussie utes which share powertrains with the cars will pull your 7000 pounds but they will not stop that much unbraked and most newer Japanese pickups with diesels will pull 31/2 Tonnes, A super snipe will tow 2+ tonnes by the way they are fitted with the engine from a Commer truck after all, Your Panther may be quite ok but it sure aint the be all and end all for trailer towing especially if the bounce around like the one in the clip
We’re not talking about the towing capacity of Super Snipes, since they’re a bit hard to come by here. The same goes for Aussie Utes. Irrelevant!
Come on, Paul, don’t kill the fun. I love knowing the towing capacity of the common Emu.
I’ve towed with a panther and a 80’s b-body, and they are decent tow vehicles. These cars are heavy and track well, so contrary to what Bryce states (who’s probably never driven one), they are fine. The only issue I have with towing with these 80’s fullsize cars is they have a lot of rear overhang. Compared to my pickup or my old ‘Burb, you can definitely feel the trailer’s effect on the car much more so than on my trucks I have owned. This is one of the reasons why I prefer to pull large trailers with a truck vs a fullsize car.
I regularly towed my friend’s boat with my ’78 LeSabre said vessel weighed 7000 lbs. With a good hitch and air shocks, I didn’t have a problem with it and we went up plenty of hills.
I hope yours had the 350 at least…My 84 with the 307 could barely tow itself up hills, well I can’t imagine it being able to move 7000 lbs at least.
I saw this in my dad’s car’s owners manual: Trailer towing is not recommended with your Dodge Viper.
It’s a shame, it had good power and a stable suspension/////:)
I think Ford called that color Oyster. Loved it then and still do. Not one of my favorite Lincolns but a super cool tow vehicle.
Ugh. HATE oyster on cars. I agree with those who say these Panthers look better in darker colors, navy blue is particularly nice.
And I too have inherently more respect for a guy towing with a car than a 400hp turbo diesel truck towing something 50-75% under its tow rating.
Its not whether it will tow the load its whether you can control the towed vehicle during a panic stop or other demandfing situation, After watching that movie clip I doubt something so poorly damped could cope with big trailer swing event especially a single axle trailer that will unload the steer axle under heavy braking. Do any of you actually have a trailer licence to tell me I’m always wrong?
I have one; licensed for double/triple trailers and tank trailers.
I don’t immediately see the problem in towing with a Panther. The car is heavy enough; weight distribution is not ideal but no worse than many pickup trucks, especially if the bed is unloaded. An American pickup truck is physically bigger but not always heavier; and often the driveline is taken from car lines.
Even the distance behind the rear axle, which affects steering and handling, may be no more than on some extended-bed pickup trucks.
As to braking: if the trailer has its own brakes, than controlling it properly is just a matter of practice. And if the Lincoln has antilock brakes…he’s gonna be okay.
I hate to see a CC used that way…but not everyone is interested in such things and not everyone can afford sentimentality.
Less overhang on one of these than a B or a long bed truck other than the 70’s Ford Super Camper Special with the set back rear axle. I towed cars on tow dollies a number of times with my first Aero Panther and it always did great and the tow dolly doesn’t have brakes. Sure I wouldn’t want to take it though the pass like that but I’d do it again if my current Panthers had hitches and I didn’t have better tow vehicles or access to a tow truck.
Panther’s have massive rear overhang, and short wheelbases compared to trucks. Even compared to 60’s and 70’s fullsize cars, they are worse (I have dragged the bumper on a Crown Vic more than once on a sharp drop). A Town Car of this Generation is about 219″ overall length, with only 117.3″ of wheelbase. My old Suburban is also about 219″ in length with a 131.5″ wheel base. It has a lot of overhang for a truck but still much less than the Town Car. Further, the much longer wheelbase improves towing stability. Fullsize cars make good tow vehicles, but hands down trucks are better.
I wouldn’t generalize. Some full-size cars had longer wheelbases than some pickup trucks.
With the empty box out back, weight distribution would be about 66 percent over the front end. Not good.
The jouncy suspension of a pickup truck might make for the rear end to bounce and lose traction….ABSOLUTELY not the best thing for towing.
Bottom line: I’d rather tow with a truck, too – but only because towing’s hard on anything and a truck is going to have less of a hit on value should parts be worn when the time comes to sell. If the choice was between a Ford Ranger and a Panther, I’d go with the Panther.
Suburbans aren’t pickups. My Panthers have less rear overhang than my F350. Concerning JPT comment of a choice between a Ranger and a Panther the Panther wins hands down. I have towed similar things and in a couple of cases the exact same trailer with both a long bed Ranger and a Panther and the Ranger got pushed around by the trailer much more than the Panther thanks to a fairly long overhang and the inherit weight distribution of a pickup.
Interesting you bring out the Suburban – since it has immense rear overhang. In spite of that in many ways it would be a better tow vehicle.
Bottom line for most owners is: Ya tow with what ya got. If shopping for a towing vehicle…an SUV would be a first choice, with a full-size car, if a good one can be found, as a strong alternate.
Worst choice: A small to intermediate pickup.
You’re right, a Suburban is not a pickup but it has more overhang than a regular cab long box Chev which it shares the same wheelbase with (the pickup is shorter in length). Your F350 may have more overhang, but in relation to the wheelbase, it’d be no where near as bad as a Panther. Further, there aren’t too many cars that have wheelbase/length ratios the same as a pickup. And sorry, I should have specified that I was talking fullsize trucks, not compacts like a Ranger. Bottom line, long wheel base, lots of weight, wide tracks, and minimal rear overhang (in relative to the wheelbase and length) make a better tow vehicle. Generally, Pickups and fullsize SUV’s meet these criteria better than a fullsize car.
I like it too. Lincolns and Caddys had some nice paint colors which were not always available on lesser cars from the same company.
Back in the day, just sayin, your average tow vehicle was your used family station wagon with a V8.
In the early ’80s I bought a ’72 Dodge Coronet station wagon from a friend for $200. As I recall, 60,000 miles on the ticker. It needed a new tailgate which I sourced from a local junkyard for $100. So I had $300 in the thing plus tune up parts. It had a 318 and a Torqueflite 727.
Since I really had no use for the thing, I sold it to my friend who wanted it to tow his VW Bilstein Cup car with for $400 bucks. After a tow hitch and some Sears air shocks, we were ready to go. Our normal tow speed was 80 mph. Never a problem. Went to Charlotte, Mid-Ohio, and Ontario, CA.
Don’t know why guys who want to tow today feel the need for humongous diesels in 4-wheel drive pickups. Maybe because ’72 Dodge station wagons have become scarce.
Or because there isn’t really a modern equivalent I’d say.
My father and I used to tow a big 17′ Cruisers Inc. wood lapstrake behind his ’71 Javelin. 401, last year for the Borg-Warner autobox. I was still 17 the first time he let me drive the tow rig from Kenosha to Door County, about 150 miles. It was surprisingly unscary.
I’ll bet the Lincoln would track better, but an AMC 401 4-barrel rocks.
Looking at the licence plate I’d go for the music option. Although if you have to put that sort of thing on a plate then you don’t…
Good observation, although this is a standard issue license plate for where I’m at. That said, I’m with you on his being a musician as the food vendors had trucks.
Such a mystery. Unless the rims and tires were super narrow wouldn’t an incorrect offset like that screw up the max steering lock, it would on my RWD Brougham. How could a guy into towing not have a problem with that?
From the style and condition of the car and the meticulous painting of the new rims the guy is obviously a car buff. How could someone like that be OK with such a narrow looking track? Seems like that would be bad for stability too.
Are we missing something? Could it be that’s just how those Town Cars looked?
You can actually put SN95 17 x 8″ wheels on an Aero Panther and still maintain 99% of the steering angle. At full lock a 235 tire will rub on the sway bar and if you’ve got weights on the lip of the wheel they will be knocked off, though the sway bar and its mounting is different on the Box suspension. I did it to see exactly what size spacer to run to be able to fit the absolutely largest possible tires on my Aero. Changing the offset too much does mess up the steering and will eat up the front wheel bearings pretty quickly. Even scarier since this guy is towing with it.
Don’t know what the wheels are and have never been to new zealand. But that sure looks like the 85TC that I had and I used it all the time to haul a tool trailer made from the back of a japanese truck. They work great and I doubt I would want to haul 5k.
Truck like utility and 20+mpg was all I needed to sell me on the idea.
Bryce – One thing that’s worth noting is that, in the US, the lawsuit culture leads to vehicles having very conservative tow ratings compared to what an identical vehicle will elsewhere. Also, many vehicles that get no tow ratings at all in the US, like many compact FWD vehicles, havig tow ratings when sold outside the US.
Yes.
The Toyota Yaris is one. And having towed a 150-lb utility trailer with it, loaded with a 400-lb motorcycle…I can say with confidence there’s no real reason why it shouldn’t have a light tow load rating. No reason…except fear of liability.
The toughest part of it was getting a hitch put on. Interestingly, in Canada, the identical car is rated for, I believe, 500-lbs of tongue weight.
And, there’s the matter of manufacturer’s image for his product. Back when I had my E30 BMW 325i, I had looked up the part number for the (European) tow hitch setup. And then went to the Richmond BMW parts department.
I wish you could have hear the chewing out I got for suggesting that “the ultimate driving machine” would have the ability to pull a trailer. It’s religion with BMW America that their products are not to be used pulling trailers. This was before the days of the X5, of course.