In my “semi-retired” years I keep busy doing a number of things including building security at a high-rise office building in the heart of downtown Edmonton. It’s not far from the new Rogers Place arena where the Oilers Hockey team plays. The four-level parkade from time to time has some interesting vehicles come through the overhead door. Many new and not very distinctive, then sometimes older and more distinctive.
On one particular evening as I made my rounds a big black Lincoln caught my eyes so I snapped a few pictures. I would have recorded the VIN number to confirm the year but doing that might have got me attention I didn’t need. So I took what pictures I could and looked at the rear taillight lenses for a clue as to the year of this Continental. The huge chrome wheels which the Thunderbird used for a time during the mid-seventies told me this Continental was a fifth generation car. The tail light lenses had a “75” molded into them, but I knew that isn’t always an accurate indication of a vehicle’s model year. Sometimes a part will not change in appearance because the casting or mold didn’t have to be changed. A little research puts this Continental sedan as between 1977 to 1979.
Whatever model year, it’s been well cared for since being purchased by someone long ago at a dealership in the province of Saskatchewan. The dark tint and “Foose” sticker on the rear window gives me the impression the current owner is not of my generation. Bravo for him or her having whitewall tires on those rims. They really add to the sedan’s appearance but can be a real challenge to buy as few manufacturers stock them. The interior from what I could see through a side window was in very good condition.
Under the hood of this particular Continental resides either the 400 V8 or the 460. By 1977 the 460 was no longer available in California, so the 400 became the engine available for Lincolns sold in that state. Archive information shows by March, 1977 the 400 became the standard engine with the 460 optional everywhere but in California.
Full-size sedans luxury or otherwise were popular on the Canadian prairies back in the day as folks wanted as much quiet and comfort possible while driving along flat stretches of pavement or gravel roads and great distances from one locale to another. The Lincoln Continental would have soaked up those miles easily.
It is a 78-79 Continental. In 1978, the rear fender skirts has been restyled to have a larger wheel opening. Also in 1978, it also had a new dashboard complete with idiot lights rather than gauges on 77 and older Lincolns.
Yeah, the 1978-79 dash is basically a Mercury dash. Always thought that was a strange and disappointing bit of decontenting. The 1971-77 dash was much classier (and had gauges rather than idiot lights).
I realize I’m biased, since I have a ’78, but I actually really like the ’78 dash. The bar gauges were neat too, but I think the brushed aluminum with the blue backlighting IP looks really good. Then again, I wasn’t around for 1978 to see the thing change and notice it was suddenly shared, either. At the least, they made the Lincoln’s look much nicer than the versions they used in the Marquis and LTD.
My guess as to why they used the Mercury dash and reskinned it, though, is that Ford had a bunch of LTD/Marquis bits to use up after the B-Bodies came out. Either that, or the LTD’s “raditional” IP with a needle sweeping a range of numbers was a lot less expensive to make than the really neat bar graph IP with full instrumentation they had used in the Lincolns from 1966. Ford was already in worsening financial condition by 1978 anyway, so there had to be a cost rationalization in there somewhere, especially for cars they knew were about to be struck down by the CAFE meteor.
Agree with Mad!
Correct on the ’78-’79.
The tell between ’78 and ’79 is on the dash. ’78 used a nice striped metal and chrome accent looking dash with a wood-look lower panel. ’79 used all wood-look.
This is the ’78 dash. That top bit was wood-look to match the bottom in ’79.
Notice how much larger this parade float beast is compared to the Jeep beside it. Knew a body shop that said it took literally 3 men and a boy to hang a fender on theses tanks.
As much as I’m a GM guy, I would have had a hard time turning down one of these if I were in the market in 1979.(I was still in school, so anything newer than 1969 would have been a big deal..) Gas prices be damned, but this series was the last car of the 1950s and I would happily DD one now.
Great catch, and it’s inspiring to see it driven regularly (especially by someone who might be a young-ish person).
These are just a tad too blocky for my taste; I think the “formal” C-body Chryslers are a better version of the same theme. Nonetheless, I’d be proud to pilot this boat around town.
Wow! Now that’s what I used to call a real luxury car. The visual presence was just as important as the room inside. It is really big, but it had to be, since a regular Ford or Chevy was almost as large. It seems kind of pointless now, but it was a formula that succeeded for years.
I see it has the Canadian Prairie mudflaps but not the aluminum running boards which were also quite common back in the day.
Ugh, don’t get me started on those aluminum running boards. They looked hideous on cars and had no practical value. And always seemed to be on full-size sedans from Saskatchewan.
As I was born and raised in Sask, sadly. true. Those things disfigured a goodly amount of cars, particularly B-Bodies, back in the day.
Really… After market running boards? Like on a pickup? Boy that would look stupid wouldn’t it? Knew a retire in FL. That had a white truck, with a white cap. Had stick on multi color reflectors all the way around it, “for safety!”
The Guess Who maybe should have sang about ‘running boards’ back to Saskatoon. 🙂
That Percival Mercury sticker brings back memories. That was the Regina dealer.
Despite being from Saskatoon, I saw a fair number of the them, especially on trucks.
(The Saskatoon dealer was named Mer-Lin Motors). Percival must have been quite agressive/competitive, since it was 160 miles away.
Re the dash-I remember looking at them as a teenager back in the day, and even recognized the so-called new 1978 dash as a recycled LTD-Mercury unit. It was disheartening. Would it have killed them to continue the nice pre-78 dash for a couple more years? Maybe it weighed 9 pounds less or something, back when they trying to squeeze every ounce of the old girl for CAFE. And seeing that wheezy block-cracking 400 in place of a proper 460 was even more
disheartening. The world would never be the same!
So would this car cost more to buy and run than south of the border?.
Cars were/are always higher priced in Canada, and gas was always more, too.
We rarely got a break. Sometimes, though, we did. Example, Saskatchewan had a socialized insurance scheme, where basic coverage was tied to the registration. Any car had a set rate. My ’66 Mustang cost about $56 a year in the late 70s. Muscle car? No problem. Everybody paid the same, no matter the age or gender of the owner. I think it explains why this province had a comparative high number of muscle cars driven by youthful owners back in the day.
Whether it was a myth or folklore I used to hear about well preserved muscle cars in farmers fields in Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta. Although left in the open, it was said the dry climate preserved many of those cars and made them ideal for restoration.
I expect by now there are few to be found.
My dad bought his 85 Marquis from Percival. It was a comparitively small dealership back then and competed heavily with Watrous Mainline.
Of course today, it’s the behemoth Capital Ford along with its co-owned Capital GMC.
“Parkade” is a uniquely Canadian word that I learned only by working in Canada and having to use them for my rental cars. It almost sounds pleasant.
I always focused more on the “-cade” part, so I had this mental picture of tearing around the garage picking up dots while being chased by ghosts. Would make parking more exciting.
So is Garborator!. Waste disposal unit in American/English.
Not in any American English I ever heard. A garborator down this way is a garbage disposal (some say “disposer”).
With so many gravel roads, plus winter wear and tear, most older Canadian cars added a new and deeper dimension to the term “RUST BUCKET”.
It depends on the location. Eastern and central Canada, yes definitely rusty unless they were taken off the road in winter. BC is better. But Alberta cars have a reputation for being remarkably, relatively rust-free. My latest project is a ’77 Marquis from Edmonton. It’s unrestored and pristine underneath. No undercoating, just the original paint everywhere after 40 years. It would have lasted about 4 winters in Ontario.
I sure hope so, because it would be a damn shame for this car to rust out.
I’ve seen one or two runners in Regina that are rusting out and it’s really sad, because they are never going to make anything like these cars again.
I agree, Only Rolls currently has the “in your face” audacity of this generation’s Lincoln, But the Lincoln has CLASS, The Roller today is just a tacky “pimped” out Chrysler 300. Even with fake wood, ETC, Id much rather have a 77-79 Lincoln!
Does any other car say “Mafia” like a big black Lincoln?
Yes, Lefty & Guido are coming for me. In that exact car. “I didn’t do it, honest!” Okay, okay, okay, just not the knees.”
I actually prefer the ’78-’79 models with the smaller fender skirts, I just like the way the more open rear wheels look. These were beautiful cars in their time, the last of the really biggies with sumptuous interiors. The velour loose-pillow seats were so nice!
Yes they were overweight, overwrought wallowing barges with under powered V-8s, but I just don’t care, I always thought they were beautiful cars, true Lincolns in every sense of the word.
This particular model and year really got me started writing to Lincoln Mercury for brochures as a highshool kid, as any informations about them was hard to get.. And they really mailed them to me overseas. What a treat. Still have them.
By the way. The wheels are not crome. They are forged aluminum wheels. My Mark IV came off the line with them.
I would be loath to drive my 79 in the winter, that much is certain.
With this era of car, you’re not even guaranteed a rust-free body if the car eschews the cold snowy months of the year.
I had what I thought would have been the dubious pleasure of driving a 1976 version of this Town Car, about 40 years ago when my company car crapped out and my Ambassador convertible was in the shop for a long-overdue transmission service. My next-door neighbors in Leominster Mass. ran a day-care center and Gary rarely used his car; he generously loaned it to me for the day.
I was blown away, after a few miles. This car drove smaller than it was, and was comfortable beyond belief. Lincoln’s philosophy at the time was to protect its poor, helpless occupants from any nasty noises or other worldly intrusions, and did so superlatively. I almost could have put on some 1970s “music of your life” but that stereo was meant for playing the Kinks – full blast.
What a ride. 🙂
They really are unbelievable, aren’t they.
I still can’t believe how little you feel of some fairly major road imperfections, that would seriously jar you in a modern vehicle.
+1 🙂
There is a reason why I keep driving these large automobiles.
it is enjoyable and it is fun, even in tight places, like crossing old bridges built in the 1930’s, not to mention our downtown parking house.
I had the amazing pleasure to test drive many of these cars in their prime. And they handled just as they were inspired to handle…. Straight ahead, safely and in style.
Many have commented about them being under powered but the truth is one was so isolated from the road in these cars that you could not feel what was actually happening. In truth these beasts were faster than many vehicles that seemed and felt faster. I can attest as A friend of mine, who I was working with at the time had 2 wheel drive ’75 blazer equipped with a 350 and turbo hydramatic, which felt amazingly quick and fast. Yet ….. Confession time…. ( I’m sorry Mr Customer), but I just whooped his blazer with your big Lincoln. My buddy and I were very surprised! Deliveries can be so much fun, right Paul?
Nice find! Good to see one of these still in daily use and in decent shape. Those whitewalls (and the rest of the car) definitely need a good wash though!
Not my cup of tea back then or now but you still have to appreciate them for what they were. Next to the 1977-1979 Devilles/Fleetwoods they were a relic from yesteryear with handling, performance and mileage that were well below acceptable by 1979. I always as a kid found it strange that it took Lincoln until 1980 to downsize and improve these cars when they already had a downsized Panther for Ford and Mercury a year before.
Thunderbird, Cougar, Granada and Monarch also kept their platforms for a year or two after the Fox platform was introduced as well. Interestingly the primary competition for the standard Lincoln,the downsized “C” body Cadillac was aready on a substantial “reskin” by the time Lincoln “responded” to it, Making both ” new” for ’80. Oddly Cadillac would keep its body for two years AFTER Lincon reskinned for 1990.
The car I learned to drive in! As a newly minted 16 year old I had the Lincoln as our (new) family car and dad’s F-150 Super-cab with an 8 ft bed-3 years old! I opted for the truck at first because I could actually see the edges and it wasn’t still infused with “new car smell”- I was petrified at the concept that I might scratch/dent the Lincoln and I was damned if I would be the first one to do so!!
The fact of it is though that if you could maneuver/park any of these beasts, anything else was a snap and once I was licensed/confident on my abilities there was never anything else that rode as well or isolated you better than the big ol’ Town Car of ’79!!