Each of us has a signature look. It doesn’t matter how much or how little one cares about one’s appearance. We all have a combined set of personal aesthetic choices based on styling, grooming, clothing, and other rituals we perform at home with elements common to our day-to-day presentation that others can identify with us. This can change more frequently as we grow from teenagers into full-fledged adults, and the frequency and/or severity of adjustments may level off at some point. Depending on how style-conscious we may be, a slow, steady evolution of one’s look may be something that continues throughout our lives. My own personal presentation has remained fairly constant over the past ten years or so, though my previously scruffy face remained clean-shaven for all of 2021 as a kind of symbolic break from the past in my first full calendar year of sobriety since the 1990s. I hope to celebrate two years in less than two weeks.
In another, earlier stab at reinvention, I had once shaved all of my hair off as a teenager upon my family’s relocation to Florida following my high school graduation. This wasn’t completely out-of-the-blue. Shortly after moving, I had stopped into a 7-Eleven convenience store near Ft. Myers Beach to buy a Slurpee along with some snacks and magazines. This store didn’t stock Billboard, which would have been my first choice as the eternal music lover I am, but they did have Spin, of which I was also a fan. I also bought a magazine like Us or People, though I can’t remember exactly which one. I was hungry to read about any current pop culture trends or celebrity news as an escape from my sense of isolation in this new environment, having been basically yanked away from my friends and support system back in Michigan before starting college that fall, for which I was still very excited.
In one of those magazines was an article featuring pictures of a fashion show in which celebrities walked a catwalk for charity. In the magazine were pictures of Daryl Hannah, RuPaul (my first time ever reading about them), and a tanned, bald-shaven, and suave-looking Billy Zane. About the latter, and though I had no idea who he was at the time, I said to myself: That is a handsome man, and that bald thing might be for me. Telly Savalas was another other example of a famous, brownish-skinned man who had rocked this look very well, and so I gave myself permission to shave off my then-signature curls and go for it.
This was at a time in the early ’90s when very few guys were doing this, versus now, where it’s the go-to for many of us losing our hair and uninterested in Rogaine, Bosley, or other such treatments. Fortunately, I’ve always liked the way I look sans hair, but at the time, I remember one salesperson at a clothing store at the Edison Mall referring to me audibly as “Sinead O’Connor-lookin’ m***** f*****”. I left without making a purchase. I wonder if that guy’s general rudeness ended up costing him that job at some point.
Before this incident, though, my first disastrous attempt at shaving my head against the grain was an unresearched decision from which I learned very quickly was a direct path to a rear scalp full of painful razor bumps. In 2022, however, I have two solid, unbroken decades’ worth of experience with shaving my head with such familiarity that I can practically do it with my eyes closed. (Again, not recommended.) All this is to say that a bald-shaven head has been very much part of my signature look for most of my adult life. Inspiration begets inspiration, and behind many trendsetters or fully-formed personas are usually at least a handful of individuals from whom ideas were derived or borrowed. Not everyone looks great with a shaved head. I can remember having various friends and acquaintances try it themselves with varying degrees of success, and so I remain thankful I can pull this off.
Second-generation Cadillac Seville. Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. Friday, April 22, 2016.
A rear bustle was already the signature look of the radically-styled 1980 Cadillac Seville by the time the ’82 Lincoln Continental had arrived. Brendan Saur had written an excellent Curbside Capsule on the ’82 Connie some years back, in which there were many opinions in the comments regarding “Who wore it best?”, also including the ’81 Chrysler Imperial in that comparison. For my own personal tastes, none of these three cars is breathtakingly gorgeous, nor are any of them the ugliest thing on wheels that I’ve ever seen. This tacked-on-trunk look was short-lived for a reason. I think that once that c. 1980 fascination with with the ’40s was celebrated and over, the remaining vestiges of those ideas of old glamour, including the sloped-butt styling of these three cars, were seen as passé as my brother’s hand-me-down bell-bottoms I was forced to wear in the ’80s.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. Thursday, May 30, 2013.
The ’82 Continental was based on a stretched version of the Fox platform, with a 108.5″ wheelbase. This was in comparison to the 105.5″ wheelbase of the Ford Fairmont and Granada to which it was related. This model year marked a bunch of major changes for the Continental, and not only in looks. It was newly classified as mid-sized car, and it was also the first Lincoln offered with a six-cylinder engine, the optional 121-horsepower 3.8L V6. Standard power came from 5.0L V8 with 130 horses, which drove the rear wheels through Ford’s four-speed overdrive automatic transmission.
The model year of this example can be narrowed down to the first year of this design, as the telltale “Signature Series” badge on the C-pillar (it’s tiny in these pictures, but it’s there) gives it away. The Signature trim level was discontinued for the Continental after ’82, essentially replaced by the Valentino edition the next year. The Signature model cost $3,154 (~$9,100 / adjusted for 2022) over the $21,302 (~$61,500) starting price of the base model, and it quite literally allowed the first owner to put their signature on the car. For this extra premium, it included plaques on the front doors customized with the owner’s initials, the aforementioned C-pillar emblems, center pillar coach lamps, and a choice of three, exclusive two-tone paint combinations. Only the Givenchy designer model cost slightly more – about $350 (~$1,000) over the price of the Signature.
Sales were decent throughout this generation’s run, averaging over 22,600 annual sales over its six model year run, with a grand total of just over 136,000. This was much improved over the average annual sales figure of the Lincoln’s previous smaller sedan, the Versailles, which managed about 12,500 annual sales over its four model years between 1977 and ’80, with a grand total of just over 50,000 units. One clear advantage the ’82 Continental had over the old Versailles was that the newer car definitely had a signature look – whether you loved it or hated it.
The Versailles, while not a bad looking car at all, looked just like a U.S.-market Ford Granada in a tux and tails. There was no confusion while looking around the room in determining who the Versailles’ parents were. The ’82 Continental, by contrast, looked nothing like a Fairmont, or any of the other members of the FoMoCo Fox family. Our featured car almost looks like it’s wearing a tuxedo, with its factory Black over Medium Dark Pewter Metallic paint. I’d wear different “shoes” with this tux, but I don’t find these custom wheels offensive.
So what of it, if the Continental didn’t pioneer this rear trunk treatment? I’ll circle back to my earlier question of “who wore it best”. Strictly from the perspective of looks and nothing else, I’ll say that between the Imperial, Seville, and Continental, the Lincoln looks the most attractive. It’s also the most derivative and least distinctive. I’d grab the Imperial first. I’m a coupe man, and the financially distressed Chrysler Corporation from the late-1970s through the early-’80s just tugs on my heartstrings.
The Seville’s appeal was in its daring approach to breaking from traditional Cadillac styling cues, looking like absolutely nothing else on the road at its introduction. As for the Continental, it was a little late to this bustleback party, which was starting to break up right when it arrived. I remember hearing it said that if one is going to borrow someone else’s idea, that one should aim to improve upon it in some way. I’m not sure Lincoln did that here, but its new look for ’82 was definitely memorable, and so I’ll say that it stylists succeeded.
Uptown, Chicago, Illinois.
Friday, August 2, 2013 (unless otherwise noted).
Brochure pages were sourced from www.oldcarbrochures.org.
Not liking the oversize bling wheels…. The wrong car for this treatment.
I can’t see them without feeling my teeth loosen. Why not go back to gangsta white walls and diamond backs?
If we’re equating those wheels to clothing style, those giant rims are 2005 era baggy pants.
I actually like these Lincolns and considered buying one a few different times when I saw them on CL. Nowadays they are rarely if ever seen, except when one has been “modified ” like this example.
I am also not crazy about the two-toning but 1 or 2 factory choices were okay.
I think if I found one today, with lowish miles and decent colors I would be tempted to buy it, if for no other reason than it is so completely different from what is on the roads today.
Honestly, I think I might have seen maybe one or two more running examples of this generation since I took these pictures all the back in 2013. The later ones got the air suspension that leaked, IIRC.
The paint scheme makes it look like both ends are sagging. The wheels don’t do it any favours either.
As for shaving my head, I’ll pass. For a 62 YO, I’m doing pretty well in that area. Knees & ankles are a different story.
Ugh…. those wheels. Just wrong. Kind of a full-size version of a Hot Wheels toy.
Maybe that was the point. I can’t speak for the owner, but the full-size Hot Wheels look appeals to many.
The wheels can be changed out in ten minutes, so I’m not concerned about them. It’s not like the car has been painted hot pink, which isn’t so easily changed…
The bustle back is obvious, but Lincoln seems to have hedged their bets somewhat and didn’t jump into the pool with both feet like Cadillac did. Looking at the brochure picture and covering the rear end, the rest of this Lincoln looks pretty decent – not spectacular, but certainly not ugly. A less atypical tail treatment would have worked wonders, but there goes that signature look.
Joe, long ago I saw a quote about baldness. It said “God only made a few perfect heads; on the rest he put hair.” I would agree with this statement. I have lost zero hair and if I had (or if it even thinned) it would be a bigger visual mess than a train car full of these Lincolns sitting on its side.
I agree with both you and XR7Matt’s comment below that the rear styling wasn’t quite as severe as Cadillac’s (or Chrysler’s). I also found it interesting that not only did Lincoln do a version of the bustle here, but they also combined it with the “Continental spare” hump. This could have been disastrous if left in the hands of less-skilled Ford stylists.
Wow, this was another amazing essay. Total enjoyed it and a great read on this cold (8 degrees) New Jersey morning.
I’ve always been a fan of this version of the Continental. I will say, though, that I do like the ’82 and ’83 models the best. Reason being from the side views, the bumpers look much better integrated due to the lower body side moldings and rub stripes. Makes the bumpers look like they wrap around the body. Additionally, I find that the ’84s headlight/turn signals and slanted grill look awkward. Totally ruins the appearance of the car.
I would take one of those black and silver Givenchy any day!! Totally my style !
Thank you so much! We’re supposed to hit 50 F tomorrow, but it comes with high winds – whatever, I’ll take it. February is a short month for a reason.
I flip-flop between the looks of the first Continentals of this generation and the restyled ones. One the one hand, I like the early ones because there seem to be fewer of them left, but the later ones seemed to have a visual kinship with the Mark VII and I liked them for that reason.
Joseph, I’m with you on the Imperial. The front-end flows into the bustle-back much better than does the Continental and Seville.
Too bad about the fuel injection, though.
The Imperial coupe just has so much class and presence. I’d need to make sure the one I got was retrofitted with the carburetor for sure, to your point.
This is a car I have done pretty much a 180 from then to now. At the time, I simply hated them. My father bought one, I think it was an 83 or 84, two tone silver and gray. I hated the small size, I hated the wallowy ride (I was used to a 77 New Yorker with factory HD suspension) and hated the tacky styling. As time has passed, I would absolutely drive one. Solid mechanicals, well built and unique styling make for an appealing package. But I think I missed my window.
I have long admired people who can pull off the bald head look. I know that I am absolutely not one of those people.
One minor fact-check. This would have been Lincoln’s first six cylinder car ever. It was the first non-V8 since 1948, when Lincoln ended a roughly fifteen year period of offering nothing but V-12s. Before that Lincoln offered only V8s right back to the beginning. Actually, I had never known that the V6 was offered in these, and thought it was the Taurus-based Continental when that started.
Likewise, Cadillac never had a 6 until the Buick 4.1V6 credit option in c. 1980. They went from singles to fours, then directly to V8s when the three Ps had some really big sixes.
do it with my eyes closed
For over a decade, I shaved my face in the shower without a mirror or my -12 glasses. Only snagged my ear lobe once. The rest of my head is far too lumpy and boney to risk it.
Oh, man – thank you for the fact check! I’ll fix it when I get home from work. Glad to see you have come around on these. I’m like that with a lot of cars I wasn’t that fond of before. Absence can indeed make the heart grow fonder.
Handsome car.
As far as giant, silly, trendy, suspension-stressing car clown shoes go, those aren’t too bad.
Joseph, you wear the bald head look splendidly. It suits you, and I have a hard time imagining you with hair.
As to the bustleback, I’ll pass on all three of them.
Thanks Paul, and this made me laugh. I’m unsurprised that these are not your jam.
The 1984 Continental wears a new front end designed to go with the awesome Mark of the same year. This was a solid car with a lot to offer. The bustle rear was modified from the even more sloped bustle of the Seville, which was too much, in my opinion. The Imperial was the best looking, but the worst of the three mechanically.
I like Fox body cars. I’ve had three differing ones. There were an ideal size. They were solid with the right six cylinder or 5.0 engines. The Taurus was even better, but the Fox was done very well.
This had me wondering whether CC has ever done a feature at least referencing all the different permutations of the successful Fox platform, and it appears that yes, it has been done!: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/auto-biography/auto-biography-the-game-of-foxes/
Never been a fan of the truncated trunk models, but they’re starting to grow on me. I’d take a Imp in Navy Blue also.
As for hair, it’s still growing on me, and at 71 with a full head of it and just a bit of gray at the temples (I look like the guy with the blonde on that ’55 Cad Christmas ad, well at least my hair does lol) I figure that if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Especially since I tried a buzz cut once and looked like a total dork. But I like the chrome dome look on the right head, and you wear it well Mr. D.
That’s so awesome that you still have all your hair. Mine started thinning noticeably around my mid-20s. I was like, “Hmmm. That shouldn’t be.” It is what it is, and I’m okay with it!
The Imperial coupe is one of those cars that has looked great in most colors I’ve seen it in (in pictures, anyway), with only a few exceptions.
Your feet’s too big
Don’t want you cause your feet’s too big
Can’t use you cause your feet’s too big
I really hate you cause your feet’s too big. Yeah!
-Fats Waller
I like these, especially in this pre-facelift form. These were really bustleback lite, it hints at the look rather than committing to it like the Seville and imperial where its C pillar line terminates all the way down to the rear bumper. The Continental by comparison looks more like a conventional sedan shape, you could practically cover over its bustle with body filler and you’d never even notice.
Matt, you had me placing my thumb over the end of the trunk just to imagine, and “bustleback lite” seems to fit. Straightening out the styling just a little bit from stem to stern, it’s not that hard to imagine one of these with more conventional rear styling – though I do like what came to pass with these.
I still remember when these were new cars. I went to the North American Auto Show in Detroit for ’87 and collected a Lincoln brochure that featured one of these. I’m sure it’s in storage somewhere.
I agree also that the first version with the upright grille was a better looking car.
Lucky you, Joseph! I’ve always wanted to try the bald look, but my head, I fear is not the right shape for it. Also has some nasty scars under the hairline (previous bike accidents!)
Not a good look, so glad I am fully coiffed.
Not a great fan of the dubs on this, but, hey, the owner obviously takes great care of his ride and I can appreciate that.
With you on the Imperial as the most successful iteration of this body style.
Huey, like you, I really appreciated that this care was cared for and very shiny. Most of these pictures were taking in August, but one was taken in May (I had shot another frame in May that I didn’t use here) and both times, the car looked immaculate. Apparent pride of ownership tends to be a common theme among many cars I’ve chosen to write about over the past few months, though I do love writing about a tragic beater from time to time.
Loved this essay on a signature look. I am the type who ended up with my own look without really trying…just ask my office colleagues who have wondered aloud whether I ever wear anything but blue, white, or blue-and-white dress shirts!
As for the shaved head, I agree, it’s not a look for everyone but for those who can wear it, such as Billy Zane, the bald look can be very flattering. Congratulations on finding a style that works for you and sticking with it.
As for these bustlebacks, no, thank you. Time has not made them more attractive to me. I do understand your point on absence making the heart grow fonder, though, as my once strong opinions on certain cars, such as 1971-76 GM B & C bodies, certain Fords from the early 1960s, and the 1962 Plymouth full-size cars, have softened considerably under the tutelage of CC authors and commenters.
The mother of a former girlfriend drove a 1981 Imperial coupe and traded it around 1986 or so for a new BMW 5-series. I find it hard to imagine a more radical change for someone who probably drove no more than 7,500 miles per year, mostly at low speeds on local streets.
Wow – from an ’81 Imperial to a 5-Series. That was quite the difference in that garage! I can imagine one of my siblings saying this Lincoln is “foul”, which makes me laugh just thinking about it, but this is my essay, darn it! LOL
I know one or two things about a shaveheaded signature look, so this post rings good ‘n’ loud for me. Kudos!
These Lincolns never appealed to me, and still don’t. They struck me as a cynical me-too of a Cadillac not worth copycatting, and still do. Didn’t and don’t like that dumb Imperials, either. The whole trend seems like a lingering hangover from the bad drugs flushing around auto styling studios in the ’70s, notably but not exclusively at Ford.
When I was growing up, our elderly across-the-street-and-down-two-houses neighbours bought one of these Continentals; I think theirs was a new 302-powered ’87. By ’92 or so it was running filthy rich when cold; big clouds of black smoke billowed behind it as Mr. and Mrs. Irvin backed it out their garage and up or down the street. It carried on that way for years, surely cooking the cat(s), I think for two reasons: the problem stopped when the engine warmed up (no black smoke when I saw them coming back from wherever they’d been) and they were both old enough to have spent most of their life in times when some cars smoked, and that was just the way it was—not really a problem.
Daniel, since this was one of the later ones with the air suspension, do you remember it sagging? (Or did all of this generation have the air suspension?) I thought I remembered reading that the air suspension that tended to leak as these cars aged was introduced for ’84.
Theirs didn’t sag until after we were no longer neighbours, but I’m sure it eventually did.
Of the three bustle backs mentioned, I’ll take the Continental, especially one in a solid dark color though I can tolerate the two-tones as well. I had a friend who had one new, along with a new 300ZX with five-speed, and she enjoyed alternating between the two cars. The Continental was a very good car, and exactly the right size for urban driving. The next iteration of Continental was a big loser, especially in the exterior styling and non-luxurious interior (at least in the rental I drove), to say nothing of the drivetrain.
I actually remember feeling relieved when the next Continental went back to a more conventional look, albeit Taurus-ized with its aero look – but I don’t know anything about them. With these, though, I liked that Lincoln went back to the drawing board with their idea of a smaller, more manageably-sized sedan (like the Versailles) and executed it better.
Thanks for posting that link below! Ah, Motorweek. One of the PBS shows I would watch from time to time once I had outgrown Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers.
My parents bought a used 1988 Continental in 1992. It had about 48,000 miles on it and at the time it seemed like a nice step up from the Mercury Colony Park wagon that it replaced. The car rode nice, the styling was attractive for the time and it had a nice enough interior, especially considering they paid about 1/3 of the original sticker.
Unfortunately every bad thing you hear about this generation of the Continental is not only true, but probably worse. About 2 years into our ownership there were constant problems. The A/C rarely worked and no matter how often it was repaired it would only be a few months before it was out again. The air suspension was problematic as all of them are. The digital dash had to be completely replaced at some point, the infamous head gasket issue that plagued the 3.8 was a costly repair, several window issues cropped up, and I can tell you when the A/C is toast and only 2 windows roll down it makes for a long summer. After 5 years and 120,000 miles of ownership a failed transmission finally sent it to the junkyard. It was replaced by a Camry, one of three my parents would own from that point on.
Somewhere along the way I remember Consumer Reports listed the number of defects per 100 cars when they were new. Lexus was at its peak then and had some ridiculously low number (I want to say single digits but that seems too low), but I distinctly remember the Continental was by far the worst with 285 problems per 100 cars. My dad commented that we got all 285 of those problems with ours.
Great article as always Joseph!
I felt if not for the 3.8, which, try not to spit out your drink laughing, was a “High Output” police version of the 3.8 that apparently made the already bad head gasket problem the engine was known for worse, the car itself in many other ways was a better Cadillac, it didn’t have a weird oversized greenhouse, stretched overhangs, the wheels weren’t chintzy wire hub caps on steelies but alloys in the then trendy style of BBS wheels and the interior to my eye and my butt was more attractive and more plushy. Lexus LS they were not, but as a proportionally manageable rolling couch that didn’t look like a cynically shrunken version of its 1975 self it those Continentals did it well.
The later ones with the 4.6 DOHC fixed the 3.8 problem but traded it off for glass transaxles and jellybean styling that didn’t work nearly as well
A contemporary view of the 1982 Continental – when John Davis had hair!
A buddy had a 302 – powered 83 Continental for several years. I was just an old car at the time, a beater, but proved to be very reliable. Nothing went wrong during his tenure with the car
It was a decent driver, too. The Fox goodness showed through in reasonably nimble, precise handling for the era. Lincoln threw all the goodies at the car so it was nicely equipped, very quiet and comfortable. I’d like to own one today but the only survivors for sale around here are immaculate $10K examples.
I prefer the Seville, in that its elegant, distinctive appearance and unusual driveling configuration put it above the Continental or Imperial for collectible interest. The Imperial was a rare bright spot for Chrysler at that time, an effort to make a superior luxury car during some dark days.
I don’t think I’ve ever before seen or heard anyone refer to the ’81-’83 Imperial as a bright spot of any kind, or to any degree.
I do admire that Chrysler tried to create a halo car during those dark, dark times. I wonder if those cassette tapes that came with the “Frank Sinatra Edition” are still playable. I still have some cassettes that I saved as souvenirs, but it has been years since I tried to play them on something.
I prefer the Seville to the Continental as the Cadillac was totally committed to the style. If you recall the ’74 Riviera boasted a somewhat bustle back style. It has grown on me quite a bit over the years. Didn’t the 7 Series Beemer sport a “bustle lite” at one time?
This is a great point, that the ’74 Riviera did pioneer this look to some extent. Absolutely, a case could be made for this. Buyers didn’t like this, either, but I’m a sucker for a classic Buick – pretty much any classic Buick.
The Chris Bangle styling on the 7-Series isn’t the worst thing I’ve seen, but I was a working adult when those came out and I remember squinting and trying to like it because I had read that I was supposed to. I came around, eventually. It’s less offensive, style-wise, than newer things I’ve seen.
The real buzz about the 74 Riviera when it was new was the high mounted brake lights. It was the kind of thing that even non car people were talking about.
Borrowed from the Toronado – but a great, safety-minded feature to ape. Makes me wonder why the top-shelf Eldorado on the same E-Body platform never received those high-mounted brake lights.
It was 2002.
The wheels on the “Linc” are a travesty! Anyone else thinking the Caddy is blowing a large amount of exhaust?
The best I can say about the trunkline is it wasn’t as bad as the Chrysler let alone the abomination that Caddy came out with.
On the hairline, I’m fortunate to still have most of mine and although it may not look good, at least it helps minimize top of the head sunburn, which I’m told can be a real problem. Now I’m sure Joseph and Daniel are not part of the crowd I think of with shaved heads, cops and gangsters, but that’s what comes to my mind when I see one without knowing them. Then again, it’s not like anyone has ever said, hey, nice comb over, so for some there just aren’t great choices.
Or as I’ve said, I wish I’d been born rich and good looking. But I wasn’t and I’m over it.
Wow , Thanks guys. Negative or Positive the reviews are all awesome. I was the owner and driver of this lincoln I called Becky in Uptown Chicago il. The writer of this post can contact me anytime. I’m thinking of buying another one as we speak. Same year 82, same size rims but its black, silver and red crushed velvet interior. Have to have the 20″ rims again. They fit perfectly and no mods, no lift. Thanks again.
Maurice, I’m sorry for the delay in this response (I’m not set up for notifications), but thank you for chiming in about Becky! What a great surprise to be scrolling through my old posts and seeing that the owner had weighed-in. I hope you were able to make your next purchase. I’m so glad I happened to be in the right place at the right time with my camera when you passed through in traffic.
Never got the other one. But still looking for something with taste