After riding behind this stunning Lincoln Mark III for several miles, I whipped out my iPhone to snap a picture. As I was doing this, a white 1998-2002 Town Car pulled up right beside it – A perfect comparison! It really takes a late ’90s Panther to realize the sheer size that full-size cars were in the early ’70s.
It also makes a nice comparison for Lincoln’s styling in the early ’70s versus the late ’90s. I much prefer the razor-sharp, muscular styling of the Mark III to the melted blob look of the Town Car. These Town Cars were such disappointments compared to the stately 1990-1997 generation.
I would’ve liked to have seen the front of the black Connie, but with the help of its 460 cu in V8, it darted to well over the 40mph speed limit on a road that the Hingham Police monitor like a mother lioness protecting her cubs.
The Town Car looks to be a 7/8 scale of the Connie – and that hideous and tacky canvas roof does the TC no favors whatsoever.
Sadly, I would imagine the average age of the buyer of these differed by a few decades.
If we recall, that classic Lincoln style no longer fit well on the downsized cars of the 1980s. The Town Car of that era barely pulled it off, and the coupes couldn’t. The Fox Continentals tried to do it with a bit of a styling trick – a bustle, and it wasn’t all that well received by the Market.
That classic Lincoln look from the 1960s just didn’t sit all that well on smaller cars.
When the new Town Car was unveiled in the 1990s, it couldn’t have continued with the older look. Lincoln needed to prove that it had arrived within the new era Ford, via Taurus, helped launch. That generation Town Car was a huge success as it interpreted the classic Lincoln look on a smaller full size with aero-styling found on nearly all cars of that time. Cadillac pushed forward during this time with more formal styling and Lincoln ended up beating it in sales a couple of years.
I’m not a big fan of the way the Panther Town Car of this ear looks, but I think it is because there are so many of them, we no longer see them. This will change as time moves on and one day you’ll be shooting a Panther Town Car for this site and commenting favorably on it’s physical presense. Town Cars, especially by 1995, aped the styling of the big late 1940-early 1950 Lincolns in their back end stylings. I bet you will better appreciate this in about 15 years.
My biggest issue with the ’98 redesign of the Town Car was the grill.
The Town Car and the Continental were given grills that looked like the car had just sucked on a lemon.
+ 1 !
Remember, anything under 225 inches long, is just mid-sized.
I always compare that generation of Town Car to the pregnant bathtub Packards of 1949, they just look like the wheels are just slightly to inset for curvy contours of the body, I like the circa 1990 last of the square Town Cars more than these, its not that the Town Car didn’t need to change, its just that they should have worked on the styling a little longer, there was a loss of elegance when the Town Car blob-ed up.
The Mark III lives up to all my French Connection fantasies, I would have followed to for a while pretending to be Popeye Doyle keeping an eye on Frog One.
The rounded corner styling of the last Lincoln Town Cars reminds me a bit of the Lincoln Cosmopolitans of the early ’50s. That cabriolet top on the one in the photo is hideous.
+1 on the French Connection. I watch my DVD of it every now and then, mostly to see that beautiful Mark III. I just finished reading William Friedkin’s autobiography which I recommend for the 70-page chapter on the making of the film – fascinating.
Although I’ve heard of reliability issues with the Mark III, I still think it’s a prime example of Lincoln styling.
1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III: (wallpaper)
I never heard of a “bad Lincoln” unless one is discussing the shortcomings of the ’36-’48 flathead (Ford flattie based) V-12 . . .
There may have been some “teething” issues with the all-new 460 V-8, which debuted in the Continental Mark III.
Primarily the inability for that stuffed-full engine compartment to flow enough air through the radiator in order to adequately cool the beast! Our 1977 Lincoln Town Car with the 460 always ran hot, despite replacing everything in the entire cooling system.
Thank you Carmine for finally helping me realize why the rounded Town Cars seemed familiar to me but “not Lincoln” at the same time. Wonder how a 1999 Town Car would look stripped of Lincoln badges and with the Packard hood ornament?
Times change, I guess, and with it, faces and leaders and trends and tastes of those decision-makers change. Given that there’s forty years difference between those cars, it’s not surprising there’d be such a difference. In fact, the difference between 1930 and 1970 models would be much, much more drastic.
I always liked the Mark III; and now I’m in that demographic. But even if new, I couldn’t afford it today. Much less a well-preserved CC.
VanillaDude mentioned the rounded styling of the Town Car harking back to the forgotten Lincoln, the 1949-51 models.
I’m not so sure….
I’d love a ’49-’51 Lincoln; big truck based Ford flathead . . . . make mine a stick . . . the ’51 looking the best with the rear end styling (who doesn’t love a nice rear?!). I think the “lost” Lincolns are terribly underrated. Could be because in looks and feel (maybe not the Cosmopolitan), they were very Mercury-ish or vice-versa.
There is a complete and decent ’49 Lincoln sedan in a fenced in yard in the Mapunapuna area of Honolulu (industrial) . . . I saw it up close in person; missing tags, but safety inspection sticker showed expiration in ’75. . . .
From the rear, I said – not from the front.
I agree – thought so when they first came out.
I’ll take the Mark III hands down. I like Town Cars, don’t get me wrong, but with that “Golden Corral Quincy, Illinois” faux phaeton top, the choice is easy! (Like Zackman, and his distaste for fixed rear windows, I have abhor those phaeton tops!!).
Neither thanx the gas bill would kill me.
The one on the left is a Lincoln. The one on the right is a taxi.
+1
Those newer Town Cars just say generic “prom-mobile” to me. They don’t make a statement or have the presence or personality of the older one.
Baroqueness aside, I still prefer the Mark IV, especially the small-bumper ’71-’72s.
For some reason, my dad fell in LOVE with the styling of the ’98 Town Car after he saw a Cartier edition at an auto show in that pearl off-white color. He managed to finagle his company into getting him one as a company car (over the ’98 Lexus GS400 they wanted to give him — I think they were shocked when he said he wanted the Town Car instead).
It was one of the cars I learned to drive on. It actually handled semi-decently for a big boat. I know they don’t get much love here in terms of styling, but I think they look more cohesive than the following ’05+ refresh. Had to laugh at the commenter above who described the grille as looking as if the car had just “sucked on a lemon.” To me, the grilles on the ’98 – ’04 TC always reminded me of a bird’s beak, and also reminded me of the aero T-bird / Mark VII’s narrow grilles, which also reminded me of bird’s beaks.
I would have been shocked too if someone wanted a ’98 Town Car over a GS400. But car tastes are truly in the eye of the beholder. There’s always some hedonic aspect to a car purchase (or request as a company car).
I am even more shocked that Ford let the Town Car die on the vine never offering updated options like navigation, head curtain airbags, etc. Can you believe door airbags were optional?? I left Lincoln after 24 years for an LS and have never looked back. Ford should have kept up and never let me leave, but they left me no choice as I did not want a livery car. My LS, just like the Town Car never breaks.
They did offer a navigation system in the later cars, but it was pretty rare, probably due to the Town Cars main demographic being, ahem…..technologically adverse….
I never knew that. Thanks for sharing.
@Brandon: Trust me — I was shocked (and angry!) as well. Being 15 at the time and counting the days until I got my permit / license, I tried everything in the book to get him to buy the Lexus, especially since I’d get a lot of behind-the-wheel time in the car! And in ’98, Lexus was still cool, and the GS was especially bad-ass (still my favorite gen of that car) — especially with the big engine!
Alas, my dad is old school and the Lincoln was probably a better freeway cruiser (he spent a lot of time on the highway). We never had any problems with the Lincoln, and it was a great car to drive to prom.
After recovering from their shock, I’m sure his company was happy to accommode his request for a fleet queen. I’m sure it was much cheaper than the Lexus!
I’m just preparing my late Father’s 1974 for an end of summer road trip before listing on Hemming’s. I have owned Lincoln’s for 20 years, mostly the Mark VIII, as I love the coupes and that mellow 32 valve sound. But, driving the big old car reminds me of being a kid and buying $1 of gas and putting 10 kids in one car. The acres of seat with no bolstering and one finger power steering combined with an 8 track (I’ve got not only tapes but an old Sony 8 track recorder) and four (!) speakers takes me back 40 years. Even the vinyl roof seems appropriate on this car, as with only 39k, it is still spotless, so doesn’t detract from the visuals. I’m hyper-conscious driving these cars as I know their foibles and twitchy brakes combined with the size and weight to force you to drive in the distance, or pay the piper. Yet the nostalgia is very powerful, and causes me to think, sure, we can have eight cars. I would have to hide four or find a place to hold them and me, as my long-suffering wife has managed to appeal to my sensible cheapskate self and convince me to downsize in our “golden” years. Besides, I’m damn sure not Jay Leno, so if it doesn’t inspire me to drive it 5000 miles a year – on to someone who will. She’s right. You’d think I’d be used to saying those words after 30 years – of her being right. But it sure has been a fun ride, and will undoubtedly inspire smiles in someone else. That is why this avocation is so much fun, and so democratic in nature. There’s a ride out there for everyone, at every price – you just have to look. It might end up being an old hot rod Lincoln.
David-
Is it a Mark IV? How much are you asking for it?
To me the Mark III represents an era when Lincoln styling targeted the buyer who wanted understated elegance & class….vs. it’s later cousin that was designed for the massess. I miss the Mad Men era of the Advertising Age when cars were marketed for a lifestyle vs. MPG, cup holders, and your choice of assorted colors as long as it is Silver. Nice catch Brendan.
A guy near my old house has one of these Marks, and it is stunning in person, a very impressive and imposing design.
I have always wondered why the domestic companies don’t attempt to market the luxury brands with retro styling like they have done with the recent muscle cars. Instead of copying the designs of Lexus and Mercedes, offer a Lincoln (or Cadillac) styled to look like an updated American luxury car.
I think Chrysler 300 comes closest to this, no? The back end of the current gen channels Oldsmobile in my eyes….Squint and the design of the LEDs in the tailights could almost be a rocket.
Cadillac seems to be doing OK with their “art and science” styling, which isn’t really copying anybody else to a great degree. Lincoln has a styling problem though. Their only distinctive feature is a 1938-41 Zephyr style grille. They’ve shown a couple concepts that look like an updated 1961 Lincoln before, but that’s as far as it went.
Yes I agree, the 300 does come close to this idea, and was a raging success at least early on. The problem with the 300 is that it also comes as a rental grade entry level car, it isn’t truly a luxury brand. And it isn’t really big enough either, it never caught on with livery companies because of the tight back seat.
Cadillac styling seems hit or miss, and really once you get past the little details, the overall look really isn’t that different from anyone else. I pointed out an ATS and my wife thought it was a Hyundai, the XTS looks like the Buick it’s based on, and the CTS sedan is getting dated, mostly we like it because it comes in V-form, it isn’t groundbreaking styling. The coupe is pretty wild though, definitely a winner there. The new CTS looks interesting though…
I don’t think the 300 comes in a “cheapskate special” version any more. I got a brochure on the ’13 model and even the basic “300” has standard leather and alloys.
I do remember the early base-model 300s though–they were pretty sad with plastic wheel covers and Stratus-grade interior.
Nice find Brendan! I saw a really nice Mark III at the Coral Ridge Mall about a month ago:
In 1969 when the Lincoln Mark 3 came out it was STUNNING. Luxurious, not gauche at all.
The same can not be said for th1998 and later Town cars which Truth be told Cost Ford Motor Company exactly how much more per unit on average than the Crown Victoria’s ? Only a good buy used in it’s time, due to immediate massive depreciation off the new car lot.
That said I’d love one.