(first posted 3/17/2014) As a Panther fan, I often ask myself whatever happened to the Lincoln Town Car. It was doing so well before Dearborn got caught up in the SUV craze, then came the Firestone tire brouhaha, and then the CUV craze. It seemed the venerable TC became largely ignored by product planners in the Glass House before finally disappearing in mid-2011; a shame, indeed. Perhaps Panther fans’ love of the 1990-97 model and the subsequent watering-down of said top-dog Lincoln had something to do with it? It was such a nice design that even though I don’t care much for vinyl roofs on cars built post-80s, this dark blue ’97 actually looks pretty good with its cream vinyl chapeau.
1974 Continental
Town Cars and landau tops go back quite a ways. The 1974 models had only the traditional full vinyl roof available, but that would change in one year’s time.
1975 Continental Town Car–no coach roof but it has a very Broughamy coach lamp!
Yes, 1975 was the Landau year! Both the Town Car and Town Coupe (CC here) offered them, as well as B-pillar coach lamps to go with their opera windows. Indeed, ’75 was the year when the subtle classiness of the 1961-74 Continentals actually disappeared. Now it was all about the glitz, the gadgets–the sheer Broughaminess.
1976 Continental Town Car–A Broughamy beauty
Any subtle, Elwood Engel-inspired understated elegance here? Nope. Gotta have coach lamps, opera windows, a landau top and TWO types of fake wood on the instrument panel. And if I sound a bit disdainful of the change, let me assure you nothing could be further from the truth. I would love to have a 1961 Continental sedan, in navy blue with navy blue leather, but I’d love a 1976 Continental Town Car (Jade with Jade landau top, factory chrome alloys and Jade leather) just as much. Worry not, you CCers. I can’t be cured of my Brougham affliction, nor do I want to be!
1975 Coupe de Ville in Cerise Firemist–yum!
The 1975-79 Continentals and their flossier Town Car/Town Coupe versions were the ne plus ultra in Broughaminess for upwardly-mobile, import-disdaining Midwesterners. Yes, the Coupe de Ville/Sedan de Ville and Fleetwoods were equally sharp, but the Lincolns were just a bit better in terms of quality and materials, especially interior plastics. A 1975 Coupe de Ville was a beautiful thing, but don’t accidentally bump your elbow against the padded door panel in January–it would split every time.
1979 Lincoln Continental interior
Not so in the Lincolns. But why in the world didn’t Lincoln give their top-drawer offerings a special steering wheel? Sure, it had cruise-control buttons and more fake wood, but it was basically the same tiller as Farmer John’s F100, Daisy Mae’s Pinto Runabout and Barnaby Jones’s LTD “pillared hardtop coupe.”
1984 Town Car Signature Series
Although the Continentals, Town Cars and Mark were all downsized to the Panther chassis for 1980, all the luxury cues–and landau tops–remained. And while you could have gotten a 1975-79 Continental or Mark with a steel top, that was impossible with 1980-89 Panther Lincolns. You could choose either a full vinyl roof or a coach roof, period.
1987 Town Car Cartier Designer Edition
That finally ended with the redesigned 1990, when all TCs left the factory with steel roofs. Of course, the aftermarket picked right up where Wixom had left off; I recall seeing many “Congressional Town Sedan” Town Cars at Classic Lincoln-Mercury as a kid whenever I’d visit there with my grandmother.
You all know that I have a 2000 Town Car Cartier–and I love it. I love its ride, comfort, silence, and rather Jaguaresque profile. But I have to tell you that when the 1998 TC first debuted, I was disappointed. I loved the 1990-97 model! It was classic and yet contemporary at the same time.
image: ebay.com
I have already waxed extensively on the 1990-94 Town Cars (CC here), but I must tell you that I love the face-lifted 1995-97s even more. The first time I saw a ’95, I thought it looked rather squinty-eyed (maybe skeptical?) but now I now prefer them to the 1990-94s.
image: ebay.com
And of course, my favorite one of all–OF ALL!–was the Cartier. I love my 2000 Cartier dearly, but I have to tell you, if I had run across a 1995-97 Cartier like this one first, I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.
image: ebay.com
I love the Ivory Parchment Tricoat paint, the multi-spoke alloys, and that light, light-cream leather! Plus, these still had the all-digital dash, which reminds me of the 1987 Continental sedan my grandparents had. And although I do rather like the landau top on the blue one at the top of this post, a Cartier just like this one would be at the top of my list: steel roof, no aftermarket chrome and those oh-so-skinny whitewalls that appeared briefly in the late ’90s.
image: ebay.com
And its squared-off profile made it a hit with older buyers who wanted a big traditional American luxury sedan with rear-wheel drive, whitewalls and a V8. Of course, it was also popular with folks who had a large desire for–um, how do I put it diplomatically–dealer-installed and aftermarket appearance items. For instance, fake convertible tops, fake chrome fender lip moldings, fake chrome rocker trim, fake chrome B-pillar trim, fake Rolls-Royce grilles, and–of course–Landau tops.
And so it went, seemingly for decades. Town Cars and Landau tops (Coach Roofs, in Lincoln-speak) just seemed to go together like pizza and beer. The 1998-up versions really weren’t well-suited to aftermarket roofs, but I certainly saw plenty of them when they were new.
I remember seeing many 1995-2002 Cartiers in Ivory Parchment with a dark brown fake convertible top, moonroof (how delightfully tacky; a moonroof in your convertible top!) and the expected fake chrome on the b-pillar, rockers, and wheel lip moldings.
At the time I couldn’t believe someone would spend $45,000-$50,000 on a beautiful new Cartier and then spend another $3000-$5000 on tacky gingerbread. There were actually several in town decked out like that: not-so-great minds think alike…this wasn’t my kind of Cartier.
I mean, who was the first person to put a faux convertible top on a coupe or sedan and say “Hey! That sure looks good!” After all, when you think of a convertible, you always think of them with their tops up, because that’s when they’re at their most appealing! Uh-huh.
image: ebay.com
My tastes run more along the lines of this rather restrained red one.
While cloth was available, it was rarely seen or ordered. Leather was the order of the day. And you could still get several different shades: dark blue, dark red, dove gray, black, white (with dove-gray trim, or green trim on the Jack Nicklaus editions), saddle tan, light parchment, and my favorite–dark green.
The best part? You couldn’t see that bad fake convertible top from the inside, if your TC was so equipped. The Signature Series had a different upholstery style than the Executive Series, with the rather free-form design seen here.
The Executive, as the least-expensive Town Car, had more classic seating, with vertical pleating. Despite some wear–notably a crunch on the rear corner that took out the driver’s side taillight and missing wheel caps–our featured Deep Navy Blue CC (the Silver Frost one with the simcon top was found in Iowa City; the pearl white one in Moline) was still in reasonable condition, and the cream leather interior matched the top to a T. It had appeared to be quite well cared for until relatively recently. It even still has its hood ornament!
As with any Town Car, room and comfort was the watchword, and sixteen years after being built, this rear compartment still looks über-comfy. BMW may arguably be the ultimate driving machine, but these Lincolns are the ultimate riding machine!
I had a thing for these for years, going back to my grandfather’s patronization of Lincoln Continentals starting in 1966. I actually test-drove a 1997 Executive Series back in the late ’90s. It was just a couple of years old, in Silver Frost Metallic with dove-gray leather and no aftermarket junk on it.
It drove very nicely, but I wasn’t in a position to buy, being in college at the time. At the same time, I regularly saw a wine-red 1995-97 Executive in downtown Rock Island that was a beauty, and I also drove my friend Dick McCarthy’s gunmetal-gray-with gray cloth ’95 Executive several times. I just loved these cars, and always will.
How bad do I have it for Lincoln Town Cars? When I entered high school in the fall of ’94, I remember thinking “Wow, I wonder what the Town Car will look like when I graduate!” And even as I pondered the future of body-on-frame domestic luxury cars, I was equally crushed by the discontinuation of the Cadillac Fleetwood, Buick Roadmaster and Chevrolet Caprice.
Really?! Who’d want a dumb old pickup over a Roadmaster Estate Wagon or Town Car Signature? A lot of people, sadly. But the TC and its less prestigious Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria siblings kept on truckin’.
I frequently went out to lunch with my Grandma Ruby, and we always made a point to stop at the L-M dealer so I could see the new models. She knew I loved cars. And I would frequently try to talk her into getting a new Continental or Mark, but she would always keep her ’87.
I was probably the only person in my high school that daydreamed about Lincoln Town Cars (and Cadillac Fleetwoods, I am an equal-opportunity Broughamaholic!) during class, instead of Camaros, Mustang GTs, Lamborghinis and Porsches. But I never thought about owning one of my own–I was expecting (and was correct in my assumption) that I would get a Volvo. But still, I pined for the TC, specifically, the 1990-97 versions.
When the 1998 Town Car appeared, I did not like them quite as much as the 1995-97 model. I have since developed a nigh-on near identical love for the post-’97 TC, but at the time, I was a bit worried in September 1997. As I had recently received both my driver’s license and permission to use Mom’s 1991 Volvo 940SE (her daily driver was a new AWD 1997 Grand Caravan ES in Candy Apple Red), I wasted no time in booking on down to Classic Lincoln-Mercury and snagging the plush 1997 TC brochure, with onion-skin pages and real color chips in the back!
image: aerocats.net
I also got the last of the original Cougar brochures (loved the 30th Anniversary model in Dark Toreador Red) and sauntered on over to Sexton Ford for the last of their ’97 T-Bird brochures (we had no inkling of the drop-top ‘Bird to come in five years’ time). And do I still have said brochures sixteen years later? What do you think?
2011 Town Car Signature Limited: Last of the Line
And so, recalling all of these memories and my subsequent purchase of a Town Car of my own, I am rather surprised to say that I really am a Ford man. And that is saying something, with all of the Volvos my family and myself have experienced ever since Mom’s first one, a 1973 1800ES wagon.
I was still working at my dad’s office in late ’12 and was walking back from lunch when I spotted this Townie parked right up front. I only had a couple minutes to get back, but had to get some photos. These are still rather common around here, but the fact that it was an Executive with the aftermarket roof in interesting colors made me stop. It reminds me of a Bill Blass Town Car, though no such car ever came out of the factory. Cartier Town Cars were the only designer Panther between 1982 and swan-song 2003.
But the classic navy and cream or navy and white colors of the Blass Marks have always been appealing to me, and those colors look good on pretty much anything–including a slightly weathered 1997 Executive Series.
Oh, and how do I know our blue example is a 1997 and not a ’95 or ’96? The 1997 models lost the keyhole lock cover, instead making due with a surround that had “Lincoln” in cursive script. In addition, the “Signature Series” and “Executive Series” scripts that had been in the opera window on 1995-96s moved to the front fender, replacing the block-letter Town Car logo that had been there previously. Such minutia are symptoms of Pantheritis, and once you have it, it is incurable.
I saw the opposite of your feature car today – a late 90s Townie that was off-white with a navy landau treatment.
I was perfectly happy to look at modern Panther-based Town Cars until you showed me that picture of the 1974 model – emissions systems and bumpers aside, I think that is my favorite post-1967 Lincoln.
“I was perfectly happy to look at modern Panther-based Town Cars until you showed me that picture of the 1974 model – emissions systems and bumpers aside, I think that is my favorite post-1967 Lincoln.”
The gravitational pull to near ’60s design is undeniable. Resistance is futile.
I really like the ’74s too. I have only seen one in the metal, a weathered sedan in the same blue as the car in the brochure pic. That was probably in about 1994-95.
Where can i purchase a landau top for a 2011 town car. Who makes them and where can i buy one
I miss the big rear-wheel drive Lincoln Continental of the 80s. Were they perfect? Did they get the best fuel economy people today demand? No, of course not. But so what? When you buy a big luxo barge, you’re not buying it because it gets better mileage. No, you want something with style, with panache, something with elegance. Like you’re going to a fancy dinner with some business executives. Do you take your date to that dinner in a VW Bus, or a Toyota Corolla? No! you took her out in a Lincoln Town Car. If not a Lincoln, another luxo barge, a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham.
Must say I agree with your rant on the fake convertible tops. My favorite was the box as I owned an 85 and 86. I almost bought another but wound up forced into something else. Now have a 4wd 4runner and honestly, the town car would have been stuck in the field for a while had I bought one.
Hope yours is still working well.
Tom, what an excellent write-up on what is one of my favorite cars as well. You and I both have Pantheritis…and me arguably Lincolnitis. My first [Lincoln] was when I turned 16. My parents wouldn’t let me keep my AMC Eagle project, so we made an agreement that if I made the Eagle go away, they would buy me my friend’s mom’s Mark VII LSC. Being one of the first people in my class to be able to drive, it made that car all the more awesome. However, it ended a too early death with an accident followed by a blown up ABS pump and sagging air spring all within 30 days of each other at the end of my Sophomore year in high school. Pantheritis followed. As the last car my parents would buy me, they found (on their own; I was proud!) a 1997 Grand Marquis in pristine condition. It was that silvery-green color with a black mock top, the GS wire wheel covers, and stainless wheel lips. I didn’t care for that color by itself, but with the black top and extra chrome, it was beautiful. I had that car for 3.5 years and put 75000 (hard) miles on it. Then an ’01 Continental got traded in at work. While I loved it and the extra conveniences over my base G.Marq, it was not nearly as dependable a car despite having 70,000 fewer miles. I only kept it two years, and traded it on a 1998 Cartier TC. Wow, that car was like molding everything I loved about my GMarq and Continental into one car. This REALLY created Pantheritis. At this time, I also had a “project” car…a 1978 Town Coupe. Then I made “The Mistake”…a very recent college grad selling Toyotas, I felt I needed a “proper 23 year old’s car” and leased a ’11 Toyota Camry SE. Good car? Yes. Great car? Probably. A “Derek Car”? Absolutely not. After three years, the lease ended. I wanted to be without a car payment for a while, and bought an ’88 Town Car. Well…a month ago with summer jet-skiing thoughts in my head, I decided that I needed something that could handle 400+ miles per week in the summer without incident. I bought a 2007 Town Car recently traded in. It is fantastic….it may actually be my favorite one because of the modern steering and Watt’s Linkage…it makes the car much less old fashioned to drive without sacrificing ride. And….White Chocolate Tri-coat. Something about a white Lincoln is simply classy where black says something else….plus….two and a half years ago I acquired another AMC Eagle. My life might be complete.
Tom, have to agree, I would love to have a 90-97 Town Car. Make mine the maroon one pictured. Remember seeing one identical to it back in the C4C days at the local Honda Dealer C4C lot. Made me sick to the stomach to think that beauty was headed to the crusher. To think someone probably traded that it in on a Fit or Civic. Bet they regret it now. I really like the 90-94 the best of that generation with the Lacy Spoke wheels. Remember renting one in about 93 and thinking this drives identical to my old 79 Mercury Marquis Brougham that I had traded about 6 years prior; but with a lot more power. My 77 Town Car was oh so nice to ride in, just so many folks were scared to drive it due to its size, so I rarely got to ride.Nothing before or since was as comfortable to ride in, including my Fleetwood now; I just had to make sure I had plenty in the wallet for gas.
Those little lights on the sides of the roof where do I get those for my landau roof on my 2004 Lincoln Town car?
I look at those 70’s Lincoln’s and wonder how did we get from there to here? They were such handsome cars.
I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that the 90-97 Town Car was the best designed full size vehicle since the 1977 B-Bodies.
For one brief shining minute, they made you think that the traditional American car still had a chance.
Dave B
Posted March 17, 2014 at 2:51 PM
Your taste for the perfect Panther Town Car is exquisite.
I pulled the trigger on buying a leftover ’12 Expedition last spring. It had a very similar color interior and that very light carpet. With kids and boating, it wasn’t the best match, but the price I was quoted was amazing. Somebody else beat me too it.
I’m glad I missed, it, I ended up with a F-150 Lariat with black carpet and added the heavy duty rubber floor mats. Now, I have my luxury and can hose it out.
But, for a Sunday only car, this can’t be beat…..
It’s the mark of a good automotive writer to be able to make the reader consider seriously a car they had previously dismissed. You nailed it, Tom. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Well done!
I like the red one best,Tom made me want a Lincoln Touring Sedan during Lincoln week,thanks for another great read.
I really like the steering wheel in the 1975-79 Lincolns. It is the thin rim that is really lame. It should be a little thicker with a band of woodgrain on it. At least all the Lincolns had the luxury steering wheel standard even if they didn’t have cruise control. As a kid I used to love looking in all the Fords to see if they had cruise control.
the steering wheel is the first thing I would change on these cars when I acquire my next one…..they are so cheap looking
BTW – Lincoln Versailles, some Mercury Ghia Monarchs, the special edition 1977-1979 t-birds and Ranchero’s have leather wheels which are the essentially the same wheel but with leather.
I hope to rip one a leather wheel out from one of these cars, change the emblems and replace- don’t understand why Ford just didnt put the leather steering wheels in these if they put them in t-birds
Good point, lincman. I think the leather rim would have been a nice addition. That thin rim looks very cheap. My Dad’s 1982 Country Squire had the four spoke luxury steering wheel with the leather wrapped rim. Even though that steering wheel was used in a lot of Fords at the time the optional leather rim made it a lot nicer.
Not quite the same as the F-Series pickups–this Lincoln has two bends in it, while the pickups had one long curve. It’s very close, though, to the three 70’s F-250’s we owned–first the pea-green Custom my grandpa bought new in ’74, and that my dad bought from him in ’87, then the ’79 two-tone blue-on-light-blue he replaced that one with in ’97, then the Nice Pickup. 1977 F-250 Ranger XLT SuperCab, with 460, auto, cruise control and two jump seats in the back. That had plastic woodgrain everywhere in the front.
I call it the Fomoco “Tolkien” steering wheel, because it was truly one ring to rule them all.
You definitely know your mid 70s Cadillac plastics, I love my ’76 Coupe DeVille to death, but the splitting and warping and fading….. grrr.
Maybe broughams aren’t so bad after all, for once upon a time, they could fly:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Brougham
from the builders of the “Spirit of St. Louis,” no less!
Dammit, Tom! I see three (yes, three) Town Car’s like yours today – all for sale – and I come home to look them up online. Then, I flip over here to CC and what do I see? This truly wonderful and contagious ode to the Lincoln Town Car. You have fanned the embers of my Panther love with this piece; you make it hard to entertain thoughts about those little German temptresses I have been finding (yes, I found a BMW last night and have had many a daydream since while still harboring the desire for a fling with a VW). Now I am back to wanting a Panther again.
You also raise a concern of mine….one day I will have enough money to burn a wet elephant. So, what should I buy? Traditionalist that I am, I want a big ‘Murican car. What do I get? With the demise of these and the Cadillac Deville, it beats the hell out of me. The best candidate these days is an F-150 Platinum (or Titanium or Plutonium, whatever it is this year).
This was a terrific piece. Thank you; it made my day.
Those Town Cars are calling your name: “Buy me Jason, buy me!”
🙂
When called by a Panther, don’t anther. (J/K, Tom & Jason…go for it!)
Thank you for the story and your interest in Town Cars. I liked some of the Lincolns too. I like the 1980-1989 models especially the 1986-1989 models with those high front seat headrests. I had a few issues with the 1990-1997 models. I liked the look, but did not care for the headlight design that should have been a quad headlight design( two on each side of the grille), and the fact after 1994, the rear doors lost the quarter windows. The interior was an improvement.
I was not fond of the 1998-2002 models because it had no stand up hood ornament and the 2003-2011 models refined what I did not care for.
I am a fan of the 2003-2011 Town Cars. I like those. I did not like the fact you could not get full digital instrumentation was my only issue with that model. The Grand Marquis offered it though until the Grand Marquis and Town Car started sharing parts. I liked the ones from the 1970’s too. The 1977-1980 models were really luxurious looking. I personally am a GM/ Oldsmobile Ninety Eight person, but I respect the Lincolns and I am a fan of them too.
I do have 1:18 Lincoln Town Cars in my house: 1998, 2003 and a 1:43 Lincoln Town Car 1986-1987. I have a Matchbox Lincoln Town Car from the 1985-1987 era.
The thing I find interesting is a fully loaded Grand Marquis LS came close to a Lincoln Town Car. I know a woman who owned a fully loaded one and she said the salesman sold them the Grand Marquis LS because it was loaded like a Lincoln and cheaper. I know that Grand Marquis LS exported to the The Middle East used Lincoln Town Car seats.
Thank you for this article.
My 2001 GM LS Limited has the earlier TC style front seats with the individual armrests that have the storage compartments in them.
I would really love a 1980-1989 Town Car with no vinyl of any kind and still having the opera lights. Sadly they do not exist. I think that it would have made the Lincoln look so much sleeker.
Two words: Ban Rol.
(Or possibly, four words: “Get off my lawn”)
Oh, well, to each his own…
Nicely done, Tom.
I’ll agree that these and the early 80’s TCs are my favorite Foxes – they seem to do the best at channeling the ‘Engelness’ of the 1961’s.
I have owned and enjoyed two Lincoln Town Cars, (so far), a 1981 and a 1987.
Also a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis.
Although my 2011 Toyota Camry is a superlative Daily Driver, excelling at it’s mundane combination of stop-n-go traffic & Interstate filled daily commute…….it’s NOT a Town Car.
In roughly 20 months, when I accept early retirement from our favorite Uncle, and do not have to make a 60-plus mile commute 5 days a week, I WILL reward myself with the cleanest, most perfect, lowest mileage last generation Town Car that I can find.
I have become “pantherized”.
Encyclopaedic, Tom. 1974 for me. please.
I love all these cars. I love the style of the 90-97. The 98 not so much but I sure miss it now they are gone! My current Lincoln is an 83 mark I sedan which I think is the best looking 80s Lincoln. That is the best riding car I ever have had. Thanks for a great article. I never knew the 90s roofs and trim was add on. Would live a 90s Lincoln in white with the coach roof no windows in it with all the extra chrome and continental kit.
Excellent article Tom. Thank you. For me, the Chevrolet Concours is the only domestic car I can recall, where wide chrome wheel well moldings looked natural and attractive. Mercedes used them very tastefully as well. On this Lincoln, I find they look like kind of like a JC Whitney catalog accessory.
I tend to think of them as a way to hide rusty wheelarches.
I think the reason Ford let Lincoln go to seed was not so much about Ford doing well with SUVs and more on the BILLIONS Ford wasted on silly projects that even to this day, people don’t even associate with Ford. Namely, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Aston Martin. I think for could have kept Lincoln cutting edge had they not wasted the $50,000,000,000.00 it is estimated they lost by owning Jaguar alone for 20 years. People rant about how the new Ford “copied” the Aston Martin grille on the Fusion. Meanwhile, without the huge profits Ford made on the Explorer, F150 and Town Car in the 1990s, Aston Martin would have been confined to the dustbin of history a long time ago.
I’d put Volvo in a different bucket from the British marques, since there was real engineering ability there, as was true with Mazda under Ford’s ownership.
Plus at the time I saw it as the revenge for Edsel, with the Mazda 3 and 6 appealing to the Edsel Ranger/Pacer demographic, people who wanted something just a bit more special than a regular Ford for just a bit more money while the mainstream Volvos appealed to the upper reaches of the middle class and the stealth-wealth crowd they had once aimed the Corsair/Citation at. And of course the Grand Marquis (and indeed Town Car) sold well to the Edsel’s original target demographic.
But I digress. Volvo platforms were leveraged across all of Fomoco, as were Volvo safety standards and test proceedures at just the time that was becoming a major priority for buyers. Jag, Land Rover and above all Aston were pure corporate vanity purchases.
Love your post Mr. Klockau,
I have to sadly disagree with you though. I think the 90-97 TC actually stodgied up the TC as it remained boxy while all its competitors and also its Panther platform mates all got an aerodynamic restyle. The 1981-1989 (or 80-89 if you consider the 1980 Continental Town Car to be the start of that style) was a classic style right out of the box and looked very refined. It was a hard act to follow. The 1990 TC came out as a new design but looked outdated quickly. In 1992 the new Aerodynamically designed Crown Vic and Grand Marquis came out and so did the new Taurus/Sable. All were aero looking and seemed to scream the 1990’s while the 90-97 TC seemed to scream reskin of the 1980’s version.(just like the 1988 1/2 -1990 Escort was simply a reskin of the 81-88 version)
I must agree with many here that there is something beautiful about the pre-1980 Lincolns.
I had a particularly interesting viewpiont of these as a salesman at a Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda-Saab dealership in 1983-1984 when I was in college. I was there for the unveiling of the all new Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz as well as the amazing new Mark VII.
As for the Town Cars, in 1983 our used lot always had plenty of 1977-1979 Town Cars. they were beautiful, elegant, well built, and with the combination of the battleship proportions and low teens gas mileage, they were oh so impractical. Which answers the question posed by another commentor of how did we get here from there. The downsized panthers did not have the same presence or beauty, but we could sell both new and used panther Town Cars by the truckload for every old Townie.
I can still remember taking a customer on a test drive of a 1979 Mark V Cartier. 33,000 miles and he had been wanting one for years. Finally able to realize his dream of Mark V ownership, that was a beautiful car. And there was always something unique about the view over the long hood of the Mark V. The gently curving center of the hood framed by the sharp fender corners and the tall hood ornament dead center. What a sight to behold from the driver’s seat.
After reading this excellent article, there seems to be a Dark Force tugging at me. That 74 that in the past I would have dismissed is starting to look better and better. Not sure about the rest, but some awful nice interiors. Could this be a sign that Tom’s obsession with these cars is slowly reaching out and pulling me over to the Dark Side? Hmm… the 75…not that bad, even the 76…
“I was probably the only person in my high school that daydreamed about Lincoln Town Cars (and Cadillac Fleetwoods, I am an equal-opportunity Broughamaholic!) during class, instead of Camaros, Mustang GTs, Lamborghinis and Porsches.”
I’ve said a paraphrase of that statement many times. I used to draw cars in class, and I had a friend that always wanted me to draw him a Mustang… boring!
I agree 110% on the aftermarket tops, I HATED those (perhaps more than the fake wood dash trim that plagues so many ’95-’99 Rivieras). I remember seeing one at the L-M dealership where the small window on the c-pillar was covered over from the outside, and on the inside there was an interior color matched plug covering the glass, but the panel was still recessed for the window – ugly.
The 1998 Town Car missed the mark, the stand up hood ornament and digital gauges were gone, and the car had a smaller and less unique look. One thing they got right were the wheels, I loved the deep dish wheel designs they used in the late ’90s. I remember seeing the pictures of the ’98 in Motor Trend in my high school library, and wishing I could have one as limo for prom, but it wasn’t out yet. The 2003 TC fixed most of the problems of the ’98 redesign (sadly, all of the interesting interior colors were gone by then, and the new wheels were uninteresting), but they just left it out there to wither on the vine for rest of its life.
2010 Lincoln Town Car Continental Edition:
End of An Era 2011 Lincoln Town Car:
1977 Lincoln Continental commercial:
1988 Lincoln Town Car commercial:
1990 Lincoln Town Car commercial:
MW 1988 Cadillac vs Lincoln FWD vs RWD Road Test
Although I am a Lincoln guy, there will always be only one Town Car model year/configuration.
The 1985 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series w/Carriage Roof option and Wire Spoke Wheels: (wallpaper)
Nice. That is the only carriage roof that looked good!
I’m a Panther fan, but my personal preference goes more to a low-option Ford than the TC.
Tom,
Thank you for the article. While I have a ’97 Executive (blown engine) and the wife’s/family ’02 Signature Series, I lack all the detail knowledge you have. BTW also had a ’94 GM GS. Panthers are great cars. A Cartier edition would make a nice edition. I thought that ’03 was the last year for the Cartier edition which was replaced by the Ultra for 2004 for only that model year.
Yes 03 was the last year for the Cartier it was replaced by the Ultimate for 04 that only lasted for 1 year. The Signature Limited became the top model for 05. In 06-07 the designer series was the top model while the Signature Limited was the only retail model for 08-09. For 10-11 the top dog was the Signature Limited Continental Edition. From 04 on the Executive was fleet only.
I agree the 90-97 TCs were beautiful cars, but would go with a ’95 or ’96 with the dual exhaust that was dropped for ’97, thanks to the big de-contenting that was going on at that time.
The dual exhaust was only dropped from the Executive for 97, it was still standard on the Cartier and Signature.
I too love the 90-97 shape, with the 95-97 refining it to perfection. I like the later dashboard better too – and as for the freeform seat pattern in the Signature, how cool is that! Question: are the rear headrests separate from the rest of the seatback and adjustable on the Signature?
I was lucky enough to pick up a big set of TC brochures from 1980-2000 last year; it was such fun poring over them, opening several side-by-side and comparing the differences between the years (as well as seeing how much Ford airbrushed the cars to disguise the fact they used last year’s photos). A ’97 in that gorgeous red, with sunroof and cloth (seats not roof!) would be my pick.
I still have no idea what Ford was thinking in giving away that RWD brougham market share by leaving the category. I was raised a Ford man in a Ford family, but imminently-dead Falcon and Territory aside, there’s nothing much left Ford makes that interests me. It does rather make it difficult to remain a Ford man when Ford doesn’t seem to want Ford men anymore! So I’ll remain a customer of the Japanese manufacturers who still make broughamtastic RWD sedans, but I’ll forever dream of sweet, sweet TCs.
Your thoughts on Ford echo mine and why I’m having such an urge to try something German.
In 2003 I bought a ’97 Executive from a funeral home…low miles of course, beautiful in blue with white interior. It was classy and not bloated looking like the following styling cyle looked to me.
“…But why in the world didn’t Lincoln give their top-drawer offerings a special steering wheel? Sure, it had cruise-control buttons and more fake wood, but it was basically the same tiller as Farmer John’s F100, Daisy Mae’s Pinto Runabout and Barnaby Jones’s LTD “pillared hardtop coupe…”
It must have been a Ford thing. Some time ago the owner of the company where my wife worked bought a Jaguar XJ12 convertible (this was during Ford ownership of Jaguar). Its white leather interior was graced by the same steering wheel, complete with Ford cruise control buttons, as in the Ford Taurus she drove to work every day…but with a matching white air bag module with the cat’s head moulded into the vinyl where her blue one had a Ford oval.
Nice article. I see a lot of these cars converted as taxis around here these days, which makes me a bit sad.
I view this conversion as a testament to the inherent toughness of the panther chassis & drivetrain.
If a cabbie can’t kill it; neither can you or I!
This must be posted here:
What happened to Lincoln was the strategic vision of the Premier Auto Group that left no room for it, what with Ford pushing up from below and Jaguar and Aston above. It’s obvious in retrospect that the plan was to allow Lincoln, and Mercury, to wither away so development of new models was apparently discouraged. I will admit that had the plan worked it would have been a master stroke, but it was far too ambitious and untold billions were spent buying and fixing companies that ended up being sold just as the plan was on the cusp of fruition.
Nice article Tom, even if I don’t agree with you on the vinyl roof front (just no!). This generation of Town Car was absolutely spot on as a formal, prestigious but not pretentious car, what might have been had the next generation looked as elegant.
Oh how I hate you. Loved the article so much I have started looking for a 96-97 TC. Those years so I can avoid the failure prone valve stem seals on the 4.6 between 91-95. Did see a nice 90 TC with a 5.0. I need another car like I need a hole in my head. However, while I couldn’t explain a car like a 67 New Yorker 2dr. to my wife I could get away with a TC. She reminds me she needs a backup just in case her’s breaks down as mine are either stick or too classic for her to touch.
Sorry about that 🙂
Exceptional writing, Tom. After scrolling through these comments, I am prepared to stand and introduce myself to this room of broughamaholics (although our hubristic acknowledgement of our active broughamaholism scarcely warrants a 12-step setting!).
I recall the Panther Town Cars being pretty aspirational automobiles during my childhood, and I was positively elated when Mother acquired a 1986 Cartier Town Car (indistinguishable from the silver 1987 pictured in your text, above). I quickly learned that Panther Town Cars where not necessarily aspirational for other guys my age…better to disclose this propensity in an online comment 25 years later than in homeroom.
It’s great to hear from another who shares the Pantheritis affliction. I once either amazed or really disconcerted a friend (hard to tell which) when I identified a 1997 Town Car by its absence of a covered decklid lock cylinder. Oh, the minutiae on which we dwell! Do not worry, Tom – your varied automotive lusts are by no means untenable. I adored my 1990 Volvo 740 in college and have owned three German cars; yet each of the photos you incorporated in your text stirred the longings…that ’74 on the beach with the Burger yacht at anchor? Can we say LIFESTYLE?
Thanks for a great read and for documenting our shared and varied automotive affections so well. -JH
I view the last generation Town Car, esp in that ivory white color, as looking so much like the natural evolution of the Jaguar saloons of the early 1960’s that I found SO classy….but unreliable and a huge money pit.
just happened onto your web site. i have driven used TCs since 1995 when i returned from a mission trip to Russia. didn’t have much money and found an 80 something TC and drove away. was at a school in Colo and there was a young man from one of the former USSR eastern bloc countries. the first time he got in to ride with me, he said,’oh, tom, this is a car for a king.’ at this time i am hanging onto a nice 97 touring edition, i love these cars and want to have one, preferably a 97 or older for as long as i can drive. thanks for the chance to read and share.
I love the boxy TCs, especially after they tucked the bumper ends in for 1985, as I recall. One of the few cars that looks good with a cabriolet top. I almost bought a 73-74 Continental sedan about 5 years ago, copper(orange metallic) with white top, white leather and black carpets and interior trim…but the seller fried the engine the day I was going to look at it. I have great memories of driving a 75 Continental, pale yellow inside and out. It belonged to a friend’s mother, who didn’t trust him to drive it, but trusted me. That would have been around 1983, and that monster was a hoot to drive. Great article by the way, it has me reminiscing…
You will all enjoy this image of a brochure photo describing the stylish “Designer Editions” for the 1972-1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV. I thought these were Works of Art! My father had a clone of this car; the 1976 Ford Thunderbird, in beige with a dark brown landau top.
Tom,
Great job on the article!!!! I have since bought a 76 Lincoln Continental that needs nothing but tires and is a daily driver. I have found myself wanting to fall asleep at the wheel because the ride is sooooo smooth!
Beautiful car John. You might want to check out The Brougham Society on Facebook, which I also write for. It is probably right up your alley. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBroughamSociety/
Sure, I’d consider a Seventies boat . . if gas were still $2.10 per. Short of that, I’ll opt for a ’80 – ’89 ‘boxy’ LTC. The Eighties jobs have certain advantages over the Nineties ones: no dashboard air bags, no “check engine” light, real glass headlamps, no plastic intake manifolds, no rear suspension air bags. The pricing on 90s ones are now almost the same as 80s ones; so 90s models do become tempting, I admit.
Yet another car that was used as a “black car” in NY. For the layman, a Black Car is used as a livery/car service vehicle in NY, generally by companies as a business write off to take their highly paid executives from the office to wherever they have to go, Unlike a “yellow cab”, they do not cruise the streets looking for fares,They are radio dispatched, and the fares are determined by a price guide. They generally pick up Barclay J Binger of the Executive suite up in Scarsdale then bring him home,but never pick up Shanika from the mailroom in the Bronx or take her home. Just about every one you see in NY is a livery vehicle. Takes all the “class” out of this car.
I see plenty of these each time I visit central Florida. A favorite of the trailer parks full of retirees
I agree the 1995-1997 were the best Town Cars ever. The Michelin XW4 thin white wall tires and the classic 16″ cartier wheels which were options on some signatures were the best cars. The fake convertible tops did not look great and dated the car. One of the best looking cars and if you knew how to drive they were fine in the snow. They also made awesome rental cars on vacations.
After reading the wonderful article on LC’s I realized just how lucky I am. I have been blessed with a 1997 Lincoln Towncar Executive. Bought it new and treated my real estate customers to a pillow drive and fabulous stereo for their enjoyment. I am still driving “her” even after some pretty bad accidents. It was fully restored to brand new status and drives like the wind. Color is a light green with a gold metallic undercoat; WOW! I decided I wanted my ’97 TC to be driven only on special days so – – – – I wanted another TC but, used just alittle. My hubby bought me a 2011 used Lincoln Towncar Limited with 34,000 miles, grey leather interior, and color is dark blue pearl. Now I’m really hooked! Love, love Lincolns (especially the big ones) I’m in Love.!!!
Fascinating article! I always loved the true “Broughaminess” Lincolns. However, I couldn’t believe that the 1979 Lincoln used the same steering wheel as the Ford Pinto of that year. Here’s proof in a photo I found. Yes, Ford should have designed a special and unique steering wheel for their top-line car!
I recently came close to buying a ’97 TC . . . but became terrified of those horror-show PLASTIC intake manifold . . fitted after the ’95 models. Surely, most folks are aware of this all-too-common engine disaster . . that occurs withOUT warning.
Most of those were replaced years and years ago. The replacement design is easy to spot so it is a cinch to confirm that any given car has been refitted. The huge number still on the road and racking up high miles would seem to tell us that the fix worked.
The Town Car jumped the shark after the 97’s. It could have carried on aging gracefully but for 98 it went in for extensive plastic surgery. There are many famous people who chose the same path but it would be cruel to name them.