Lincoln Town Car
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The Town Car name first appeared in the Lincoln line in 1959, on a special, limousine-like version of the standard Continental. This first Town Car was available only in black and was identifiable by a unique padded vinyl top, which was a rarity at that time.
It's probably not a coincidence that "Town Car" is a pretty good translation of Cadillac's "Sedan de Ville," a model which was gaining popularity in the 1950's. Both names refer to a classic style of limousine, popular in the 1920s, which had an open chauffeur's compartment up front, but only Lincoln has sometimes attempted to make its modern models visually suggest their older namesakes. As an example, note the vinyl roof covering on the 1979 model shown below. It sweeps down the center pillar as part of a raised molding, complete with opera lamps, which suggests a partition between front and rear seats, while no vinyl is applied to the front section of the roof over the driver.
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1971
After this first appearance, the Town Car name went dormant for 10 years, and re-emerged as an especially plush interior option package for the '69 Lincoln Continental. It next appeared as a trim option in 1971, and thereafter continued through 1980 as a Continental option package. The Town Car badge has always been applied to four-doors, but from 1975-1980 there was a similar option for two-doors called Town Coupe.79TC.jpg
1981
Since 1981, the Town Car has been considered a model in its own right, replacing the Continental (whose name reappeared a year later on a smaller model) and it continues today as Lincoln's top-of-the-line car. This vehicle uses the Ford Panther platform, shared with the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis.
1990
In 1990 the Town Car's body went through a major redesign and rear axle air suspension was added on as standard equipment. That year it was also named Motor Trend Car of the Year. Through most of this model run, the car was available in three submodels: Executive, Signature, and Cartier, in increasing order of cost and trim level.
1991 saw the introduction of Ford's new Modular V8, a DOHC design which replaced the Ford 351 Windsor throughout the company's lineup.
Engine options:
1998
The 1990's body style remained primarily unchanged until the next new body style premiered in 1998, a redesign which included the removal of the car's hood ornament and more angular shapes. A Cartier model gets a 220 hp version of the Modular V8.
A factory option available to individual owners of Town Cars since 2001 has been a version of the Town Car with an extra six inches of rear seat legroom, designated as the "L" or "long" version. This model provides extra amenities for rear-seat passengers, including a unique rear-seat switch that allows the front-passenger seat to be moved forward as desired for extra room in the rear.
Engine options:
2003
Lincoln-Town-Car-'03.jpg
Another body redesign in 2003 added the hood ornament back again. 2003 also marked the last year that the Lincoln Town Car was available in a trim package with the name "Cartier" (1981 through 2003). Beginning with the 2004 model year the top-of-the-line Town Car is instead designated "Ultimate".
The Town Car chassis overwhelmingly dominates the limousine market in the United States, since it is the only U.S. luxury car still in production with a separate chassis, making the production of stretched versions easier than with unibody construction.
Engine options:
- 4.6 L V8, 239 hp (2003)
External links
- Official Lincoln Site (http://www.lincoln.com)
- Lincolntowncar.org (http://www.lincolntowncar.org)
- Lincoln Town Cars of the 1990s (http://lincoln-town-cars-1990s.internet-homebusiness.us)
- Future Town Car plans (http://autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=100663)