In 1980, Lincoln Motor Company decided to come out with a line of vehicles designed to mimic the luxury of limos, while being smaller and more affordable than them. Thus, they invented the Lincoln Town Car. The Town Car invented by Lincoln was originally designed based on the Ford Panther rear wheel drive platform. It also took other components of its build for other vehicle designs like the Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis. From1996 to 2003, the Lincoln Town Car was the single longest mass produced sedan in the entire western hemisphere. Let’s take a deeper look at this vehicle and how it evolved over the years, until its eventual discontinuation in 2011.
Not the First, nor the Last
While the popularity of the Lincoln Town Car has caused the term “town car” to be almost entirely associated with Lincoln, the truth is there were towncars before the Lincoln version. The first town car was invented in the 1920’s and it was actually a style of limousine. While there was such a thing as the Lincoln L Series car, it was not considered a town car, albeit its very fancy design. Lincoln did come out with a town car design but it was still a variant of a limousine and the first actual Lincoln Town car would not be brought to market until 1980.
Design
From 1980 until 1989, the chassis used in the Lincoln Town Car was based on the Panther platform. During this time it featured the shortest wheelbase that had ever been used for a full sized Lincoln vehicle. The Panther platform allowed for new advancements to be made in regards to the suspension geometry and power steering. With these improvements also came a better, smoother ride and easier handling. They also used a 4.9L V8 engine with 130 horsepower, which was the very first fuel injected V8 engine ever used in North America.
It also features an automatic transmission with a 4 speed overdrive, and an optional towing package for trailers that included an improved cooling package as well as dual exhausts. The Lincoln Town Car is most recognizable by its square build, and the interior was very luxurious for its time, featuring seat back recliners and 6 way power seats.
Parting Thoughts
The Lincoln Town Car is a historic, iconic vehicle in America’s history. It lead the way when it came to luxury sedans, and its name still rings bells all around the world today. Lincoln has always produced such quality cars and they continue to do so, even that the town car has been discontinued.
If you’re a fan of Lincoln and would like to purchase a new car, be it new or used, you should head over to Pines Lincoln in South Florida today. At Pines Lincoln they can help you get the Lincoln you’ve always wanted, at an affordable price. Don’t wait to drive the Lincoln of your dreams, check out Pines Lincoln today.
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