Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Continental Town Coupe

Yesterday, I brought readers the ride of choice for Malaise-era car buyers conscious about fuel economy. Today, I'll bring readers a slice of pie from the immediate opposite end of the motoring world. The Malaise era was a threat to luxury cars, even more-so than today's fuel standards, and rise of luxury crossovers. Instead of a huge array of cars to choose from, luxury sedans were far and few between, compared to today. Cadillac and Lincoln were the main players, and the full-size car market was in full swing. But like today's hybrids and V6 cars, the Malaise-era cars weren't all about power; in the dawn of the 1980s, catalytic converters were made standard, and all the emissions equipment tacked on to big-cube engines made horsepower levels sink drastically. With a 460 V8 on tap, a huge horsepower is expected, right? Wrong. Just two hundred ponies galloped this big beast around town. Still, that's better than Cadillac's 180 horse 425-cuber. But power is not what these barges were about; they were about caressing their owners and drivers in extreme comfort, a fact that still renders this thirty year old cars as desirable. Possibly more-so today than when rolled directly off the show floor.

















I have always loved Lincolns and Cadillacs-- though my enthusiasm is on a car-to-car basis instead of strictly down to brand loyalty. I never quite cared for the 1977-1980ish Cadillacs, especially in two-door. The Lincolns, on the other hand, I absolutely love. The Continental Town Car and Town Coupe are probably my favorite coupe/sedan duo to ever come out of Detroit. Unlike the Cadillacs of the period, Ford didn't experiment with different materials, and Lincolns never really had much of a problem concerning pieces flaking, breaking, or just warping. Instead, Ford had to worry about paint quality, and rust issues, whereas GM had to worry about structural competence, and how well its cars would hold up over time.
I've seen this particular car around quite a bit, and I quite like it. The paint has a few spots where it's fading, but aside from the trunk, it's a rather nice example. I usually don't like brown, but it seems to suit this big sedan well; its a color that can play off the formal role quite well, without looking snobbish. The wheels are a bit..odd. Usually, these would have spokes--and I'm not sure what the case is here. Maybe the spokes are off getting polished for summer? Who's to say, but the disc-style wheels don't quite suit it. I do really like the fact that this one appears to be untouched--by bling or otherwise. Hell, all the appropriate dealer plaques are still on the trunk, suggesting that this big coupe is all original, outside, as well as in.
All in all, this Lincoln represents a breed that has died out, and needs to be preserved in the best way possible; I love personal luxury coupes, and this Town Coupe is one of the best of both breeds. It's a classy coupe, and a classy Lincoln.