Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Continental

When one thinks presence, luxury, stateliness, the marque Lincoln is quickly at the top of the list is it not? If you're into classic American cars, there are two brands that constantly battle it out for luxury supremacy-- Lincoln and Cadillac. Just like every other car brands, both Lincoln and Cadillac have had "bad years" in terms of sales, but in terms of styling as well. To me, the quintessential Lincoln is the 1961-1963 Continental, and the least quintessential Lincoln would be.. this?
It's like Lincoln was stuck in a transition phase between the 1961-1969 cars, and the almost-as-popular 1975-1979 cars.--and they probably were. Hideaway headlights, flat sides, and fender skirts hint at the 1975-1979 models, as does the formal grille, while the white-wall tires, and Lincoln and Continental scripts, as well as the sideways logo bring the spirit of the 1961-1969 cars back. The chrome line on the front fenders separating the hood and fenders is a nice touch, too, and it was one of my favorite elements of the previous generation cars.
But the combination of details is where it goes wrong; none of these cues mesh with each other. It's like Lincoln was in a rush to design a car, but had the 1975-1979 cars already planned and simply threw something together. As a result, this generation is quite uncommon. I often still see the 1975-1979 cars, and the 1961-1969 cars are widely represented at car shows both across the nation and worldwide, but these seem to be forgotten--for the better.










While I am no fan of this generation by any stretch, this particular car looks nice for what it is. Really, this generation is nothing to look at, with its generic mish-mash of styling cues. Drab white paint, swathed with minimal does not a convincing luxury car make--sort of like a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. But this example could be quite a bit worse. No rust--at least not visible except for the usual spots. Steelies, too, drag this car down, especially the modern GM steelie. And to make matters worse, it's parked outside a local paint shop that specializes in donk work. All of these conditions come together to make a luxury car that will soon become a rolling showcase for illicit audio equipment and giant wheels.
In a way, it is a loss, but on the other hand.. will anyone really care? Lincoln enthusiasts don't like this generation, and they're obviously not valuable, or else these would be common on the show circuit, and in classic car dealers. As it is, I have not seen one except for this one, and I wasn't all that impressed.
I never liked these, and this one is soon getting a donk treatment, which will render it even more useless. Oh well. It's shame, but at least its not one of the good ones.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Continental Town Car

Like I explained before, the late 1970s and early 1980s was a great time (sort of) for America's premier luxury brands to duke it out; on GM's side of the fence, ungainly and confusing looking Cadillacs with not-quite family styling graced the portfolio, and on Ford's side of things.. well, a vast array of luxury products complemented the compact cars at dealers. The main seller was Lincoln's much-loved Continental nameplate, shown here in "Town Car" guise. While a coupe was had, too (as I showed just a couple days ago), the four was the big seller. It's a car that exudes class and formality, but also looks quite good even by today's standards. For me, this is probably the ultimate Lincoln, only being bested by the 1961-1964 Lincoln Continental.











In the late 1970s, emission controls were really starting to take their toll on America's beloved-- the luxury car. Saddled with a 460 V8, one would assume that this barge made an assload of power to get moving, correct? The answer is.. no. The big engine churned out a rather geriatric 185ish horsepower; sounds quite sad, doesn't it? This wonderful combination produced fuel mileage worthy of a big rig, or perhaps a Ferrari 360 Modena; EPA estimates when new were 10 city/14 highway, and by today's standards, that equates to a rather staggering 5 city and 11 highway. I would argue that if someone buys a big luxury barge, they don't care about fuel mileage. An why should they? When new, these vehicles were the "of-choice" for bankers, investors, and other top-notch people in society-- a far cry from the minicab industry that uses the Town Car today.
I first found this car in the same way I found the gold LTD posted earlier; I've seen it off and on for months now, but since it wears out of state tags, I (un)safely assumed that I would never get the chance to shoot it fully, much less blog it. My fears were erased when, out of nowhere, it showed up in front of me-- so I did the paparazzi thing and tailed it, hoping it would park. And it did.
I am somewhat saddened by the condition of this once-proud beast; it's definitely withered the elements, and while that honestly isn't a bad thing, it should've been cared for better. Up close, the paint, while not pitted per se, was in far from ideal shape; no actual rust cluttered up the body, but dents and paint-fade surely let passersby know this example of America's Lincoln was past its prime. The wheels, too, seemed to have had their fair share of troubles. Not quite in bad condition, only one was missing a centercap--a piece that is damn near impossible to find today. I didn't get a chance to scope out the interior of this beast-- only because the area in which it was parked is somewhat shady-- but I do recall that their were personal contents strewn across the back seat, suggesting that this big Town Car is not only still rolling daily, it's also being used as "just another car".
To me, cars are supposed to be used; I realize that daily use does ruin car if they're not upkept, but in cases like this, I'd rather see it being used, and still on the road, than sitting in a feild rotting. I know it sound sacrilegious, but I'd care about a beater one that's still on the road, more than an abandoned junker, simply because the mere fact that it's still going means it has an owner to care about it.

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.