Nice, I miss all the color choices you had back then, and those 70s interiors, velour, shag carpet, woodgrain, every car now is a choice of black, grey or tan, dullsville!
I wouldn't even attempt parallel parking. I honestly may consider buying this car for a daily driver. I don't go out very often so might as well get a car that I like and not a POS Lexus.
Every angle has me seeing my dad pulling up to get me at high school! LOVE IT! I could have sworn ours said cartier on the sides of the vinyl top as well. He gave it to my brother when he got his next Lincoln who accidently drove it off a bridge... he survived but the beloved land yacht did not.
If it was a mark 5 it may have said Cartier since there was a Cartier Edition. But the Big Continental Town Cars were just that. The only Cartier part was the script over the digital clock, which they pulled from a Ford Granada LOL
I just bought a 4 door 1978 Lincoln Continental in Medium Chamois with the Burnt Orange color interior with vinyl leather seating and 460 7.5L V8. I am currently having to replace the tires and radiator. Can't wait to start driving it. With all those lighters, I can plug in a blue tooth that tunes into the radio and I am able to play best of 70s music on the radio that still works. Nothing makes you feel more like a man than Lincoln and Leisure Suits.
I own a 79 in black with Town Car package and red leather interior - love the car. It was made for the WW2 generation who grew up with the classic pre and post war cars and when the WW2 guys hit 50+ they had this design choice because it is so retro even when new. Will likely never sell mine.
I love that at one point you're playing an actual quad 8 track with that Doobie Brothers tape. It's too bad Warner Brothers did a poor job duplicating their tapes...I am seriously tempted to get an old Akai home quad 8 track recorder and re-record those Doobie Brothers quads from the recent digital releases of their quad mixed albums to make better sounding quad tapes for my '77 Cartier.
🤗🤗WE HAVE ONE . SUPERB CONDITION .CHAMPAGNE COLORED EXTERIOR , BURGUNDY VELOUR PLUSH INTERIOR . OURS HAS A LEATHER ROOF . WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING NEW ON THE ROAD TODAY 🤗🤗
Those cars drove like a dream! Of course you couldn't throw him around twisty Corners at top speed, but who does that anyway? This was all about comfort and ease of driving there's been nothing since they can equal
Jim Mich Although I do love my 2012 Chrysler 300S I have to agree. I got it cause it was the closest modern thing to a 70's luxury sedan I could get modern. The Town Car was already discontinued plus I live in a 6 months of winter climate so I opted for one with AWD. Got a Hemi too. Too quiet though, I will do something about that later.
+Devin Williams Correct that the wood is plastic, but the metal is almost twice the gauge that my 2006 Mazda's metal. My car was rust proofed and only shows some surface rust around the vinyl top, which I sanded, sprayed and repainted. You could lay on the hood with your best girl and watch the stars at night on this car. You can't do that on any modern car today without denting the hood.
Guessing many of the people on here making disparaging remarks are younger than 40 and don't know that much about cars, or are at least ignorant of their evolution. The Vulcan V6 makes similar hp but half the torque, so you'd have to rev the snot out of it to make the Town Car move, and who wants a luxury car with a busy, thrashing engine? Listen to the list of options - a lot of those things are quite advanced, and you didn't find many of those luxury items even in a Benz or BMW of the day. Auto headlamp control, auto dimming, automatic climate control, 6-way power seats for driver and passenger, antilock brakes (maybe just on the Mark series?), cornering lamps and more. Yes, handling and steering are not world class for today, but handling in general was just getting to be appreciated at that time, and you had to opt for something like a Rabbit, Accord, or a 320i with a wheezy 4-banger, manual steering, roll-down windows, a 1-speaker radio, vinyl; seats, no A/C, very little room for family or friends (see all his buddies going to lunch in it? try that in a 320, or the Prius parked by the front door), etc., etc. If you want to, you can pick anything apart... even a car as well regarded as the 320. The haters on here are akin to people who would say "I only like blondes... why isn't every woman a blonde?" Appreciate it for what it is/was, in the frame of reference of the time that it was made.
+Will D So true. Many Kenworth transports only have the same power as pick up trucks but with engines as big as 15 litres and being diesel its all about the torque. A Ducatti motorcycle has more hp than this Lincoln but try moving 5500 pounds with a motorcycle engine. Wont happen.
+bradh716 My dad had one when I was a kid too. A 1974. Up to 1970 they had 360 hp but unleaded fuel and California emission standards lowered that to 221 by 1971. That was with the 7.5 litre. I liked it so much this past summer I bought two. Both have the 7.5 litre engine (460 cubic inch) One was a spare parts car but it was in such good condition I didn't have the heart to kill it so I restored it. Fun big old beasts. They don't make them like that anymore. It gets as good mileage as my Ford Expedition so I guess its not too bad.
slam these kind of cars all you want...all I can say is they are great on long road trips.......not bad on gas at reasonable highway speeds and ultra comfortable....an average sized person can stretch right out in the backseat and get a great sleep.....I know...I did many times in a 78 Town .
Boy, do I remember these. They were gorgeous and so comfortable. Earlier in the decade, cars sported "Coke bottle" and "fastback" styling, which I hated. During the second half of the '70s, cars became squared off and sculpted, recalling the handsome designs of the 1963-65 era. For a time, cars like this were everywhere and seemed so permanent-but they're just a beautiful memory now...
Your my kind of guy, Lee! I still remember driving this car barely out of my teens..and how amazed I was that it felt like I was riding on a cloud. Total comfort and incredible road presence. I plan on buying one in the future because today's cars pale in comparison.
my dad had this exact car, He got a new town car every 4 years, this was before leasing, even after leasing he still preferred to buy his cars and donate the old one. I loved this car, it was my most favorite of all his lincolns, its the one he had while I was in high school. He would pick me up everyday in it and we had the best father/daughter conversations ever. His was the same color but leather interior. He gave it to my older brother who totaled it :(
***** Joe Tralongo said "The only thing from this era with more room is either a full size wagon or a limo" so I responded that a 1971 -1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham had a little more legroom.
My grandmother had a 1979 Town Car sedan, but hers was gold with a gold leather interior. She bought it in '79 to replace her brown 1976 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, which had brown, tufted leather seats like a 19th century parlor sofa. Both cars were about the same size, around 230 inches long. It's hard to tell from seeing videos like this, but small cars were really popular in the seventies too.
Make black with red velour or black leather. That's a dream car. The lacking horsepower could be rectified by $1500 and a good mechanic. Remember the 1969 460 in the Lincolns made 365 horse and 565lb ft of torque. The government put these engines in a choke hold. Bring the power back and that's a sweet ride.
I'm planning on buying one of these beauties and am interested in how you would rectify the lack of horsepower with your "$1500 and a good mechanic" comment. Could you please give me details how this is done? Thanks.
Nightbird Start with what you can do yourself. New intake, less restrictive exhaust, throw out the smog pump and put on a 650cfm 4 barrel Carburetor and an after market ignition. These make a huge difference or try what I did. If you're really trying to save money look in junk yards. We pulled the whole top end off a 69, had the heads redone at a local machine shop, had the carb rebuilt, put on an msd ignition and headers, mufflers. All money in was about $1600 bucks and that car came alive. Real power, definitely worth it.
yup perfect car, The concept that you need performance and handling on a daily commute is the laughable thing, this transporter could make a day of driving... living. .
These American behemoths are so wonderful, the likes probably never to be seen again. Lovely to look at and I would imagine punting about in one of these must be a great driving experience.
Tan Gre LOL, well, why we like to think these great old ladies were safer than steel, truth is you probably wouldn't survive in a collision with a modern car or SUV. Here's why. ua-cam.com/video/8uddZRY_WVw/v-deo.html
My uncle used to have a 77 Lincoln. He used it a few times to deliver pizza's in the 80's. Once he was driving in the evening. He didn't see a brand new Honda civic, and side swiped it from front angle. Looking back, the side of the Honda was totally smashed. His Lincoln only had a dent in the front chrome bumper. Another time a small car ran a red light, hitting the Lincoln on the back panel. The little car just bounced off like a pin ball. Didn't feel much, a bump inside the 2.5 ton Lincoln.
Agreed. If a person has issues with the car, whether it be handling, driving, what have you, it is the fault of the operator, not the car. My '77 was a dream, and I miss her terribly.
the optional 460-4v was an absolute MUST in these behemoths. the performance difference between that and the 400-2v was UNreal. in 1982-83, i had a '75 Mark IV - over a half ton heavier - that could surprise you. 0-60 was under 7 seconds (barely). not sparkling by any standards, but considering that it tipped the scales at 6553# with a full (34 gallon) tank and my 250# butt inside i felt acceleration was more than acceptable. it could get out of it's own way nicely. it only got 13.4 mpg on a highway trip, though. everything else is true. it rode like it was floating on a cloud and was so quiet inside, all you could hear at 70 mph was the ticking of the clock on the dashboard. i wish i could afford another one. those were the days! (sigh) p.s. - did i mention the cavernously HUGE back seat? a definite advantage for a horny teenager!
In our day, the CB was the equivalent of the cell phone. It was the only way to communicate while on the road. Not so much to chat, but to call for help if you broke down, warn of possible traffic delays, find out where a hotel, diner or rest stop were located, and the cruise for chics ...lol :)
Sure these cars were massive, but they paved the way for many of the features on todays cars. My Uncle had one of these, and on a long trip you never felt uncomfortable.
I also love how you can just smack the car into reverse. Don't even need to press the brake, just throw your arm down in the column shifter and you're moving backwards.
Where can I post pictures? It's a 1979 Lincoln, great body with minimal rust and front fender damage. Good engine that runs but needs a carburator. I'm paying $1000 for it.
UNDFTDGordon you can always post them on your youtube channel and then let us know. Do you know how to work on cars at all? The carb is a 2bbl 2150 Motorcraft, pretty easy to rebuild. You'll also want to get yourself a set of 1979 Lincoln Shop manuals (there are four in the set). You can find them on ebay. Makes it really easy to figure out stuff when it goes wrong. There are a lot of vacuum lines on this car. Finding a new front fender shouldn't be too hard if there are junk yards around you. Where do you live?
Actually, this car does have a foot actuated switch for the Scan feature on the electronic radio. Its just a few inches above the high beam foot switch out of the cameras view.
@cuttlefisch Early emissions controls caused the manufactures to decrease compression. These engine were designed to run at 11 or 12:1 ratios,but reduced to 8:1, which effectively killed their horsepower.
Good lord, some of these options I never even knew they had back then, makes new cars like the Pontaci Suntird and Toy Crapolla look like primitive plastic beans on wheels. This is my type of car. I love this body style, & nice color! :D
The Cadillac shown at 7:08 is the downsized model introduced in 1977 and slightly re-styled a few years later. The 1976 models were far larger and were the size this the featured Lincoln Town Car.
There can be nothing negative said about this car. It's absolutely incredible. I laugh, sure, zero horsepower, but 365 Ft Lbs torque. The 460 even strangled to the point of being dead can pull a fair torque number! Thanks for this. Cheers.
cdnpont yeah and $500 of today's dollars can make a vintage 460 sing....just don't fall for a 79 cause the 400 looks kinda like a 460 underhood to a non Ford guy
Yea, wouldn't be too happy with 5 at hot idle. My brother in law just pulled a 400 out of a failed rat rod project. It seemed to run ok, no noise...with 2 psi hot lol! He gave it away.
@ridinged92 in California, the emission standards set here did not allow the 460 in some late 70's Lincoln's, T-birds, Marquis, mark V and LTD before the downsized 79/80 models. all i have seen are 351M and 400's
My only complaint on the 1978-79 last of the big Town Cars was that they cut the rear fender skirt down from the fill size one my 1973 had. The other thing was that they replaced the dash board used throughout the 70's with the liquid crystal rolling speedometer and the all guage dashboard to a trimmed up Mercury Marquis dash.
What I meant was the Cadillac shown (possibly a 1981 model) was the new downsized model which appeared in 1977. The 1979 Lincoln Continental was Lincoln's last full-sized car and was the same size as the full-sized Cadillac DeVilles that were discontinued after the 1976 model year. The completely new down-sized Lincoln Continentals arrived in 1980 and were the same basic size as the down-sized Cadillacs.
This video actually made me really want one. I love the whole no-limits excessive nature of the thing. It's fun to think about someone paying 20 grand back in 1979 after an oil crisis for something so huge. Love it. On the road back then, it would have said, "I'm wealthy, now get out of the way peasant."
gaguy1967 Absolutely! I grew up in a '71, and that vintage had the best grills, dashboards & powerplants... and Lincoln did one of the best, almost sneaky, integration of the new 5mph front bumpers in '73.
With that massive engine, they didn't offer a 4 barrel Carb!?! You'd think they did/would for more speed. If I had cash to burn I'd have that pimped out!! Nice 24" rims, digital dashboard, and a nice updated sound system. Woo-Wee!!!! Results, 1 badass towncar.
+timothy brown My 76 and 78 are both 4 barrel. I think when they put the 400 cubic inch they went with 2 barrel. For a while the 460 cubic inch was an option because they needed to go smaller for any cars being sold in California if they wanted to meet emission standards.
With that massive engine, they didn't offer a 4 barrel Carb!?! You'd think they did/would for more speed. If I had cash to burn I'd have that pimped out!! Nice 24" rims, digital dashboard, and a nice updated sound system. Woo-Wee!!!! Results, 1 badass towncar.
Goodlooking late 1970s American car. 'Full-sized' cars like this were common on American roads for decades until GM downsized most of their full-sized cars in 1977. All GM divisions offered full-size models as did Ford, Mercury and Chrysler so seeing cars of this size was not unusual until they started to disapear by the late 1980s and early 1990s when most wore out.
@318Captain We compared the steering response and feel to a 1979 Sedan DeVille and a Buick Electra and found them much more responsive and liner with much less play. Horsepower for the California spec 400 is 159, confirmed with FoMoCo. You might get 11 seconds from a 460, but not a 400.
@jtralongo1 Only one set of replacement springs is offered for the '70-'79 Continentals. Since the '79 comes with the much lighter 400M engine, it will sit higher than a Continental with a 460.
@jtralongo1 that's true, we have more stringent emissions requirements and not allowed the 460 in t-birds after 76 and some LTD's. I'm with ya on the 400, my 74 LTD gets 17 mpg on the hwy. turbine wheels are awsome.
the engines are actually detuned on purpose for smoothness. the Ford 390 Big Block (and i'm pretty sure that's NOT what this has) had up to 300 HP stock for the Thunderbird
I actually have one of these 79 collector series in dark blue with leather and I love it,gets lots of looks and has character unlike the cars today that all look the same. Also have a 66 suicide door continental a real badass car, Junk today does not compare, a lot of money for plastic crap..
@pghcc2006 Remember this is a 120,000 mile car, so its not going to perform like new. More importantly, the MT and CD test were done back in the day when you could still get 101 octane gas, not the 89 with 10 percent ethanol we have today.
@cuttlefisch For a heavy car like this, the peak torque rating at low RPM is really more important than the peak horsepower. The numbers on this engine suggest a very flat torque curve, which is good for smooth and responsive acceleration at moderate RPM on a heavy vehicle. Emissions did strangle the high RPM power on these engines though, so flat-out 0-60 times suffered pretty badly.
What a wonderful car. And I've learned something - I thought 1978 was when they stopped making the big ones - but maybe that was just the Grand Marquis. As to power, wasn't that all down to the cat converter (with the 60s cars far better)? Thanks for sharing this.
You are correct, Matador. 78 was the first year for the downsized Ford LTD and Mercury Grand Marquis. But, Lincoln kept the Mark V and Continental full size, thumbing their nose at GM's downsized Cadillacs and emphasizing that fact in their advertising. Chrysler also kept its full size New Yorker in 78, but downsized in 79. The ad camping worked for Lincoln and the 79s sold like hot cakes, including the gorgeous 79 Collector Series which were advertised as the last, full size American luxury cars to be built.
Love these cars, we used to go drinking and driving in one for fun and one day ran down someones mailbox and didn't even know it. My friend said...."hey... what was that black thing flying over the hood" huh???
Love the Imperials on your page. You are one of us :). Funny story, I was driving Mary Todd (my Lincoln) around Portland with a bunch of guys from Mercedes Benz (I'm a journalist). We pull up next to a yellow 240 and there is this totally neo nazi guy driving it with a German Shepard in the front seat. One of the germans leans out and yells, 'How faking nazi is that." I almost wet myself. The dog just snarled.
You can find a lot of them on ebay or Craigslist in the US and then have it shipped over. I know that's what the Europeans do. The coupes are even harder to find than the sedan, and then of course there are the 2-door Mark IV and Mark V that are a different cars altogether but still have the same classic lines, grille and great interior.
@socalltd Yep, except I believe the 400 was standard on CA cars in 1978, the 460 was not available in CA and certain high altitude states. That's why Lincoln made the turbine wheels standard on CA cars, to compensate Californians for the loss of the 460. Nice thing about the 400, I get about 16 mpg on the highway.
Well, torque is a rotational force, the amount of force needed to quickly move an object from a standing start up to running speed. But, horsepower dictates how fast you can go. HP is important when passing or merging, not to mention reducing the strain on the engine. It basically comes down to speed vs. work load.
you are extreemely correct. modern stuff is worthless. people make fun of the ponies they had. hello gov regulations. slap some good compression pistons on and less restrictive exhaust and dang. maybe even a cam with better duration. pretty easy to boost the ponies on these classic old cars.
I also have to question the acceleration to 60 at 14+ seconds. We had a '77 with the 400 engine, and when you needed to go - it did quite well. Back in 1977, the older dash with the bar speedometer was used - it could not keep up with the acceleration of the car.
@falaqdad15 Actually, the engines were detuned to meet tougher Federal emissions and fuel economy standards. The 390 was long gone from the Ford lineup by 1979.
Nice, I miss all the color choices you had back then, and those 70s interiors, velour, shag carpet, woodgrain, every car now is a choice of black, grey or tan, dullsville!
And plenty of plastic.
I owned a 1973 Lincoln Continental Mark IV. Miss it. These luxury cars were amazing! ❤
I daily drove one of these for about 6 months. Seriously the best car I've ever had! Very difficult to park though.
I wouldn't even attempt parallel parking. I honestly may consider buying this car for a daily driver. I don't go out very often so might as well get a car that I like and not a POS Lexus.
This style car was always easy for me to park because of the style of the back end, love these cars so much
how is a lexus a pos i own a 92 towncar and lexus is far from shit@@chrishickory7907
Been driving Lincoln's for 50 years, absolutely my favorite vehicle, top of the line luxury
Now that's a car big strong beautiful ❤️🤩 I always wanted a big beautiful town car A.K.A .the Cadillac killer
Love my slow medium turquoise metallic inside and out continental. Floats on air at 9 mpg
Big bad beautiful town car when I was a kid in the middle 60s my dad had a big bad beautiful 58 continental A.K.A. the Cadillac killer
Mines like 6mpg
Every angle has me seeing my dad pulling up to get me at high school! LOVE IT! I could have sworn ours said cartier on the sides of the vinyl top as well. He gave it to my brother when he got his next Lincoln who accidently drove it off a bridge... he survived but the beloved land yacht did not.
If it was a mark 5 it may have said Cartier since there was a Cartier Edition. But the Big Continental Town Cars were just that. The only Cartier part was the script over the digital clock, which they pulled from a Ford Granada LOL
The mark V sold in much greater numbers than the two-door version of my car. It was called the Town Coupe, but you don't see many of them on the road.
I just bought a 4 door 1978 Lincoln Continental in Medium Chamois with the Burnt Orange color interior with vinyl leather seating and 460 7.5L V8. I am currently having to replace the tires and radiator. Can't wait to start driving it. With all those lighters, I can plug in a blue tooth that tunes into the radio and I am able to play best of 70s music on the radio that still works. Nothing makes you feel more like a man than Lincoln and Leisure Suits.
Man, wish i had this land yacht, modernize it a bit, would be a sight to see
"....6 foot long things that need immediate concealment." lol
I own a 79 in black with Town Car package and red leather interior - love the car. It was made for the WW2 generation who grew up with the classic pre and post war cars and when the WW2 guys hit 50+ they had this design choice because it is so retro even when new. Will likely never sell mine.
We had a 1978 edition. I loved it every day we had it. Finally had to let it go because it wouldn't fit in our driveway. Kept bottoming out.
I love that at one point you're playing an actual quad 8 track with that Doobie Brothers tape. It's too bad Warner Brothers did a poor job duplicating their tapes...I am seriously tempted to get an old Akai home quad 8 track recorder and re-record those Doobie Brothers quads from the recent digital releases of their quad mixed albums to make better sounding quad tapes for my '77 Cartier.
🤗🤗WE HAVE ONE . SUPERB CONDITION .CHAMPAGNE COLORED EXTERIOR , BURGUNDY VELOUR PLUSH INTERIOR . OURS HAS A LEATHER ROOF . WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING NEW ON THE ROAD TODAY 🤗🤗
Those cars drove like a dream! Of course you couldn't throw him around twisty Corners at top speed, but who does that anyway? This was all about comfort and ease of driving there's been nothing since they can equal
Kells here i wantthis one for my dad right now what how soon can i get this or do have tjis along with our private collections?
Love the color
that is Blake Carrington's car
Are the mark 5 sedans fewer in nunber than the coupes? Seems like that's all I see in my area..
There never was a Mark V sedan, but there was a Mark IV sedan that debuted in 1980. It sales along with the Mark IV coupe, were rather poor.
I used to have 2006 Town Car....sale it for 800 dlls I regret
Holy crap is that car gorgeous.
Best car ever unlike the over priced tin and plastic of today
Caugh cough corvette cough cough made of plastic
Jim Mich Although I do love my 2012 Chrysler 300S I have to agree. I got it cause it was the closest modern thing to a 70's luxury sedan I could get modern. The Town Car was already discontinued plus I live in a 6 months of winter climate so I opted for one with AWD. Got a Hemi too. Too quiet though, I will do something about that later.
+Devin Williams Correct that the wood is plastic, but the metal is almost twice the gauge that my 2006 Mazda's metal. My car was rust proofed and only shows some surface rust around the vinyl top, which I sanded, sprayed and repainted. You could lay on the hood with your best girl and watch the stars at night on this car. You can't do that on any modern car today without denting the hood.
These old big cars are COMFY. Awesome smooth highway couch , who cares about steering on straight highways !
Stephen Paletta Steering has just a little too much grey area I found.
Guessing many of the people on here making disparaging remarks are younger than 40 and don't know that much about cars, or are at least ignorant of their evolution. The Vulcan V6 makes similar hp but half the torque, so you'd have to rev the snot out of it to make the Town Car move, and who wants a luxury car with a busy, thrashing engine? Listen to the list of options - a lot of those things are quite advanced, and you didn't find many of those luxury items even in a Benz or BMW of the day. Auto headlamp control, auto dimming, automatic climate control, 6-way power seats for driver and passenger, antilock brakes (maybe just on the Mark series?), cornering lamps and more. Yes, handling and steering are not world class for today, but handling in general was just getting to be appreciated at that time, and you had to opt for something like a Rabbit, Accord, or a 320i with a wheezy 4-banger, manual steering, roll-down windows, a 1-speaker radio, vinyl; seats, no A/C, very little room for family or friends (see all his buddies going to lunch in it? try that in a 320, or the Prius parked by the front door), etc., etc. If you want to, you can pick anything apart... even a car as well regarded as the 320. The haters on here are akin to people who would say "I only like blondes... why isn't every woman a blonde?" Appreciate it for what it is/was, in the frame of reference of the time that it was made.
Preach.
+Will D So true. Many Kenworth transports only have the same power as pick up trucks but with engines as big as 15 litres and being diesel its all about the torque. A Ducatti motorcycle has more hp than this Lincoln but try moving 5500 pounds with a motorcycle engine. Wont happen.
My parents bought one with leather when I was a kid. That back seat is the most comfortable place I have ever been.
+bradh716 My dad had one when I was a kid too. A 1974. Up to 1970 they had 360 hp but unleaded fuel and California emission standards lowered that to 221 by 1971. That was with the 7.5 litre. I liked it so much this past summer I bought two. Both have the 7.5 litre engine (460 cubic inch) One was a spare parts car but it was in such good condition I didn't have the heart to kill it so I restored it. Fun big old beasts. They don't make them like that anymore. It gets as good mileage as my Ford Expedition so I guess its not too bad.
Lincoln-- what a luxury car used to be!
This brings back memories. My parents had a 1977 Lincoln Town Coupe'
It just glided down the highway. And the 8-track really sounded good.
slam these kind of cars all you want...all I can say is they are great on long road trips.......not bad on gas at reasonable highway speeds and ultra comfortable....an average sized person can stretch right out in the backseat and get a great sleep.....I know...I did many times in a 78 Town .
Boy, do I remember these. They were gorgeous and so comfortable. Earlier in the decade, cars sported "Coke bottle" and "fastback" styling, which I hated. During the second half of the '70s, cars became squared off and sculpted, recalling the handsome designs of the 1963-65 era. For a time, cars like this were everywhere and seemed so permanent-but they're just a beautiful memory now...
Your my kind of guy, Lee! I still remember driving this car barely out of my teens..and how amazed I was that it felt like I was riding on a cloud. Total comfort and incredible road presence. I plan on buying one in the future because today's cars pale in comparison.
Good for you Nightbird! Glad they're still appreciated!
Beautiful American Classic!
my dad had this exact car, He got a new town car every 4 years, this was before leasing, even after leasing he still preferred to buy his cars and donate the old one. I loved this car, it was my most favorite of all his lincolns, its the one he had while I was in high school. He would pick me up everyday in it and we had the best father/daughter conversations ever. His was the same color but leather interior. He gave it to my older brother who totaled it :(
I positively love it. But I'm looking for something with a little more room...
The only thing from this era with more room is either a full size wagon or a limo.
+TheSpazModic A 1971 -1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham has a little more rear seat room.
***** Joe Tralongo said "The only thing from this era with more room is either a full size wagon or a limo" so I responded that a 1971 -1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham had a little more legroom.
I own it. 8.2 litre caddilac factory limo. 3 tons of fun with 9 seats.
Derek Scott What year is the limo?
My grandmother had a 1979 Town Car sedan, but hers was gold with a gold leather interior. She bought it in '79 to replace her brown 1976 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, which had brown, tufted leather seats like a 19th century parlor sofa. Both cars were about the same size, around 230 inches long. It's hard to tell from seeing videos like this, but small cars were really popular in the seventies too.
Your grandmother had great taste in cars.
Make black with red velour or black leather. That's a dream car. The lacking horsepower could be rectified by $1500 and a good mechanic. Remember the 1969 460 in the Lincolns made 365 horse and 565lb ft of torque. The government put these engines in a choke hold. Bring the power back and that's a sweet ride.
I'm planning on buying one of these beauties and am interested in how you would rectify the lack of horsepower with your "$1500 and a good mechanic" comment. Could you please give me details how this is done? Thanks.
Nightbird Start with what you can do yourself. New intake, less restrictive exhaust, throw out the smog pump and put on a 650cfm 4 barrel Carburetor and an after market ignition. These make a huge difference or try what I did. If you're really trying to save money look in junk yards. We pulled the whole top end off a 69, had the heads redone at a local machine shop, had the carb rebuilt, put on an msd ignition and headers, mufflers. All money in was about $1600 bucks and that car came alive. Real power, definitely worth it.
Thanks so much for the reply and info. I'll let you know if I buy it and how it goes when the time comes. Have a good one!
yup perfect car, The concept that you need performance and handling on a daily commute is the laughable thing, this transporter could make a day of driving... living. .
These American behemoths are so wonderful, the likes probably never to be seen again.
Lovely to look at and I would imagine punting about in one of these must be a great driving experience.
I just placed an order for a brand new 79 Lincoln at my Lincoln/Mercury dealership!
Power? Who needs it! Good tight handling? Nah. As long as I can fully stretch out while driving and I win against anything I run into by accident.
Tan Gre LOL, well, why we like to think these great old ladies were safer than steel, truth is you probably wouldn't survive in a collision with a modern car or SUV. Here's why. ua-cam.com/video/8uddZRY_WVw/v-deo.html
Pretty neat video and good full explanations. Lots of attention to detail. Thank you, continue the good work !
My uncle used to have a 77 Lincoln. He used it a few times to deliver pizza's in the 80's. Once he was driving in the evening. He didn't see a brand new Honda civic, and side swiped it from front angle. Looking back, the side of the Honda was totally smashed. His Lincoln only had a dent in the front chrome bumper. Another time a small car ran a red light, hitting the Lincoln on the back panel. The little car just bounced off like a pin ball. Didn't feel much, a bump inside the 2.5 ton Lincoln.
Also the switch on the floor is the manual high beam dimmer switch.
This car is for comfort and appeal. Not a high speed chase.
Being roughly the size of a continent, I'd say that car lives up to its name.
Agreed. If a person has issues with the car, whether it be handling, driving, what have you, it is the fault of the operator, not the car. My '77 was a dream, and I miss her terribly.
the optional 460-4v was an absolute MUST in these behemoths. the performance difference between that and the 400-2v was UNreal.
in 1982-83, i had a '75 Mark IV - over a half ton heavier - that could surprise you. 0-60 was under 7 seconds (barely). not sparkling by any standards, but considering that it tipped the scales at 6553# with a full (34 gallon) tank and my 250# butt inside i felt acceleration was more than acceptable. it could get out of it's own way nicely. it only got 13.4 mpg on a highway trip, though.
everything else is true. it rode like it was floating on a cloud and was so quiet inside, all you could hear at 70 mph was the ticking of the clock on the dashboard.
i wish i could afford another one. those were the days! (sigh)
p.s. - did i mention the cavernously HUGE back seat? a definite advantage for a horny teenager!
+myrryxmas Sadly, the 460 was not offered in 1979, only the 400 2v :(
In our day, the CB was the equivalent of the cell phone. It was the only way to communicate while on the road. Not so much to chat, but to call for help if you broke down, warn of possible traffic delays, find out where a hotel, diner or rest stop were located, and the cruise for chics ...lol :)
Sure these cars were massive, but they paved the way for many of the features on todays cars. My Uncle had one of these, and on a long trip you never felt uncomfortable.
My parents had one. Black with wine coloured leather interior. They sold it just before my 16th birthday. D'OH!
I also love how you can just smack the car into reverse. Don't even need to press the brake, just throw your arm down in the column shifter and you're moving backwards.
That switch on the floor is the light dimmer not for the radio !
Love these big Towncars !
Hilarious!! And love how all my KBB friends pile into Joe's car!! Nice choice of Doobies on the 8-track too.
HELLO CADILLAC FLEETWOOD IN YOUR INTRO!
79 was the LAST model year of "real cars", and I think it means alot.
Buying one Saturday! So excited.
Very cool. Post pics if you can. What year/color/condition?
Where can I post pictures? It's a 1979 Lincoln, great body with minimal rust and front fender damage. Good engine that runs but needs a carburator. I'm paying $1000 for it.
UNDFTDGordon you can always post them on your youtube channel and then let us know. Do you know how to work on cars at all? The carb is a 2bbl 2150 Motorcraft, pretty easy to rebuild. You'll also want to get yourself a set of 1979 Lincoln Shop manuals (there are four in the set). You can find them on ebay. Makes it really easy to figure out stuff when it goes wrong. There are a lot of vacuum lines on this car. Finding a new front fender shouldn't be too hard if there are junk yards around you. Where do you live?
I do not know how to work on cars but I have family members that do. I live in Los Angeles. I seen that the carbs cost between $200-$300 online.
I also seen leaking on one of the hoses in the back left of the engine. It was brown. The owner said it was AC because the AC doesn't work.
Love it. Always have. Wish I had more space in our underground parking garage.
Actually, this car does have a foot actuated switch for the Scan feature on the electronic radio. Its just a few inches above the high beam foot switch out of the cameras view.
Love the review, but Mary Todd needed to have her headlight covers cleaned.
@318Captain There are actually two switches on the floor, the higher up one is out of frame. One works the high beams, the other the radio scan.
Gorgeous car, all it needs is Limo-Tint all around.
Whatever happened to auto-headlight dimmers? Haven't seen them in decades
@cuttlefisch Early emissions controls caused the manufactures to decrease compression. These engine were designed to run at 11 or 12:1 ratios,but reduced to 8:1, which effectively killed their horsepower.
I'm surprised about a number of the options packed in this car. Quite luxurious for its time!
Good lord, some of these options I never even knew they had back then, makes new cars like the Pontaci Suntird and Toy Crapolla look like primitive plastic beans on wheels. This is my type of car. I love this body style, & nice color! :D
The Cadillac shown at 7:08 is the downsized model introduced in 1977 and slightly re-styled a few years later. The 1976 models were far larger and were the size this the featured Lincoln Town Car.
There can be nothing negative said about this car. It's absolutely incredible. I laugh, sure, zero horsepower, but 365 Ft Lbs torque. The 460 even strangled to the point of being dead can pull a fair torque number! Thanks for this. Cheers.
cdnpont largest engine in 79 was the 400m.....78 was last year for the 460
Thanks John. Tooling up for the downsized 80 model I guess. Still a sweet old school style though. Cheers.
cdnpont yeah and $500 of today's dollars can make a vintage 460 sing....just don't fall for a 79 cause the 400 looks kinda like a 460 underhood to a non Ford guy
cdnpont and they have oiling problems when they get over 75k....5 psi at hot idle sound bad to you
Yea, wouldn't be too happy with 5 at hot idle. My brother in law just pulled a 400 out of a failed rat rod project. It seemed to run ok, no noise...with 2 psi hot lol! He gave it away.
@ridinged92 in California, the emission standards set here did not allow the 460 in some late 70's Lincoln's, T-birds, Marquis, mark V and LTD before the downsized 79/80 models. all i have seen are 351M and 400's
These were what you called lnd barges I love the conceled headlamps and the turine wheels. My aunt had
My only complaint on the 1978-79 last of the big Town Cars was that they cut the rear fender skirt down from the fill size one my 1973 had. The other thing was that they replaced the dash board used throughout the 70's with the liquid crystal rolling speedometer and the all guage dashboard to a trimmed up Mercury Marquis dash.
What I meant was the Cadillac shown (possibly a 1981 model) was the new downsized model which appeared in 1977. The 1979 Lincoln Continental was Lincoln's last full-sized car and was the same size as the full-sized Cadillac DeVilles that were discontinued after the 1976 model year. The completely new down-sized Lincoln Continentals arrived in 1980 and were the same basic size as the down-sized Cadillacs.
Absolute jewel!
This video actually made me really want one. I love the whole no-limits excessive nature of the thing. It's fun to think about someone paying 20 grand back in 1979 after an oil crisis for something so huge. Love it. On the road back then, it would have said, "I'm wealthy, now get out of the way peasant."
1970-74 were my favs
Agree. That gorgeous Cord grille on the 70 is one of my favorite, too.
gaguy1967 Absolutely! I grew up in a '71, and that vintage had the best grills, dashboards & powerplants... and Lincoln did one of the best, almost sneaky, integration of the new 5mph front bumpers in '73.
Thnx man! Love the lincoln. Gets about same mpg as the benz D:
With that massive engine, they didn't offer a 4 barrel Carb!?! You'd think they did/would for more speed. If I had cash to burn I'd have that pimped out!! Nice 24" rims, digital dashboard, and a nice updated sound system. Woo-Wee!!!! Results, 1 badass towncar.
+timothy brown My 76 and 78 are both 4 barrel. I think when they put the 400 cubic inch they went with 2 barrel. For a while the 460 cubic inch was an option because they needed to go smaller for any cars being sold in California if they wanted to meet emission standards.
With that massive engine, they didn't offer a 4 barrel Carb!?! You'd think they did/would for more speed. If I had cash to burn I'd have that pimped out!! Nice 24" rims, digital dashboard, and a nice updated sound system. Woo-Wee!!!! Results, 1 badass towncar.
+timothy brown The 460 had 4 barrel carbs. I think this one is a 400 cubic inch version.
Goodlooking late 1970s American car. 'Full-sized' cars like this were common on American roads for decades until GM downsized most of their full-sized cars in 1977. All GM divisions offered full-size models as did Ford, Mercury and Chrysler so seeing cars of this size was not unusual until they started to disapear by the late 1980s and early 1990s when most wore out.
@318Captain We compared the steering response and feel to a 1979 Sedan DeVille and a Buick Electra and found them much more responsive and liner with much less play. Horsepower for the California spec 400 is 159, confirmed with FoMoCo. You might get 11 seconds from a 460, but not a 400.
This was when they built beautiful automobiles. In 2011, you can't hardly tell a Toyota from a Honda or Hyndai.
@jtralongo1 Only one set of replacement springs is offered for the '70-'79 Continentals. Since the '79 comes with the much lighter 400M engine, it will sit higher than a Continental with a 460.
@jtralongo1 that's true, we have more stringent emissions requirements and not allowed the 460 in t-birds after 76 and some LTD's. I'm with ya on the 400, my 74 LTD gets 17 mpg on the hwy. turbine wheels are awsome.
Awesome.
the engines are actually detuned on purpose for smoothness. the Ford 390 Big Block (and i'm pretty sure that's NOT what this has) had up to 300 HP stock for the Thunderbird
Yes, and this is a review of 1979 Lincoln Continental, so the Cadillac Fleetwood shown is the appropriate size.
I actually have one of these 79 collector series in dark blue with leather and I love it,gets lots of looks and has character unlike the cars today that all look the same. Also have a 66 suicide door continental a real badass car, Junk today does not compare, a lot of money for plastic crap..
@pghcc2006 Remember this is a 120,000 mile car, so its not going to perform like new. More importantly, the MT and CD test were done back in the day when you could still get 101 octane gas, not the 89 with 10 percent ethanol we have today.
@cuttlefisch For a heavy car like this, the peak torque rating at low RPM is really more important than the peak horsepower. The numbers on this engine suggest a very flat torque curve, which is good for smooth and responsive acceleration at moderate RPM on a heavy vehicle.
Emissions did strangle the high RPM power on these engines though, so flat-out 0-60 times suffered pretty badly.
What a wonderful car. And I've learned something - I thought 1978 was when they stopped making the big ones - but maybe that was just the Grand Marquis. As to power, wasn't that all down to the cat converter (with the 60s cars far better)? Thanks for sharing this.
You are correct, Matador. 78 was the first year for the downsized Ford LTD and Mercury Grand Marquis. But, Lincoln kept the Mark V and Continental full size, thumbing their nose at GM's downsized Cadillacs and emphasizing that fact in their advertising. Chrysler also kept its full size New Yorker in 78, but downsized in 79. The ad camping worked for Lincoln and the 79s sold like hot cakes, including the gorgeous 79 Collector Series which were advertised as the last, full size American luxury cars to be built.
Love these cars, we used to go drinking and driving in one for fun and one day ran down someones mailbox and didn't even know it. My friend said...."hey... what was that black thing flying over the hood" huh???
Anti-lock brakes in 1979? If that's accurate, it's pretty impressive.
Yes Frank. They were called Sure-Lock and they only worked on the rear brakes. I believe Bosch designed the system for Ford.
Love the Imperials on your page. You are one of us :). Funny story, I was driving Mary Todd (my Lincoln) around Portland with a bunch of guys from Mercedes Benz (I'm a journalist). We pull up next to a yellow 240 and there is this totally neo nazi guy driving it with a German Shepard in the front seat. One of the germans leans out and yells, 'How faking nazi is that." I almost wet myself. The dog just snarled.
You can find a lot of them on ebay or Craigslist in the US and then have it shipped over. I know that's what the Europeans do. The coupes are even harder to find than the sedan, and then of course there are the 2-door Mark IV and Mark V that are a different cars altogether but still have the same classic lines, grille and great interior.
@socalltd
Yep, except I believe the 400 was standard on CA cars in 1978, the 460 was not available in CA and certain high altitude states. That's why Lincoln made the turbine wheels standard on CA cars, to compensate Californians for the loss of the 460. Nice thing about the 400, I get about 16 mpg on the highway.
i'd say 98 was truly the end. you could still get some beastly cars right up into the 80s and 90s
Well, torque is a rotational force, the amount of force needed to quickly move an object from a standing start up to running speed. But, horsepower dictates how fast you can go. HP is important when passing or merging, not to mention reducing the strain on the engine. It basically comes down to speed vs. work load.
you are extreemely correct. modern stuff is worthless. people make fun of the ponies they had. hello gov regulations. slap some good compression pistons on and less restrictive exhaust and dang. maybe even a cam with better duration. pretty easy to boost the ponies on these classic old cars.
I also have to question the acceleration to 60 at 14+ seconds. We had a '77 with the 400 engine, and when you needed to go - it did quite well. Back in 1977, the older dash with the bar speedometer was used - it could not keep up with the acceleration of the car.
Car is so awesome
I agree. One of my dream cars.
such a gorgeous car. I am turquoise green w/envy!!!
@falaqdad15 Actually, the engines were detuned to meet tougher Federal emissions and fuel economy standards. The 390 was long gone from the Ford lineup by 1979.
@vidwatchman These cars are all over e-bay and craigslist. You can get a really nice one for around 4-5K.