These Lincoln Continentals of the ’70s have been covered plenty of times at CC (links below), but every new find is always welcomed. On this occasion, here’s this ’77-’79 Continental posted by Ralf K at the Cohort. And I’ve to say that with its formal styling, cream-yellow paint, and burgundy accents, this old Lincoln just reminds me of tasty pastries.
See what I mean?
Not that I usually associate 1970s Lincolns with food.
1976 Continental.
Instead, old, hefty, and embellished furniture is what they bring to my mind. The type of formal and ornamented item I would see in upscale homes I visited in my youth.
To be honest, Lincolns of this age just have too much gingerbread for my liking. But let’s not quarrel over that. We all like different kinds of sweets, and I’m sure this Continental is just the preferred type for some of you.
Further reading:
Curbside Classic: 1978 Lincoln Continental Town Car – Best Prom Car Ever
CC Capsule: 1977 to 1979 Lincoln Continental – Sunshine On My Shoulder Makes Me Happy
Better not eat in that beautiful Lincoln .
-Nate
Were these among the last cars where owners got carte blanche to pick and choose paint and trim combinations without restriction? My father got the idea to order one of these in a pale baby blue with a tan vinyl roof and interior until everyone else in the family told him how awful it would look. (He settled on a white one with a white vinyl half roof and cordovan velour interior). Now the factories restrict colors and trims in unbelievable ways.
I can kind of see what the first owner was going for here – think of those cream yellow convertibles of the 40’s with red leather interiors. But I don’t think the look translates well to these.
Good point about the 1940s colors. I remember the kitchen cabinets in my parents’ house (built in 1939 and still 100% original when we moved there in the ’70s) were painted cream-and-red. I can also recall a few old-timey houses that had rooms painted in cream, with red upholstered furniture.
It looked good on houses (and I suppose pastries), but less so on this car. A bit overwhelming.
Perfect connection. I too have always thought that these late 70s Continentals looked like big pieces of cake.
White on the body AND roof has always been one of the best colors for cars like this–it goes well with almost anything! My dad had a ’76 Continental Town Coupe like that and then an ’89 Town Car. Just recently, he acquired ANOTHER Town Car almost exactly like his from a deceased member in his extended family, except the interior is gray while his was blue (the ’76 was sold the year I was born and the 1st ’89 went to somebody in Florida around 2008 after beginning to show signs of wear that the new owner would be able to fix). The “new” car was garage-kept its entire life & still has under 80k miles despite now being 35 years old; it will go to me when my dad is no longer alive. I’ve gotten to drive it a few times and while it wouldn’t–and SHOULDN’T–be my best choice for a daily driver (what do you think I still have my Ranger for?), it’s no doubt a car worth keeping & enjoying on good-weather Sunday drives.
Say what you will about the ’80s Panther cars being inferior to their 1969 LTD-based predecessors, but all things considered and looking back now, Ford did a great job retaining the formal “elegant” look of the bigger cars on a smaller platform. The cars indeed shrunk, but they were still pretty big compared to smaller cars at the time such as the Escort and later the Focus. As a kid born in the ’90s, I feel THAT’S when the basic design truly changed, and it stayed that way up to the 2011 discontinuation of all models. The later cars weren’t all bad by any means and had to be restyled in order to stay relevant with design trends (AND safety standards), but in terms of elegance & prestige they just don’t hold a candle to the ’80s & older cars.
Be VERY careful if you have any drinks–no cupholders! 🙂
Opposite view
These big broughams look great in light colors. It makes them look a bit lighter in weight and mass. I’ve had several big American luxury cars in the past, and I loved these cars at the time. I think that Lincoln had the nicest interiors, at least for a traditional buyer. They are big, but I drive my long bed F150 everywhere, and at 230 inches in length, it matches these cars in size. I bought my ’05 Navigator because it reminds me of those American luxury cars of the 50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s. Interestingly, my Nav is almost two feet shorter than my truck!
My dad has an ’04 Expedition Eddie Bauer that he bought new in 2003 for around 30 grand. It fundamentally replaced his ’89 Town Car in the same way that IT replaced his ’76 Continental. The Expedition has been our de facto “family vehicle” ever since.
Ford put out some genuinely dreadful fake wire wheels in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
That yellow one brings back great memories. My one buddy in high school, his parents picked up a couple year old (77 or 78) sedan exactly like this one but with the matching yellow 1/2 top. It had that beautiful light yellow paint, matching top, wire covers and the maroon velour seating. At that same time, my parents had a 79 Cadillac DeVille, so we used to “fight” over which brand was better. But secretly, I loved them both equally.
I’m truly not sure what year the yellow Lincoln was because it still had the rear fender skirts covering part of the rear wheels, but it also had the newer RR style grille that Lincoln kept for many years. Their Lincoln also had that really cool speedo that had the bar instead of a needle. So I’m sure it wasn’t a 76, but don’t think it was a 78 because those didn’t have the skirts if I recall. So I’m sure it was a 77.
I had a 1976 4 door Pink Lincoln continental with pink verlor interior from Florida…I live in Washington state..stood out well
Reverse those colors, and you have Red Velvet Cake. 😉
The car is not a continental it is a town car