If there is a car that came out in the 1970’s and retained its popularity as desirable daily transportation longer than these Lincolns of late in the decade, I don’t imagine there are many. I shot this car quite a number of years ago, and am not sure why I never wrote it up. Looking back, could this have been the last of these I saw as a weathered but decent original still doing daily duty? Pristine examples are still seen at the occasional show or as “Sunday drivers” but this was not one of those.
Perhaps I was waiting to find a 2 door, which had been the version that figured in my life. But I guess it’s time to stop letting the perfect be the enemy of the good and move forward on what I have.
I probably spent as much time around Lincolns of the 1970s as anyone. My father had a string of four (almost) in a row from 1970 (Mark III) to 1980 (Town Coupe). His second, the 72 Mark IV was the one he kept the longest, but it was his third – a 1978 Town Coupe – that was my favorite of the batch. And perhaps my favorite of any car he ever had.
As you might imagine, I was heavily involved in trying to influence his automotive choices all through the decade. Most of the time without success. When I wanted him to get a suicide-door Continental he waited too long, then picked the Mark III. He chose the Mark IV before I even knew he was looking, so that one was a surprise. I made attempts to sell him on an Imperial or even an Avanti in 74, but would have been cool with the Continental coupe he considered before deciding that a replacement for my step-mom’s ’68 Cutlass was more of a need when two new cars in a nasty recession year was not on the menu.
I was all in on either a New Yorker or a Continental in ’76 – I should have been able to sell this, but he strangely went for a Mercury Monarch Ghia which was equipped as almost a proto-Versailles (including a 351 V8 for some scoot) so by now my batting average was pretty terrible. But in 1978 he finally saw things my way and decided that the Town Coupe was the right choice. OK, in truth I would have preferred the Town Car which would have eliminated the awkward climb into the back seat, but after my prior record I was not going to quibble.
Dad was a white car kind of guy, but was willing to entertain suggestions. I liked these in dark colors, but after Dad’s brief infatuation with a combo of baby blue paint and tan interior (a choice which my Step-Mom shot down, God bless her) his eventual choice of white paint and vinyl roof with cordovan (oxblood) velour interior was something I could live with.
That cordovan interior may have been a Lincoln-only color, as I don’t ever recall seeing it on any other FoMoCo car. It was featured in the brochure that year in a photo that is so dark as to be barely discernable. From personal experience I can tell you that it was so much more attractive than that sour cherry cough drop red that Ford was putting inside of so many cars around that time.
Although this white leather with red trim would have really completed the perfect 1978 package. It also did not hurt my feelings when he checked the box for the 460, which had been quietly moved from the “standard” to the “optional” list that year. My entreaties for the turbine alloy wheels fell on deaf ears, however, and it would be bland standard wheelcovers for us.
I was in my senior year of high school when Dad picked this one up and was allowed to drive it on an occasional errand or on a family trip. I remember getting my chance to pilot the nearly new car on a family trip to Philly for Thanksgiving of 1977. It was a lot of car to keep between the lines on the old Pensy Turnpike, but I still recall feeling special behind the wheel as that big, smooth cruiser did what it was best at. I still remember the way it easily handled the grades in the Alleghenies with a really satisfying combination of torque and silence.
At the time I liked the idea of the first new dash since 1970, but in hindsight I like the old one better. One thing I never understood was the trim panel between the taillights. It reminded me of the fussy trim on a 1960’s Frigidaire appliances in the kitchen of my Uncle Bob, who worked for GM at the time.
Not my father’s car, but one virtually identical to it as found in an online photo.
My parents were divorced so I did not live with the Lincoln most of the time, but I got full custody for one weekend – that of my senior prom. I got the car early Saturday morning, trading keys with Dad so that he got my ’67 Galaxie 500 convertible. The Lincoln was about six months old in May of 1978 – and it was filthy. Dad was piling 30k miles a year on a car back then and it showed. The bottom 1/4 of each side was heavily spattered with tar and the front end was covered with the remains of a bazillion unlucky victims from the insect kingdom. I spent the day returning the car to the way it was supposed to look, and both it and I looked maahvelous by go-time. It was by-far the nicest car any of my friends took – this was an era before everyone’s parents rented garish stretch limos. Ferkryinoutloud, it was a high school prom, not a wedding. A shiny nearly-new Lincoln was quite enough for me, thank you.
I should have expected that the car’s time with Dad would come to an end when, in the summer of 1979, we took a trip to the east coast for my grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Dad had a client who did motor home rentals and we got a big Pace Arrow for the vacation. Who knows how things might have gone had we stayed home, but the northeast during the summer of 1979 was no place for a 4-6 mpg motorhome. That was the time and place for fuel shortages and gas lines – in which we spent several hours. After that experience, I am sure Dad saw the wisdom of trading for the new, downsized and more efficient Town Coupe that was introduced in the fall of 1979.
” . . . but by 1980 they will be SOL.”
I got to drive the ’80 not long after he got it, and considered it a horrible downgrade. It felt thin and cheap after that big bruising 78 and was ugly as hell besides. Lincoln, at that point, became dead to me. I never have developed a real love for the Panther Lincolns, and the entire reason for that is this car right here. No matter the color or equipment level, this car did American luxury in a way few others of its day could manage. It also may have been one of the best all-around cars to come out of the Ford Motor Company in a good long time. These cars had one mission – elegance. They may not have been as elegant as the Lincolns of the mid 1960s, but they were a darn sight more elegant than any other car put out by a US manufacturer. And they were smoother and quieter than any other car put out by any other manufacturer anywhere. Is this the last time an American car could say this?
So if you are looking for an objective critique of these cars, I’m not your guy. Because I flat-out love these, which is something I have a hard time saying when it comes to about anything else built by Ford in that difficult decade. And this was undoubtedly why I stopped to photograph this one in a Wendy’s parking lot in October of 2011. If someone was willing to pay to keep gas in the tank, that person would be amply rewarded with something as durable, comfortable and attractive as you could ask for from its time. That these have survived in such numbers as they have means that a lot of others understood this too.
Photographed October 6, 2011, Suburban Northeast Indianapolis, Indiana
Further Reading:
1978 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe – Tom Klockau
1979 Lincoln Continental Collectors Series – Tom Klockau
1979 Lincoln Continental Town Car – Eric703
Is there an automotive equivalent to comfort food? If so, this Lincoln could qualify.
Over time, I’ve ridden in two of these. An amazing experience both times, an experience you’ve explained quite well.
When we lived in Hannibal there was gentleman who had three vehicles in his driveway; a Lincoln Mark V, a late 1980s F-350, and a Lincoln of this vintage. While he was somewhat eccentric, he had obviously selected well in his automobile purchases.
This was a great find and I suspect it’s still going strong for somebody.
Other than the size, one of these would be a pretty good hobby car. They are durable as hell, fairly simple with lots of parts shared with other FoMoCo stuff, and stand out in any crowd.
I think I have decided that these and the 73-79 F series trucks were the lone jewels to come from FoMoCo during the 70s.
Now that I think about it, it’s quite true that a fair number of these Continentals are still used as daily (or at least regular) drivers. The similar one I had written up four years ago was one such car as well – and in the ensuing years I’ve spotted that car occasionally at places like a supermarket and (ironically enough) a Wendy’s.
I’d love to drive one, though I keep envisioning your struggle as a teenage driver trying to pilot one of these cars down the Turnpike.
And I agree with you about that tail light panel. Those refrigerator decorations impressed me what I was about 6, but after that they seemed silly. Who on earth thought that one through at Lincoln??
From the 70s to the mid 80s I spent significant time in these, the Cadillacs and in a New Yorker Brougham. The 1977-79 Cadillac was much improved from the prior car, and it was pretty quick with the 425 V8 and fairly nimble besides (for what it was). The Chrysler was a better handler (mine had HD suspension and was an impressive road car) but they were never as well insulated so bumps and sounds intruded more. And Lean Burn.
Even with the 460 these were not really fast cars, but they kept up with traffic effortlessly and felt the most substantial of the three. The Lincoln would be my choice today if one of each were offered to me.
Schitt’s Creek features a black ’77 Lincoln Continental Town Car as the Rose family car. What a fabulous car that is, and so well cast.
We just discovered that series and it’s our current winter tv indulgence. And the Lincoln just appeared; perfect!
The episode where John and Moira acquire the big Lincoln is just hilarious. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of the series as we have, we must have watched the entire series a dozen times over, and are still enthralled with it. Still watching it every so often, cannot stop laughing, simply one of the best TV programs ever to come down the pike.
Lincoln got a lot of mileage out of the ’61 Continental rolling-ingot styling. I suppose it made people feel safe. A dash that wasn’t all boxes would have made a pleasing contrast, but the only curves are the opera window and the leading edge of the seats.
My brief experience with Fords of that era was that the steering had zero road feel, very scary when you’re 16 and driving someone else’s car. The GM yachts I’d grown up with at least let you know which way the wheels were pointed.
Was your date impressed? A few years earlier I drove the family Marquis, which featured a power bench seat in front and 7 ash trays.
A moving tribute to what was the ultimate big American car. It left a big hole that was never properly filled.
I remember Buckminster Fuller complaining about the loss of the big Lincoln; he felt just like you about the downsized one. As something of an icon to the counter-culture, it surprised me a bit to find out that he loved riding in these, but then he was a pretty good sized man.
Now you know why I left home in February of my senior year; if I’d gone to the prom, it would have been in my dad’s ’68 Dart stripper.
I can only imagine how my life might have been different if my dad drove big Lincolns. I’m sure I would have loved it, up util about 1968 or so…
Haha – my prom experience was unusual in my group of friends. I wasn’t dating anyone and several of us kind of paired up. Of the other two guys in the group, one drove the parents’ good car – a 1976 Ford Club Wagon Custom. The other had the same 63 Newport 4 door hardtop that was the family hand-me-down he drove to school every day.
These were certainly not the kind of canyon carvers you have gravitated towards in your life, but what these did well they did really, really well.
That Town Coupe is sharp in white! I’m a bit ambivalent about these big ’70s Lincolns, but they have a certain style. Why no prom photos? 🙂
“Why no prom photos?”
Because they would be embarrassing? 🙂 I actually looked, but my sister and I have been slow to scan and share the boxes of photos from my mother’s stuff. The box I have doesn’t start until the 80s.
One of the few Lincolns Ive seen up close and sat in was one of these A mate stored one on his lawn for a guy he knows possibly not the best example ever seen, the padded roof had a crunchy sound to it and it had those 100 spoke wheels fitted but other wise seemed fairly stock, yep soft comfy seats and lots of sheet metal around you it was a big car for sure, not sure which engine it had but the owner did say it wasnt as fast as his V8 Falcon and kinda floaty to drive, no plates on it either another one imported that failed to get certified for road use, it has probably by now ended up being stripped for parts and scrapped.
The reference to the “Frigidaire” trim panel between the taillights made me chuckle. I totally see that. Ltd’s had something similar but in padded vinyl, right?
Great find and entertaining article. These cars have maintained their dignity very the years. This one looks fetching in burgundy. I wonder what it looks like ten years after these photographs were taken.
Very nice writeup. This article, and many others like it on CC, have given me an appreciation for American cars that I didn’t have before after growing up in import-centric Boulder, CO. It doesn’t need to have a good Nurbergring time, it serves its purpose as an isolating, comfortable cruiser.
I always drove small cars until seven years ago. Now I realize why bigger is better. Traveling in a Lincoln Continental is not like traveling at all. Silent ride, floating on air, surrounded by soft cushioned seats, this car makes you want to climb into the back and lay down for a nap while someone else drives. No road fatigue. It is another mode of auto travel. Few cars offer that kind of ride now. You don’t want to get out of it.
If you could travel by bed, this would be it.
I included this ad in the CC I wrote up a few years ago on a Continental… definitely the right car to be cast as the “living room on wheels”:
You make me consciously realize something for the first time in my life: When I think of that trip to and from Philly, the first memory that hits me is a westbound stretch through the mountains as the sun was getting low in the sky on a beautiful clear day – gorgeous scenery, broad sweeping curves and effortless torque as we gained altitude and capable disc brakes as we descended.
What I don’t reflexively think about is the fact that there were six of us crammed into that car – Dad and stepmom, me and my sister (high school age) and two young brothers (ages around 7 and 4). In almost everything else my first memory would be about being crammed wall to wall with people for twelve hours. Not in that car.
I much prefer Lincoln styling during this period over Cadillac. In high school, I drove both my Mom’s ‘76 Sedan DeVille and my buddy’s Dad’s ‘75 Mark IV frequently.
Say what you will of the Great Brougham Epoch, but these cars were comfortable! These were big locomotive-like things, big torque, and silent.
The Mark was eerily silent, even at speed, and just floated along. Tops in isolation of all sound and sensory input. Cornering was, well….
In the Caddy, you had more data coming in, and it had better handling.
Even if you hit and ran over a Frank Cannon-sized pedestrian in one of these, there would only be just the slightest bobble, some vaguely sensed disturbance somewhere in the space time continuum. And the tank rolls on…
I agree with the other comments, this was an entertaining article. Thanks for giving a slice of your past JP. These Lincolns pretty much represent all that I disliked about these types of cars. I really disliked them when I was younger. Oversized, barge like handling with no road feel, gas guzzling but lethargic engines, and tacky brougham decor. But as time has gone one, my opinion has softened. I can appreciate them for what they are, and see why they appeal to some people. But you won’t see one in my driveway anytime soon.
If I were to buy a late 70s American luxury car, it’d be a 1977-79 Cadillac hands down over one of these. However, for what ever reason these Lincolns seem to have survived in far greater numbers than the Cadillac. I still see these big Lincolns fairly often, but a 77-79 Cadillac is quite rare.
I would agree that the Cadillac was more rewarding for the driver – at least while those cars still had some engine. My problem was that I could never get completely onboard with either the exterior styling or the cheap dashboard – or, for that matter, the size. If only the 71-76 with the 472/500 had felt as solid as the 77-79.
The survival rate is interesting. I wonder if it is the more advanced electronics in the HVAC that could be a real bugbear as the cars aged. The Lincoln system was much simpler. And that most of the Cadillac owners traded them in as normal used cars. It was the 75-76 that folks held onto, just as they held onto those final big Lincolns and Chryslers. Everyone knew we were never going to see cars like those again.
J P, Vince – I think the disparity boils down to the ‘77 and on Cadillacs being much more a driver’s car and more entertaining. More sensible in size, and at least the perception of greater economy. I think people loved them enough to use them up.
In the case of the Cadillac, it’s further compounded by the switch to the 4.1L V8, thus greatly diminishing the availability of desirable cars in this series.
I agree with both of you that the Cadillac was the better driver, which is why I preferred it to the Lincoln. I, however, prefer the Cadillac’s styling too over the Lincoln. The Cadillac dashboard was awful and cheap looking, but the Lincoln wasn’t that much better IMO, being an all plastic faux wood special. The Cadillac size is also more manageable insize, but still too large for my tastes. I liked bigger cars, but once they got larger than say a 77 Caprice , it was too big for my tastes.
I am not sure on the survivability rates albeit they are strictly anecdotal. I find in my area, the 77-79 B/C-body GM cars all had poor survivability compared to the 80s models, despite being produced in big numbers. The 80s Fleetwoods and Broughams are still not that uncommon around here, in particular the 307 powered cars. I serviced some of those HVAC systems when I worked at GM and they weren’t that bad to fix. I don’t know if that was enough to bring the car to an early grave. I do suspect a lot of these Lincolns were preserved being as many bought them knowing they were the last of their kind.
The filigree on the taillight panel is easy to understand… it cleverly works the Lincoln logo into its design, in two different sizes no less (the background was either white or pink, depending on model year). Any resemblance to 1960s GM/Frigidaire appliances is coincidental, but i’d consider looking like 1950s or 60s Frigidaire control panels to be a good thing anyway as Frigidaire Flair stoves and ovens were mad cool, the ones with the doors that glided upward to open them, with slide-out hobs. Similar patterns showed up on refrigerator panels and on the controls of their stoves and laundry machines.
The Continental sedans used the same basic design throughout the seventies but benefitted from two excellent facelifts, with 75-76 being the peak. I didn’t care for the fake RR grille instated for 1977, and even less so for the Ford/Mercury dash that replaced the wonderfully wall-like dashboard in 1978, nor the barely-there rear fender skirts that replaced normal ones at the same time (the 78/79 design is to fender skirts what thongs are to underwear). Still, most of the Continental’s intrinsic beauty was left intact, as was the incredibly smooth, quiet ride. I too could never stomach the boxy Panther look, at least until the 1990 redesign which was much easier on the eyes.
JP, I understand that you felt this was the smoothest ride of the Big 3 luxury brands? Correct? I wonder how this 78 rides?
Why even bother with tires on rims like that? It can’t ride much harsher directly on the metal wheels than it already does, and it would save about $1,500 on ultra-low-profile rubber.
Plus I’d guess the doors would no longer stay closed after about 10 miles with its roof ignominiously sawed off.