1979 Lincoln Continental Town Car: Last Call for Uncompromised Size!
I’ve written up several cars from my attendance at the LCOC Mid-America Meet, held last September 23. It was a great show, and I took approximately 830 pictures over the course of the day. And that was just at the Lincoln show.
The trip also included visiting the Route 66 Festival held downtown the same day, but that particular show netted 413 photos—I just checked both on my computer. It was also a reminder that I still need to do a column on the Bicentennial Edition 1976 Eldorado convertible that was on display. But I digress!
It’s interesting that the all-new 1970 Lincoln Continental basically lasted through the decade. While it received facelifts in 1972, 1974, and a more major one in 1975, it was the same basic car beneath the new sheetmetal. The final styling fillips were the Mark V-style grille in 1977 and the new instrument panel (borrowed from the Marquis, but with more simulated wood trim and silver-faced gauges) and smaller fender skirts in 1978.
But 1979 was last call. A lot had changed during the ’70s, and the days of truly full-sized and unaltered land yachts were just about over. In 1977, GM shrunk all of its B- and C-body cars, from the Chevy Impala to the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The Nimitz-class Toronado and Eldorado lingered through 1978, as did the Chrysler Newport and New Yorker Brougham. Ford’s LTD and Marquis also stood pat for one last model year.
But come 1979, Lincoln stood alone for new car shoppers who wanted a BIG car. The LTD and Marquis had migrated to the smaller Panther chassis, following GM’s lead in downsizing. And the majestic New Yorkers, which spent much of the ’70s exhibiting rampant Broughamage, moved to a smaller, boxier form on the former B-body midsize chassis.
And so it was that Lincoln had one last fling as an unapologetic BIG car with road-holding weight and remarkable stretch-out space. It wasn’t quite the same, however, as now all Lincolns (save the smaller Versailles) had the 400-cubic inch V-8. The majestic 460-cubic inch engine, which became optional in 1978, was no longer available at any price.
Friends of mine who have owned and driven 1979 Lincolns have told me that while the 400 wasn’t exactly gutless. Rather, it was, shall we say, sedate? You’d get there, you’d be comfortable, but don’t be in a hurry.
In its 1979 form, the 400 V-8 had a 4.00 x 4.00 bore and stroke and 159 horsepower. That sounds worse than it actually was, as it had 315 lb-ft of torque. But it was still motivating a 4843-lb luxury sedan on a 127.2-inch wheelbase.
But really, it wasn’t that big of a deal. See, in 1979, luxury cars were luxurious. There was none of the modern claptrap that domestic rolling stock should have hard seats, tight handling and only come in silver silvermist, dark black, or refrigerator white.
Heavens to Betsy, no! What 1979 luxury car buyers wanted was a plush living room, with deeply padded and preferably floating-pillow style or button-tufted velour or leather, and lots of trunk space, and a smooth, quiet ride.
Oh and did I mention colors? Oh yes indeed! Among the selections in 1979 were Wedgewood Blue, Cordovan Metallic, Jubilee Gold Metallic, Crystal Apricot Metallic, Cream, and Dove Gray. Of course basic black (Lincoln simply called it Black, go figure) with black leather befitted such a car. Though personally your author would prefer a red leather interior to contrast the Black exterior.
For its final foray in undiminished dimensions, the Continental came in $10,985 coupe and $11,200 sedan models, with the Town Coupé and Town Car packages available for an extra fee. Curb weight was 4639 lbs for the two-door and 4649 lbs for the four-door.
The sedan was by far the most popular, with 76,458 built for the model year. The coupe was much less seen on the city streets and Interstates, with 16,142 sold. And while we’re discussing figures for ’79 Lincolns, the Continental Mark V was $13,067 and the Versailles $12,939. Production of same was 75,939 and 21,007, respectively.
Town Car extras included Twin Comfort Lounge seats in Valleao velour or leather, with full power and front passenger recliner, power vent windows, Town Car/Town Coupé badging on the exterior and instrument panel, 12 ounce cut-pile carpeting, and more.
Also standard per my 1979 brochure were a full vinyl roof and integrated coach lamps. A coach roof with crossover molding, covering only the back half of the roof, was extra but extremely popular.
Which brings us to today’s featured example, which clearly has a ‘slick top’ and no coach lamps. I have seen a few 1975-79 Continentals with no oval opera windows and no vinyl roof, but they’re pretty rare. And I’d never previously seen one so-equipped with the Town Car package.
It was fantastic. I loved the combination of the subtle but elegant black on black color combo, slick top, no opera windows and the most excellent optional turbine aluminum wheels. The owner, a nice gentleman from Indiana, told me of the car’s extremely low mileage (I don’t recall the actual number) and that he took off the original tires so he could drive it safely to the show!
This was the swan song for vehicles like this. As the dealer brochure confided, “Pleasurable and practical. That’s the Lincoln Continental Town Car, whether you’re pursuing your hobby or transporting business colleagues. Its carpeted luggage compartment is cavernous. A full six-passengers roomy, and very, very comfortable.”
I want to go back.
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A really beautiful car and it looks so much cleaner without the vinyl roof.
That car looks just just like the one stolen from my son’s apartment complex in knoxville Tnn….
AMAZING car.
There’s one word that best defines this one — Stately (as in Wayne Manor.)
Really, this one’s perfect, (and I’m a Cadillac man.)
This is a very pretty sedan, and if the Continental Sedan Town Car came with a vinyl-roof delete, it was that, a delete. Actually, the very rare “base model” Continental Sedan and Coupe look great without vinyl-roofs, and the “base” seats are actually much easier to care for in the long-term, without the “loose cushion” appearance.
I have a 1979 Town Coupe with the glass-roof option, as opposed to the moon-roof, where the whole front of the roof is a panel of tinted glass. This car looks great, but the 400 c.i. V-8 is original miles, well over 200,000. It does not use a drop of anything and is dead-reliable. But it was slow new and is that much slower now.
The way to perk it up a bit would be to install a new Ford 7.3 liter crate engine !!
I had a 78 Town Coupe with the 460 and a 79 Collectors Series with the 400 and there was definitely a difference with acceleration and going from a 4 barrel to a 2 barrel was a letdown. The Collectors Series added extras like the built in garage door opener, thermometer in the drivers side mirror and leather bound owners manual, toolkit and umbrella.
Thanks for the memories. My dad owned two of these, at the same time, and I drove his dark blue one to my senior prom.
I recall these cars when I worked at the Gas station when I was in school. I really hated how big they were.
I recalled the first down sized Cadillac in 1977 they were right sized. Not too big not too small.
You need to recall these cars were like two tons and even with a big engine hardly made 200 hp and got about 11 mpg.
Lots of wasted space in these cars.
They are cool today as part of history but they were very impractical.
Great article, I bought the 1977 Lincoln in Anaheim Ca. And drove it East with my Family… true Luxury!
I just uncovered the Sales Brochure and the Bill of Sale, if it would be useful to your collection.
Personally, I think the 1961-1969 Lincoln’s were perfection in styling. The 70’s less so.
One of my Dad’s partners bought one of these, dark red, with the half-vinyl roof and leather interior, all in some shade of red. It was preposterous even then, and we joked about it being a “pim -mobile” or a “wise guy ride” due to the 4 body trunk. (The all black is much less fussy, and a class act, well done.)
Besides looking overdone, their burgundy yacht, with 4 passengers, would barely maintain speed going up a mountain pass. All while gulping expensive gas, and wallowing through the downhill corners with those radials complaining. The end of a silly era.
I have a1978 Lincoln 2 door for sale.$4500
I remember having a conversation w/a family member back in 2000, while riding on I-75 outside Atlanta, about the best cars we’d ever ridden in. For me, it was a 69 Dodge Charger that my Dad had while I was growing up – and I only liked it because he’d smoke the tires all the way down the block. For me, that’s what made a car great. But he told me for him it was a late 70s Lincoln; he said he’d never ridden in a car, before or since, that was as plush as that car was.
I had two wealthy relatives who owned 1979 Town Cars when I was growing up. No, they did not have Corvette handling, but they were extremely comfortable for eating up mile after mile on the highway. I often long to have these slab cruisers back again.
That interior is peak 70’s living room in a car. It does look comfortable.
No Continental, but we had a 1976 Ford E-350 van with the 460CI 4BBL engine. Don’t remember the HP but this thing HAD TORQUE! We would load 3 guys, 3 bike (250cc Motocross bike) and all our gear and it was not fazed. Used a lot of gas tho.
Excellent, fun writing. Brought back fond memories of my grandfather’s 1966 and 1974 Continentals