Lincoln Town Car Signature Edition test drive

In 1980, the Lincoln Town car sedan appeared for the first time, on the version of the American car company, which was the luxury division of the Ford concern. It replaced the Continental model, which had a big name, so it was not allowed to embarrass itself. But fans know that the Town Car name was also used for the Continental model. It came from the days of old cars, when it marked the most luxurious models with a roof. The four-door sedan was supposed to be the best thing you could buy from the Ford concern. In 1990, the second generation, which we already wrote about once, came to the market, and finally in 1997 it was replaced by the third, which was presented at the New York Auto Show. It went to market together with the Navigator SUV.

The owner, Mirek, bought a 2004 Lincoln in Poland only in April 2019, apparently thanks to my article about the previous generation. That actually made me happier, which is why this column exists. Finish reading the article at the end of the week, spend the day in advertising, then count the money, and at the end of next week polish your new dream youngtimer in the garden, which will be the decoration of our trips. Thanks to everyone for actually doing it. Of course, it was not the first purchase, he looked at the car, tried it, and then he just wanted it. In addition, it was interesting that the previous owner was a driver, but unfortunately he is invalid and has no hands, so he could only drive with his lower legs.

Fritz Mayhew’s design was very curvaceous, and Lincoln’s detractors derided it as being inspired by Hyundai. The curves were very similar to the Mark VIII model from 1998 and the Continental from 1995, on the contrary, they do not resemble the old Town Car model at all. Shame, I liked the angularity and you also made an excellent estimate of the distance of the corners of the car. Lincoln left its traditional small rear “opera” windows, but placed the rear license plate in a large chrome area. Many cars also have polished wheels that reflect the environment like a mirror, but they must be horrible to maintain. Thank goodness for the wheels that Lincoln has. And of course there’s keyless entry, as well as a more luxurious-looking canvas roof. It’s just that many people think it’s changing.

Like the outside, Lincoln shared many interior parts with its sibling cars from Ford and Mercury. However, only the Town Car had more luxurious wood trim and special controls. Everything here has to be electrically controlled. In addition to the radio and cassette player, the Soundmark sound system also offers the option to play CDs from a six-disc changer as standard. Satellite navigation from Pioneer was also a cool new feature.

The Signature Series is the second highest equipment level and can normally entertain up to six people who can seat three across both rows of seats. That is, leather chairs, benches are more than comfortable sofas, and we have never had high-pile carpets even in the house. But there are still a lot of typical American plastics that you won’t get from quality European cars. For example, various switches can wear out very quickly. However, when I switch from a Lincoln to a standard European hatchback, I suddenly feel cramped. And what about the bulk of the cargo, maybe something would get lost there.

Lincoln sits on the Panther frame platform, which it shares with the Mercury Grand Marquis, Maraduder and Ford Crown Victoria. It is based on a long-mounted front engine and rear-wheel drive on a solid axle via a 4R75W four-speed. And the engine is the only one offered – 4.6-liter Modular SOHC eight-cylinder. In this variant, it has an output of 239 hp (175 kW) at 4,900 rpm and a torque of 389 Nm at 4,100 rpm. But often you can not even hear the driving unit, the cabin is well soundproofed. At the same time, consumption can stay close to a sufficient value of 10 to 12 liters for a long time. The tank has a volume of 75 liters. However, it lacks pull from idle, so it starts with a little jerk, which the old Americans did not do. Fortunately, it is quite attractive, if you will. You can still tell it’s built for a quiet, purposeful ride.

The five-and-a-half-meter tall Lincoln weighs just under two tons and sits on sixteen-inch wheels. At the rear there are larger dual-piston brakes, so the Town Car slows down better than the old model. The front springs are stiffer than older models. Also, the steering is steeper and more precise since Lincoln used a rack since 2003. The car reacts better to the steering, although it still feels overpowered and lacks European precision. The car can be controlled with the tips of your fingers, while behind the wheel, instead of sitting comfortably, it tends to spread out. Of course, thanks to this, the car is very easy to drive, but due to its dimensions, sometimes you just can’t fit somewhere.

It is also interesting that in Lincoln you sit almost in the middle of the car, which makes this limousine like a sports car. Additionally, Lincoln boasted a five-star rating in all types of US NHTSA crash tests as the world’s first car ever. But its comfort is even better, when Lincoln, thanks to its soft environment and rocking behavior, filters a large number of bumps and potholes from the driver’s ass. It’s like riding on a cloud over the road, not driving it. On long journeys and trips, Lincoln will be a very good companion. At the same time, both axles have controls and there is also a Watt direct drive at the back, so that it can work more quietly on the road.

Production ended on August 29, 2011, without a direct successor. The modern Lincoln MKS is just not what some fans would like it to be. The City Car name was used for additional or burial versions of the MKT model. With the end of Lincoln and its twins, the entire plant in Ontario was closed. But this model was also created in China by the Hongqi car company. Unfortunately, Lincoln did not succeed in the main thing, which was always to beat Cadillac in sales from the worried rival GM. Towards the end of production, the Town Car lost its differences one by one, becoming more and more like Mercury and Ford, so production became cheaper. A bulletproof version was available for an additional $100,000. But many long limousines were created from this generation as well, funeral specials were also popular.

Today, the City Car is not very expensive, and if you have enough courage and money to drive it, it can also be used as an everyday car. It still works like an American car from the 1960s, albeit a recent one. It is very reliable (if it is running and not standing still) and finding a car that has traveled more than 800,000 km is not a problem. Parts are not expensive and can still be ordered well. The service itself is not very difficult. The price of the car ranges from 150 to 350 thousand crowns. For your money you get a relic of the past and an engine that will make anyone mad, but you should at least try a Lincoln when you get the chance. Although it’s said to be a retirement car, it’s also one of the last full-size Americans with a regular frame sedan and a V-8.

And what happened to the robbery mentioned in the introduction? The car was also found due to extensive sharing on social networks. It was stolen at night in Břeclav, and the next day a post appeared on Facebook asking for help in the search. Within two days, the car was found with more than fifty kilometers on the road and about one kilometer from where it was stolen. Yes, I know you may have read that there were sprouts inside. But still, the car was locked and one could only enter by entering a five-digit code into the lock on the handle. And since there were no signs of forced entry into the car, someone may have used this code to drive the car.