The Lincoln Town Car is a rear-wheel-drive full-size luxury sedan that is the flagship of the Lincoln luxury car production. The history of this sedan began in 1981, when it replaced the Lincoln Continental model of those years. For all the existence of Lincoln today, three generations of Lincoln Town Car have been developed.
The first generation of the Town Car took over some of the external features of the Continental model of the late 70s. One of these exterior parts was a similar grille. Sedan got a new design of doors and wings, rear lights and trunk lid have undergone minor changes. The rear part of the roof, made of vinyl, was traditional for the Town Car (hauling this part of the roof with cloth, offered as an option).
Headlights that were previously deep-set now were pushed forward and consisted of two square segments. As for the interior, there were new seats, a dashboard and door trim. Lincoln Town Car of the 80s had several versions that differed in various luxury items depending on the chosen configuration. For example, in the Cartier and Signature Series versions, leather trim and an on-board computer with a digital display were available.
Note that all cabin options included six seats, as well as a 6-channel premium class audio system. The appearance in 1980 of the Lincoln Town Car on the Panther platform marked the departure from the use of 6.6- and 7-liter V8 engines, which were replaced by a 5-liter V8 (carburetor from 1980 to 1981; then, as an option, the fuel injection system was offered in the throttle body, which was replaced by the fuel injector of the Prot Fuel system in the period from 1986 to 1989). Also Town Car received a new 4-speed gearbox with Overdrive system.
For all Town Car models from 1980-1989, an option package was offered, which included a dual exhaust pipe, a shorter limited slip differential, and improved engine and transmission cooling systems. In 1985, the exterior and interior of the Lincoln Town Car underwent minor changes. For example, a reflector appeared between the taillights located above the license plate. This change, later, was typical of the second generation Town Car models. Salon 1985 got more ergonomic seats. In 1988, the sedan was going through a few more changes: a new grille and in the Cartier and Signature Series, as an option, the installation of a JBL CD radio is offered.
In 1990, Lincoln was marked by the presentation of the second generation Lincoln Town Car. Now the car was born after a significant redesign and with new technical equipment (rear air suspension was already in the basic configuration). Town Car was released in four versions: Standard, Executive (started in 1991), Signature Series and Cartier. The appearance of the updated sedan became more aerodynamic. He received a new grille, doors, fenders, new designs of rear and front headlights (rear brake lights are now at the corners of the body, and the head lights have become solid).
The interior has also been redesigned. There are new seats, a new dashboard and door trim panels. Some of the options offered, introduced in 1990, have never been installed on Town Car, such as electric seat adjustment with memory and adjustable lumbar support (option offered for the Signature Series and Cartier versions) and a digital dashboard with advanced display. Electrochromatic mirror with dimming function has become standard equipment. It should be noted that more advanced security systems have appeared. For example, a driver's airbag was already installed as standard, dual airbags and ABS were installed as options in the 1990 models.
And in 1992, dual airbags for the passenger and the driver, as well as the ABS system, were installed by default. In 1991, a 4.6-liter V8 Modular powertrain was replaced by a 5.0-liter V8 Windsor engine. In 1993, the changes include: an updated grille and the emergence of an electronic automatic temperature control system (EATC) instead of the old system based on mechanical thermostats. The popularity of the second-generation Lincoln Town Car grew rapidly and, soon, it became the best-selling American full-size luxury sedan. In 1995, he acquired minor exterior changes and a completely renovated interior. As for the exterior, then only the front and rear lights were modified.
Salon got a new dashboard. Seats and door panels have also been replaced. Due to the new elements, the angularity of the cabin of models of past years was removed. Many components, such as the new dashboard, demonstrated the emergence of a so-called “organic” design.
Also appeared a new steering wheel, which later became used on all sedans until 2004, built on the Panther platform. In the period from 1992 to 1997. An exclusive Lincoln Town Car version of the Signature Series called the Jack Nicklaus Signature Series has appeared on the market. This model was green with a white vinyl top layer on the roof. The interior was trimmed in white and green leather. In the version of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Series were installed deep seats with electric, memory and lumbar support; leather trim. In 1996, in honor of the 75th anniversary of Lincoln, a commemorative version of the Town Car, called "Diamond Anniversary", was released.
It was created based on the Signature Series. Distinctive features of the car were: the lower part of the body was painted in a different color; leather seats; dashboard made in wood; mobile phone; electrochromatic mirror with dimming function and compass; JBL audio system; traction assist system. In the same year, two more enhancements were introduced: Ride Control and Touring Edition. Ride Control was only available for Signature and Cartier, and the Touring Edition package was used on all Town Car models.
Ride Control included: power steering; 16-inch wheels; tires size 225/60/16; reinforced transverse stabilizer. Touring Edition had the following options: electric sunroof; JBL audio system; light sensor; mirror with dimming function; power steering; 16-inch wheels; tires size 225/60/16; reinforced transverse stabilizer. Versions Ride Control and Touring Edition lasted until 1997. In 1998, the third generation of Lincoln Town Car appears.
The car became even more streamlined and slightly lost in length, but became slightly wider and taller, gaining weight by 300 kg. The interior of the sedan has been completely redesigned. Updated door trim panel, dashboard, center console, and all the knobs and switches.
Wooden design elements complement the already luxurious look of the cabin. For convenience, the control panel of the seat, windows and mirrors was built into the door. On the doors and on the seats flaunted the logo of the company Lincoln. Under the hood, the third-generation Town Car housed the 4.6-liter V8 Modular engine, whose power was 220 hp. In 2001, exclusive versions of the Lincoln Town Car with the designation "L" or "long" appear. They were 6 inches longer, creating more space for rear passengers. In late 2000, a modification of the Touring Edition (existing in the second generation).
She was more powerful than the standard Town Car at 15 hp. (235 hp). The differences are: dual exhaust pipe and exclusive 16-inch alloy wheels with wider tires. In 2003, the Town Car underwent minor external changes, and in early 2004, the top version of the Town Car called “Ultimate” appears. The V8 Modular power unit with a volume of 4.6 liters and a capacity of 239 hp was installed on it.
Also, parking sensors and the function of remotely closing the trunk were installed in the standard configuration. As for the interior, it has not received significant changes. Of the additions to the design can be attributed only analog clock. The Lincoln logo has been removed from the door panels.
The DVD player with the THX sound system became available in 2003 only in Cartier models, and in 2004 was used as standard on all Ultimate models. In 2005, the DVD system was available on the Signature Limited version and in 2006 on the Designer Series version. In 2005, the Lincoln Town Car received a new steering wheel.
