Lincoln Compact Luxury Cars, the Lincoln Versailles, And The Lincoln Collector Series

The 1979 Lincoln Versailles was hastily developed to rival Cadillac's more compact Seville. Model-year 1977 also saw Lincoln move into the luxury-­compact class, its first response to the radically changed market left behind by the energy crisis. Called Versailles, this was a hastily contrived reply to Cadillac's remarkably successful 1975-76 Seville. It was little more than an everyday Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch adorned with a Continental-style square grille, a stand-up hood ornament and humped trunklid, plus more standard equipment. Established Lincoln buyers looked askance at the plebeian origins (which the press never failed to mention), while buyers balked at the $11,500 price. You can only fool some of the people some of the time, and Lincoln didn't fool many with this one. Versailles' 1977-model sales were a mere 15,434, a fraction of Seville's. This basic three-car squad held the fort for 1978-79 while Lincoln readied a troop of downsized 1980 models. Amazingly, the big cars continued to sell well, defying the combined threat of further fuel shortages and a fleet of luxury intermediates from lesser makes. Part of this was due to circumstance. By 1979, anyone who wanted a truly large luxury car -- "traditional-size," Lincoln called it -- had precious few choices. One of Lincoln's most successful marketing ploys in the '70's was the Designer Series. American Motors had tried something similar with Gucci Hornets and Pierre Cardin Javelins. As a luxury make, however, Lincoln was in a much better position to exploit the snob appeal of haute couture brands. First seen for 1976, these extra-cost packages were decorated inside and out with colors and materials specified by well-known high-fashion designers. The schemes varied somewhat from package to package and year to year, but the results were invariably striking and usually pleasing. Perhaps the most consistently tasteful was the Bill Blass edition, a nautically inspired blend of navy-blue paint and eggshell-white vinyl top outside and navy velour or dark blue-and-cream leather upholstery inside. Other combinations were created by Hubert Givenchy (generally tur­quoise or jade), Emilio Pucci (maroon and gunmetal grey), and Cartier (champagne/grey). The last, of course, was not a designer but the famous jeweler. Following a spate of limited-edition 1978 packages to mark Ford Motor Company's 75th anniversary, Lincoln devised a "Collector Series" option group for the '79 Continental and Mark. Both were adorned with appropriate nameplates, gold grille accents, special midnight-blue metallic paint, and a host of "custom" accoutrements such as color-keyed umbrella and leather-bound owner's manual and tool kit. It marked the end of an era: The day of oversized Lincolns was over. So, too, it seemed, any differences between Continentals and Marks. The 1980s were much more alike, but also much more sensible. Lincoln now adopted the "Panther" platform introduced for '79 with the full-size Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis as the basis for a substantially smaller Continental and an upmarket Mark VI sibling, thus resuming its 1958-60 practice of fielding two versions of one basic design. Compared to their immediate predecessors, these cars were up to 10 inches ­shorter between the wheels and significantly lighter. Yet they were nearly as spacious, thanks to only marginal reductions in width, plus taller, boxier styling. Each line retained its usual appearance cues, but not the usual big-block engines. Standard for both was the corporate 302-cid small-block V-8 in new 129-bhp fuel-injected form; a 140-bhp 351 was the only option. It was all for the sake of economy, as was Ford Motor Company's new four-speed overdrive automatic transmission, basically a three-speed unit with a super-tall fourth gear added (0.67:1). Handling was more competent, thanks to a revised suspension, and refinement was emphasized with retuned body mounts and suspension bushings, plus standard high-pressure radial tires, which also helped eke out slightly more mpg. A pillared four-door Mark returned for the first time since 1960, and the various designer editions were bolstered by a new Signature Series much like the pre­vious Collector option. Lincoln Sales in the 1980's The 1980 Lincoln Town Car was a harbinger of the success Lincoln would enjoy throughout the decade. A second fuel shock occurred in 1979, touching off a deep national recession that drastically reduced 1980 volume throughout the industry. Lincoln suffered more than most, its model-year total sales skidding to just under 75,000 -- nearly 115,000 below '79. The underwhelming Versailles was in its final year and found fewer than 5000 buyers. The 1981 result was even worse, falling to about 69,500. But that would be the decade low, and Lincoln followed the overall market in making a strong recovery. By 1985, it was up to some 166,500. Output dipped the following two years, then rebounded to over 215,000 through 1990. More important to proud division managers, Lincoln passed Cadillac in 1988, only to lose that position, but Ford's finest remained competitive with its arch­rival despite offering just three distinct models to Cadillac's five. Remarkably, much of this success was owed to a single 1980-vintage four-door that saw only one major change through 1989: a rounded-corner "aero" facelift for 1985. Called Town Car after 1980, it soldiered on following the cancellation of the 114.3-inch-wheelbase Town Coupe after '81 and the Mark VI duo after '83. The throttle-body fuel-injected 302-cid V-8 was the only engine available after 1980, but it would be upgraded. After an '84 boost to 140 bhp came more sophisticated multi-point fuel injection that ­lifted horsepower to 155. Trim and equipment shuffles were the only alterations in most years. But it didn't matter: At 50,000-100,000 units annually, this series outsold other Lincolns by margins of 2-to-1 or more -- sometimes upwards of 5-to-1. Yes, the Town Car was smaller than its late-'70s predecessor, but it proved that traditional Detroit biggies still had a place in the '80s. As Mark Twain would have said, reports of their demise (in the wake of "Energy Crisis II") were greatly exaggerated. Such consistent popularity was remarkable for this large, rela­tively old-fashioned car. Though Cadillac remained the luxury sales champ, its lead over Lincoln dwindled as the '80s progressed. One reason: An increasing portion of Cadillac sales depended on smaller "big" cars that looked too much like cheaper GM models and lacked the Town Car's sheer presence. Lincoln was quick to play up its rival's "lookalike" problem in snobbish TV commercials designed to pull in more and more "conquest" sales. Chrysler, meantime, had nothing remotely like a traditional full-size car after 1981, though its midsize Fifth Avenue found a steady market for the same reasons Town Car did: plentiful creature comforts in a package that "mature" buyers could relate to, all at reasonable prices. Of course, stickers swelled a lot on all cars from 1981 to '89 -- in the Town Car's case from about $14,000 to about $25,000. But relatively speaking, this Lincoln remained a good buy, and the public's "pocketbook vote" confirmed it. If the late-'70's Versailles was a hasty reply to Cadillac's Seville, the new compact Continental sedan of 1982 was a more-considered response. It even had "bustleback" styling like that of the new 1980 front-drive Seville, plus a Mark-type grille and the usual base, Signature Series, and designer-edition trim and equipment variations. Underneath, though, it was just a heavily modified Ford Fairmont with an extended-wheelbase version of the same rear-drive "Fox" platform -- and it was really none the worse for it, except perhaps for rear-seat room, which was limited. A 232-cid V-6 was offered in the debut '82s, but proved somewhat weak for their weight, so most left the fac­tory with injected 302 V-8s of 130, 140, or 150 bhp (the last adopted after 1985). The front and rear ends were smoothed out for '84 a la Town Car, the only appearance change for this design generation. A noteworthy mechanical development was an antilock brake system (ABS), a 1985 option that became standard equipment for all Lincolns the following year. Developed jointly by Ford and the German company Alfred Teves, ABS greatly improved steering control in panic stops and shortened stopping distances on slick surfaces, a laudable safety advance. The compact Continental was far more successful than the Versailles it effectively replaced, selling an average 21,000-26,000 a year through 1987. If not a vast aesthetic improvement, the bustleback sedan was more roadable and enjoyable, well put ­together, and as posh as any Lincoln. And at $21,000-$26,000, it, too, represented good luxury value. Lincoln Mark VII LSC Hot Rod With its aerodynamic look, the 1985 Lincoln Mark VII LSC represented a departure from the typical stodgy Lincoln design. After years of square-lined formality, Lincoln's premium coupe took a dramatic new direction with the 1984 Mark VII. Though it shared a platform with the bustleback Continental, this swoopy semifastback was derived from the new-for-'83 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar. The result was smooth, distinctive, and more visually aerodynamic than any previous Mark. A humped trunklid, modest taillamps in the rear fender trailing edges, and a toned-down Mark grille were stylistic links with the past, but the car was clearly aimed at a very different clientele: younger, affluent buyers who'd been defecting to high-dollar, high-status imports, a group Lincoln had never courted before. It was also a bold challenge to Cadillac's Eldorado, which was still relatively overblown. The Mark VII was an instant critical success, especially the performance-oriented LSC (Luxury Sport Coupe) -- the fabled "Hot Rod Lincoln" come to life. Enthusiast magazines even thought it a credible rival to the vaunted BMW 6-Series and Mercedes-Benz SEC. No wonder. Where the base and Designer models had a soft ride and traditional appointments, the LSC boasted a firmer suspension with fat performance tires on handsome cast-aluminum wheels, plus multiadjustable sport bucket seats and Lincoln's best cloth or leather upholstery. For 1985 it adopted the Mustang GT's high-output V-8 with 165 bhp (versus 140 for other models). The '86 got an even hotter port-injected engine with 200 bhp (versus 150 bhp on other Marks), plus standard ABS four-wheel disc brakes and a nice set of analog gauges (replacing the digital/graphic electronic display retained for its linemates). Engine refinements extracted another 25 bhp for 1988-90. With all this, the LSC was the most overtly sporting Lincoln since the very first Continental and the most roadable Lincoln since the "Mexican Road Race" days. It was also one terrific buy at initial prices of $23,700 -- about half the cost of erstwhile German competitors. Lincoln-Mercury planners thought lesser VIIs would outsell it, but buyers confounded them by ordering more LSCs -- enough that by 1988, the original four models had been cut to just LSC and Bill Blass. Overall Mark VII sales were good: 30,000-plus in the first season 15,000-38,000 thereafter. Prices inevitably escalated, reaching the $27,000 level by decade's end, but standard equipment also kept growing even as trim variations thinned. The 1990s boasted an important new safety feature in a standard driver-side airbag, which also brought a reworked, slightly more ergonomic dash. Perhaps even more daring than the Mark VII was the all-new Continental sedan that bowed for 1988. Essentially a stretched version of the excellent midsize Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable, it was the first Lincoln with front-wheel drive and the first with all-independent suspension, both of which contributed to a noticeable increase in cabin room despite a wheelbase only half an inch longer than its bustleback predecessor's. In appearance, which L-M described as "aero limousine," this new Continental departed even more from tradition than the Mark VII: squarish but carefully detailed for efficient "airflow management." The old humped trunklid was abandoned at last, leaving only a vertical-bar grille to echo the past -- and even that was low and smoothly curved to match the nose and modern flush-fit Euro-style headlamps. Powering the new Continental was the 140-bhp 3.8-liter V-6 made optional for the '88 Taurus/Sable, mounted transversely (in typical front-drive fashion) and teamed with a four-speed overdrive automatic transaxle. It didn't provide much snap in the heavier Conti (which was little lighter than its rear-drive forebear), and even L-M officials later admitted the car was underpowered for its class. At least quietness was a strength. A MacPherson-strut suspension employing dual-rate shock absorbers and LSC-style air springs, both computer-controlled, sounded great on paper. Unfortunately, this complicated design failed to provide a truly outstanding ride/handling balance in the real world. The standard all-disc brakes with ABS were superb, however, and interior decor was a blend of Euro-trendy and American traditional. For 1989, the dash and steering wheel were redesigned to accommodate dual airbags. Though just a driver-side airbag would have satisfied the government's new passive-restraint rule, Lincoln got the jump on Cadillac by providing inflatable cushions to protect both front occupants. Arriving at dealers in December 1987, the front-drive Continental proved a strong seller, thanks partly to an attractive $26,000 base price -- again, thousands less than comparable European sedans. Model-year production totaled about 41,000 for '88, rose to 57,775 for '89, then climbed above 64,000 for 1990. The Continental wouldn't fare this well again, but the mere fact that Lincolns could now stand comparison with high-buck foreigners spoke volumes about how far Lincoln had come in the '80's and where it hoped to go in the '90's. Source: Internet

The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan

The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan was an odd mix of old and new. The latter included Lincoln's first fully independent front suspension and optional self-shift Hydra-Matic Drive (hastily "imported" from General Motors). On the other hand, Lincoln gained no prestige by trading its aging V-12 for an old-concept 336.7-cubic-inch flathead V-8 borrowed from Ford trucks. And though Lincoln's smooth but massive "bathtub" styling was new, it was clearly the stuff of the early '40s, not postwar thinking. The '49 Lincolns thus sold reasonably well, but the similar 1950-51's managed only some 25-30 percent of their volume. The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan's exterior design was known as "bathtub" styling. Still, the "bathtubs" were no less solid, refined, or luxurious than prior Lincolns, though new "junior" models were much like contemporary Mercurys, thanks to some cost-conscious platform sharing decreed at the last minute. The "real" Lincoln of these years was the 125-inch-wheelbase Cosmopolitan, which included a line-topping convertible. For 1951 it cost a hefty $3891, which partly explains why only 857 were built. The 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan offered Lincoln's first independent front suspension. Source: Internet

1957 Lincoln Premier

Fins flew higher than ever in 1957, and the 1957 Lincoln Premiere had some of the tallest in Detroit- -- a literal big change from the low, handsomely sculpted rear fenders of 1956. The appendages might have been even higher, but cooler heads fortunately prevailed in the design studio. The 1957 Lincoln Premiere featured QuadraLites: 7-inch headlamps above the others. Otherwise, Lincoln's successful '56 formula was little changed for '57. The only other visual difference was "QuadraLites," conventional 7-inch headlamps above 5-inch "road" lamps. Under the hood, Lincoln's 368-cubic-inch V-8 gained higher compression and 15 horsepower for an even 300. The 1957 Lincoln Premiere's 368-cubic-inch V-8 produced an even 300 horsepower. The Premiere convertible again headed the line, but joined other models in being quite a bit more expensive -- $5381. Only 3676 were built. Even then it wasn't the rarest '57 Lincoln, but as a ragtop, of course, it was surely the most desirable. The 1957 Lincoln Premiere was expensive, as convertibles go, but still desirable.

Presidential Cars

Lincoln has a long history of providing official state limousines for the U.S. President. The first car specially built for Presidential use was the 1939 Lincoln V12 convertible called the "Sunshine Special" used by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It remained in use until 1948. A 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan called the "Bubble Top" was used by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and once by Johnson. It was retired in 1965. The Lincoln limousine made famous in Dallas was a 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible, custom built by Hess and Eisenhart of Cincinnati, and known as the SS-100-X. The Secret Service had the car fitted with a 1962 grill for aesthetic reasons. It was in use from 1961 to 1977, having undergone extensive alterations which made it an armor-plated sedan after Kennedy's assassination. A 1969 Lincoln was used by Nixon and a 1972 Lincoln used by Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush. A 1989 Lincoln was the last Presidential Lincoln as of 2004. Cadillac supplied Presidential limousines in 1983, 1993, 2001, and 2004. The John F. Kennedy limousine also included a "Plexiglas" bubble top to be used in the event of inclement weather. The 1961 vehicle was notorious for its inadequate cooling of the rear of the passenger cabin while the bubble top was in place, particularly in sunshine. In order to prevent excessive heat and discomfort to the passengers, the top was often removed prior to parades, as was the case in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Though it was always assumed that President Lyndon Baines Johnson had the car destroyed after the assassination of President Kennedy, the 100-X was turned over to the Secret Service, Army Materials Research Center, Hess & Eisenhart, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, and Ford Motor Company for retrofitting of armor plating, permanent sedan roof, new interior, improved air-conditioning system, electronic communications equipment, bulletproof glass, a new paint treatment, as well as cosmetic alterations to remove damage incurred during the assassination, among other changes. The car is also on display at the Henry Ford Museum. Lincoln L series Limousine used by President Calvin Coolidge, c. 1927-28 The Johnson Administration also used three 1965 Lincoln Continental Executive Limousines. Two limousines for the President and one for Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, as well as a 1968 "stretch" Lincoln to be used in Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. This vehicle is on display at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. The 100-X was modified again in 1967. Later, under President Richard Nixon, the large one-piece glass roof was replaced with a smaller glass area and a hinged roof panel. It remained in service until 1977 and resides in its final configuration at the Henry Ford Museum. President Nixon ordered a 1969 model limousine, through Lehman-Peterson of Chicago. This vehicle also had an added sunroof so that Nixon could stand upright when appearing before parade-goers if desired. This vehicle was equipped with several features, such as retractable hand grips and running boards, options later copied by Hess and Eisenhart. This car is now located at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California. In 1974, Ford supplied a 1972 Continental model which was stretched to 22 feet (7 m), outfitted with armor plating, bullet resistant glass and powered by a 460 cu in (7.5 L) V8 engine. This limousine was used by Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, and is on display at the Henry Ford Museum. This model was also altered a number of times during its history, including a full body redesign in 1979. This was the limousine that Reagan was about to enter during his assassination attempt in 1981. Source: Internet

A Picture Review Of Older Lincoln's And Ford's

1927 Lincoln Cabriolet Click Here to check out this blog site and there pictures of Fords and Lincolns. Source: Internet

Edsel Ford

BEREA, Feb 12, 2010 (The Lexington Herald-Leader – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) From TradingMarkets.com/ Edsel Ford died here last Saturday. He used to know a lot about cars — under the hood, that is. He drove a bus for a living for a long time in Dayton, Ohio. He couldn’t afford the 1950's-era Ford Motor Co. car that bore his name, his wife said, but he laughed at the idea that they shared the moniker. Edsel was a pretty rare name even in 1927, when Ford was born to a big family in La Follette, Tenn. He was the seventh son of Ulysses S. and Hattie Ford. In later years, after the car came out that bore his first name and made all those infamous headlines, nobody in the family ever got around to asking Hattie how her last blond-headed boy was named. They kind of wish they had now, says Edsel’s son, Paul. Ulysses and Hattie’s other boys got names like Benjamin and Theodore and Truman and Dennis. Edsel was just not that ordinary a name. In fact, some folks took to calling him, oddly enough, Jim. But not his wife, Frances. She always called him Edsel. Not Ed, not Eddie. Edsel. Frances says Edsel’s boyhood friends liked to call him "Model T." They must have admired the intriguing black machines that poured out of Ford plants in Detroit from 1908 to 1927 and that revolutionized the world. Frances figures that Grace, Edsel’s aunt, might have known that Henry Ford’s only child was named Edsel. That it might have been Grace who suggested the name to Hattie. The names of American industrial royalty would have been known to those who paid attention even if they were just poor farm people in Tennessee. When Edsel of La Follette was born in 1927, Edsel of Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., was 34 and had already succeeded his father as president of Ford Motor Co. Their shared name might not have lingered much in the popular mind had it not been for commercial misfortune, which had nothing to do with Edsel the younger or, for that matter, Edsel the elder. It had to do with a badly designed, over-hyped, hideously built vehicle that was named the Edsel against the wishes of the Ford family. It was a fact that probably bothered neither man very much. The most it did for Edsel of La Follette was make him laugh when he filled in applications and people reading them looked askance. Edsel of La Follette met Frances on a school bus when she was in eighth grade and he was in ninth grade. She remembers him as shy that day. She also remembers that he was drafted out of high school in 1945 to go to China and that when he returned from the war, he was no longer shy. They married in 1948. She remembers that she was thrilled to trade her last name, Hovater, for the lovely and simple last name of Ford, like "the ones in Michigan but without the money." He was, all his life, a kind man with a quick retort and an easy smile, a man who never shied from work or from helping a neighbor who might, say, need a roof or a transmission repaired. The ill-fated car named the Edsel first rolled off the assembly line in 1958; Edsel Ford, son of Henry, had died of cancer in 1943 at age 49. Edsel, son of Ulysses, was not about to buy a car that expensive no matter what you called it and no matter the tribute intended. "My parents were very practical people," Paul Ford says. "They would have bought based on condition and price. The name would never have gotten in the way." Frances says Edsel never said a bad thing about the car; instead, he liked to say "it was ahead of its time." Perhaps. It also was an unqualified failure for Ford Motor Co. By November 1959, when the decision was made to cease the limited production of the car, it had lost, in 1959 dollars, $250 million. In the ensuing 50 years, an unkind popular culture hasn’t let the failed association go. Webster’s Dictionary now includes the definition of Edsel as "a product, project, etc. that fails to gain public acceptance despite high expectations, costly promotional efforts, etc." None of that seemed to have had an adverse impact on Edsel Ford, who seemed only to have been impressed when recently told that the current value of one in good condition was better than $100,000. Of the 110,000 Edsel’s ever produced, only 5,000 remain. Each is cherished. None more than Edsel Ford of Berea. He was 82.

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Lincoln's Over The Years

Lincoln Continentals 1938 Lincoln-Zephyr 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr 1962 Lincoln Continental 1957 Lincoln Source: Internet