Lincoln · 1980–2011

Lincoln Town Car

The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed and produced by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to 2011, with the nameplate previously serving as the flagship trim of the Lincoln Continental. Produced across three generations for thirty model years, the Town Car was marketed directly against luxury sedans from Cadillac and Chrysler. Marketed nearly exclusively as a four-door sedan (a two-door sedan was offered for 1981 only), many examples of the Town Car were used for fleet and livery (limousine) service. From 1983 to its 2011 discontinuation, the Town Car was the longest car produced by Ford worldwide, becoming the longest mass-production car sold in North America from 1997 to 2011. While not a direct successor of the Town Car, the Lincoln MKS would become the longest American sedan until 2016 (overtaken by the Cadillac CT6). From 1980 until 2007, the Lincoln Town Car was assembled in Wixom, Michigan (Wixom Assembly) alongside the Lincoln Continental, LS, and Mark VI, VII, and VIII. After Wixom's closure, Town Car production moved to Southwold, Ontario (St. Thomas Assembly) alongside the similar Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis. The final Lincoln Town Car was produced on August 29, 2011. Within the Lincoln model line, the Town Car was not directly replaced; the nameplate was used from 2012 to 2019 to denote livery/limousine/hearse variants of the Lincoln MKT. For 2017, the revived Continental replaced the MKS, closely matching the Town Car in wheelbase and width.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Lincoln Continental · Successor: Lincoln MKS

All Lincoln Town Car data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Background

=== Etymology === In the 1900s–1920s, a town car was a vehicle design that transitioned from horse-drawn carriages to limousines (functionally similar to the brougham). The design featured an open chauffeur's compartment with an enclosed rear cabin for the passengers. In French, the term "de Ville" described the design as "for town (use)", as such automobiles had few provisions for carrying luggage; the design was Anglicized as "town car" or "town brougham" (with Brougham adopted as a popular trim level during the 1970s and 1980s). In 1922, Edsel Ford purchased a custom-built Lincoln L-Series town car as a personal vehicle for his father, Henry Ford. In 1949, Cadillac introduced the Coupe de Ville, followed by the Sedan de Ville in 1956. Though not adopting the namesake design, the Cadillac de Ville series became the primary rival of Lincoln for the second half of the 20th century. Continental Town Car. Prior to becoming a stand-alone model line for 1981, the Town Car nameplate saw use for two different generations of Lincoln Continental sedans. 1959–1960. For 1959, Lincoln augmented its flagship Continental line, adding the Town Car and Limousine formal sedans above the Mark IV; the vehicles were jointly manufactured by Lincoln and coachbuilder Hess and Eisenhardt. In contrast to the standard Mark IV, the Town Car/Limousine underwent several major design changes. For 1960, the two vehicles adopted the Lincoln Continental nameplate. While the doors were retained, the Mark-series reverse-slant roofline was replaced by a formal-styled C-pillar, covered by a fully padded vinyl top and inset rear window (fixed in place); the hardtop roofline gave way to a fixed B-pillar (the frameless door glass remained). In addition to adding more conservative styling, the redesigned roof

First generation (1981–1989)

A model year removed from the extensive downsizing of its full-size model range, Lincoln underwent a similar revision of its nameplates for 1981 as it renamed the Continental as the Lincoln Town Car. Following the retirement of the compact Versailles sedan during the 1980 model year, Lincoln was left marketing three nearly identical model lines (Continental, Continental Town Car, and Continental Mark VI). Along with introducing the Town Car, Lincoln introduced a redesigned Continental for 1982, moving it to the midsize segment alongside the Mark VII (introduced in 1984). With the exception of nameplate badging, the Lincoln Town Car was identical to the 1980 Lincoln Continental. Alongside the four-door sedan, a two-door sedan was also offered for 1981 (dropping the Town Coupe name). Largely overshadowed by its Mark VI counterpart, the Town Car two-door was dropped for 1982; following the retirement of the Mark VI, full-size Lincolns were sold exclusively as four-door sedans. At the time of its launch, the Town Car had been slated for replacement by front-wheel drive model lines (in anticipation of further volatility in fuel prices); as fuel prices began to stabilize, demand initially rose for the model line, leading Lincoln-Mercury to produce the Town Car through the 1980s with few visible changes. In 1982, the Town Car overtook the Mark VI to become the best-selling Lincoln model line (a title it would maintain until its discontinuation); after its 1985 revision, sales of the model line increased to over 100,000 vehicles per year (partly following the negative market response to the Cadillac downsizing of its Sedan deVille model line). For 1988, over 200,000 Town Cars were sold (the highest-ever for the brand); part of the record was established in Ford starting sales

Second generation (FN36/116; 1990–1997)

After ten years on the market (nine of them as the Town Car) relatively unchanged, the Lincoln Town Car was given an extensive redesign inside and out, being launched on October 5, 1989, as a 1990 model. In a move to bring a new generation of buyers to the Lincoln brand, the Town Car adopted a far more contemporary image, bringing it in line with the Continental and Mark VII. In addition, the Town Car adopted a new range of safety and luxury features and would mark the debut of a powertrain that would see usage in a wide variety of Ford Motor Company vehicles. The Town Car was named the 1990 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Town Car's redesign gave the model a significant sales boost in 1990, helping Lincoln achieve record total sales that year. The second-generation Town Car became one of the best-selling full-size U.S. luxury sedans. Town Car sales quickly declined again and would drop below 100,000 in 1995 for the first time in over ten years. This decline mirrored what had been going on in the luxury car market as buyers’ tastes shifted more towards nimbler, performance-oriented models, and eventually SUVs. Following the discontinuation of the Cadillac Fleetwood by General Motors after 1996, the Lincoln Town Car became the longest-length regular-production sedan sold in the United States. Development. The second-generation Town Car was developed from 1985 until 1989 under the codename FN36, at a cost of US$650 million, led by project manager John Jay. Following its downsizing to the Panther platform in 1980, the Lincoln Town Car was originally slated to be discontinued by the middle of the decade and replaced by a smaller front-wheel drive sedan; after the 1979 fuel crisis, gasoline prices were predicted to reach $2.50 per gallon and Ford Motor Company had lost $1.5

Third generation (FN145; 1998–2011)

The third-generation Lincoln Town Car was released for the 1998 model year, debuting at the 1997 New York International Auto Show. Alongside extensive revisions to the suspension and brakes, the exterior and interiors of all three Panther-platform sedans underwent major updates; the Town Car was styled with a completely new body. Notably, Lincoln introduced the third-generation Town Car nearly concurrently with the Lincoln Navigator full-size SUV, joining it at the top of the Lincoln model line. Coinciding with the redesign of the Town Car and the introduction of the Navigator, Lincoln-Mercury became the American brand of Premier Automotive Group, a Ford-created division to manage its premium brands acquired during the 1990s. Following organizational difficulties (leading to Lincoln returning behind Cadillac in sales by 2000), Lincoln-Mercury was restored under its previous divisional structure during 2002. As part of The Way Forward, the Wixom Assembly Plant (home to all Lincolns since 1958, except for the Versailles, Blackwood, Aviator, and Navigator) was slated to close after 2007 production, initially putting the future of the Town Car at risk. For 2008, production was transferred to Ford Canada, moving to St. Thomas Assembly alongside the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis. Chassis. For 1998, the Panther chassis returned, featuring multiple upgrades to the suspension and brakes. To improve braking performance, two-piston front brake calipers were added in addition to larger brake rotors (necessitating a move to 16-inch wheels from the driver-side fender well to the front of the engine ). On non-limousine vehicles, 4-wheel disc brakes were standard; limousines were fitted with rear drum brakes. Though the fundamental components of the front suspension rem

Variants

=== Trim level timeline === Livery variants. Featuring a standard V8 engine, body-on-frame design, rear-wheel drive and large exterior and interior dimensions, the Town Car became popular in livery and commercial service. In commercial service, the typical Lincoln Town Car saw a life expectancy of well over 400,000 miles. Its basis on the Ford Panther chassis gave it powertrain and suspension commonality with the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Ford LTD Crown Victoria (later the Crown Victoria). This design made them durable even in the rough conditions taxi and livery cars are subjected to, and easy and cheap to repair when they did suffer damage. The Lincoln Town Car was popular as a stretch limousine donor chassis; it was the most commonly used limousine and chauffeured car in the United States and Canada. Hearses and funeral cars were also built on the Town Car chassis, through Ford's QVM program; the chassis was modified by coachbuilders for use in the funeral business, though Cadillac has always dominated in this market. Presidential State Car. A 1989 Lincoln Town Car was commissioned by United States President George H. W. Bush as the Presidential State Car of the United States to succeed the 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood used during the Ronald Reagan administration. The Presidential Town Car limousine arrived in 1989 and was the state car for the entire presidency of George H. W. Bush. It was succeeded by a 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood, used by his successor, Bill Clinton. As of 2021, the 1989 Lincoln Town Car is currently the last Lincoln vehicle to have served as a Presidential State Car. Town Car L. A new "L" designation was used for factory extended-wheelbase Town Cars from 2000 to 2011. The L editions offered an additional 6 in (150 mm) of rear-seat legroom, as well as

Sales

== Discontinuation == During the 2000s, in spite of declining sales, the Town Car remained one of the highest-selling American-brand luxury sedans. Outside of retail markets, it was the most used limousine and chauffeured car in the United States and Canada. In 2006, as part of The Way Forward, Ford considered ending production of Lincoln's largest model as part of the 2007 closing of the Wixom Assembly Plant. Industry observer George Peterson said "It blows everybody’s mind that they are dropping the Town Car. Just think what Ford could do if they actually invested in a re-skin of Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Town Car." Ultimately, Wixom Assembly was closed following the 2007 model year, with the production of the Town Car consolidated with the Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, and Mercury Grand Marquis in Canada at St. Thomas Assembly; the first Canadian-produced Town Car was assembled on January 10, 2008. Following the 2007 model year, however, the Town Car was discontinued for retail sale in Canada, available exclusively for fleet and livery customers afterward. In 2009, the fate of all three Panther-platform models was determined when Ford announced the 2011 closure of the St. Thomas Assembly Plant. For the limousine and livery markets, Ford had promised availability of the Town Car through the 2011 model year; retail sales continued on a limited basis in the United States and for export. In 2010, Ford announced the closure of the Mercury brand at the end of the year, effectively making the Town Car the final model line sold for retail sale produced by St. Thomas Assembly (retail sales of the Crown Victoria ended after 2007). On August 29, 2011, the final Town Car rolled off the assembly line, without any fanfare or announcement fro

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Lincoln Town Car
Manufacturer: Lincoln (Ford)
Production: 1980–2011
Model years: 1981–2011
Class: Full-size luxury car
Platform: Ford Panther platform
Related: Mercury Grand Marquis, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford LTD Crown Victoria
Layout: FR layout
Predecessor: Lincoln Continental (1980)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q516413CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Town_CarCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1374835363 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1996_Lincoln_Town_Car_Diamond_Anniversary_Edition.jpgCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Ruben de Rijcke · retrieved 2026-10-01
Manufacturer website (link only) — http://www.lincoln.com/cars/towncar/Link only; no content copied · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.