Continental confirmed accidentaly

[probowler]

Or the Lincoln "McConaughey"

[akirby]

The only Continental current buyers remember is the Taurus based Fwd version.

[fordtech1]

The only Continental current buyers remember is the Taurus based Fwd version.

Which generation? 88-94, which was a terrible car very much resembling a Taurus? However, the 95-02 IMO, although based on Taurus platform, shared little nor resembled a Taurus.

I think the 60's continental has more presence than you think. Look at the ones for sale. Most that are for sale have been restored or taken care of. I see more 60s for sale than 88-02 models.

[akirby]

Which generation? 88-94, which was a terrible car very much resembling a Taurus? However, the 95-02 IMO, although based on Taurus platform, shared little nor resembled a Taurus.

I think the 60's continental has more presence than you think. Look at the ones for sale. Most that are for sale have been restored or taken care of. I see more 60s for sale than 88-02 models.

I was just referring to it being fwd not RWD or AWD. And while enthusiasts know 60s continentals the average new luxury buyer doesn't.

[fordtech1]

The only Continental current buyers remember is the Taurus based Fwd version.

Look at Chrysler 300. Look at how awful the car was as a FWD intrepid clone. However, when a good version came people jumped on it.

I like continental. Bently still uses it. I think make the car good enough problem solved .

[fordtech1]

I was just referring to it being fwd not RWD or AWD. And while enthusiasts know 60s continentals the average new luxury buyer doesn't.

Fair enough.

[LincolnV]

Which generation? 88-94, which was a terrible car very much resembling a Taurus? However, the 95-02 IMO, although based on Taurus platform, shared little nor resembled a Taurus.

I think the 60's continental has more presence than you think. Look at the ones for sale. Most that are for sale have been restored or taken care of. I see more 60s for sale than 88-02 models.

 

The 88-94 was a very nice looking car built with questionable quality. The 95-02 IIRC was the first version of the '96 Taurus on the market and looked every bit the part. To this day aside from the emblems, there wasn't anything about that car that said "Lincoln." Then they redid the tailights and somehow make ugly even uglier.

[LincolnV]

I think the average luxury car buyer has no idea what they want and buys something that he/she perceives is good and will make them "look" good. Read the reviews of the big players and you will see a lot of people who are very unhappy with the service and the quality of their vehicle yet they continue to buy them based on image/perception. As soon as their vehicle is approaching not being on warranty they get a new one because the service reviews of those no longer on warranty are horrible - let alone those who are on warranty and complain.

 

It's not about reality. It's about perceived reality.

Edited December 28, 2014 by LincolnV

[sullynd]

The dealership experience and service quality we received on our VW was outstanding. The people were great. They even got to know me by name. Had we kept the car any longer we'd probably be exchanging holiday cards.

 

I love the look of Audi, but you couldn't pay me to own one. Even with leasing I'd still be weary of being on a first name basis with our service advisor.

 

Lincoln isn't immune to the bad dealer thing. Our Lincoln store closed, and sold the franchise to the local Megolomart Ford dealer. I drive 30 minutes to get my Fords serviced (where I purchased the Flex) because Megalomart is so bad.

[timmm55]

Look at Chrysler 300. Look at how awful the car was as a FWD intrepid clone. However, when a good version came people jumped on it.

I like continental. Bently still uses it. I think make the car good enough problem solved .

Originally "Continental" was a Division. Although the only car produced was the limited 56-57 Mark II. Even the later 69-70s Marks say "Continental" (not Lincoln) on them. When I hear "Continental" I also think of the 61-69 suicide door models. Less so the 80s-90s FWD versions.

 

Somewhere the Lincoln Mark VII lost it's Continental connection, coinciding with the 82-87 Continental 4 door model.

Edited December 28, 2014 by timmm55

[RichardJensen]

The Mark IIIs-VI don't have Lincoln badging. Just "Continental" badging.

 

However, the Lincoln Continental sedan and eventually the Lincoln Continental Coupe and Lincoln Continental Town Coupe were being sold simultaneously:

 

 

 

The '84 and '85 Mark VIIs did not have any Lincoln badging:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/that_chrysler_guy/5714201159/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

However, it was replaced with Lincoln badging beginning with '86:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/v8meetings/9783167445/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

---

 

You had "Lincoln Continental" sedans from '60 - '80 and '82 - '02

 

You had "Lincoln Continental" coupes from '70 - '79

 

You had "Continental Mark" coupes from '68 - '85

 

You had Lincoln Mark" coupes from '86 - '98

 

The Lincoln Continentals were significantly larger than the Continental Marks. The '74 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe was the heaviest production car available, and weighed over 5,300lbs.

 

Here's a Lincoln Continental Town Coupe:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Continental_Town_Coupe.jpg(higher res versions)

 

This is a '79 Mark V

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1979_Lincoln_Mark_V_Bill_Blass_designer_edition.jpg

 

Note that the Continental script is the same, but "LINCOLN" is attached to the script on the "Lincoln Continental"

 

By the way----this, generally speaking, is why the 70s were horrible.

Edited December 28, 2014 by RichardJensen

[LincolnV]

Originally "Continental" was a Division.

 

Actually, the Lincoln Continental also existed between 1939 and 1948.

[tzach]

The Mark IIIs-VI don't have Lincoln badging. Just "Continental" badging.

 

However, the Lincoln Continental sedan and eventually the Lincoln Continental Coupe and Lincoln Continental Town Coupe were being sold simultaneously:

 

 

 

The '84 and '85 Mark VIIs did not have any Lincoln badging:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/that_chrysler_guy/5714201159/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

However, it was replaced with Lincoln badging beginning with '86:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/v8meetings/9783167445/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

---

 

You had "Lincoln Continental" sedans from '60 - '80 and '82 - '02

 

You had "Lincoln Continental" coupes from '70 - '79

 

You had "Continental Mark" coupes from '68 - '85

 

You had Lincoln Mark" coupes from '86 - '98

 

The Lincoln Continentals were significantly larger than the Continental Marks. The '74 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe was the heaviest production car available, and weighed over 5,300lbs.

 

Here's a Lincoln Continental Town Coupe:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincoln_Continental_Town_Coupe.jpg(higher res versions)

 

This is a '79 Mark V

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1979_Lincoln_Mark_V_Bill_Blass_designer_edition.jpg

 

Note that the Continental script is the same, but "LINCOLN" is attached to the script on the "Lincoln Continental"

 

By the way----this, generally speaking, is why the 70s were horrible.

 

I know I am in the vast minority (as usual) but I love the look of these cars as well as the 77-79 T-Birds. They IMHO have a sharp powerful look to them but a sleekness as well. Not sure how old you are but I grew up with these cars and I might be a bit nostalgic. I love a lot about the '70's. Rock music, the big movies, the cars. I guess you had to be there!

[silvrsvt]

 

I know I am in the vast minority (as usual) but I love the look of these cars as well as the 77-79 T-Birds. They IMHO have a sharp powerful look to them but a sleekness as well. Not sure how old you are but I grew up with these cars and I might be a bit nostalgic. I love a lot about the '70's. Rock music, the big movies, the cars. I guess you had to be there!

 

 

I know Richard and I are about the same age, so we where born in the 1970s...but otherwise I do agree with him. Seems like Detroit took a turn for the worse in the 1970s overall (well gas crunches didn't do them any favors either) and they didn't get their shit together till the mid 1980s.

[ehaase]

I was born in 1964. I know the quality was terrible and the designs were highly inefficient, but I also feel nostalgic towards the big Fords of the 1970's - both the 1972 and 1977 generation of Thunderbirds, Gran Torinos, LTD Landaus, Marquis Broughams, Town Cars, Continentals, Granadas, Monarchs, Marks IV and V, Country Squires, Montego MX, LTD II, Elites, etc.

[LincolnV]

 

I know I am in the vast minority (as usual) but I love the look of these cars as well as the 77-79 T-Birds. They IMHO have a sharp powerful look to them but a sleekness as well. Not sure how old you are but I grew up with these cars and I might be a bit nostalgic. I love a lot about the '70's. Rock music, the big movies, the cars. I guess you had to be there!

 

My favorite car to this day is the Mark V. It's so over the top yet it makes no apologies for being like that. They had limited technology yet their aura wasn't about that. You saw one and you said "wow!." IMO today is about listing a series of attributes and very little about what a car actually looks like.

 

Maybe one day I'll buy one and be able to put it somewhere.

[Anthony]

I was born in '72. I love the luxo-barges. Unabashedly American with a big middle finger towards anything resembling common sense.

[SoonerLS]

I know I am in the vast minority (as usual) but I love the look of these cars as well as the 77-79 T-Birds. They IMHO have a sharp powerful look to them but a sleekness as well. Not sure how old you are but I grew up with these cars and I might be a bit nostalgic. I love a lot about the '70's. Rock music, the big movies, the cars. I guess you had to be there!

There was a lot of bad automotive design in the '70s, but I have a soft spot for some of them, particularly those T-Birds--the first car I ever bought was a '78 T-Bird. I still have it sitting behind my barn, and you can actually see it from space. No kidding--it's one of the few things I could see on my property via Google Earth (my property is heavily forested).

[Edstock]

Finally, things started to change . . .

 

[tzach]

I was born in 1964. I know the quality was terrible and the designs were highly inefficient, but I also feel nostalgic towards the big Fords of the 1970's - both the 1972 and 1977 generation of Thunderbirds, Gran Torinos, LTD Landaus, Marquis Broughams, Town Cars, Continentals, Granadas, Monarchs, Marks IV and V, Country Squires, Montego MX, LTD II, Elites, etc.

I was born in '65 so growing up during that time is a big factor in the way we feel about cars of that era.

[tzach]

I agree Lincoln the Mark V is one of the best. I do also love those 87-88 T birds to bad the 89's didn't hold up that we'll although I have to admit I did like them when they came out.

Lincoln is finally getting back to some good design with the latest Z and C. I do think they have some work to do though

[Gworl]

I have to confess that the 1977-1979 have always been my favourite Thunderbirds. Blame it on my age (42), because in my youth I used to see them quite often, mostly driven by American Military members. My favourite one was a 1979 Heritage Edition in that gorgeous Baby Blue, what a great looking car.

[ironhorse]

My dad had a coupe of Mark lV's A Diamond Jubelee edition in a light blue,and a Dark Emerald Green Bill Blass edition...awesome cars

[RichardJensen]

Unabashedly American with a big middle finger towards anything resembling common sense.

 

Hogwash! :-P Those cars embodied an approach to building vehicles that was woefully out of step with what American buyers wanted.

 

Granted, there were some elegant designs in the 70s. I too am a fan of the 77-79 T-Bird and the Mark III-V series.

 

But good grief. Ford sold a two door car that weighed 5,300lbs, powered by a 460cid motor that made 225hp.

 

I mean, even by the standards of the 70s this was a horrible vehicle.

Edited December 30, 2014 by RichardJensen

[tzach]

Now you are just being silly,

'With an average of 75,000 units sold in each year available, the Mark V is also the best-selling version of the entire Mark series."

As for the Thunderbird "318,000 sold in 1977 and 352,000 in 1978 (the best single sales year in Thunderbird history), followed by 295,000 in 1979.

Out of step?

Don't forget as the 70's started gas was cheap and people wanted big cars still. They were big and everything was metal, no plastic and weight savings was not a priority. As for the HP. numbers they took a hit when all the smog equipment had to be put on with new regulations but the engines were not designed for it.

And with all that the two examples above were achieved at the end of the 70's.

And a lot of Americans still to this day have the bigger is better mentality, as soon as gas dips look at the sales of big SUV's. If you took gas prices away as a necessary inclusion in vehicle choice even more big sedans would probably come back.

 

Drive around in my '69 Mercury convertible 19 1/2 feet long, 4359 lb's and 10 M.P.G. and see how many people love big cars.