1997 Lincoln Town Car

Many automakers during the 1920s used the words 'town car' to represent limousine body styles. Its use during the Horse-drawn era represented carriages with a fixed roof for the passengers and an open chauffeur's compartment. The fixed rear roof horse-drawn carriage became a limousine the 'de Ville' in French meant 'for town use.'

In 1959 and 1960, the Lincoln marque added two formal sedans known as the Limousine and Town Car to its pre-existing Continental lineup. In 1970, the Town Car name returned as a trim package option, and the following year, 1,500 examples were built as Golden Anniversary Continental Town Car models to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln. For 1972, the Town Car became a sub-model of the Lincoln Continental model line. A Town Coupe body style was added in 1973, and like the Town Car, it came with a standard vinyl roof.

Lincoln's full-size model line was extensively downsized for 1980, with the Continental Town Car representing the top trim for the range. The three nameplates were truncated for 1981, with the Continental going on hiatus and the compact Versailles sedan being discontinued. The Town Car model, offered as both a coupe and sedan, was positioned below the Mark VI and the Mark VI Signature Series. For 1982, the Town Car two-door body style was discontinued. The Mark VII two-door coupe was introduced for 1984 and the Town Car continued to be offered solely as a four-door sedan.

The 1980 through 1989 Lincoln Town Car and Continental models were built atop the Panther platform which was shared with Mercury and Ford. Its wheelbase measured 117.3 inches, had an overall length of 219.2 inches, and stood 55.9 inches tall. The 302 cubic-inch small block eight-cylinder engine was paired with a four-speed AOD automatic overdrive transmission. Town Cars built during this period could be ordered with an optional trailer towing package which added a 3.55:1 limited-slip differential, an improved cooling package for the transmission and engine, and dual exhausts.

After nearly a decade of production with relatively few changes, the Lincoln Town car received all-new styling that was introduced on October 5th of 1989 as a 1990 model. Buyers agreed with the styling updates and helped Lincoln achieve record total sales that year, along with the Town Car being named Motor Trend's Car of the Year. These second-generation Town Cars would become one of the best-selling full-size luxury sedans in the United States.

The Second Generation Town Car continued to use the Panther platform and rear-wheel drive configuration. Its wheelbase measured 117.4 inches, and its length, width, and height initially measured 218.9, 78.1, and 56.7 inches, respectively. The rear air suspension, which had been an option introduced in 1988, was now standard equipment. 11-inch rear drum brakes for the 1990 Town Car were replaced a year later by 10-inch solid rotor discs.

Beneath the long bonnet was the same powertrain used by its predecessors - a 302 cubic-inch small block V8 engine with 150 horsepower and paired with a four-speed AOD overdrive automatic. This engine was replaced in October of 1990 by a 4.5-liter SOHC Modular V8 with 190 horsepower. The optional dual-exhaust version with 210 horsepower became standard in 1994. The AOD transmission was converted to electronic operation in 1993, becoming the AOD-E. The following year, the Town Car received the 4R70W from the Lincoln Mark VIII.

The styling of the second-generation Town Car was courtesy of Gale Halderman and Ford Group Design Vice President Jack Telnack. It would retain its formal notchback sedan roofline but many of the styling cues used by its predecessors were abandoned or reworked. The traditional angular lines and flat-sided fenders were replaced by more aerodynamic features which helped lower the drag coefficient. The vinyl roof was no longer offered, the two-tone paint schemes remained, and the alloy wheels, vertical C-pillar window, hood ornament, vertical taillights, and radiator-style grille were similar to the first generation of the Town Car.

The 1993 Lincoln Town Cars wore redesigned tail lamp lenses and a new grille. Another facelift occurred for 1995 with redesigned side mirrors, an updated front fascia with a redesigned grille, and fixed quarter glass in the rear doors.

The 1997 Lincoln Town Car
The 1997 Lincoln Town Car was offered as the Executive Sedan priced at $37,300, the Signature Sedan at $39,650, and the Cartier Sedan at $43,200. The Signature and Executive trim levels had their series designation relocated from the rear quarter windows to the front fenders; the Cartier series name remained on the quarter window. The Signature Series rode on standard alloy wheels and had a trip computer and a digital vacuum fluorescent instrument cluster. The Cartier had the features of the Signature Series plus a JBL-branded sound system with an amplifier, alloy spoked wheels, cloth and leather seats, and a security system.

The Jack Nicklaus Signatur Series, introduced in 1992 and produced through 1997, had a green exterior with a white top. The interior was done in white leather with a green accent. This special-edition option package could also be acquired with a white exterior with white leather seats and green carpeting and trim. Optional equipment available on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Series included leather seats, monotone paint, and memory seats with a power lumbar/recliner.

The previous cloth material used on the doors was replaced by a foam-in-place Drysol material to help combat stains.

The Town Car came standard with speed-sensitive, variable-assist power seating, 22 cubic feet of luggage space, automatic temperature control, and a Modular, overhead cam, 281 cubic-inch all-aluminum V8 with 210 horsepower at 4,250 RPM, and 275 lb-ft of torque. It was paired with an electronically controlled four-speed overdrive automatic transmission and stopping power was achieved via anti-locking disc brakes.

Lincoln's 1997 model lineup included the Town Car and the COntinental with sedan body styles and the Mark VII was offered solely as a coupe. A total of 104,533 Lincoln sedans were built in 1997, far exceeding the 16,365 coupes. All three models were priced similarly.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022