The Lincoln Town Car was produced from 1980 through 2011 and the 1985 model year was part of the first generation of styling. When introduced, its design was similar to the 1980 Lincoln Continental and was offered as a two-door and four-door sedan. Its Panther platform was shared with Ford and Mercury, had separate body and chassis construction, and its wheelbase measured 117.3-inches.
The 1985 Lincoln model lineup was comprised of the Continental and Mark VII, offered with both six- and eight-cylinder power, and priced from $22,570 (Continental) to $22,400 for the Mark VII. The LSC, Versace, and Bill Blass Designer Series added even more cost to the base price, topping out at nearly $27,000. The Town Car was the 'Senior' Lincoln, priced at $19,000 to $23,600 depending on the configuration. The Continental and Town Car were four-door sedans, and the Mark VII was a coupe. Both the Continental and Mark VII rested on a 108.5-inch wheelbase while the Town Car's was larger, at 117.3-inches. The Continental and Mark VII had unibody construction while the Town Car used traditional separate body and frame construction. The Town Car had a front disc and rear drum brakes, while the other models had four-wheel discs.
The 1985 Town Car was powered by an overhead-valve, 302 cubic-inch V8 with a cast-iron block and head, throttle-body electronic fuel injection, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and developed 140 horsepower at 3,600 RPM and 250 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 RPM. The engine was backed by a four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. An optional high-performance version of the V8 was available, adding dual exhausts, 155 horsepower, and 265 lb-ft of torque.
Styling was new for 1985 with slightly improved aerodynamics with redesigned bumpers that were better integrated into the bodywork. Along with the redesigned rear bumpers, the rear fascia was updated with redesigned taillamps, and the trunk lid was better integrated with the rear fenders. The body corners were more rounded, in the front were wraparound parking and signal lamps located in the front fender tips, and quad rectangular headlamps. The grille was new with a tight crosshatch pattern incorporating vertical bars.
Standard equipment included tilt steering, right remote-control mirror, intermittent wipers, speed control, and manual reclining seats. The seats received new upholstery and the horn button returned to the steering wheel instead of its former turn-signal stalk location. The door locks and ignition could now be operated by a single key. New optional equipment included a hands-free mobile phone and an automatic-leveling rear suspension with electronic sensors and air-adjustable shocks. The Comfort/Convenience package, available on the Mark VII, was also available on the Town Car. Other packages included the Defroster Group and the headlamp Convenience group. Additional accessories included an anti-theft alarm, power decklid pulldown, twin comfort power seats, electronic instrument panel, Lighted visor vanity mirrors, and more.
Both the Signature Series and Cartier Designer Series came standard with keyless entry with illuminated entry, Premium Sound System, and stereo search radio with cassette. The Cartier edition had Cartier's logo laminated in the rear quarter window and in red tape on the decklid. There were platinum and red bodyside tape striping, and they now had an Arctic White and Platinum clearcoat metallic exterior, with Arctic White coach Valino vinyl roof and 'frenched' backlight. The premium bodyside moldings had light charcoal vinyl inserts. The interiors were finished in either gray luxury cloth or leather inserts with Oxford White leather bolsters.
Lincoln produced 28,253 examples of the Continental, 18,335 of the Mark VII, and 119,878 of the Town Car.
By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020
