The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to 2011. The Town Car nameplate was first introduced in 1959 Continental Mark IV lineup as a top-of-the-line 4-door sedan; the nameplate became a permanent part of the Continental lineup in 1969, denoting its highest-trim interior package. In 1981, the Town Car became a stand-alone model in the Lincoln product line, also serving as the flagship for the Lincoln brand as well as for Ford Motor Company. The Town Car features a V8 engine, body-on-frame design, rear-wheel drive and large exterior and interior dimensions. Its large dimensions make it the largest car in production in North America. From 1997 to 2011, the Town Car was the longest car built in the Western hemisphere, measuring nearly 18 feet (5.49 m) in length for a standard Town Car and 18.5 feet (5.64 m) for an L Edition.
In spite of declining sales, it remains one of the best selling American luxury cars; it is the United States' and Canada's most used limousine and chauffeured car. Since 2003, it has been available featuring ballistic protection, adding nearly $100,000 to the base price. Consumer Guide cites the vehicle's strengths as comfort, materials, ride quality, and 'braking [that is] short and stable for a heavyweight"; with weaknesses mentioned in acceleration and handling. The Town Car is one of the safest cars available on the North American market.
In 2006, Ford considered ending production of Lincoln's largest model after the planned closing of the Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan, in 2007. Ford ultimately decided to keep the model and move assembly to the St. Thomas Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, where the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis, which also use the Ford Panther platform, were assembled. The Town Car's manufacture resumed at its new location in late 2007. The first Town Car assembled outside of the United States, was manufactured in Canada on January 10, 2008.
In English, "Town Car" is a literal translation of the French term "Sedan de Ville", a nameplate introduced by Cadillac in 1956. Both names refer to a classic style of limousine popular in the 1920s which had an open chauffeur's compartment in the front. While the Cadillac was a styled as a four-door hardtop, Lincoln made its modern models visually suggest their older namesakes. Many examples from the 1970s and 1980s had a vinyl roof style that swept down the center pillar as part of a raised molding, complete with opera lamps, suggesting a partition between front and rear seats while no vinyl was applied to the front section of the roof over the driver. Other models had a full-length vinyl roof.
The Town Car name first appeared in the Lincoln line in 1922, on a custom-built Lincoln made for Henry Ford. The name reappeared in 1959, on a special limousine-like version of the Lincoln Continental Mark IV; it was available only in black and was identifiable by a unique padded vinyl top, a rarity at that time. After 1959, the Town Car name went dormant for 10 years, reemerging as an interior option package for the 1969 Lincoln Continental. It next appeared as a trim option in 1970 ("Continental's Town Car Interior option", to quote from the 1970 deluxe catalog)[citation needed], and thereafter continued through 1980 as the top-line trim option package for the Lincoln Continental. Again, the Town Car trim featured an extra plush interior (Media velour cloth) along with more standard equipment. The Town Car badge has always been applied to sedans, but from 1973 to 1981, there was a similar option for coupes called the Lincoln Continental Town Coupe.
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