Vehicle Description
1978 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe
Your first impression when you approach this 1978 Lincoln Town
Coupe' is that it's simply enormous. At 233" long, it rivals the
biggest cars of the '50s, and today anything with 127" between the
wheels is a full-sized dually pickup. In fact, this car is more
than 14 inches longer than a new Lincoln Navigator! But it isn't
merely big for the sake of being big, it has style and proportion
and a gothic look that has aged pretty well. These cars have
enjoyed a nice uptick in values and are a mafioso's dream come
true, and in 1978, if you owned one of these, you had well and
truly made it to the top.
For consignment, taking up a large section of the South wing at the
ever-changing Classic Auto Mall is this 1978 large and in-charge
Lincoln Continental Town Coupe. With a mere 51,420 actual miles
this 4956lb luxury barge has aged gracefully. A no rust car, clean
undercarriage, and oodles of convenience options, you are entering
the lap of luxury, only supersize me!
Exterior
A Rolls Royce-esque big chrome grille with the Lincoln star atop,
hidden headlights on either side, and cathedral style signal lights
at each corner we have the beginnings of a personal limousine like
car, and we are only up front! A long, luscious hood, big side
panels minding their gaps, plenty of side trimmings in vinyl and
chrome, 2 huge access doors, a 4 bedroom apartment size trunk and a
half padded vinyl top in matching white body color complete with
carriage lights and Lincoln logo in the rear side glass. Rocker
trim is wide and shiny, as are all other trimmings, door handles,
mirrors, window surrounds, and bumpers. Speaking of wheels, big
shallow dish wheels transform to a spoke pattern and have a black
Lincoln badge in the center cap and are wrapped by thin white
radials all around. No extensive damage to see here at all.
Interior
A swing of either of the well balanced but big doors reveals
stitched cloth and leather panels, wood applique, nice chrome
trimmings, and a lower blue carpeted panel. A litany of power
switches and toggles for door locks, seat adjustments, windows, and
a rear-view mirror toggle are within the door. Having a seat
inside, and I feel like I'm at the local smoking lounge surrounded
by soft luxurious wide buckets with extra pillows stitched on just
for good measure. A large pillowed cloth armrest magically lowers
from the center of the buckets to create an armrest for the "lean"
when you decide to go low and slow. A rear bench, like
grandmother's couch stretches from rear door to door, and has the
same buttoned pillows as the front as well as the armrest...smoke
'em if ya got 'em... The square and rectangle dash is simplistic in
its design but retains luxurious looks with brushed aluminum panels
and burled veneer applique housing various controls, the
speedometer, trip odometer, and fuel gauge. Climate controls are to
the right of the steering wheel, (which is original), and a factory
Ford radio is installed above the controls. Residing on top is a
digital clock right out of the late 1970's. More A/C vents and a
large glove box is in front of the passenger. Blue clean carpet
floods the floors, and a tight headliner stretches above the
passengers.
Drivetrain
A big powerful 460ci V8 engine is within a patina but clean engine
bay, all original. On top is a Motorcraft 4350 4-barrel carburetor.
This "proper" engine is mated with a Ford C-6 select-shift 3-speed
automatic transmission. A Ford 9" rear axle with 2.75 gearing puts
power to the ground.
Undercarriage
Underneath is showing some surface rust on the driveshaft, rear
pumpkin, and suspension. Floor pans and rockers are clean and look
as if they may have been resprayed with rustproofing, however this
is not verified. Power disc brakes for the front and big drums for
the rear, along with the front coil suspension and rear coils with
a 4 link make it stop and ride like a dream.
Drive-Ability
This car started with little effort, ran smoothly, and handled the
test track with flying colors. Good acceleration, smooth shifting,
and a very luxurious cruise at highway speed, where you barely know
you are moving. It stopped in a straight line, and stopping power
was sufficient. The whole experience was reminiscent of driving
one's overstuffed couch down the freeway.
A low mileage mostly original paint car that was the height of
American automaker luxury in 1978. Now you can show up in classic
luxury style, turn heads, and enough seating for 6. They do not
make them like this anymore, and what a kick to drive such a large
car. I think I'll light a cigar and go for a ride to see what the
little people are doing!
VIN DECODE
8Y81A855404
8-1978
Y-Wixom, MI Assy Plant
81-Continental 2 Door Hardtop
A-460ci V8 4bbl 210hp
855404-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
