17th Feb 2013, 20:55
The Mark VI was just a cheap economy version of the Mark V. The early-1980s Lincoln coupes were the epitome of bad looks in my opinion. It was like a little kid trying on its parent's clothes.
The Town Car was a much better car thankfully. While it may have been a ripoff of the late-1970s models, it was a great one. I wish they installed fuel injection and kept the 351 CID Windsor as an option however. Still, I think the Town Car could have used a little more length, especially on the wheelbase and trunk area. GM's full sized cars of the same time period looked proportioned correctly, whereas the early Panther platform vehicles regrettably did not.
Good cars, just not as good as the 1970s cars and what GM was offering to the same market before 1985.
15th Nov 2017, 22:02
You could not be more wrong about the Versailles; it's built a lot better than today's tin cans, plus the 302 V8 and C4 are both proven, and what can you say about the indestructible Ford 9 inch rear end; another awesome part of the Versailles. I own one; I should know. Awesome great little car. Thanks, and good luck ever finding one; they're also very rare.
It's easy to get more power out of a Ford 302; try that with a new car costing so much more money.
As I said, it's a great fun car, and everyone is entitled to their likes and dislikes, but I personally love my Versailles.
16th Nov 2017, 15:36
The disc brake equipped rear axle on the Versailles was very popular as a Mustang modification. Even finding one in a salvage yard is rare nowadays.
16th Nov 2017, 18:57
Sorry but your Versailles would crumple "Like a tin can" if it were ever get into an accident with most any modern car. Why? Because unlike today where the entire car body is heavily reinforced and beefed up to protect its occupants using internal trusses, crumple zones and so on, your car along with most others of that era were still using an old fashioned ladder frame and a bolt-on body. I'm a classic car owner myself and my car is also considerably older and heavier than yours, which if we're using your logic "should" comparatively speaking be even more robust than yours.
I'd suggest looking up any number of vintage car crash and safety testing videos. The results are certainly not pretty, and today we take for granted that the cars we drive now will most likely save us from serious bodily injury in the event of a crash, whereas cars like yours and mine often resulted with the engine being pushed right through the firewall.
But in regards to the 302 and C4, yes - VERY reliable, cheap, and easy to work on.
17th Nov 2017, 14:29
You might want to check the facts before posting a comment. The Ford Granada Mercury Monarch and Lincoln Versailles from this era were NOT bolt on body on frame vehicles. They used the same unibody layout that dated back to the first generation Falcon.
18th Nov 2017, 20:57
There was a time that safety glass did not exist. Or steering columns right through your chest. No seat belts. But in turn there were far less cars and slower speed limits. To me the most dangerous is driving drum brakes with period tires. My son built a 40s Ford pick up which now has discs. I will never drive or own another drum brake only car.
20th Nov 2017, 15:49
That shouldn't be too difficult, considering that the last drum brake only car was built some 40+ years ago...
4th Jul 2022, 01:58
I own a 1977 Versailles and it's the best Lincoln from the seventies. People that know nothing about them, never owned one, never drove one, and probably have never even been in one talk the loudest negative comments. I have owned several Continentals, every Mark starting with Mark III. The Versailles is the nicest of any of the other Lincoln's.
4th Jul 2022, 20:02
The reason this car gets criticism is the fact that it's an obvious rebadged Granada. It's not like the car was unreliable junk, you had 2 proven Windsor V8 engines available. Lincoln should have executed the design a little better so it would stand apart from its Granada/ Monarch siblings.
A good example is how Cadillac introduced the Seville in 1975. Yes, it was built on the Nova "X" platform but had many upgrades to the chassis and Oldsmobile engine that was used. But most important the exterior style stood WAY apart from the Nova/Omega/Phoenix and Apollo models from the other divisions. The others were so identical that you couldn't tell them apart. Meanwhile the Cadillac was in a class and look of its own.
Anyways, if Lincoln could have done this to the Versailles, it probably would have sold better and have a longer model year run.
5th Jul 2022, 13:07
I have driven a Versailles - more than once. However, you don't need to have driven, let alone owned one, to realize that it is nothing more than a gussied-up Mercury Monarch, aka Ford Granada. Apparently Ford hoped that additional standard equipment and some styling changes (including the requisite fake spare tire hump in the trunk lid) would keep customers from realizing that.
6th Jul 2022, 00:30
Well… I’ll respectfully disagree. Nothing can compare with the build quality of the Mark III or the ride and quietness and luxury of the Mark IV. The Versailles doesn’t compete. I’ve owned a Mark IV and V, driven a Mark III as well as the Versailles. It was a trimmed up Monarch that was a poor attempt to complete with the Seville.
17th Feb 2013, 00:32
I prefer the Mark VI and Town Car.