On my 16th birthday I took my driver's license test in my dad's 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis, parallel parked that tuna boat in one try and passed my test no problem. One of the happiest days of my life.

As a kid (born in 1977), I loved whenever I saw one of these roaming around, they had such visual impact to me. My mother worked in reposessions at her bank at the time and we ended up with one for a few days. I was so excited to go for a drive in it. I don't think my parents particularly liked it, though, probably for a few reasons. We also had a Mark IV for a bit longer, a couple of weeks. I think they considered buying that one but maybe couldn't afford it. Anyway, great to drive around in.

Not going to lie, the older I get (in my 40s now), the more I like these slab sided Lincolns.

I went with my dad to test drive a 1979 Town Car from his friend who owned a Lincoln dealership. It was black with red leather. I loved the power vent windows. But all his life he aspired to own a Cadillac (I've made it). So he bought a 1979 Sedan de Ville. I still own it.

Adam, It sounds like subscribers are more enthusiastic about this 1978 Town Car than you are. 😉

77 through 79 are the best looking Town cars and coupes ever.

I had one of those 78 Lincoln, 4 door town cars. I decided to kick it in the tail one night. From a dead stop I matted it. With the selector in D. I dropped the hammer, At 65 miles per hour, it shifted to second. At 95 miles per hour, it made its last shift. The speedometer needle disappeared, I raised up to try to see where it went. Just then the hood separated. I couldn't see anything. I had to look at the yellow line to keep it straight. As the car slowed to about 45 miles per hour. It started shaking violently. I got off to the side of the road and climbed on top of the hood. And started stomping it down. I. Couldn't figure out why it was shaking so badly. I had no flashlight using a bic lighter. I inspected the tires and realized all 4 of them had separated with huge footballs on them. I wobbled back to the house. And had to buy 4 used tires the next day. To this day that is the fastest. I've ever been in an automobile.😂

The 79 Town car collector series blue has always been my personal ultimate behemoth..

The real monsters are today's 7 foot tall Escalades, Suburbans, Grand Wagoneers and Navigators.

I remember my dad picking up 79 town car triple black with a moonroof in the mid 80s. We all thought we were driving around in limousine. He only kept a couple of years and then had to get rid of it because it was too expensive to run with the 400 engine. I remember he sold it for the same $6000 that he had bought it for two years earlier. It was a beautiful car!

Adam, your content is freaking fantastic!!! I'm 58 and you always seem to dabble in my era and timeline.

You don't like the styling of these, but I love it. That's one of my favorite generations of Lincolns, stylingwise.

My uncle Irving Kaufmann was a Vice President of operations for Lincoln-Mercury from 1954 to 1988. I always looked forward to he and my Aunt Mary coming to visit because they always drove a different brand-new Lincoln. My two favorites were a 1977 Town Coupe in a gorgeous triple deep metallic teal/turquoise with leather interior. The rear fender had to be fifteen feet long! Their 1978 Continental 4-door sedan was all black with a leather interior. The carpet in that car was like a sheepskin rug....it was deep enough to lose change in.

My family had a triple green ‘78 Town Car w/ factory CB radio. Awesome car.

The pre-1979 Lincoln models were always renowned for their beautiful ride, comfort and quietness. These were also beautifully built cars....very solid with razor-thin shutlines and beautiful paintwork. They were truly "classical" luxury barges. Their upright, boxy styling has held up rather well over time.

Adam, the car is actually called the “Continental” and the “Town Car” was the package or trim level for the car. 1979 was the last year of this massive body style, not ‘78. I personally love these cars. I used to own a 1978 Continental base trim with the bench style seating. It was the smoothest, softest riding car ever made IMO, and I also have owned vintage Cadillacs from all decades, but nothing rides as smooth as 1970’s Lincoln’s period. Even a modern day S-Class doesn’t compare to utter comfort and silence of these things. Unfortunately my 78 was hit on the street from behind and totaled out, the damage was far too great to repair 😢. So I found and bought a 77 Continental Town Car, which I like even more! I personally love the Rolls Royce style grill and think that the sharp knife edge, flat and boxy look of these late 70’s Lincoln’s are very masculine, bold and just beautiful. The RR grill truly gave these cars great distinction and added that extra touch of luxury compared to Cadillacs of the same era which IMO felt cheaply made and didn’t ride as nice, not screwed together all that well compared to these Lincoln’s which were like driving a Tomb or coffin down the road, they are that quiet and well put together. Now after owning a 77, I will say that compared to my 78 I used to own, the 78 definitely felt like something changed. The doors felt lighter, and that dash was absolutely atrocious compared to the 77 on down Lincoln dashboards which feel extremely well put together and solid, while the Mercury style dash felt cheap and super flimsy by comparison to my now 77. The 77 just feels more solid and even quieter than the 78. The doors are heavier and close with a much more solid “clank” or “thud”. My 78 had the 400 engine which was very very smooth and had plenty of enough power to move the huge battleship out of the way. My 77 has the 460, which is even better of course and is ultra smooth too. All in all, these Lincoln’s, besides for the 60’s Continentals and Mark lll’s, are my favorite Lincoln’s of all time, probably one of my favorite cars to drive as well. A friend of mine used to own a 72 canary yellow Continental which i found to be just “ok”, the seats were sorta flat and wasn’t nearly as cushy and comfortable as the mid to late 70’s Twin comfort lounge seats that are in these Lincoln’s. Plus the lower door armrest in the 72 was hard cheap plastic that is known to crack and break. This isn’t a problem on the later years however. As you can tell, I am a huge fan of this particular year of Lincoln and have a lot of experience with them. They are truly one of smoothest cars ever made, and are built so well. Nothing modern today can touch them. Prices are going up on these cars, and are expensive for well kept examples. I remember when you used to be able to buy em for only a grand, not anymore.

We owned a 77 Town Coupe in metallic orange from 2005 to 2010. Drove it all over the country as a trip car - loved every minute. Amazing car. I can tell you that people LOVE these cars. Never has so many folks stop and talk in my life. Still miss it!

I have a 1979 Lincoln Continental Town Car and I love it! Yes by 79 it was sort of out of date but I just love driving it and looking down that hood and following the Lincoln Star hood ornament and listening to my 8 tracks. Takes me back to happier times! It’s not miles per gallon, but smiles per gallon.

My Uncle had a 77 Lincoln and I loved to drive it. What a smooth ride. I loved the mph dial.

I worked at a Funeral Home when they bought 79 and 79 Lincoln. They proved to be well built and very durable.

77-79 Continental was magnificent!

My aunt in Kentucky had a 1979 Lincoln, 2 door, all black. She let me drive it once. I loved it.

The 78 Town Cars ooohsed luxury and quality. My friends dad had a limo service and all the 77 & 78's went 600,000 miles before they were retired.

Back in those days I was driving a 1982 Tercel that would fit in the trunk of a Town Car. My wife had a 1984 Thunderbird. When we wanted to take a trip from Milwaukee to Dearborn, MI with another couple. I rented a new 1988 Town Car. Absolutely amazing car to drive. Later I rented two different 1992 Continental’s. They were even nicer. Unfortunately I was not in the market for a car that expensive. Absolutely terrific vehicles.

I owned a 77 Lincoln town car for 10 years. It was metal flake gold with a gold vinal top, real leather seats with a gold interior and a huge trunk. It had the power vent windows. It ran very smooth and quiet on the highway. Kind of a gas hog but handled like a smaller car. Never had a mechanical problem with it. It could be difficult to park at times. But out on the highway it was pure luxury. I sold it and bought a 95 T Bird which was ok but found every bump in the road.

I have a '75 Continental Town Coupe just like the one pictured here. But, mine had the burgundy top and interior. It's a good car... and, personally, I LOVE the boxy look.

My Dad's 1978 Navy Blue Cadillac. Loved that car, I was 17.

The picture that you used for the 77 Town Car is one with the Cream and Cordovan Luxury Group, much like the one that I used to have. One of the best and most luxurious cars that I ever had. I miss it dearly.

I’ve been in love with that behemoth since it was new.

A co-worker back in the '90s had a '78 Town Car, a big green monster, and I really wanted one! I was driving a '94 T-Bird SC at the time - a very different car.

Call me old fashioned. I loved these when new and still do today. My grandad, who drove Cadillacs, called these Lincoln’s “lumber wagons” to annoy my dad who was a diehard F/M/L man. That was a win/win for me cause I got to experience both the caddy’s and Lincoln’s of that era.

The most fantastic ride on a blacktop highway of any American car..... I don't think a Mercedes or BMW of Rolls-Royce Ever rode as smoothly as this era Town Car ...we managed 800 miles in one day on a vacation in the 80s because of how comfortable and luxurious the front and rear seats were. Whenever you pulled into a parking space with one of these beauties you felt people were watching... Really sad to see big sedans that were comfortable disappear completely, I would trade in any SUV for an old American comfy station wagon😊

I remember seeing these everywhere (along with the MK4-5) back in the day. My sister/brother-in-law had a '77 Town Car that was dk brown/dk brown with dk brown leather that the wife and I road tripped with them in from Houston to Ft Lauderdale when it was brand new and will never forget how quiet and smooth it was. It was basically trouble free for them and was eventually traded in on a new '83 four door MK6 after racking up over 200,000 on the Town Car - they now drive a Camry, go figure!!

I drove the ever loving wheels off of a 76 Towne car 4 door, it was beautiful bronze gold with the beige velour interior, the back seat was more comfortable than a flex steel sofa. & Floated down the straightway's on the highway smoother than anything ever made.

I love the Lincoln’s!!! Way more than Cadillacs!! They were what American Luxury was meant to be! Mark V!!

My dad and our family went to the States years ago and he rented a Lincoln Town car. It was great we don't have Lincolns in Australia it was a real treat.

I had a 1976 2dr of this model that I purchased in early 1988; it was a light green color with a dark green velour interior and the rolling drum speedometer. To date, it was the roomiest and most comfortable vehicle I've ever owned. And that 460cid V8 had ample power.

I owned a 1978 Lincoln Town Coupe. It was my favorite car ever. Best road car for long trips. Wish I still had it.

I loved the deep trunk on my 81 Continental. I had a big old subwoofer box in there and I could still toss my bike in and close the lid

17 years old, in 1988. A friend sold me his 1979 Town Car. To this day, it’s the car that left the biggest impression on me. No pun intended. Admittedly I drove it very hard. Even put a suicide knob on the steering wheel to facilitate drifting (that term did not exist then) we just called it ‘gettin sideways’..and Gabriel air shocks in the rear to keep from bottoming out during extreme driving. Silver, crushed red velour interior with thick pile carpeting. I’d love to have another and treat it with the respect it deserves.

I'm an Aussie but I love those full size "Yank Tanks" from the '60's and 70's so I look forward to these videos I find them very informative. Thanks for putting them out.

Gorgeous, one-of-a-kind styling! Sophisticated simplicity!

The headlight covers leaking open weren't always the motors. There's a one-way vacuum valve on the driver side fender that sends vacuum to them that also leaks.

My dad had this car with the 460. For 1979, he bought my mom a Versailles. My first driving lesson was in his car. I took my driving test in hers.

The "squishy, poofy" seats were amazingly comfortable. Riding in one of these cars was an experience, smooth, comfortable, quiet. Very luxurious cars.

Those cars were beautiful in their day, and the interiors were so luxurious. My grandma used to say that those cars were so big you needed a 10 acre field to turn them around. Great video.

My Dad had a '79 Continental, last of the big cars. I remember it having a 400 cu. in. engine, with plenty of go for a big car. I drove the car on a few vacation trips back then. It was a light gray non-metallic with maroon pin stripes and maroon interior and roof. To this day I remember how luxurious and comfortable that cabin was, quiet and smooth. I loved those big highway cruisers...Later I bought a '70 Coupe de Ville that I kept for 20 years.

I had a 1978 Lincoln Contintal and still think it is the most handsome car ever built.

this is the model with which my father replaced his 74 Town Car (the first and according to him the best Lincoln he ever owned -6). I was tasked in '83 with selling it after previous success. It was in immaculate condition with low miles but impossible to move. Finally, my father sold to a dealer for pennies

I owned a 1977 Lincoln Town Coupe, loved that car.

I love these huge rides of the 60's/70's and some 80's!! My brother had a 1976 Buick Electra 225 and came home for a visit when I had my permit, so of course he wanted to see if I had any skills to pilot his massive ride. Turns out I did. During a left hand turn the driver on the other side of the road swerved into my lane, I swerved into his, and then back narrowly missing a school bus that was next along. This all happened in about a 3 second time frame. Wish I had the video!

Had a 77 Town Coupe, God I miss that boat!

On the comedy TV show SCHITT'S CREEK the "Riches to Rags" spoiled and formerly pampered Rose family buys a 1978 Lincoln Town Car as it's the most luxurious vehicle they can afford because they are flat broke. Beautiful car and the Catherine O'Hara character looks so elegant riding in it.

1977 still had the rolling drum speedometer and better dashboard. The silver speedometer dash was fitted in 78-79. My aunt had a fantastic 77 Continental Town Car in triple navy blue - vinyl top, leather interior, and exterior paint. My dad, aunt, and uncles tended to drive luxury cars that matched my grandfather's funeral home fleet, as the cars could be pressed into service if extra limousine capacity was needed.

I had a triple black two-door Town car, it was difficult to pass a DX or a Shell service station ⛽ back when we had service stations. It got less than 7 mi to the gallon!

My grandmother had a Town Car from the very last year of this body style, 1979, and it was enormous, gold with padded gold half-vinyl roof and gold leather interior, super plush.

First body shop I worked in 1978 Lincoln Mercury… big beauties.

The GM downsized cars of 77 and 78 are my favorite. Especially the B-Body cars. I do love cars of the 60s and early 70s for their style, quality and engine sizes. But driving a 1977-1990 GM B-Body car is pretty freaking nice. I would love to have your 1977 Impala. My first car was a 1977 Impala, but yours is light-years better than mine

The narrow grill that Lincoln adopted for the 77 Continentals really made it one of my favorite cars. What a great looking, boxy design. I love how much it stands in contrast of so many of the other, more rounded designs that came before and after. That said, I think they look their best in bright colors- baby blue with a white top and matching white leather interior makes the list of one of my favorite Lincolns I've ever seen. As far as I'm concerned, 78 was the last of the great old Lincolns- the panthers of 79 and ownward were great cars, but lacked the complete insanity and presence of the earlier cars. And of course, the 79s which were stuck with the 400 engine...

My grandparents had a 4 door champagne colored 1979 Continental Town Car (I believe “Town Car” was then a trim) with velour seats, the small triangular windows, an outdoor temperature thermometer built into the driver side exterior mirror, an 8 track player stereo with digital display including seek/scan, which could be operated with a button on the floor just like the old bright light buttons, but this one was to the right of the gas pedal (for when you were using cruise control). One of my parents cars broke down when I was a senior in high school in 1991 and we borrowed that Lincoln, which was in cherry condition, and I drove it to school most of that year. It was a blast. Wish I still had it!

I am more of a Cadillac guy, but these were absolutely GORGEOUS Automobiles. I loved them. Love this Channel Adam, Incredible Knowledge you have. !!!

The mom of my best friend at the time had a 1979 Town Car. She was like 5 foot 2. Absolutely ridiculous car, but oh so roomy and comfortable.

77 was my favorite still had a full fender skirt on the rear wheel and the 460 V8

Oh, and the VELOUR! So plush!

Actually in 1977 Lincoln still had the metal dashboard from years prior, with the difference of having a 85 mph speedometer.

Home of the Whoppers! GM a/c parts were also used by Rolls-Royce motor cars because they were the best available (THM400 gets honorable mention as well). The deep trunk really only bothered me when I was wearing a suit and an overcoat as bending that far down was complicated. What I really loved were the polished deep dish aluminum wheels. Such a simple design and so easy to clean.

Thanks for highlighting the '78 Lincoln. I think this is the first video where I share a different opinion. I agree with you 100% on the dash styling, as I particularly liked the speedometer on the prior models. However, I like the '78 and '79 exterior styling best with the smaller fender skirts and tall grille. I actually have a white '79 Collector's Series...I just wish they came with the 460 engine. As always, great videos!

To be honest, this is my favorite body style. The last of the behemoths. But it LOOKED like luxury to me. Also, you couldn’t beat the ride. It just floated . You could barely feel the bumps in the road.

I believe the sales numbers for the last of these large Ford/Lincolns remained quite strong. Back in those days there were still quite a few people who preferred the extra sheet metal. According to Consumer Reports the Marquis in particular was also quite reliable.

I make absolutely NO apologies. Give me back my spacious, long-wheelbased, turnpike cruisers of the 1960's through 1979. No one built cars better for comfort and travel like our traditional luxury cars like REAL Cadillacs, REAL Lincoln Continentals. Please give me the great, traditional, American family sedans like LTD's, Marquis', Caprice Classics, Catalina's, Ninety-Eights, Delta 88's, Le Sabres, Electra 225's, New Yorkers, Three Hundreds, etc. There is NOTHING today that is built that will ever come close to the ride, handling, and passenger comfort as cars with 122" - 133" wheelbases that allow stretch-out relaxation and travel comfort. There is simply no substitute for wheelbase length when it comes to ride quality. I thank God that I grew up with and drove many of these fabulous American cars. They were beyond reproach and incomparable.

My cousin had a 79 with a 400 cid . It was a bit slower than the previous 460. But it still was decent for its day

My brother had a 1977 model. He kept it longer than he’d kept any other car due to the fact that he couldn’t buy a BIG Lincoln any more.

“Hi-C juice can” - what a great description! You always do such a fantastic job with your videos, Bravo!

Adam, great video as always. I rarely disagree with you on styling of various cars, especially 1970s cars, but the 1977 Lincoln Town Car is one of my favorite designed cars of all (the '77 particularly because it had the RR grill but also finder skirts)! I have loved it since they were being made. I was 7 years old in 1978 and my buddy's mom got a brand new Lincoln Town Car in that sort of metallic, silvery blue color. It was massive and just beautiful inside and out. It, like my Mom's 1978 Mercury Marquis, would simply float down the highway. I also remember the 460 being in my Mom's Marquis and as a little kid, I can remember it raising up the front of the car when my Dad would press the gas pedal to the floor and that car would just zoom down the road. I would just squeal with delight! :)

I've been lucky enough to have driven several of these cars from different years. I enjoyed them all. The 75 through 78 models were very underpowered. The 70 through 74 were very powerful and all were fuel hungry.

I agree Adam, that 1970 Continental you showed first was stylish and handsome! 1978, designed with a "Ruler and T-square" is for sure!

I loved the '77 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe with the full fender skirts and that rare fixed glass roof option. Some may argue but I still think the '78-'79 Continental fender skirts were opened up as a concession to Cadillac eliminating fender skirts and having great success with their '77-'79 downsized cars.

Here's a bit of trivia. The LTD was downsized for 1979. The same basic chassis layout was used by Ford until the Crown Vic and corporate siblings went out of production in 2012. The Crown Vic being the last American made body on frame sedan sold in the US.

I remember my uncle having a 1978 town car that thing was so cool and oh so comfortable

Me too. I didn’t use to like these, but as time rolls on, I am softening to these cars.

IMO Ford didn't pull off the down sizing style as well as GM.

You have a fantastic channel. So well informed. 👍

The "hexagonal" nut design on the wheel covers is actually an OCTAGONAL nut design.

You and I are just the opposite in taste. I love the straight lines and boxier styling. The 64 Impala was the last Chevy that I liked and the 66 Full size Fords were the last of the full size models i liked. I loved the 67-68 Plymouth Fury models.

I’m a GM guy, mostly. My cousin had a 77 Town Coupe and ever since then I have loved this incarnation of the big Lincolns might still have to get one 🤔🤔

Love them all in the 70s... I want my 78 4dr new Yorker back... Sad story on that one 😢😢😢

I loved these land yachts when they were new and often got to drive them at work. I’m hoping to find a nice specimen. Nothing like them for cross country travels

Thank God, at last, the town car OG. This one laid the track down.

Had one of these as a winter beater car (I was the 4th or 5th owner) in the 90s. It was a mutt and a guzzler, but it always started, never got stuck, and the heater worked great. Definitely worth the $500 I paid for it.

Had an apartment neighbor with a brown one exactly like what you showed in the mid 90s. It was mint. He was in his late 50s and single.. so he traded it for a late 80s Buick LeSabre coupe to better impress the bar ladies. I liked the Lincoln better. I never knew the vent windows was a power up down window- that's cool. I wish we had those today. The old style vent window went away because you could easily snap off the outside hinge with pliers to break in.

My leasing company sold several of these Lincolns to the Frank B. Hall company in Los Angeles. And I drove most of them. A solid six miles per gallon!

The 72 Continental Town Coupe is the one to get or the 72 Mark IV one year only body style...the year before the emissions started kicking in across the board and before the huge ungainly bumpers. These mogs are a beast though even in the late 70s. Vault like interior and smooth as glass to ride in.

I absolutely adore those behemoth Lincolns. Especially the Town Coupes…those massive massive doors…swoon. I hated the 1977 downsized GM cars when they came out, they looked cheap and uninspired. The Lincolns were beautiful, luxurious and stately.

One of the reasons I love watching 1970's TV 'Detective/Police' shows like "Police Woman' and 'Hawaii Five-O' is that you get to see cars like this Lincoln squealing around corners and going off cliffs!! You will note though that the car that actually goes over the cliff is something entirely different. Sometimes so different that you can't help but lol.

Back in the day, my friend's parents had a beautiful triple Dove Grey 1978 Town Car with a 460. Took many rides in that car, it was an iconic American luxury car and rode smoother and quieter than any other car I've been in. I prefer the suicide door Continentals of the previous decade, but I like the 78's style. An enormous car that made quite a statement about its owner in 1978. Thanks for the memories, Adam!

Only 30 seconds in and the clear bug shield made me smile.

I have a cream 79 Town Car. Love these cars. Last of the super size grand Lincolns. I don’t think it was an anachronism at all. Ford did a very effective job in marketing these as true full size cars and if it was not for the 1979 Iranian oil crisis, Lincoln would have posted another banner year, following stellar sales for this and the MKV in 1977 and 1978. Ford did a great ad in 1977 saying that the Ford LTD was as big as the full size Cadillac (which had been downsized) and much bigger than the Chev. While the down sized GM cars sold very well, the Fords did well too for those people who wanted a “proper” full sized Ford, Lincoln or Mercury.

That thing that looks like an oil filter on the side of the air cleaner was called the Anti Hoot Valve. As I recall, it was to quiet the function of the secondaries on the carburetor.

Another great video! A very minor point; this is a continental with the town car package. The town car was not a model until 1981

I have owned model Lincoln since 1969 and I totally agree that the pre 1978 T/C dash board was the best. It was more attractive and had a full complement of gauges where the 78-79 had just "idiot" lights. I currently have a 78 Town Coupe and as described the plastic dash developed some "squeaks". Downsized T/C's from 1980 on were great cars.