When I think of a Lincoln Continental, this sawed-off bustle-back version isn’t what comes to mind – it’s just stunted-looking. The corresponding Town Car, to my eyes, is more in line with how a Lincoln should present itself. Regardless, this Hauppauge, New York resident appears to be in excellent condition and has experienced a reasonable 74K miles of use. Interested acquirers can find it here on eBay where it’s available for a current bid of $4,150 with 36 bids tendered so far.
I think where things get out of kilter is in the profile proportions. The fenders and front doors work, the rear door seems a bit too narrow and the quarter panel looks like the designer ran out of modeling clay and decided to call it a day. Compounding the awkwardness is the overly short deck lid with its silly, outsized continental spare hump. That said, this Lincoln is in survivor condition and doesn’t appear to have ever experienced a NY winter. The excessive stainless trim seems garish by today’s standards but that’s the way things still rolled in the ’80s and it all presents well. As for the Cabernet finish, the seller suggests, “The paint finish is very good to excellent, with a few minor scratches…“. And of course, it wouldn’t be ’80s domestic luxury without the inclusion of sparkly wire wheel covers.
Power is courtesy of Ford’s tried and true 150 net HP, 5.0 liter (302 CI) V8 engine which is said to, “…starts right up, runs and drives smooth and quiet“. An AOD four-speed automatic transmission was the sole available gearbox and that’s what’s in place here. Good to know is the proper functioning of the air suspension. Those systems often go kaput with age and you’ll sometimes notice Lincolns unceremoniously lurking around, way down on their haunches – not a good look.
I like the maroon leather upholstery in this car – much prefer it to the fabric pillow-top get-up that was so prominent in GM cars of this era. There is just a slight bit of typical creasing that can be observed but all-in-all the interior appears to have been gently used. The A/C is said to be cold but I’d be curious to know if it’s an R12 or a 134 refrigerant system. Oddly, the odometer usually gives an accurate readout but it is said to display “error” from time to time. Actually, the entire instrument panel appears to be digital so I suppose that could become problematic in the future, at least as far as parts sourcing is concerned.
So, there you have it. “Just call me stubby”? Naw, I wouldn’t go that far as this automobile has its redeeming qualities but it misses the mark, at least in my mind, when the famed Continental nameplate is bandied about. What do you think, am I off base with my proportion comments or do you like this Lincoln just the way it is?
Well then between lurking about unceremoniously on kaput air bags & haunches that required more modeling clay but the designer ran out , I spit my coffee out! The vivid description by the presenter/ author is pure entertainment! Keep up the good work sir!
BA, add me to your comment list because Jim has done an excellent job of writing about this antique car tag qualifier! It seems to me the folks at Lincoln must have awakened from a decades long nap, noticed a 75-79 Seville, and thought ‘we can do that, too! Ugly when I was younger, a cool looking ride to me now.
The bustle-back Seville was the 2nd-gen ’79-85, not the 1st-gen ’75-79.
The Seville didn’t get goofy until 1980 with the chopped rear end- 75-79 was a typical looking 4 door until 1980
Personally I like the style. It doesn’t look like the cookie cutter cars of today and was a bold new design back in the day.
I owned a white one back in the day. Was a good performer with a cushie ride. If not driven for a few days the rear air assist would leak down and it looked like a dog dragging it’s bottom.
My ’98 Town Car would leak down. New heavy duty air bags from Arnott fixed it for not a lot of money.
Sub, no reply option on your post but thanks for correcting me. Obviously my memory is not so good. Age does that. So, GM copied Ford? 🤷♂️
Don’t forget the best execution of “bustle back” body lines which was the 1981/82 Imperial by Chrysler. That car blew the other two away, however only available in a two-door iteration.
My recollection on these was this was Lincoln’s response to the similarly styled Cadillac Seville both aiming to have a more youthful appearance to compete with the likes of Mercedes and BMW. I liked the Lincoln better than the Seville but felt both didn’t quite hit the mark.
My father-in-law’s Cadillac CTS has a trunk that sits so high you can barely see out of that POS. This Lincoln is a design masterpiece by comparison.
That’s why side view mirrors are on cars I never use my back window no matter how much visibility is out of it. And that Cadillac would run circles around any Lincoln of the era
Yeah, but the interior of that Cadillac looks like it came out of a Chevy Cavalier. Cheap looking and no style.
Ahh…but that brings up yet another issue that seems to plague vehicles across the board, regardless of make, model, or age. People never learn how to adjust their mirrors properly, especially the one on the starboard side. They simply cannot grasp that the angle of vision from the driver’s seat to that mirror is different from the angle of vision between the driver’s seat and the port-side mirror; because of that difference, the starboard mirror cannot use the same adjustments used on the port side. If you can see the side of your vehicle in the starboard mirror, basically, you’re wrong. That amounts to 99%+ of drivers, who either never got that instruction, or disregarded it if they did get it. They are still blind if they can see their own car in that mirror; might as well not even be there.
Not sure if the author could have come up with any more ways to disrespect this Lincoln and it’s bustle- back styling. While I myself am not a fan, I’m pretty sure there is a bustle- back community out there somewhere that would love on this Lincoln. To each his own
Exactly Jack – it’s always subjective.
JO
Well I for one would prefer if the car I’m looking at was NOT described as ugly. The reviewer should possibly stick to issues that might make me pursue the automobile as a good purchase. His or her personal taste is irrelevant. I know what the car looks like.
This isn’t Automobile Magazine and my job is not to persuade or dissuade you in “making you pursue the automobile as a good purchase” – that’s not how I roll.
My opinions of appearance, just as those of our many commentors, and yours too, are strictly subjective. If you don’t like them, then ignore them and make your own decisions.
JO
Those 302’s in that Lincoln would outlast any of those Caddy engines of the 80’s.
Hey John, the CTS is for sale!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Friend owned one of these back in the day. The digital dash was a POS, he ran his for 4 months before dealer got a new one, then lasted only about 6 months. Dealer wouldn’t replace it a second time (car only had 1 year warranty back then), and didn’t make an analog dash for these to replace. He traded it for a Crown Vic, at another dealer. Best decision he ever made.
Nice car – I love the colors and the styling. 1987 was the “last gasp “ of RWD and I just think that this car DESERVES way more credit than it gets! They ride like a dream, believe it or not. They FELT like a Town Car from 1977 with a “modernized “ dashboard that looks VERY familiar in design to the 77’s – the LAST year for one of the BEST EVER dashboard designs! RWD, beautiful colors and a fantastic RIDE/FEEL , I’m sold . You COULD pick it apart and make the argument to NOT buy one. For me , I’d at least consider it – they really ARE unique, in their own way. Great article!
Lovely looking car. This has always been my favourite look for the Continental.
PS – This 1987 Lincoln Continental is also the last design of “chiseled artistic design “. After 1987 – every car design went rounded/aero . This one is it, the last.
Install a taut suspension, a fox body 5.0, w manual trans. 3.08 gear ⚙️ and have yourself a very cool HotRod Lincoln 😎
Indeed, I often wonder why I don’t see more (or really any) of these Fox-body Contis souped-up with Fox-body Mustang upgrades.
Maybe along with that, also give the exterior trim some interpretation of what Lincoln might’ve come up with if they’d developed a “Continental LSS” (Luxury Sport Sedan) variant to go with the Mark VII LSC — e.g., alloy wheels, black-out or body-color the grille slats, paint the bumpers body-color or metallic graphite, remove the chrome sill/rocker/wheelarch trim, black-out the insides of the headlight buckets, lightly smoke the taillights and front parking/signal/cornering lenses, and maybe shave the CONTINENTAL lettering from the trunk hump.
Tell us how you really feel, Jim. The irony of it all is that in terms of size, this was the most continental Continental built to date. I don’t find the styling as objectionable as you do, but I do think that both Cadillac and Imperial did better bustle-backs.
What’s remarkable to me is that this is, at its core, a Fairmont. Chrysler got a lot of (mostly negative) press about the way they sliced and diced the K-car platform, but Ford wasn’t far behind. Fairmont, Zephyr, Mustang, Capri, Thunderbird (80), Cougar XR-7 (80), Granada, Cougar (81), Continental, Thunderbird (83), Cougar (83), LTD, Marquis, Continental Mark VII, Mustang (94) all trace their roots to the Fairmont’s Fox platform.
Totally agree, this is a beautiful example with a great color combination.
I’m a Cadillac guy but this would be on my list of must have Lincoln products.
If only I had the room to store and money! But hey the lottery is at a record high right now. Lol
a 1980’s Crown Victoria was so much better looking.
While a lot of people didn’t care for this design at least it had some style. Not like the single design that Ford had that came in small, medium, large and extra large!!!
These Lincoln Continental’s stood out from the crowd of competing rectangularly shaped luxury sedans offered by many of the other manufacturers at the time. The designers created something new and bold while still retaining some of the traditional elements of the previous designs. The tire bulge at the trunk is a classic Lincoln Continental design element. I believe this was integrated well. Although the design that followed is also memorable, I wish this one had continued for a few more years!
Based on a the Fox Body platform. Think of the possibility’s. Need a tighter better handling suspension just throw in everything from a 79 Mustang GT. Need too get rid of that POS digital dash, just take the whole assembly from said Mustang also and have a little sportier vibe.
I’d buy it if I were in the market for a classic Lincoln. It may not be a Town Car, but so what? As long as everything works on the car and it’s mechanically sound, I’d buy it and enjoy it. I find it way more attractive than the Town Car.
As a few others have already commented, be prepared for electrical gremlins. However, when the features on this car work, they work really, really well. I had the privilege of driving one of these on a few long trips and was thoroughly impressed with the ride, the lack of any noise, and the feeling that the car cost a lot more money than it did back then. If I knew someone who could keep it maintained for me without costing more than an arm and a leg, I would own it. I was that impressed with it, back then. I have always been a little left of center. :)
I personally do not agree entirely with the author’s assessment of this car’s looks. The bustle-back combined with the vestigial hump, along with the vertical taillights, all made for a superior cover of the look Cadillac started in 1980. It looks elegant to me, and I always liked it better than the Seville’s look, which really looked like it had its s**t pushed in. I do, however, agree with the author about the back door: It’s too short, and back seating is too cramped for a luxury car. The wheelbase should have been lengthened by at least two, preferably three, inches…but back when that design was being molded, the “in” thing was shortening wheelbases and shrinking overall size for the sake of fuel economy. The fact that fuel shortages became a thing of the past by ’85 was irrelevant to the government, which by then had more of a say in how cars were designed than they should have had.
Anyway, about this example, I must say I’m surprised that there is no visible rust. These cars were notorious for being prone to terminal cancer in their trunk lids. The balloon suspension would give me pause because, as the author accurately pointed out, balloons will wear out with age alone; when one combines the strain of use, that will accelerate suspension failure. I will take proper springs over balloons any day. But, because this setup is factory and not a cheesy chop-shop custom job, I have to give a bit of respect.
I’m a tad surprised, though not thoroughly, that this car tends to give quirky hiccups in its dash panel. This year does not suffer from the same handicap that my grandma’s ’82 model had, so I have to wonder what can cause that. On the other hand, cars of the ’80s were most prone for quirky and even disabling malfunctions, even more so than ’70s cars. E.G.: Hate the Pinto engine? You’ll hate the Tempo engine even more. At least it took an external anal-probing to light a Pinto on fire. Tempos would do that on their own.
But I digress. Aside from too stubby-looking a profile, I always liked the looks of these Continentals (though not quite so much as those of the clap-door generation). They did stand out in the ’80s, probably one of the last times one could ID a specific car on sight… something Lincoln also marketed back then, much to GM’s disdain.
Well presented assessment, thx!
JO
I’d buy a 1985 Continental if I was in the market to buy a car. IMHO, it’s the best looking car Lincoln produced.
The Versailles was a better executed design in my opinion
Was it?
Ooops I meant the Imperial! Boy I must be slipping in my old age and I’ve even had a Versailles and an Imperial and a Seville.
In terms of size, I like the Lincoln Versailles. It looks like the much larger Continental and Town Car, but in a much smaller size. It’s the same with this Continental. While I could do without the Continental kit look of the trunk lid, overall, I find it the best looking Continental ever.
The “design” is a Granada. Am I missing something ❓
I loved my Versailles. It was a super oddball early model with a 351C (most had the 302) and a freaking floor shifter. Front seats reclined all the way back, and it had the best leather interior of any car I’ve ever had. Cartier clock in the dash. One of the few cars I had which I wish I hadn’t sold.
@ Sixone: I also had a Granada (at the same time as the Versailles) though it was a 2 door. Correct that the Versailles was built upon the Granada, but they were very, very different cars.
@ The Gas Hole: ROFFL! No worries. It happens to the best of us.
Mine was a 1982 Signature Series, dark blue over light blue with dark blue velour interior. One of my fave luxury cars I’ve owned.
With the dash flashing error you can not get it smoged in California
If they had done this as a Mark VII LSS I’d be very interested. Short of that, I’ll take a VII coupe. Now that’s a wonderful Lincoln!