Does a rare option transcend concerns over rough cosmetic condition? This has been debated for some time, and the answer is never black and white. When a car is already limited in production numbers, and you combine that with a feature that didn’t have a high take rate when new, it can be a tough judgement call as to whether to save a car. This 1979 Lincoln Town Coupe listed here on craigslist is a car that sits on that budgetary fault line of perhaps being too far gone to restore, despite the delicate and beautiful glass roof section that is certainly a precursor to the panoramic sunroofs that now seem to come standard in many luxury cars and SUVs.
Of course, when you consider how many SUVs these days have the proverbial kitchen sink thrown at them from an equipment standpoint, the big-bodied Lincoln coupes of the 70s were no different. These were the Navigators of their day, vehicles whose sole function was to ooze opulence, even if the driving experience and performance were decidedly underwhelming. While the modern-day SUV can certainly achieve blistering 0-60 times for something that large, the basic formula of using lavish and exotic equipment lists to paper over what is a fairly ordinary vehicle with horrible aerodynamics is almost a carbon copy of what vehicles like this Lincoln Town Coupe set out to achieve. In the case of this glass roof option, restorers claim it is near impossible to remove in one place, so I doubt you’re swapping this over to an example in better condition but lacking this intriguing feature.
The seller claims this Lincoln was formerly a Florida car, in which case it must have lived near the ocean for some of that time. The rust we see in the photos is not what I’d call typical for just occasional exposure to the elements. There are holes in the body in multiple places, and the edge of the hood is crusty. However, here’s the good news and the reason why this Town Coupe may be saved: you can find body panels and replacement patch sections quite easily for a car like this, and if you’re half competent with a welder, the rust could likely be repaired for a reasonable amount (assuming it’s not in the floors.) The interior is an incredible shade of turquoise and still in good shape.
Now, the real downfall of these loaded-up coupes has to be the engine. 400 cubic inches and a measly 159 horsepower! Yes, torque was prodigious at 315 lb.-ft., but that doesn’t mean a whole lot when it’s hauling around all this heft. The seller claims the Lincoln has a mere 84,000 miles on the clock, and the interior condition seems to back this up. The glass roof isn’t a feature you see every day, but values for cars like this Lincoln fall more and more each year. Is this Town Coupe worthy of restoration, or is it too far gone to justify saving it solely for the purpose of preserving a rare option? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.
Good to see there’s a shade inside for that glass. That car would have got like an oven in the Florida sun, AC cranking. Maybe half the ask, glass roof not withstanding. Which begs the question, who wants a car like this? Not me and I like me a Lincoln.
Yeah the Rare MoonRoof didn’t see to many 👍🏽👍🏽💯💯
If the seller wants someone to save this Town Car? He’d better be ready to drop his price, a lot. At least the interior isn’t ravaged.
let the tin termites finish their meal.
The seller is a bit option his description, it needs a lot more than TLC. It seems way overpriced for a car that only has a cool roof going for it. The pictures look like they were taken in fall, that alone is sending a massage.
Steve R
That year Ford product was prone to rust and rotting. I seem to remember they were trying to save bucks by using recycled steel and the cars they made with it were rust buckets. Look at the Pinto, maverick, mustang, lol ncoln, Mercury products of the time.
I took a second look and what I thought was rust in front was leaves. The door jambs and sills look good too. Notwithstanding the rust below the back window on the deck, this would make a great summer rat. Cruise it the way it is and confound the citizenry.
Must be a real basket case since there are no pics of the whole car.
So many holes; so much air flow. Who needs a convertible?
The roof is a cool feature. As is the turquoise interior (I’d love to see more colors like this in modern car interiors). What might become of the car is hard to say.
I don’t think the glass roof is original. Lincoln did have a “moon roof” but it was not as large as this one and it was power. The seal on the outside and the trim on the inside makes me think it’s aftermarket. With that in mind, the value of the car drops enormously. Ford would never run the glass out that far on the roof panel. This glass is overtop the roof inner structure. Nope not OEM.
I niticed that too and think you’re right.
Check this out
http://www.hb9thj.ch/oldtimer/Lincoln/web/Werbung/Lincoln-Continental-Town-Coupe-1977-001-Fixed-Glass-Moonroof-option.pdf
If you did any research you would know that yes, Ford did offer a glass roof option like this. But the examples elsewhere look a lot more finished than this does around the glass. The glass also extended this far out to the edges of the roof. And it was not just on the Town Coupes. It was also on the Town Cars.