The Lincoln Town Car suspension is one of the most established automotive nameplates in America, and although it has taken many different forms since it debuted as a trim level for the 1969-’71 Continental, its purpose remains the same: to spoil up to six occupants with spacious and luxurious accommodations no matter where in the car they are sitting.
Since then, the big, V8-powered rear-wheel-drive Town Car has been Lincoln’s flagship sedan. However, while the Town Car’s old-school brand of luxury used to be all the rage, times have changed, and most drivers even among the elder set expect more responsiveness than the Town Car delivers. Today, the Lincoln Town Car air ride suspension is heavily supported by the livery business thanks to its palatial dimensions, massive trunk and silky ride, thereby making it an ideal shuttle for aristocrats in need of a lift.
Next to other premium luxury cars, especially from the import brands, the big Town Car remains a relative bargain, coil springs, delivering a lot of metal for the money. But that can’t change its status as one of the last body-on-frame luxury car relics still in production. Indeed, many of its competitors provide the Town Car’s isolationist approach to motoring without the cumbersome handling. With so much weight to pull around, the Lincoln Town Car’s 4.6-liter V8 engine is incapable of providing quick acceleration in spite of its 239 horsepower and 287 pound-feet of torque. Not helping matters is a four-speed automatic that lacks the choice of gear ratios and fuel-economy benefits of the five- and six-speed automatics found on competitive sedans.