The Lincoln Town Car was the car of American chauffeured transportation for three decades. Produced as a separate model from 1981 to 2011, it was a big, rear-wheel-drive, V8-powered sedan built on Ford’s durable Panther body-on-frame platform. Black Town Cars filled the airports, hotel driveways and corporate car services of New York and every major city, and stretched Town Cars were the most common limousines in the country. When production ended in 2011, it marked the end of an era for the livery industry.

At a glance
Model years 1981–2011 (as a separate model)
Platform Ford Panther (shared with Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis)
Engine V8 — 5.0L, then 4.6L “Modular” from 1991
Built Wixom, Michigan; later St. Thomas, Ontario
Long versions Executive L and Signature L (extended wheelbase), limousine chassis

Before 1981

“Town Car” originally described a formal body style in which the chauffeur sat in an open front compartment while passengers rode in an enclosed rear. Lincoln used the name for luxury trim on the Continental from the late 1950s and 1970s before making it a separate model for 1981.

Three generations

1981–1989: a boxy, formal sedan with a vinyl roof option. As the fuel crisis faded, its traditional size became a selling point, and sales grew strongly through the 1980s.

1990–1997: a smoother, more aerodynamic body, air suspension at the rear, and from 1991 the 4.6-litre Modular V8. It was named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1990.

1998–2011: a more rounded design and, from 2000, the long-wheelbase Executive L, which added rear legroom and became the default black car for fleets.

Why livery loved it

  • Body-on-frame durability: robust enough for hundreds of thousands of miles.
  • Rear-wheel drive and a V8: smooth, simple and easy to repair.
  • A huge rear seat and trunk.
  • Low running costs: shared parts with the Crown Victoria police car and taxi.
  • Easy to stretch: coachbuilders used it as the standard base for stretch limousines.

Read why the Town Car ruled NYC livery and the Panther platform story.

The end

Ford closed the St. Thomas assembly plant in 2011, ending the Town Car, Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis. Lincoln offered the MKT-based “Town Car” livery package afterward, while many fleets moved to the Cadillac XTS, SUVs and European sedans. See the Lincoln MKT and the Cadillac XTS.