Our '77 Town Car's first Concours

[barry2952]

Later this summer the '77 Town Car will be in it's first Concours as it's now 35 years old.

I had new tires put on it yesterday as I no longer trusted the original Michelin X tires. The car is being picked up today to be taken to a friend's fledgling shop where he will take it from near-perfect to perfect.

At 35 years old it's really in remarkable shape with the only rust from the crown molding clips creeping out from under the trim. The gas gauge has ceased to function as has the electric antenna. He'll fix both all those items, returning it to its former glory.

He'll deliver the car right to the show, prepped for showing. I'll just have to drive it onto the show field. I've invited the widow of the guy that owned it to ride with us in the Pass in Review, and be introduced to the crowd. One of our features this year are cars that belong to original owners. Should fit right in.



The two guys that put tires on it were younger than the car and had never worked on one with fender skirts.

[Ace_VR6]

Such a dream of a car. Seeing 1 owner Lincoln's really make me sad because I had the chance to own a 1 owner 60k 79 continental and was all set to do the paperwork with the widow because I had to maintain her husbands fleet and she passed away. Kids put a 20k pricetag on it. Have such a soft spot for the last of the big luxobarge cars. Car looks stunning now I cant imagine it better!

[VDub2625]

Concours is one thing that, if I had unlimited money, I would definitely participate in, because all the little details are what's important

[vwlarry]

I think it's a little bigger than my house...

[PerL]

The name is funny, because when I think of a "Town Car", a car to use in the city, I think of small hatchbacks, not this barge-like behemoth.

It sure does look gourgeuos though, this thread needs more pics!

[barry2952]

Concours is one thing that, if I had unlimited money, I would definitely participate in, because all the little details are what's important

There's a large distinction between club (points) judging and Concours judging. Clubs are all about authenticity and condition while Concours are all about beauty and wow factor. This car has wow factor, in person. I have no interest in club showing as I like people telling me what they like about my car, not that I have the wrong hose clamps.:roll eyes:

Yes, Larry, it's 233 1/2" long.

Doesn't look like it will fit.



Barely.

[barry2952]

The name is funny, because when I think of a "Town Car", a car to use in the city, I think of small hatchbacks, not this barge-like behemoth.

It sure does look gourgeuos though, this thread needs more pics!

That name is a throwback to the horse and carriage days. The Town Car was the big car you took to town to go shopping.

[VDub2625]

There's a large distinction between club (points) judging and Concours judging. Clubs are all about authenticity and condition while Concours are all about beauty and wow factor. This car has wow factor, in person. I have no interest in club showing as I like people telling me what they like about my car, not that I have the wrong hose clamps.:roll eyes:

Didn't realize there was a difference. I obsess over the hoseclamps though SO something has to be 35 years old to qualify for a concours?

[geezermobile]

Gorgeous car. I'd love to own one of those cream puffs some day.

[barry2952]

Didn't realize there was a difference. I obsess over the hoseclamps though SO something has to be 35 years old to qualify for a concours?

Yes, Yugos and Gremlins are now eligible.

The judging in Concours is a different subset of judges, too. My wife is a Concours judge, but does not have sufficient technical knowledge to be a club judge. I've been a club judge and hate it. People take constructive criticism like you've told them that their baby's ugly.

[cstraw]

Beautiful. Would like to see more photos please. Good luck.

Chris

[NoLongerLow]

Very nice looking Town Car.

[Iroczgirl]

Your Town Car is just stunning!

[barry2952]

There's a story to this car. It's my first "collectible" car. In 2002 I still had my '88 750iL that I bought new. We also had our '88 325iX that my wife uses as a winter driver. I had my daily driver and she had the summer-ony Z3. I thought that was a collection. I really wasn't in the market for another car. I was working in the yard, sprucing everything up for our 30th anniversary party when the biggest, blackest, shiniest Lincoln Continental Town Car chugged to a stop in front of the house.

I gave the guy the "Roll your window down" sign and said, "Nice car!" To which he replied, "Wanna buy it?" I said, "Sure!" I knew what was wrong with it. I made a deal and spent $129 in parts and a weekend rebuilding the carb and replacing the intake manifold gaskets. The car had carboned up so much that flakes of carbon stuck the EGR valve open, causing a very effective vacuum leak. It ran OK at speed, but refused to idle.

The car belonged to a reclusive neighbor who found out he had cancer and had to part with a few of his toys. He was very pleased to see it stay in the neighborhood. He told me that he was a Ford exec that had ordered the car to his idea of what a Town Car should be. He deleted the full vinyl roof in favor of the "Carriage" roof. He deleted the popular, but hideous porthole window in the rear quarter. While these things have a huge blind spot, the window doesn't help much. He also deleted the gigantic side body moldings. I didn't care for those much, either. The best thing he deleted was the leather interior. The leather of that era was real crap and it splits easily. The velour is comfy, but requires a lot of vacuuming.

He had a pick-up and his wife drove the Town Car. When the two year lease was up it had about 6,000 miles on it. he bought it out of the lease, leased something else for his wife and took the Town Car to their summer home in northern Michigan. He said they only took it out to dinner on weekends, if that. By the time he brought it back here to sell it had only amassed 12,860 miles at 25 years old!

The final part of the story is the car's condition. It's never been hit. It's near perfect. The back seat had never been sat in before we took them to dinner in it. The car looked brand new. It turns out that they only spent a couple of days a months there during the seasonal times. The car was in a windowless garage, parked on plastic. They would winterize their summer home, but leave the heat on when they left for the winter. The car still smelled new inside. A true time capsule.

It's pretty straight.

[r_fostoria]

My friend had his grandfather's '79 Town Car looking very close to this although it was green instead of black. An old guy pulling out of a flea market smashed into it last year.

[VDub2625]

Very nice, but those tires look scary! lol. Love the bumper and grille detail, and closed headlights. How many miles are on it now?

[randyvr6]

Barry,

Where/when is the show located?

Rand

[barry2952]

Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan is held overlooking Lake Michigan, on the bluff, in St. Joseph, MI on the west side of the state on August 3rd. We managed to raise enough money to get the Futurliner there as a centerpiece.

[barry2952]

How many miles are on it now?

21,000

[pknopp]

I never cared much for them except in black. Looks great in black.

[Chapel]

interesting choice.

it's a wee bit longer than my Roadmaster too.
actually, about a foot and a quarter... yowza

[randyvr6]

I've always enjoyed the 1977-79 Continentals and especially the Continental Mark V, as I spent a year or so working on the assembly line at the Wixom plant in 1979.

I was 22 yrs. old and had run out of $$ while attending Michigan State. It was quite an experience, and years later I worked for a OE glass supplier and had to visit many G.M. plants for quality related concerns. Seeing cars built from the ground up is pretty cool in many ways.

I spot welded the body side inner sheet metal to the outer including the A pillar, rocker panel, and wheel housing. Everytime I see a 1979 Lincoln, I wonder if it was one I worked on. They produced the Continental Town Car and Town Coupe (2 door, rare!) and also the Mk. V.

[BeBop!]

Not to deter from the magnificence of the Town Car you are bringing to Concours, but this thread compelled me to take a couple pics of an abandoned Town Car that is sitting in the garage of my apartment complex. Its such a sad sight to see it sitting there collecting dust. Not sure who the owner is, but i'm guessing it belongs to an older gentlemen who lives here.

[mm3]

Your Town Car is beautiful!

Not to deter from the magnificence of the Town Car you are bringing to Concours, but this thread compelled me to take a couple pics of an abandoned Town Car that is sitting in the garage of my apartment complex. Its such a sad sight to see it sitting there collecting dust. Not sure who the owner is, but i'm guessing it belongs to an older gentlemen who lives here.

Leave a note on the car saying that you're a car enthusiast who would love to trade your services of taking care of the car for the pleasure of driving (with the owner sitting shotgun, maybe) it once or twice a month .

[Bariman82]

Incredible condition. I had a 1970 Impala in high school that I though was big. This thing is a foot and a half LONGER? Yikes.

[cstraw]

The car belonged to a reclusive neighbor who found out he had cancer and had to part with a few of his toys. He was very pleased to see it stay in the neighborhood. He told me that he was a Ford exec that had ordered the car to his idea of what a Town Car should be. He deleted the full vinyl roof in favor of the "Carriage" roof. He deleted the popular, but hideous porthole window in the rear quarter. While these things have a huge blind spot, the window doesn't help much. He also deleted the gigantic side body moldings. I didn't care for those much, either. The best thing he deleted was the leather interior. The leather of that era was real crap and it splits easily. The velour is comfy, but requires a lot of vacuuming.

He had a pick-up and his wife drove the Town Car. When the two year lease was up it had about 6,000 miles on it. he bought it out of the lease, leased something else for his wife and took the Town Car to their summer home in northern Michigan. He said they only took it out to dinner on weekends, if that. By the time he brought it back here to sell it had only amassed 12,860 miles at 25 years old!

The final part of the story is the car's condition. It's never been hit. It's near perfect. The back seat had never been sat in before we took them to dinner in it. The car looked brand new. It turns out that they only spent a couple of days a months there during the seasonal times. The car was in a windowless garage, parked on plastic. They would winterize their summer home, but leave the heat on when they left for the winter. The car still smelled new inside. A true time capsule.

It's pretty straight.

Facts like this give the car real provenance.

Chris

[Air and water do mix]

Incredible condition. I had a 1970 Impala in high school that I though was big. This thing is a foot and a half LONGER? Yikes.

A guy like me wouldn't even know how to drie it!

As usual Barry, it's an awesome car.

[barry2952]

That's a pre-'78 Town Car. You can tell by the fender skirts. They all but disappeared for '78. This is the way the vast majority were ordered. Full vinyl roof, porthole and body side moldings. I like mine because it's pretty understated, if you can actually use that word in reference to a Townie.

[A.Wilder]

it's rare to see one of these, and it's rarer still to see one in this condition!

[302W]

Kind of unusual to a see a smog era car that aged well, but this certainly did.

[barry2952]

Kind of unusual to a see a smog era car that aged well, but this certainly did.

All of the smog controls are still hooked up and operational. The only change I made was dual exhaust, from the cats back. Only singles were available. Without a crossover it has a wonderful rumble at idle.

Love the way the grill makes the camera crazy.

[teileguy]

Its funny because i just saw a town coupe in decent condition a couple of months ago and thought to myself that at one time this was marketed as a 'personal' luxury coupe.

Before i could drive i would detail other peoples cars for money, i made the mistake of taking on one of these that had been parked under the BQE for months. It was light grey with grey leather, and i definitely underbid that job. The leather was indeed cheap and gross, i agree that velour in a 70's american boat is the way to go. I secretly want a cadillac talisman just because of the velour interior they had back then.

Black is definitely the best color for these. Even seeing a modern town car not much has changed in that respect.

[barry2952]

Town Coupes are my favorites. I especially like the glass roof version.

My father got stuck in a new Jaguar in a showroom in '70. He's 6'6" and got his size 15 foot stuck behind the pedals but couldn't move his left knee enough to remove his foot. A mechanic had to come out at remove the door strap so the door could open wider. How embarrassing. He went from the Jaguar dealer to a Lincoln dealer and bought a '70 Lincoln Coupe in double-black. It was a naked-top car, my favorite, and really rare. He put Michelin Red Lines on it. It looked like Darth Vader's car, before there was a Darth Vader.

[om617952]

I used to own a 77 Caprice Coupe Landau,a rather big car i thought until i see this thing.

Seem to be in perfect shape

[Jrod511]

I love it. I love big Lincolns and the story behind the car is great. Fixing a few small items will bring the car up to "new" level without altering anything about what makes it great.