2007 last year for Lincoln Town Car!

The Lincoln Car has been living on the chopping block since the 1980's. It seems that is where our culture likes to keep its royalty. Enduring all knee jerk reactions to become something less than what it is, Town Cars of any age retain the American tradition of quality, comfort, and quiet luxury.

Lincoln has a rich design heritage that always blended the avante-gard with period refinement. Stylistic trends are bringing cars back to the idiom that Lincoln never abandoned. Imagine the Navigator and MKX style blended into the Town Car's Air Suspension long sedan body. Imagine a return of the Town Coupe Berline entering the new coupe sedan market. Give it a touring suspension and a roomy luxurious back seat. Or a convertible? Call that one the Continental Mark Nine(the roman 9 ain't pretty). Equipped with a manumatic and the Triton 10. Now that is a car to drive.

The Lincoln Town Car 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 air suspension 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 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, 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 suspension isolationist approach to motoring without the cumbersome handling. Equipped with wide front and rear bench seats, the current Lincoln Town Car is one of the few six-passenger cars around. Both standard- and long-wheelbase models are offered, each powered by a V8 engine.

The Town Car is offered in two trim levels. The Signature serves as the base model, while the Signature Limited adds some minor extras such as an upgraded sound system, power-operated trunk and a memory system linking the seats, pedals and mirrors to preset preferences. The long-wheelbase Town Car Signature L is about as close to a limousine as a sedan can get. Six inches longer than the other styles, the Signature L features a much roomier, heated rear bench seat with separate audio and climate controls. 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.

In editorial reviews, we appreciated this generation's stronger frame, sharpened steering and upgraded brakes. This model also earned favorable commentary for its abundant storage areas, magic-carpet ride quality, interior spaciousness and ability to swallow four sets of golf clubs in the huge trunk. Negative comments focused on the weak motor, soft handling and old-school interior and exterior design.