This, American car was produced in the same year as the Mercedes S-class W220. In its essence, the 2000 Lincoln Town Car was a large executive sedan. It was significantly larger than the W220 and even the long-wheelbase W140, but it was comparable in price to the E-Class. It was a unique car that was not known for its technology, or its polished handling, but it was, and still is, incredibly comfortable and reliable. People who are far removed from Lincoln and other, classic American cars will probably be surprised by the fact that it is a frame sedan.
Achieving high body rigidity in this way does not necessarily require the use of high-strength steel, or carbon fiber inserts – as is done today. The peculiarity of the Town Car is that it was technically obsolete when it came out. Besides the frame, it still used a low-speed V8 and rear-wheel drive. This car doesn’t even have an independent suspension in the rear – it has an axle. Whereas even its main competitor in the form of Cadillac has long ago switched to front-wheel drive and more powerful, high-speed cars.
I think it’s worth making another little digression; – the rear-wheel-drive scheme contains expensive parts like: – The driveshaft and the rear axle gearbox. Producing a rear-wheel drive car is simply more expensive, which is why all mass-produced models have had front-wheel drive for a long time. Obviously, Cadillac switched to front wheel drive back in the 70’s to emphasize the technical innovation of their cars. But Lincoln, neither in the ’70s nor in the ’90s, gave up reliable, rear-wheel drive. Also, rear-wheel drive allows installing the engine longitudinally, which means more space in the engine compartment and the car will be easier to repair or service.
But the thing is, this was done intentionally. Lincoln produced a super comfortable and reliable car. Owners of such cars are not interested much in the quantity of horsepower and the time passed a lap. Such people are interested in comfort and reliability. Often owners of Town Car became elderly people. Probably for this reason, after the updating of 2004, the buttons on a steering wheel became bigger. You know, it’s kind of like the story with the big phone buttons, for older people.
This 2000 Lincoln Town Car was the last, luxury car of the old-school brand. The first show was in New York in ’97. The car itself was the 3rd generation Town Car and the 98th model year. Production of these cars was carried out in Wixon, Michigan. But in 2007, when the plant was closed, the production of updated trucks was moved to Canada, to the town of St. Thomas. Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis were produced there also.
2000 Lincoln Town Car was produced in three modifications – Executive, Signature and Carther. In 2002, the Touring Signature was introduced. The first modification – Executive Series was often used in fleets, where it covered huge mileage and demonstrated reliability and unpretentiousness.
Sale and Price 2000 Lincoln Town Car.
A new Town Car could be bought for $38,000. That was the price of the Executive version. The more equipped Signature and Cartier were priced at $40,150 and $42,500. And that was only half the cost of Mercedes’ new S-Class.
Today, depending on mileage and technical condition, the price usually ranges from $3,000 to $10,000. And the fact that these cars were often bought by older people today plays to their advantage. After all, in addition to the fact that older people are often more responsible and therefore drive carefully, and the mileage of cars from such owners is often less. So today there is an opportunity to buy such a super comfortable and reliable car in excellent condition.
Appearance and photos.
Just look at the photo of this 2000 Lincoln Town Car. In addition to the fact that it is very long by modern standards, car (body length 5470 mm, wheelbase – 2990 mm), the proportions and shape of the body arouse interest. Look how long the trunk is here – in many, modern cars, the hood is shorter than the Lincoln trunk. Notice how big the rear overhang is here.
On what other non-American sedan can you see such an overhang. And what do you think of the rounded curve of the rear window? It’s a very stylish solution. It looks like the way Lincoln wanted to emphasize its continuity with the Town Car of previous generations, where the rear window was completely vertical. It became rounded, but it didn’t get a big tilt angle – as it did on many sedans of that time. When the Korean Kia Opirus came out in the 2000s, it strongly resembled the Lincoln with its rear window curve.
The ’98 model was 3 inches shorter than the 2nd generation car. At the same time, the new car was 2d wider and 1d taller. It was Lincoln’s tallest sedan in 40 years.
It is interesting, that even despite of the frame the curb weight of the Town Car is less than it may seem; – 1795kg. The car was equipped with 225/65 R16 tires. In 2001, the L version was lengthened by 6 inches.
Even in the photo it is possible to see the Lincoln emblem in the taillights. It is also present in the form of a statuette on the hood. It duplicates the emblem on the radiator grille and has the same size. Signature Touring model was painted in seven colors.
Compared to the second-generation model, the working area of the brakes was increased by 25%, which made the pedal even softer and improved braking efficiency. Though neither brakes nor handling were of course Lincoln’s strong suit.
You probably noticed the buttons above the driver’s door handle. This is a code lock, by entering a code in which you can open the door without a key.
Interior and equipment.
The doors here are very thick and wide. They give the impression of security. The American way, the lever of automatic transmission is on a steering column. By the way – there is also an emergency stop button. There is a sofa not only in back, but also in front. And there is unbelievably a lot of space.
The handbrake is activated by a pedal. This solution is typical for classic, American cars. Among the European car industry, this method is more often used on Mercedes. Certainly, electric adjustment of the seat is provided here. But what is interesting is that the seat moves back when the engine is switched off, so the driver can get out from behind the steering wheel with a minimum effort.
The steering wheel is only adjustable in angle, but there is pedal adjustment here! It’s servo-operated, of course. Do you understand? This car, which was comparable even with not the most equipped Mercedes E-class W210 in price, has adjustable pedals, there is V8 engine and the car itself is simply huge! What do you think of the interior, door handles? Such handles could be installed in a good, expensive house! In the Cartier modification the handles are decorated with an inscription. By the way, in this version the center console of the car is equipped with gold-plated clock.
The 2000 Lincoln Town Car was equipped with a music system with 9 speakers, amplifier and subwoofer. In 2002, for Cartier and Signature models appeared the option package – Premius Signature Series, which included glass sunroof. The rear door mirror was a blacked-out rear-view mirror.
The rear door opening was unusual in shape, being upright rather than horizontal. But it was made for easier boarding and unloading.
Despite being somewhat anachronistic, the rear suspension in the Lincoln is pneumatic. This allows it to maintain ground clearance even when heavily loaded. For this reason, there is an on/off button in the trunk. This button disables the air suspension. This can be useful when changing a wheel when you need to lift the car, which will try to hold the exposed clearance when the air suspension is on. There is also a 6-disc CD changer in the trunk. The trunk has huge volume, – 585l, but because of the design of rear suspension its polyke is not flat.
Engine and Specifications 2000 Lincoln Town Car.
Under the hood of the Lincoln, which is held open by two gas shock absorbers, is a 4.6L (281 cubic inch) gasoline V8. This, cast-iron V8 has two valves per cylinder. Depending on the modification, this motor produces; – 200, 204, 208, 220, 235 and 239 horsepower. The liter capacity is not high, but it is not a revolving engine. So 208 hp modification has 380Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm, the compression ratio in this motor is 9.1:1, which means it consumes 92oy gasoline with appetite.
The 220Ti modification has 393Nm of torque. This motor is equipped with eight ignition coils, – in many ways this helped to raise the output. The main pair has a gear ratio; – 3,55:1. This car got new springs, shock absorbers and stabilizers, which improved handling.
From ’97 to 2002, the Town Car was equipped with 4-speed automatic transmission – 4R70W. In 2003, the new transmission 4R75W was introduced. Although it had the same number of speeds, it was faster than before, but shifts in 0.6 seconds.
The steering was a rack and pinion style steering, but in 2003 a new rack and pinion steering was introduced. The 2003 upgrades introduced a new vacuum power steering system. The brakes are disc brakes on both axles.
This is a terrific car. Let it is not so fast and does not develop the same power as Mercedes, or BMW, but it is very comfortable. You just relax while driving, and moreover on a back sofa of the Town Car. The engines may not be the most powerful, but they have a huge service life and easy maintenance.
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