Junkyard Gem: 1986 Lincoln City Automobile

Ford’s Lincoln Division utilized the City Automobile title (initially the Anglicized title for a coupé de ville horse-drawn carriage) to new automobiles starting with the 1959 Continental, however it wasn’t till the 1981 mannequin 12 months that the City Automobile turned a Lincoln mannequin in its personal proper (earlier City Vehicles have been Continentals). These boxy, sharp-edged City Vehicles have been constructed all through the rest of the Eighties and offered effectively, however they’re nearly extinct in the present day. This is a type of automobiles, present in a Denver-area self-service yard not too long ago.

The City Automobile was constructed from the 1981 via 2011 mannequin years, with a whole redesign for 1990 that saved the identical chassis however added a much less angular physique and rear air suspension. In 1998, the City Automobile acquired the complete “whale” physique therapy seen on its Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis siblings, and manufacturing of that model continued till the top. In China, Hongqi constructed a model badged because the CA7460 Qijian.

All 1981-2011 City Vehicles lived on the versatile and durable body-on-frame Panther platform. For a Seventies design, the Panther stayed related for a surprisingly very long time.

This automotive was intently associated to the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis, to not point out the Continental Mark VI.

The inside is stuffed with “wood-tone appliqués” and the gauges come straight from mid-Seventies Lincoln-Mercury merchandise.

These “twin consolation lounge” seats have been simply as comfortable as they appear right here, and the Practically Velour™ material simply wants a cleansing to be in like-new situation. After all, the non-compulsory Cartier package deal had a lot classier upholstery.

You will discover one in each automotive. You will see.

Each Eighties City Automobile had some type of padded vinyl roof as normal tools.

This roof has not fared effectively beneath the Colorado solar.

It is a disgrace that opera lights have gone out of vogue.

Each 1981-1990 City Automobile acquired a 302-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) Windsor V8 below the hood. 1986 was the primary 12 months that digital gas injection changed carburetors within the City Automobile; this engine was rated at 150 horsepower and 270 pound-feet.

The jarring mashup of typefaces on the HVAC and radio controls of mid-Eighties Fords at all times makes me uncomfortable.

This automotive has the non-compulsory “wire-style” hubcaps, which price an additional $341 (about $920 in 2022 {dollars}). A number of flavors of aluminum wheels have been accessible on the ’86 City Automobile, however no true wire wheels.

The MSRP on this automotive was $20,764, or about $56,130 in the present day. The Cartier Version would set you again $25,235 ($68,215 now).

What changed the City Automobile? Vehicles.

Wealthy individuals on the valet stand argued endlessly over identical-looking Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, and Buicks, in line with this business. The 1986 LTD Crown Victoria and City Automobile regarded fairly comparable to one another, after all.

They’re dealin’ City Vehicles in Cell!

No surprise over 91,000 Cadillac house owners have switched to Lincoln within the final 5 years (maybe the Cimarron and V8-6-4 engine had one thing to do with that).

Although the Panther City Vehicles have been smaller and lighter than their large predecessors, they nonetheless rode like waterbeds.