1980's Luxury Lincoln Diesel and Cadillac Seville Bustleback 

I had a 1984 Mark VII LSC turbo diesel as my company car that year. A truly incredible Lincoln: it had every luxury feature, European road manners similar to an S class Mercedes and/or a 6 series BMW, and it still got over 30 mpg on the highway. Plus it had a hidden "James Bond" feature to eliminate tailgaters: flooring the accelerator pedal sent massive amounts of black smoke out the twin exhausts :)

I have always loved the Lincoln Mark VII, and still do. Great to hear the Moustachioed man owns one 😊

Those Fox body Marks were amazing cars. Good for Ford taking the risk in styling and the turbo diesel power plant. The styling was a huge win for them and was years ahead of GM.

As a car nut, I'm shocked I never read about this BMW/Lincoln imagination!

That 1984 Mark VII was the first car sold in the USA with composite headlamps, after months of the auto manufacturers petitioning the government to come away from the required standard sealed beams. It opened the door for all vehicles in the USA to have more "European" styling.

Hands down. Rick is the coolest guy that exists in our hobby. Jay, you're legendary, Dennis, all you guys. But Rick? Holy smokes. You take the cake. Who is running with me on this?

I love both cars and didn't know Lincoln had a diesel! 😮 I had two Seville's 84 and 85 commemorative! Awesome cars and rode like a dream. Miss them!

My dad had one of these Mark VII cars with the turbo diesel. Exact same gold color. The only thing it didn’t have was the sunroof and the fog lights. As a kid, I always loved playing with the CB radio that was in the center console. I don’t know if that was factory installed or installed by the dealership. My dad never had issues with the engine, but the airbags became problematic with leaks and it became a money pit and he eventually got rid of it because of that. He loved that car because of the fuel mileage as he was a traveling salesman for many years. I remember him always bragging about fuel mileage being superior and diesel being cheaper than gas at that time.

I have 5 of these diesel Mark VIIs and one of each trim. 2 LSCs, base, Bill Blass and the Gianni Versace. They are all beautiful, reliable and great fuel mileage. Piss slow but I dont care. A few things they didnt mention/didnt know. I have every and all documentation on these cars including letters from Ford from late 84. They discontinued the diesel option due to an oil embargo that was occurring and did not want to subject owners to the rising cost of diesel fuel. So then offered to buy the car back plus include a $2,500 voucher towards a 1985 Lincoln. However they would continue to service the car of owners chose to keep it. They were bad drivetrains, just not many made or sold. I daily drive mine all over and have 147k on my main one. Also, the Continental name ended in 85, not 84.

My first car was a 1981 Seville Eleganté light blue over dark blue with the V864 and I have to say I still miss that car over thirty years later. The most comfortable car I have ever driven. They were truly an underrated automobile. What a collection he has.

Both are beautiful cars, but that Lincoln is something else. It looks pristine! What a spectacular vehicle!

These came out when I was in high school. Man to this day I would drive either one.

The Cadillac!!💯💯

Nothing looks more gangster than a black humpback Seville love it

Omg. I'm so glad this show came up on my algorithm .I've been watching this show since 90s. I can't believe these cars are classics now. Very bizarre

Two real good American cars that we will miss them ,big time !

early to mid 1980s american luxury Diesels are really a place and time within a place and time. Thanks for another excellent upload, don't care if the video is new, this is some fine steel curio.

That Lincoln with the BMW engine is amazing ! I consider myself a car enthusiast and I’ve never known about this collaboration. Thanks for sharing.

I had a beautiful 80 Cadillac seville. It originally had the diesel, but previous owner converted to 350 olds. I didn't like them either back in the day, but now I think they are cool.

Wow. That Mark VII is in amazing original condition!! My father was the same when it came to cleaning and maintenance of his Cadillacs. Our weekly allowance was based off of both chores around the house and the upkeep of mom and dads vehicles. Their vehicles were always spotless and my education on routine maintenance started with both my own bikes and go carts along with oil and filter changes on their vehicles. Every time they went to get a new car, the vehicle they came out of was always in pristine condition. 👍🏻😎👍🏻

Interesting to see you cover a pair of 80's cars, and it's not at all unwelcome! I knew of the Seville, but the Lincoln Continental Mark VII always flew under the radar for me

Most diesel taxis back then in Germany and I dare say Europe were Mercedes and not BMW. Even today Mercedes is big in the taxi business and Mercedes diesel engines are legendary.

Drove an 85 LSC with the 5.0 when i was a teen , not mine, but what a car it was. Awesome cockpit .

I love the Seville. My grandparents had one with a mock convertible top. Beautiful!

Wow, awesome vlog! I always wanted one of those Mark VII Diesels. Ford killed it too fast and should have stuck it out. An intercooler would have been awesome (I could see an SVO Lincoln Mark VII spiced up with an intercooler). Those BMW 524TD's in Europe (and some imported to America) could easily last 250,000 miles. That car looks brand new.

I remember back in 1984, we went upstate to hunt deer in Windham. We took my friends Cadillac powder Blue Diesel. We stayed at a bed and breakfast near the property we were hunting. We get up at 5am, we got stuck walking 2 miles to our hunting spot because the Cadillac would not start. It was around 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature warmed up later in the morning. Great memories of that trip in that Diesel Caddy.

Nice cars !! When I was a kid my parents had a black 1984 Mark VII. It was black with a tan carriage roof. It was very sharp looking. It would be nice if that museum was open to the public.

I love the Seville

The bustleback came out with Bill Mitchell at the helm but the chief designer was Wayne Cady who drew the car and Wayne did a few videos on another channel talking about that process. Wayne has a mint one still and also another earlier spring 70 era Cadillac. He is a great guy to have as a guest. Good story teller.

I am absolutely in love with that Lincoln. Goodness 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Great '80's luxury. I have a '82 Lincoln Continental. 36,000 miles. 4 door version of this Mark.

A good road car is needed today.

Great video. I remember the Vixen 21 Motorcoach had that same BMW diesel engine.

Wonderful.I've never seen a Lincoln video with such a wide angle!

Beautiful, legendary cars.

Both cars are beautiful in each and every way in my opinion, but the sound that the Lincoln makes is just something else.

GORGEOUS Lincoln! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing it. WOW!!

❤❤❤❤ Mark vii so much! I grew up in a Mark 7 and 89 town car. So many amazing memories. Mom let me drive the Mark in a parking lot when I was 10. I will never forget how the tires lit up when I tapped the gas. From that point ibwas hooked on American V8 torque.

the lincoln is stunningly beautiful

I had a 1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC the exact same color, inside and out, as the LSC that this gentleman has in his collection, and it's forever going to remain a favorite of mine out of the many, many cars I've owned. To learn that Dennis Gage, a man who is a living legend in the automotive community, with his experience of driving so many different vehicles, and his vast knowledge, chose to own a Mark VII which he drives daily, makes it even cooler. If it weren't for that notorious AOD transmission failing (the version of the AOD that the LSC has is rare because it's like the Towncar transmission, but with the Mustang floor shifter, making it unique because no other other Ford product uses it) I'd still have that car. It was gold, cleawindows, low miles, spotless tan leather interior, an awesome sterio system, mirror tinted window, spotless chrome accents (bumpers, window trim, etc.), working climate control, Mercedes benz look a like rims that had the gold plated lincoln emblem in the middle, a moon roof, on fresh airbag suspension, and that high output 4.9l (5.0 from mustang GT) it would've been so easy to tune up. It was a beautiful gentleman's express, like an American version of the SEC 500 Benz, and an absolutely clean example that was owned by an elderly couple who owned it from new. Even though i now have a 2005 Mercedes Benz CLK500, I still miss that Mark VII a lot.

I loved my old '85 Seville just like this one, except mine had white leather, painted roof w/ Sun Roof. When I was an extra in the Heat of The Night TV series they used many times on the show. After the show ended, I sold it to a guy that collected In the Heat of the Night props and things.

Great history on these cars. As always, Thanks Dennis 👍👍👍

My ‘85 Seville had a factory-installed cabriolet roof. You can tell a factory-installed roof because it doesn’t have the “snaps” that are visible on Sally’s Seville. I never had any issues with the 4100….but I bought it in 2009 from a well-known Cadillac collector.

Those sevilles looked great in two-tone- one of the few cars that did (in the Elegante trim). Could see this one with a silver on top, and that beautiful charcoal on bottom (divided at the upper belt-line chrome spear.

In the mid 1990s i worked at a gas station in high school. There was a diesel Lincoln a guy had. He pulled up to the diesel pump and flipped the lever. As a teenage kid, i ran over telling SIR THATS TYE DIESEL PUMP!! He shrugged me off and said its a BMW diesel in my Lincoln. Well, i got a good gander under that hood after that. I wonder where that us now.

My First Car was a ‘90 Bill Blass, silver. I was 15. Paid $2,200 for it. Loved that car!

The 1980 model year was originally available with Cadillac’s 368 with fuel injection and without the cylinder deactivation. Then came the V8-6-4. In ‘83 the first iteration of the HT4100 came out with absolutely horrible block castings and overheating issues. They have the smooth valve covers. These are all pretty much boat anchors after 60,000 miles no matter how well you took care of them and drove them easy. In later 1984-85 GM improved the block castings and overheating issues on the 4100 which is those with the finned valve covers. The infamous Olds 350 Diesel was an available option every year 1980-85.

My grandad on my father’s side bought one of the Mark 7s with the diesel in 85 but I honestly don’t remember it having a turbo. I do remember how pissed my grandma was when he came home with it. As a 11 year old kid in 85 this thing was like a shuttlecraft out of Star Trek and I was always playing in it with my brothers; making the seats and windows move, annoying the hell out of my grandad. Years and a couple divorces later I ended up with it for a time after my dad left his second wife and it was pretty much my wife’s first car. It was reliable for a young working couple with a few exceptions. Had the starter go out and couldn’t find anyone willing to work on it mainly because it was near impossible to change it without a lot of work. Lucked out with a buddy who was a mechanic at the time and he Mickey moused it out. The air suspension was bad but I could at least keep it inflated when in use but it would always sag down after an hour. Looked into replacing them in the 90s and was told to just get rid of it. Traded it in eventually but I still have fond memories of it. Wish I could confirm if it had a turbo and I definitely don’t remember seeing any turbo badging. Being a 11 year old and a huge Knight Rider fan, had it been there I probably would’ve noticed.

Very nice cars

Love the look of the Caddy. Always have. Sally knew styling.

I currently own 92 LSC SE in garnet red over black interior. Its in amazing condition and drives wonderful! Dont think I'll ever sell it.

I find it hilarious that he called that lincoln a modern compact aerodynamic european inspired car. As a European this car just screams american boxy 80s car. Still, very interesting car.

I would love to get my hands on one of the Diesel Mark Vii's. I daily an 89 LSC and love the hell out of it. I'm so glad there's more people out there that love this car too. Cadillac is okay 😂

My 2 favorite cars when i was in High school ❤❤❤

I once owned an '89 MK VII LSC. Loved the car, it looked fantastic, drove great, especially with the 5.0 engine. Only problem, with the sunroof, not enough head room for me (6'4"), living in the northeast, driving with sunroof open in winter (lol) wasn't a great option!

My father had an '84. It treated us very well. I remember the lack of power - but our other car at the time ('83 Impala wagon) had a similar lack of power. It had that MPG gauge in the dash - I remember we'd average about 17mpg. It had one quirk - the steering wheel was not self centering - you had to haul the wheel back if you wanted to stop turning. I thought it looked a bit odd at the time, today, I do think the looks have aged very well.

Love my 96 and 98 dodge cummins diesel trucks

So strange, that diesel engine suits the Lincoln so well. What a great cruiser.

I had one of those continentals with a diesel in it fuel mileage was fantastic

Fantastic 👍

I always thought the bustle back Seville looked like a truck rear-ended it.

As someone into oddballs, both these are very appealing to me but the diesel Lincoln is way way cool. Awesome color, awesome cloth seats, awesome car!

I love it, congratulations in your excellent stewardship.

I didn't like em at first, then they grew on me, and I wanted one.

my mom got a new 1983 Seville, with the notoriously bad HT4100 engine. Lots of problems. New camshaft at 8K miles. My dad's 1981 Eldorado had the infamous V8-6-4 engine, which was also a crap engine. I had a 1976 Seville with the standard Olds engine. Bulletproof engine, BUT the fuel injection was crappy. Many owners swapped out a carb for the fuel injection. My mom had a new 1978 Park Avenue with olds 403, another really good engine. My dad's last car was a 2004 Escalade with Vortec 6.0 liter. A really good series of engines.

gotta love Ricks Collection

I really did not like this car when it first came out. But to look at it now 40 years later, that’s a pretty slick package very attractive. Guess I got old.

I enjoyed every bit of that.

Great car, shame Ford didn’t keep the BMW diesel.

My grandma special ordered a 1986 Continental with those same wheels. This is only the second car I’ve seen with them.

One of the wealthiest guys in town bought a brand new 84 Continental Mk VII when I was in HS. I used to ride my bike extra slooowwww by his driveway just so I could ogle it. 😂. I’d love to get one like that ‘88 LSC shown. I also flipped for the bustleback Sevilles came out! Especially in 2 tone maroon over silver.

Nice video. Lots of affection for Sally

I've had both of these vehicles and can tell you they are polar opposites. I grew up with the Seville, my dad owned one. And it is very old school in both feel and design. It was a lot more elegant and posh than the Mark VII ever was. Everything in the Seville was squared, covered in faux wood, and pillow-topped. It made you feel like you were the center of attention. In fact, the Bill Blass Mark VII was Lincoln's attempt at that, but it simply didn't fit the Mark. The Mark VII was designed to be the car of the future and was way ahead of its time. It was the first American car with composite headlights, the first with ABS, it had a driver oriented cockpit style dash, no squares, it was aerodynamic, powerful (5.0 HO) had all wheel disc brakes, and probably the best buckets seats ever designed for a Lincoln. The ride was tight and cornered really well. I've owned three, a charcoal grey '89 LSC, a blue '88 LSC, and an all black '87 LSC and every person that ever asks about the car assumes it's a lot newer than it really is.

I worked in a Lincoln/Mercury dealership from 1979 to 1981. That's a bit before this cars time but I don't remember ever hearing that Ford but a diesel engine an a Lincoln.

Hell yeah my brother 🔥 🙌 💪 💯

The Mark 7 was a popular ride back in the day ! Many were seen on the roads !

I CAME ACROSS ONE OF THESE IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ MANY, MANY YEARS AGO. AND THE OWNER SAID IT WAS AN EXTREMELY RELIABLE CAR, AND THAT IT HAD OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT. AND IT'S ONLY FAILURE EVER WAS A BLOWN FUSE.

Always envisioned having a Lincoln powered by a diesel Maybe one day !!

Dennis you are twin to my late buddy kirk wineman he also was a car guy .same glasses,stash and wore a hat too. you even sound same..

Love these super rare weirdo diesel model cars. Especially those Caddy Seville ones with either the bulletproof 4.3 v6 dsl or the trouble maker 5.7. No doubt about the fuel mileage on the BMW Diesel, i am not the biggest fan of them but still cool. I'd rather a Mercedes one much more simple.

10:29 I'd say 95% of inline diesels in cars and light trucks are slanted, even today. Diesels tend to have long strokes compared to the bore, making them relatively tall. Since space is needed for subframes, suspension, steering components etc, the engines are installed slanted so that the aforementioned components have the space they need, while maintaining good body design and proportion, with the hood height not being cartoonishly high to clear the tall engine.

My mom drove an 87 Seville that was originally purchased by my grandparents. Hated it when I was young. Thought it was such a dated looking car. The next car my mom got was a Cimarron... Started missing the Seville after that.

I drove one if the first ones in 1984 with the turbo diesel. It ran fantastic. It had dual exhaust too. However, as is typical of a diesel it smoked a lot when you really stepped on it, but it ran great!

Fantastic euro american coupe, coupe sedan, with great wheels and modern design.

When I was a kid my parents had a nearly exact clone of that Mark VII. 84 Bill Blass turbo diesel with the same pin stripes and color but ours had full leather.

I currently own an 83 Seville identical to that vehicle except for mine car is two-tone, silver and black with a black top carriage roof. I also once owned a bill blass edition 1988 Mark 7. It was not the finest example but I would like a nice clean one someday.

I had an 87..... barely made it to 80k miles.....that being said, i would have it again in a hearbeat

I owned a 1985 Mark VII LSC. Great car! You will note that 1984 and 1985 Mark VIIs did not have the Lincoln name outside or in. It was just a Continental Mark VII. Harkening back to those days when Continental was its own division.

What a collection, and these two do not dissappoint, although I thought they would. If it's the same guy I'm thinking of.

Excellent video, very good choice of a car comparison. However, I am surprised that you did not pop the trunk & show the inside of the trunk considering the trunk design of both cars. Thanks for the video.

I remember when I was a kid seeing paint cracking on Cadillacs and now I know it was a quality control issue.

the mark vii is a handsome car, very well designed

i like cadillac Seville bustleback. lincoln mk7 diesel nice too.

Had an 1985 Seville bustleback HT 4100 V8 not fast but the ride was like being on a cloud. Only had 12,500 miles on it sold it in 2021 didn’t want too miles on it only things wrong was the bumper fillers where shot.

Lincoln e aqui do Brasil sonhando

The 4100 was pretty well sorted by 1985, slow but not a reliability problem anymore. It became truly great as it evolved into 4.5 and 4.9 litre form.

I have a client than ordered his truck during the height of the pandemic. He picked 12 of the 13 restricted options. He asked for the order number and it had a vin within 24 hours,, within 3 days it was shipped, and was at our dealership within the week.

Wow !!!!!

On the Mark 7 I noticed how they integrate the bumpers versus on the Lincoln Town Car for 1984. When the bumper on the Town Car was redesigned for 1985 it looked much better.

As an european, its really weird seeing a Cadillac driving by with the BMW diesel clatter.