This is a super rare Versailles. 1980 with a power moonroof with two tone paint and optional mag wheels. Even with the rust I would restore this car in a second. Thank you for making this video.
Kenneth Yes, I actually have the Marti report for it, there are for sure less then 3 exactly like it left in the world, so definitely a rare find and I’ll be restoring it, I’m just getting some other projects out of the way first, but I have it stored inside, safe and dry. Thanks for watching!
My late father bought a new Lincoln Versailles in 1980. It had the velour interior and the towing package. The 302-ci was more than enough to motivate the little Lincoln. I still have that car, only has 38-K on the odometer. I just love that old car!
@@CarswithNash I guess it is. Although it has more sentimental value to me than monetary. The only time I drive the ole girl is in dry summer weather. Thankfully there is not a bit of rust of the ole girl either. Have you restored your Lincoln Versailles yet?
@@MrMenefrego1 I actually traded this car to a good friend, he gifted it to his dad who is currently working on restoring it. If he gets it all done up I’ll try to have it back on the channel.
@@CarswithNash I'd love to see that, Matt. My Pop was a huge Ford, Lincoln & Mercury guy and so am I. I've owned a lot of cars in my 60 years but my first Ford, a Bronco, is my first love. You?
@@MrMenefrego1 I’ve owned over 80 cars so far, probably about 30% of those were Fords, I don’t have a strong brand preference to be honest, I kind of like a little of everything. I do still have a ‘94 Town Car and a 2001 Super Duty in the fleet.
Always loved this car. As a kid in the 80’s , I told my auto shop teacher that my dream car was to turn a 2 door Granada into a one of a kind Versailles Coupe. He literally laughed in my face. Either he stunted my creativity, or saved me a lot of trouble. I’m still not sure.
There are far more mature ways of saving you a lot of trouble, without stunting your creativity in the process. Unfortunately, my dad was too much like your shop teacher. So I finally quit telling him about my dream ambitions. That's how I can tell that my creativity was stunted.
MarqueX Not as yet, but I still fully intend to and I’ve kept it safely inside since the day I bought it. It’s a ways down my list of projects to be honest, I have a few cars all in pieces currently that need to go back together before I start on this one. I did get the Marti report for it, it really is about 1 of 3 with options factored in, extreme rare.
With just the minimal amount of money & effort that car could INDEED become snow worthy. In my opinion that it would be the main reason for owning one of these vehicles. I love the Lincoln Versailles model, & this one was obviously loved & cared for. You said u wouldn’t paint for a couple of years? With the way that rust is devouring the car; you better plan on doing so sooner than “in a couple of years.”
Will Maybe Rust is hardly “devouring” it, it has been stored inside since this video & remains in the same condition. I will get to the car when I have time to.
I had forgotten cars used to have four wheel disc brakes been so long. I remember when the Lincoln Town Car & Mercury Grand Marquis had the coach lamps which would light up when the lights are on.
Doug Mammaro Yeah it’s weird everyone was going to 4 wheel discs in the late 70’s and then later a lot of them went back to drums. My ‘79 Cadillac Eldorado also has 4 wheel disc brakes also. Yes the coach light are such a cool feature!
super20dan I love 351W's & the '77's had them but otherwise I prefer the styling of the '80 & of course the collectability. I didn't even realize just how rare this one was when I made this video... It's a Canadian model which makes it unique since it has a metric speedo, between that & the rare options & color I've figured out there can't be more then 3 cars exactly like this in the world.
The 77 was the ugliest, got better when the fixed the roof in 79, this got discontinued quickly in 80, as the 80 Continental 4dr was. Nicer. The guys at Lincoln told me that they didn't park a 77-78 Versailles any where close to a Monarch on the lot. Ford did this as they didn't have the money to do something like Cadillac did with the Seville In 76. It was never a good seller and Lincoln dealerships were not sorry to see it be discontinued
Indeed they are. They were frequently called the “Lincoln Granada” but were so much more. The dash & instrumentation needed to be upgraded to reflect “Lincoln” more than what they did. As someone earlier said, it looked just like the Granada dash set up. That was it’s major down fall, other than the roofline which WAS eventually corrected to appear more “Lincoln.”
These lines going to the master cylinder come from the power steering pump to provide the power assistance to the brakes. It's a GM design called Hydroboost. The car also has a GM A/C Compressor. I am surprised at all of the GM parts on a Ford. Ford traditionally makes their own stuff.
TheCLPVideos Yeah I’d figured that out since, this was the first time I ever ran across that kind of a braking system. I’m gonna have to get up close and personal with it at some point as the power steering makes a horrible noise and although it steers and brakes fine I think it needs some attention.
I had a 1977 Eldorado with the 425 and it had Hydroboost too, I read it was because all the emission equipment robbed the de-tuned engines of so much vacuum there wasn't any left for the brake booster!
Do you have an update video for your Versailles Matt? What a cool find! Just brought a '78 Grand Marquis home to Saskatchewan from Alberta last week, it too was in a field for a few years, but not bad considering, and no sign of critters. Would love to find a Versailles someday too.
Nice video. I remember when these cars first came out they were considered small, but compared to today's sedans they are full size. This is American luxury at its best.
Matt's Garage I'd always love luxury Lincoln's Cadillac's old school or new school like this Versailles my next door neighbor paid over$17,000 back in 80 his brother in-law had a 1979 Seville new these cars are timeless classic never go out of style i wish i can find one
Lonnie Frye Yes you're absolutely correct, I hadn't run across one before this car so it had me scratching my head at first. I'm planning to rebuild the power steering pump as it's loud, the brakes actually work great however. Thanks for watching!(-:
I think they stopped making these mid year in 1980, they came out with the 4dr Mark VI and these stopped selling. The Lincoln Dealer told me that once they redid this car it sold better but before they didn't park them very close on the lot to a Monarch ! LOL
califdad4 You are correct, that is the reason it was such a low production run. They were a little pricy for most people that were shopping for a car in that size range at the time, I really think that was the biggest thing they had against them. Maybe a more original platform would’ve helped more buyers overcome the price, however to me it just means it’s well built, that is a proven platform & then Lincoln refined & improved it even further.
I saw quite a few Mark VI 4dr's running around then, and lots of 76-79 Sevilles, but I think at the time, people didn't want to pay that much for a doctored Monarch, which is why some Lincoln dealers were heavily discounting them at the time. I remember a couple business guys in town, bought 2 of them, one for them and the other for their wives
If I had money to burn (which I don't 🙁) I would try to find a Granada coupe with the 4 speed Overdrive. I know a retired doctor who told me he used to have a 77 Granada with the 250 cubic inch Six and that manual overdrive. Sounds like that was fun to drive.
Michael Bacon I seen a Granada Coupe someone did up with Versailles parts, that looked pretty cool. Yeah a lot of those 70’s cars had manual options but were rarely ever ordered that way.
6:57 I love cars without center consoles; it's so nice not having that big plastic thing hitting my knee constantly. The storage is nice though; maybe a fold-down armrest with a storage box would be a good compromise. The rust isn't too bad for a car that age, but it will still be a big job if you want to restore it. I'm now patching a similar rust pattern on my 16-year-old Accord and while, for the first time in my life, I'm finding the cosmetic work easy, and I'm greasing up the vulnerable areas to keep it from coming back right away, I have no illusions that my car is really "fixed". I hope your welding skills are better than mine.
you got you a nice find, i drive an 82 chrysler fifth avenue, these 80s cars are so nice, replace fuses whether they need it or not, take a small fine tool and clean the contacts , the electric antenna may never work, try napa,
Ronald Huff I actually did some trading recently and this ended up with a friend, it’s a cool car but I ended up with a ‘47 International instead and that excites me even more.
This isa top of the line Lincoln Versailes, 2 tone paint, moonroof, landau roof,plus the options inside, I imagine Cruise Control, tilt steering, full hubcaps, although I don*t know if it came with alloy wheels, or alarm system, the continental kit, you don*t see cars like that anymore, also I wonder if there was engine options.
Enrique Lopez Those are actually alloy wheels, I’ve gotta polish them and then they will look very nice. This car even has the digital cassette deck, it is pretty much a fully optioned car, but then it has the velour seats, that is why is is really rare, most people would’ve got leather on a full load Lincoln. It’s also got a metric speedometer, all that factored makes it about 1 of 3 in the world, I have the Marti report on it that concurs with that too.
Enrique Lopez Oh and they originally offered an optional 351W engine, but I believe that was only for ‘77 and then after that it was just the 302. However the engines were not just any 302, they were specially balanced to ensure no vibrations. It’s pretty slow if I’m honest, it has good torque so it climbs hills well and stuff but it’s pretty sluggish for city driving etc. Mine probably needs a tune up but they were only rated @ 133HP lol!
@@CarswithNash isn*t that the year that they had some sort of computer, also I thought about the catalyst, maybe clogged up, when you say 302 cubic inches, the mustangs had that engine, but I also thought that the Ford Fairmont, Granada, & Mercury Monarch had that engine, the 302 would later become the 5.0 that the mustangs have also I believe the Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar also had those engines , what would make a difference is if you could somehow get your hands on a police interceptor engine, also wasn*t that the year it had a lot of smog equipment, that would slow the car down check those items, because EPA had regulated that for 1980 -.
FYI you can easily restore those wheels. Mine looked worse. All it takes is some Mother's aluminum polish and about 45 minutes per wheel. They will look new again.
Chris Lemaster They were the first to offer halogen headlights actually, I think they were the first American car to offer clear coat (they actually used clear lacquers in the 50’s) but BMW was using clear coat in the early 70’s. Many car were available with 4 wheel disc prior to the Versailles, by this time it was actually pretty common, my ‘79 Eldorado has factory 4 wheel discs as well.
Well they are listed under optional equipment on the Marty report…🤷♂️ It’s still not too bad rust wise, I will be able to fix it up pretty easily, just a matter of finding time to work on it.
Kirbys and Other Vacuums Too Thanks! Yes it is a beauty & just as nice to drive too. This is my son Nash’s favourite car of all the ones we own so I will likely never part with it.
David James I should be having a video coming up with an update on it, it’s moving on to someone with more time for it. When I bought it I had no immediate plans for it, I just bought it to save it from sitting in a field rotting, not one drop of water has got on it since I’ve owned it. I know a lot of people were interested in seeing me do some work on it but I just have not had that urge.
There were a few things that Ford could have done to make this car sell because it was a beautiful car on the outside, but the same Granada dash and seats. Shame that it did not sell well. Fuel injection would have been a competitive selling point on this.
jmkpns I agree, although they did change more them most people think, most of it was discrete or hidden but it does have a lot of little differences from a Granada. I can understand how they’d be a bad seller considering how much $ they were new. Of course none of that matters much now, it’s just a cool & unique car to me.(-:
It’s actually for sale currently, I’m having to downsize my collection and I’m looking for a good home for this one. Let me know if you’d actually be interested.
super20dan You can actually just replace the ignition control module with an MSD box or any such aftermarket box. I actually had a couple 80's Mustang's I ran a 6A MSD box on. There are also companies & or people that could repair the original part I'm sure if originality is a big issue.
yes I have heard of people doing distributor swaps on these. more concerned about reliability than originality under the hood. yours looks cool but I prefer the leather seats. nice car over all. hope to find one some day but would settle for a really loaded garanada ghia. they were close in looks and very plush. brother had one. beautiful car.
@@CarswithNash Yes I owned one of these. The Variable Venturi electronic carburetor was connected into the EEC and was problematic. Many were changed out because they would just go lean for no apparent reason and damage the motor.
Ron Dye Channel Good to know, well I may swap that, it does seem to work rather well though for how neglected it is the car still starts right up even after months of sitting & idles down right away. I will figure out the best course of action when I get to it, it is just a 302 so I’m not real worried, I can work with it regardless.
I heard that Tommy Chong is from Calgary, Alberta. Cheech Marin pointed that out while they were performing their hit "Me And My Old Lady" with the band War.
C&J FARMS Thanks! Yeah rust is never fun but the minty interior somewhat makes up for it & I do have the skills to fix it in time. If you haven’t already you should join the Facebook group for the Versailles, here’s the link: m.facebook.com/groups/256943971368375
i don't have FB, but i did look at it, i'm a big fan of the 78-79 town car/continental collector series 4 doors, and now like the versailles just as much!
C&J FARMS When I was younger my parent’s had a beautiful ‘79 Continental Town Car, light metallic blue will medium blue leather interior. Sadly those cars only came with an emission strangled 400 which was under powered & very hard on fuel.
The problem with these cars is Ford tried competing with the Seville by trying to turn the Granada into a New Yorker, and charge like it was a Maserati. It ended up looking like someone went wild with a JC Whitney catalog.
Chris Lemaster Haha, I think you’re just trying to get me going with that comment lol! As I’m sure you’re aware Lincoln made a lot of changes to that entire platform, the Versailles is a much better built car. Also there was nothing wrong with the Granada, Lincoln just improved on a good thing.
GM did a better job on the Seville, but Ford was short of cash about then and did this, the first 2 years it was hard to tell the difference between this and a Monarch from the side, but they did fix it a bit in 79 with that roofline
@@CarswithNash You are right about that! Complete upgraded 4 wheel disc brake system with the narrow Ford 9" rear end. Mustang guys are still searching for the rear ends and front spindles with larger brakes. Completely separate engine block casting with the electronic ignition and carb. Superb quiet, quiet ride.
Ron Dye Channel Lot’s of additional braces & bushings as well to prevent squeaks & rattles. Mine actually is nicer to drive then my Town Cars aside from the fact the seat doesn’t go back quite far enough for my long legs.
I hope you restored this car, you don*t see cars like this anymore, and to think these cars would compete with Cadillac, Chrysler(Dodge/ Plymouth,) and some of the european cars at the time, compared to the Mercedes Benz,& others.
Enrique Lopez I will certainly restore it. I did buy it on impulse basically to save it from sitting outside as it had been, so I gotta wrap up some other projects first, meantime it has a safe, dry, mouse free home and I enjoy looking at it.(-:
@@CarswithNash That*s the important thing, cars like this you don*t see anymore they are rare, with the new cars, that don*t have a bumper, they have a fascia, not like that Lincoln that has those bumpers, plus that car itself is like a limited edition, 2 tone paint, a moonroof very rare on those cars, plus it probably has cruise control, tilt steering, alarm system, premium package radio an d that is probably what would be considered between basic , & fully equipped, which included I believe mag wheels, painted the same color as the car, good luck on restoring the car, I am glad that you got such a rare car.
Why is the speedometer showing in kilometers? I've never seen a car of that vintage---let alone an American one---using metrics. Was it exported? Or did Ford think kilometers seemed more "European", like the mid-sized Mercedes cars it was attempting to compete with?
VW Golf Good eye, this is a Canadian car, I live in Canada, I actually did another little video later just talking about that detail as I had overlooked it during this video & it makes the car a lot rarer. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dk9d67i1EmU.html
...thanks for confirming. I thought something like that was the answer. I don't think even the European cars imported to America at that time had metrics even as an alternate setting. You have a great car there with lots of potential. Plus it's certainly a rarity; I've been to some car shows and cars like yours get more attention than even the '68 GTOs, Corvettes, and such.
Yes I agree the price was way too much for what the car was... But I do think at this point people need to drop the hate... It’s years later and the cars have their own market now that has no relation to the original price, they are a decent enough car if you ignore the original politics surrounding them.
Ford was so cheap they didn't even bother to conceal the windshield wiper blades! When GM took the Chevy Nova and made it into a Seville, at least they upgraded the exterior. The squared off roof, btw, was done by American Sunroof. This is why this in know as the Automobile Malaise Era! Just badly done!
Actually there are a ridiculous amount of differences from a Granada to a Versailles, I realize they didn’t change the styling as much as they should have but they actually put in a lot of effort into the car adding a sub frame connecter and tons of extra rubber insulators. The interior as well is pure Lincoln, very very plush and comfy.
@@CarswithNash Yes, and a better engine as well and the interior really is exceptional, just a shame they didn't use the same hood, windshield, etc. as the Granada/Monarch. Then there was the 1981 Lincoln Continental with the bustle back based on the Ford Fairmont platform.
Matt's Garage Dude calm down it's a nice ride but those seats have seen better days I bet there's all kinds of dna on those seats you should check🕵️ with one of those lights those seats have been thru prostitutes,drug deals,and multiple sexual acts 😨have been done on them plz do us both a favor and replace them but it's still a nice car
Joseph Smith I’m a IICRC trained & certified Master Textile Cleaner (now expired), the seats in this car are in near perfect condition & very cleanable, replacing them would be crazy. The car belonged to an old man with greasy hands, nothing gross about it. This car is extremely rare & has a 1 year only seat option, replacement seats don’t exist period.
Matt's Garage Now why in the hell would an old man have greasy hands? So your telling me that an old man wipe his "greasy" hands on those very dirty seats the whole time he had it and you don't find that gross?
Joseph Smith Wow buddy, I don’t know what to say, the car is 38 years old, I kinda expect the seats to be dirty, I plan to clean them... The old man was a cattle rancher & likely didn’t have the best personal hygiene, he wasn’t a diseased drug addict like your thinking.
I could just never get past the glaringly obvious Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch look of the Versailles. My mom had a Mercury Monarch, same color as this Lincoln, and while she loved it, I hated it. I remember that it said "Ride engineered" on the passenger side dash, and that was a joke; it rode about as well a Soap Box Derby car; it was an absolutely terrible ride. My 1978 Buick Electra/Park Ave., by comparison, quietly floated down the highway in complete luxurious serenity. I've also had several Lincoln Town Cars, and I loved them all. I would hope that this particular Lincoln here had a better ride than the Granada and the Monarch, but just seeing how much it looks like the very same car, I don't hold out much hope for THAT.
They actually changed up lots of things on these cars and they ride excellent. I've never driven or ridden in a Granada or Monarch, but I certainly can't imagine anyone saying the Versailles road poorly, it very much compares with a Town Car, more sporty maybe, but not more firm. I did end up selling this car to a collector who is starting to restore it. Rebadging is more popular than ever now and most if not all of the entry level luxury vehicles on the market today are just rebadged "normal" cars.
This was actually the very best iteration of the Falcon platform which was used for the Falcon, Mustang, Maverick, Granada etc, The Versailles was the only one that came with factory subframe connecters and tons of other additional bracing that actually made it a somewhat solid platform. The powertrain was definitely strangled by emission regulations but so were a lot of other cars at the time. Interior quality was about as good as it got or gets.
