Luxury=plush interior big 460, eats rough roads for dinner, has a hood as long as I90. Room for an entire family and all day comfort. I love the old cars! They did so well traction wise in the winter because of their sheer weight. American steel, ya baby! My uncle had the Lincoln Continental, Grand parents had a Cadillac, Parents had an Oldsmobile, Brother had a Cougar, and me, I had 72 International pickup truck. Then the gas crunch hit and everyone got the Datson B210's hahaha!
I grew up in the North east by the Canadian border. Salt wasn't used on the roadways yet but fly ash and sand was. And my folks grew up in Northern Minnesota, same thing where salt wasn't used on roads. We had studded tires and chains if got bad enough. The weight of the vehicles helped maintain traction. Steering and breaking were an art form all it's own but we had frozen lakes to practice on haha.
Yeah those tires help, without them they'd be stuck most of the winter. I expected another one of those "I've ran all season tires for 20 years and never had a problem" people.
No, I'm not one of "those" people. I'm the kind that believes no matter what bicycle you ride if you put a card in the front spokes you get 20 more horse power.
Sammy T, tell me how that even makes any sense. Why would a classic in 'as is' condition be worth more if it is in horrific and disgusting condition compared to a classic that has been faithfully and meticulously restored to drop-dead-gorgeous perfection.
That old Mark V is 40 years old and still running. There won't be a single one of those new Continentals on the road in 40 years due to the electronics and plastic parts endemic in today's cars. The Mark V may not have much value as a classic now, but it'll appreciate in value as time goes by.
Are you kidding?!... most cars today will just start to get old about the 10 year mark just because of all the plastic parts that don't rust away. Electronics might die but they can be replaced easily.
I own a 1990 Lincoln Mark VII LSC Special Edition, with the factory 4-corner air ride and factory 5.0L high-output 302 Windsor V8 w/4-speed auto and RWD. 0-60 8 seconds wasn't bad at all back in the day. I love my Mark VII, an old-school hot rod Lincoln!
Old Lincoln's were like driving a hovercraft with zero noise from the engine or road. It was common to hear someone grind the starter in a parking lot because they forgot the engine was already running and couldn't hear/feel it idling.
And you chose a Lincoln built in 1978?!?! By then they robbed engines of so much horse power and put them into 5500 pound cars. Even though it would still beat one considerably, I would have chose a Lincoln built in between 1967 and 1970.
Size matters. That old one is way cooler. Also, imagine an engine of that size built out to modern specs instead of 40 year old smog specs. I bet a Ford Triton V10 would fit in there.
you could make the 460 stupid fast...i had a company truck,1989 e350 460ci cargo van that was really quick and that one was rated at 225 hp and 390 foot lbs...the 78 was 209 hp and 356 foot lbs at 4 and 2k respectively...a good carb and a tune could net 100 hp in that old crate (not sure why anyone would)
I just put a Vortec Supercharger on my P-71 Police Crown Victoria and added 140 HP to the rear tires as per my dyno after the install. Can you imagine a larger supercharger with dual quads, street slicks and a Borla cat back!
American luxury cars have changed in demeanor A LOT of the last 20yrs. They went front the giant, floaty Town Car and Deville to the new Continental and CT6, both are, without argument, much sportier in appearance and driving demeanor. IMO, they lack that character that defined the American luxury sedan. Even as nice as they are.
That's because the German luxury cars outsold them, so now they're copying the Germans by making them sportier. Land yachts just didn't sell well anymore.
mbd501 you're probably correct. Traditional American luxury cars drove more along the lines of a Rolls Royce (not as nice of course). Now everything luxury seems like it's trying to recreate what BMW offers. Even Mercedes and Lexus have changed a lot toward the sport sedan image. I find it boring. No variety!
palebeachbum i couldent agree more.the big floaty body on frame cars are gone. cadillac it busy tryjng to be bmw. cadillac makes a nice car but it isent what im lookin for when i want a luxury car anymore
Bigtruckseriesreview Motorsports I miss the town car, yes it was old design but you couldn't kill the Damn thing...It didn't care about being the fastest because nobody was racing them they were cruising cars.
Roman, I might be a wee bit biased, but I do own a sweet pair of Mark Vs, bit there is just something majestic about the appearance of the big Mark. Hidden headlights, clean,crisp, sharp lines. What a grand looking machine. Also, I sure feel really good going down the big wide open freeways. Thanks Roman and company. Good episode.
My Mom had a Lincoln Continental Mark IV, and my Dad got a new '77 Mark V, both had 460ci engines, but the older Mark IV was faster. The old Lincoln test car did pretty good for a 39 year old car. The thing I like about the old cars is room to spread out a bit, with an out of the way column shifter, and bench seats. I just bought a new '17 Camry for my wife, and your knee's are kept close together. It seems auto makers are more concerned about the center console, than comfort.
If you are gonna use displacement as the performance gauge for the old school Linc, you made a bad choice of test vehicles. A Mark from pre-1971 would have been appropriate. By the time the Mark you're testing (looks like a '76-'77) was produced, emission regulations choked out HALF the horsepower of that V-8. I think it still would've been slower, but it would have been a more honest comparison. Having said that, I'm glad y'all had fun doing this video.
I have a 77 Mercury Marquis with 460 V8. To be honest I proud owner one of the last real full-size with big block roll out from Detroit. Nobody will remember how looks like the Conti in 2017, but nobody gonna forget how cool these old classic american cars. And one more thing: I don't even need to touch the gas pedal, just enjoy the ride.
you guys should have done a full review of the new Lincoln Continental, you guys finally got it. hopefully this will not be the last video with the new Lincoln Continental!!!
+Matthew Wheeler we would love to do more video reviews with this Conti but we got it during the 4th of July Holiday and we were lucky to get this video produced.
I will keep my 2009 Lincoln Town Car as long as I can. Why are all modern luxury cars worried about speed and looking like a sports car? Where are the air riding boats with more modern engines. I like going slow and maximum comfort with little road noise.
Hey everyone can ya'll please like this post? I meet Roman at a event, and they brought the new Continental, and I spoke with him and the others. It's an honor to speak with Roman about the car, and my Firebird. Hopefully we'll meet again guys.
I still like the wide open sound of the 460 engine on the old Lincoln as opposed to the new 6 cylinder. Another thing that baffles me is the 0-60 times. 7.3 seconds to 60 on a 400hp twin turbo? That's not very good by today's standards. Naturally aspirated V6 engines with much less power in comparable sized sedans get better times than this.
GianMaria Volonte At 1 mile above sea level that figure will be less than 300 as there is less oxygen density. Reason why athletes train at high altitudes.
The '78 is 5000 pounds.. with a 2.50 rear end gear. The new lincoln is significantly lighter, twin turbo charged, and much quicker gearing. For fun, I'd like to see this same race with a low geared rear end on the '78. Guaranteed different outcome
My grandfather owned a '79 Continental with the much-maligned 400M engine. When he sold it in '89 with about 50K miles on it, I *so* wish I had bought it.
Not really a fair comparison but still entertaining. For the record, is you are going to be talking about actual specs of cars- give the correct numbers. The 460 cu. in. V8 in the Lincoln was rated at 210 HP @ 4200RPM and the torque was rated at 358 ft lb @ 2800 (as opposed to your "about 200 horsepower and about 400 lb ft. of torque". Also, if you are going to bother to make a video based upon speed, give the 0 to 60mph times of BOTH cars. (back in its day at closer to sea level this car would do 0 to 60 in about 9.5 to 10.5 seconds).
And that is exactly it, they always expect 50 to 80 year old automobiles to work as though they were off the factory. It's hilarious how dumb America is now, from what I grew up as an adult in the 50's witnessing, almost tearing up from pride because of pure intelligence, to this sad democracy. And they keep using these old automobiles in crashes, comparing to brand new modern cars, and calling it perfectly fair.
I remember years ago cruising with friends doing up their civics etc. learned real quick not to race those luxury cars. Things are faster than they look. Remember getting embarrassed by some Oldsmobile turns out a lot of those cars had V8s
Had an aunt that had a T Bird that looked very similar to the old Lincoln, I remember how much the body rolled when the car took any turn, lord we thought that was class back then!
Guess which one of those two front wheel assemblies gives the smoothest ride and won't break the first time you hit anything but the smallest crack in the road.
That Mark V has sat outside for too long. Poor car. This is not even close to a fair competition. "Let's run a beat up, nearly 40 year-old Lincoln against a new twin turbo Lincoln." The Mark V is still a better road machine.
I'd love to have the old one for Sunday drives and the new one for every day use. The styling of the old one was great in it's day, but now it looks loaded with layer upon layer of unneeded do dads to fluff it up to be right in your face like all luxury cars of it's time. The new one looks smooth and classy without being too pretentious.
Somewhere, the market forgot what a luxury car is, and got to thinking it's merely a vehicle with a cramped interior, hard suspension, and leather seats.
I'd restore that poor continental first. Complete repaint to a really nice sparkly red that fits the period. Get rid of that rust, clean the interior up, get a nice Borla exhaust on there, and some modest engine work and cleanup mechanically. If I had the money, it's what I'd do on a beautiful Continental like that.
Not the best comparison video. For starters, "luxury" was never measured by the number of cylinders. It was measured by ride comfort, sound isolation and amount of amenities that comes with the car to create a comfortable driving experience; soft suspension, cruise control, air conditioning, auto dimming headlights, intermittent windshield wipers, stereo system that gives you the option to play your own music (tapes or CDs), remote trunk release, power windows, power seats, power door lock, climate control, external temperature, lumbar seat adjust, anti-lock breaks, trip computer, power glass moonroof, illuminated vanity mirrors, hood ornaments, bodyside moldings, vinyl tops, coach lamps are among the items only offered on luxury cars back at the time the 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V. Many of these features today are offered on base- Ford econoboxes. Also, you could have found a 4-door Lincoln Continental Town Car from 1978 and one in much better condition than the one you displayed in this video.
I have a 78 Continental, and it's great. Although I do plan on swapping the engine out for something more powerful and fuel efficient, like the Chrysler Pentastar engine
CerealBro1 nah gotta piss people off even more, an audi 20VT 1.8L 4 cylinder. You can tune those things up to some crazy numbers, seen one once with 1000 wheel horsepower
Shit man thats actually insane. I'm not nearly as familiar with the Audi engines but I might look into that now, but my only issue now would be money and finding an engine. I already have a Pentastar from a wrecked Jeep Wrangler, and I also plan on using the radio and speakers from it in order to ensure that it is a fun and more modern feeling vehicle that I can daily drive
OK, but the 3.6 Pentastar has more horsepower, a little less than 100. But more importantly, It has more than a 100 less of torque though. The 7.0 is a better engine in performance here, however, due to its incredible weight, I doubt it makes the difference. And as far as smoothness, fuel efficiency and tech is concerned, the Pentastar definitely wins.
That 1978 Mark V's 460 was an early low compression, smog engine. Same thing with the 460 in the 1972-1976 Mark IV, that was also a low compression, early smog engine. To bad you couldn't get a hold of a 1968- 1971 Mark III? The 460 in those years Mark's were high compression, non smog 460's, they were putting out 365 hp and 500 ft lb of torque. The new Continental might beat it, but not by as much.
I have a 1979 Mark V Continental and love it. I will definitely get one of the new ones when they become cheaper. I have a 2010 Town Car and it is also a dream to drive.
Youhatethetruthbutyourmomlovesit reminds me of a conversion van my grandpa used to have. My friends absolutely loved riding in it due to how cushy it felt lol
Yea me too when i was 20 i bought a 98' continental Turns out the damn compressor burnt out cus the bags were ripped. It was bouncy like a lowrider till I switched to coils. Not as smooth but it is still a very reliable car for its age and 160,000 miles
My best friends mom had a Continental back in 1983. IF we packed six in the car and all of us chipped in $2 for gas we could go about 50 miles. After that we were praying to get home.
you could do a few things to the old Conti. Take off the Smog System would be the first thing i would do increase the hp there and then change out the carb.
I have a 1978 mk v coupe, at the end of this match between the new Lincoln Vs the '78 the question is posed... Which would you rather own? Long story short; My best friend of 32 years was in Everett Washington was on life support. 60 yards from the Fort Lewis 120 exit sign, I was struck by a f$%king Prius doing 35 at a 45 degree angle. the worst of the damage was that the rubber strip on the driver side of the bumper got pulled out. All I had to do was use a dent mallet to set it back in. Had I owned the new Lincoln in this video, it would have been totaled.Sure, AWD with 400BHP is pretty attractive, but that ride doesn't turn heads, and if that 460 7.6ltr had EFI backed by twin turbos... The Monty Carlo SS and Buick Grand National would have some trouble; not to mention every high powered import. Still, I like the idea of a Personal Luxury Coupe that is now a classic. Maybe not the classic most are after, but a classic none the less that is far more reliable than any new computer reliant, thin sheet metal look good issue. Every time I look at the front of my 1978 Coupe "Black Bird", I see the American version of a Rolls Royce; of course, that is just me.
Weird .... the piano piece was something I learned 35 years ago and had forgotten about ... now I remember the name "Gymnopodiea" (or something close to this...)
How about we twin turbo the 460 with better exhaust and stiffen up the back suspension and put on some of those low profile low resistance tires and synthetic lube all the way around on the old bird. Then we'll test the 0 - 60 times. My guess is it would be pretty damn fast. Even with the new Lincoln in the trunk.
I love the new one. It's as close as you're gonna get to old-school luxoboat in a new car. But yeah, the old one just wins hands-down in style, ride, presence, etc. Nobody gives a rip about 0-60 times in a car like that!
I was just watching episodes of the 1978 tv series Vega$, where you can see Continentals in action against our hero Dan Tanna's '57 Thunderbird. That T-bird had anywhere between 212 to 300hp. Lots of body roll during those car chases!
Thanks for sharing. I love both vehicles, so I enjoyed your video. I just found two Mark V Diamond Jubilee for sale on Hemmings today. I found five 3.0L 2017 Linc Cont available for sale in 500 miles of me, according to Carguru. Do I want transportation or work of art? xox
