The Lincoln Continental was a series of luxury cars produced between 1939 and 2020 by Lincoln, a division of Ford. It is interesting to note, the model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edsel Ford. In what would give the model line its name, the exterior was designed with European “continental” styling elements, including a rear-mounted spare tire. In production for over 55 years across nine different decades, Lincoln has produced ten generations of the Continental. The Lincoln Continental was produced for a long time. Did your parents own one?
Lincoln Continental Generations
There were 10 generations of the Lincoln Continental produced between 1939 and 2020. This was a car with staying power, with a mind-numbing number of generations. It is noteworthy that this car was produced, for a time, with a huge V12 engine. Here are the 10 generations.
First Generation
The Lincoln Continental debuted for the 1940 model year, and through 1942 shared largely the same body design with each other, with push-button door catch releases displacing the previous lever-type handles for 1941; the Continental received minimal updates from year to year.
Second Generation
After an eight-year hiatus, for the 1956 model year, the Lincoln Continental nameplate made its return; to launch the vehicle, Ford created a namesake “Continental” division centered around its new flagship vehicle. To again highlight the European influence of the original Continental, Ford assigned the Mark II suffix to the new Continental (also in an effort to distinguish itself from the similar Bentley Continental). Slotted well above Lincoln-Mercury, Continentals would be marketed and serviced through the Lincoln dealership network.
Third Generation
To build a better business case for its flagship and the division that marketed the vehicle, the Continental model line underwent extensive changes for the 1958 model year. To widen its sales potential, Ford required Continental to reach a $6,000 price point ($65,391 in 2024 dollars) (a 40% reduction from the Mark II), allowing the division to better compete against Cadillac Eldorado and Imperial LeBaron. To allow for production at a larger scale, the Continental model line was more closely integrated with Lincoln, differing primarily in roofline, trim, and grille.
Fourth Generation
For the 1961 model year, the Lincoln range was consolidated into one model. Following the $60 million in losses ($637,727,784 in 2024 dollars) to develop the 1958–1960 cars, all models were replaced by a new Lincoln Continental. Making its first appearance since 1948, the fourth-generation was available only as a four-door sedan and convertible until its 1966 model year refresh; it was truly a luxury car. The 1961 four-door sedan was listed at US$6,067 ($63,839 in 2024 dollars) and manufactured 22,303, while the convertible was listed at US$6,713 ($70,636 in 2024 dollars ) and manufactured 2,857.
Fifth Generation
For the 1970 model year, Lincoln introduced the fifth-generation Lincoln Continental. Building on the success of the Mark III introduced the year before, Lincoln sought to modernize the Continental for the 1970s after a nine-year production run. Although shorter in wheelbase and slightly narrower than 1958–1960 Lincolns, the addition of 5-mph bumpers makes 1977–1979 Lincolns the longest automobiles ever produced by Ford Motor Company.
Sixth Generation
With the impending adoption of federal fuel-economy standards (CAFE) making the large cars of the 1970s a potential financial threat to Ford Motor Company, for 1979, Ford and Mercury full-size sedans underwent extensive downsizing; Lincoln became the final American brand to release a downsized model range for the 1980 model year. In another extensive model change, the Lincoln Continental became the counterpart of the newly introduced Continental Mark VI, the first Mark series model range smaller than its predecessor.
Seventh Generation
Lincoln entered the 1980 model year facing a critical issue regarding the competitiveness of its brand. Though the introduction of the Lincoln Continental and Mark VI both placed Lincoln in compliance with CAFE regulations and delivered the division an all-new model line, after the discontinuation of the Lincoln Versailles in early 1980, the Lincoln line now consisted of two full-size sedans that were functionally identical to each other. Though the premium Mark VI was fitted with different interior trim, it offered little visual changes over the Continental beyond its hidden headlamps, oval opera windows, and rear bodywork (featuring the “spare tire” trunklid of the Mark series).
Eighth Generation
By the late 1980s, the Continental’s luxury segment had changed markedly from a decade before. In addition to traditional competitors Cadillac and Chrysler, the Continental now competed against Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, and eventually the top-of-the-line vehicles of Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti. In anticipation, the Lincoln Continental was completely re-engineered, starting with the development of eighth eighth-generation model in the 4th quarter of 1981.
Ninth Generation
For the 1995 model year, the Lincoln Continental underwent a substantial restyling. It launched on December 26, 1994; The new Continental used styling cues from the Lincoln Contempra concept car, unveiled in early 1994. Production commenced at Wixom Assembly in November 1994. While the body was all-new, the Continental shared underpinnings with the previous generation. In a departure from the previous generation, the Continental received a V8 engine for the first time since 1987 and more closely matched the Northstar V8 engine that Cadillac was using at the time. The 1995–2002 Continental was the only production vehicle in which a Ford Modular family engine was mounted transversely, and the only one to use it in a Front Wheel Drive application. The base price for the 1995 Continental at launch was $40,750 (equivalent to $86,400 in 2024).
Tenth Generation
After a fourteen-year hiatus, the tenth-generation Lincoln Continental went on sale in the fall of 2016. Previewed by a namesake concept car at the 2015 New York Auto Show, the 2017 Continental succeeded the Lincoln MKS and was manufactured at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly. Production of the Continental ended on October 30, 2020, without a replacement for the full-size sedan segment.
Conclusion
Amazingly, the Lincoln Continental lasted so long. It was expensive and a large gas-guzzler. As such, it was not very economical. Within the Lincoln model line, the Continental has served several roles, ranging from its flagship to its base-trim sedan. From 1961 to 1976, Lincoln sold the Continental as its exclusive model line. The model line has also gone on hiatus three times. From 1949 to 1955, the brand was briefly retired. In 1981, the Continental was renamed the Lincoln Town Car to accommodate the 1982 seventh-generation Continental. After 2002, the Continental was retired, largely replaced by the Lincoln MKS in 2009; in 2017, the tenth-generation Continental replaced the MKS.
