1988 Lincoln Continental 3.8L V6 4AT FWD (140 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Lincoln introduced the eighth generation of the Continental in late December 1987 for the 1988 model year, and it came with a surprisingly new platform and a unibody construction.

When Ford introduced the first generation of the Taurus in 1985, it enjoyed great success. The car became an instant hit, and sales went through the roof. Furthermore, many credited the Taurus for saving Ford from bankruptcy. However, the blue-oval brand had an even brighter idea: to create an upscale model based on the same DN5 platform as its best-selling sedan, and the result was the 1988 Lincoln Continental. Even if the mid-size luxury vehicle didn’t share any body panel with its sibling, it relied on the same proven underpinnings. Moreover, the upscale brand took a different approach to the car’s interior and advanced onboard technologies for those times.

While the seventh generation of the Continental had a wedged shape with quad rectangular headlights, its successor came with wide headlamps and corner-mounted turn signals. Between them, the automaker installed a shorter and narrower grille adorned by chromed vertical slats. Above it, on the hood, Lincoln placed its badge as an ornament. At the same time, the wrapped-around plastic bumper was flush with the bodywork and sported a chromed trim on the upper area.

Even though it shared its underpinnings with the Ford Taurus, the 1988 Lincoln Continental had a completely different styling. It had a slightly ascending waistline that ended with a tall deck at the back, while the greenhouse featured an almost vertical rear window, which was characteristic of other limousines, such as the Lincoln Town Car, albeit with smoother lines. At the back, the automaker installed broad taillights that emerged from the rear quarter panels onto the trunk lid. These were decorated with upper and lower chromed trims, emphasizing the car’s luxurious character.

Inside, Lincoln tried its best to make the 1988 Continental a good-looking and comfortable companion. At the front, customers found a velour-covered bench seat with a folding double armrest. When lowered, there was room for two occupants. At the same time, in the back, the bench seat was comfortable and provided enough legroom for those seated there. The flat and tall dashboard was unique to the Continental and sported vast wood trims. Even the steering wheel had such decoration in the middle. The driver enjoyed standard power seating adjustments with the control buttons mounted on the door card. In front of them, the automaker installed a standard instrument panel with regular dials with an option for an electronic one that looked highly advanced for that era. Furthermore, the sound system was available with a CD player.

Under the hood, the 1988 Lincoln Continental had a fuel-injected 3.8-liter V6 engine. It was transversely mounted and sent all the oomph to the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. The all-wheel independent suspension and the electronically-controlled dampers transformed the ride in the vehicle into a ride on a magic carpet. The model was so successful that it almost doubled the automaker’s sales in 1989 and 1990.