1982 Lincoln Continental 5.0L V8 4AT RWD (150 HP)

Vehicle Overview

It was the last generation of the rear-wheel drive Continentals, and Lincoln tried its best to provide customers with an elegant vehicle and a sporty one in the same package.

Lincoln built the seventh generation of the Continental on the stretched version of the Fox-body platform used by the Ford Thunderbird or the Mercury Cougar. As a result, the seventh generation of this mid-size luxury sedan earned the credit of being the best-handling car from its lineage. At first, customers looking for a vehicle in this segment didn’t care too much about that, but they enjoyed it. Lincoln also struggled to create one of the quietest interiors on the market, easing stress for those onboard the Continental during long travels. In addition, the vehicle was available with a choice of two engines that had to comply with the CAFE regulations, resulting in some loss of power. But that was the case with any other vehicle on the U.S. market.

With an upright chromed grille adorned by vertical slats and sporting the Lincoln badge as a hood ornament, the 1982 Continental couldn’t be mistaken with anything else. Furthermore, four rectangular headlights flanked it and were followed by corner-mounted parking lights. The slim blinkers underlined all three lamps with a wide and slim shape, emphasizing the car’s width. Underneath all, the automaker added a chromed bumper that sported a few rubber stripes.

The exterior showed the wedged styling, typical for a vehicle designed in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. However, the automaker added some curved lines to the 1982 Lincoln Continental to make it look more modern. A set of chromed trims on the lower side of the doors and the shiny mirror caps emphasized the car’s premium status. Furthermore, the automaker included a set of wired-styled wheels. Later, Lincoln added cast aluminum ones, which enhanced the car’s overall look. At the back, the sloped-down deck ended with a spare-tire hump on the trunk’s lid, sporting a circular Continental wording. Like most luxury cars from that era, the American luxury brand added a chromed metallic rear bumper.

Inside the vehicle, customers found a cabin fitted with comfortable, wide front seats covered in velour. Later, the automaker added a leather-wrapped interior for the Givenchy grade. The dashboard in front of the passengers looked like a continuous black panel stretched between the doors. However, when the key was inserted, everything came alive. In front of the driver was an electronic instrument panel that showed the speedometer and the gauges for the fuel level and coolant temperature gauges, while above the center stack was the trip computer. For the rear-seated passengers, the 1982 Lincoln Continental provided enough shoulder room for three adults, albeit legroom for the one seated in the middle was not that generous due to the transmission tunnel.

While a V8 used to be the norm for the Continental lineup, the seventh generation of this nameplate had to comply with the regulations regarding fuel consumption. As a result, the base models were powered by a 3.8-liter V6 engine, while the other option was a 5.0-liter V8. Both units were married to four-speed automatic transmissions that sent their power to the rear wheels. In addition, in 1984, Ford reached out to BMW to install a straight-six 2.4-liter turbodiesel powerhouse from the Bavarian automaker and paired it with a four-speed ZF-sourced automatic gearbox. However, the Continental turbodiesel program was canceled due to slow sales after Lincoln produced and sold around 1,500 units.