1998 Lincoln Town Car 4.6L V8 4AT (218 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Lincoln unveiled the third generation of the Town Car luxury full-size sedan at the 1997 New York Motor Show for the 1998 model year, and the new model was a clear departure from its predecessor.

The American luxury brand Lincoln introduced the Town Car nameplate in its inventory in the ‘50s as a trim for the Continental lineup. Then, in the early ‘80s, this moniker became a distinct model in the carmaker’s stable. Ford’s luxury brand continued using it on the second generation of this model that it launched in 1990 and continued using it for the third sequel that it unveiled in 1997. However, the new generation marked a clear departure from its early wedged-shaped ancestors, but it didn’t forget its target audience. It was still a land yacht with modern features, punchy engines, and even some technologies carried over from the British automaker Jaguar, which was owned by Ford since 1989.

At the front, gone were the squared double headlights of the previous generation of the Town Car. Lincoln adopted the new biodesign styling theme and installed broad headlamps wrapped around the corners. They flanked a narrower, shield-like grille adorned by chromed vertical slats. Furthermore, it was the first in its lineage that didn’t have the brand’s badge added atop the radiator. That was deleted due to pedestrian safety reasons. The plastic bumper was decorated with a chromed stripe that underlined the headlights.

With its long hood, the 1998 Lincoln Town Car had a majestic appearance on the roads. Its greenhouse started with a tilted windshield and an arched roofline. At the back, the C-pillars were neatly curved down to end the cab-rearward look of the cabin. At the back, the luxurious limousine featured an ample deck, curved down on the sides and with no sharp corners or lines. The vertical taillights, characteristic to all generations of the Town Car, were triangular and had round corners and edges.

Inside, Lincoln started from scratch, and instead of the formerly used wedged shapes, it placed rounded ones. As a result, the linear-looking dashboard featured a curved upper side. The instrument panel that fronted the driver featured a mix of analog dials and a digital LED display for the car’s onboard computer. Furthermore, since mobile phones started to be used by many wealthy businesspeople, the automaker added an option for a microphone attached to the steering column. At the front, Lincoln offered either a bench seat for three in a 40/20/40 split layout. The middle seat could be covered by a folding armrest fitted with a large storage area. On the dashboard, the 1998 Lincoln Town car had a sound system fitted with a radio cassette player that could also control the six-CD changer in the trunk. However, the most important seats in the car were in the back. There, the automaker offered plenty of space to its customers. The bench seat was profiled for two, and the middle seat was often used just by the armrest or a refrigerator.

Under the hood, Ford installed a 4.6-liter V8 engine that was available in three output levels. All of them sent their oomph to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. The base model, fitted with a single exhaust, offered 205 hp (208 PS), while the top-of-the-range version had dual pipes in the back and provided 235 hp (238 PS). One of the components carried over from Jaguar was the rear suspension, fitted with a DeWatt linkage for the solid axle. Thanks to that, the 1998 Lincoln Town Car was more planted to the road and had an increased cornering speed than its predecessors.