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elle rejoindra les Lincoln en 2007
model/modele : Continental Mark VI year/année : 1980 |
- 1- GILLES B le 25/11/06 : 1980/81 Continental - 2 - STEPHANE le 10/12/06 : moteur V8 de 5L - 3 - DANSE (AVEC LES ROUES) le 18/12/06 : lincoln continental série Cartier de 1980 + Via le propriétaire Jean-François T : 1980 Continental Mark VI Mark VI Production: 1980-1983 Body style: 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan Engine: 302 in? (4.9 L) V8 351 in? (5.8 L) V8
The 1980 design revision and change to the Panther platform significantly reduced the size of the vehicle-the new model was 14 inches shorter and rode on a wheelbase 6 inches shorter than before-and the new car was 500 pounds lighter. Nevertheless, aside from being the only Mark series ever available as a 4-door sedan, the Mark VI retained most of the styling cues of the 1977 Mark V. Even though the car was significantly smaller, it kept the hallmark opera windows, Rolls-Royce style grille and the (empty) tire hump on the deck lid.
As with other 1980 Lincolns, the Mark of that year was available with significantly increased levels of, at the time, high-technology electronic equipment. A digital instrument cluster using Vacuum Fluorescent Displays, pushbutton keyless entry, Automatic Overdrive (AOD) 4-speed automatic transmission, and fuel injection on the 302 in? (4.9 L) engine were all new introductions for 1980. Reliability of these systems was problematic for the first few years, which earned these cars a poor reliability record for 1980, 1981 and 1982. Revisions and modifications to the electronics improved the cars' reliability record for 1983.
With the old boats, Continental and Mark V, retired after 1979, the new Lincolns for 1980 were highly anticipated cars. When Ford introduced the downsized Lincolns to the press, they were an immediate hit, being more efficient and more spacious than the corresponding Cadillacs of the same year, which had been downsized for 1977. The new Lincoln's used new assembly techniques, and had aluminum pieces in the body and mechanicals to lighten the cars, in addition to the eight-hundred pound weight loss (---Note: Previous commentary states 500 lbs. saved. Advisable to further confirm this information) they received from the redesign. The old 460cid V8 was history, replaced by a fuel-injected version of Ford's 302cid (5.0 liter) V8, and a carbureted version of the 351cid V8, though the latter lasted only for 1980.
The basic body was shared between Town Car and Mk VI, but the Mark bore more resemblance to the Mark V, with hidden headamps, the spare tire bulge on the trunk, the vinyl top and opera windows, etc. For the first and only time, the Mark series was offered as a four door sedan, but both Marks were dropped after '83 in favor of a new Mark VII, and a small Continental sedan (meant to replace Lincoln's unsuccessful Versailles mid-size). A super-rare car, of potential interest to collectors, is the '80-'81 Town Coupe, which sold only about 3000 copies before being consigned to the pages of history. The Town Car and Town Coupe bore more resemblance to the old standard Continentals of the seventies, but were thoroughly modern. The success of the Mk VI, however, effectively killed off interest in the Town Coupe. The Town Car, however, continued to be Lincoln's best seller for the rest of the 1980s. All told, these Lincolns are quiet, reliable, roomy cars. -4- MARC (Cnd) le 26/12/06 : 1980/82 Town Coupe |