This 1980 Continental made Lincoln the last American brand to finally downsize its full-size cars — and the shortest Lincoln since the Versailles.
Lead trim: Continental 5.0L (302 cu in) Windsor V8 (129 hp) · up to 140 hp
Lincoln Continental1980–1980
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Lincoln Continental yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis 1980 Continental made Lincoln the last American brand to finally downsize its full-size cars — and the shortest Lincoln since the Versailles.
With the impending federal CAFE fuel-economy standards, Lincoln became the final American brand to downsize for the 1980 model year: the sixth-generation Continental (also Continental Town Car/Town Coupe) was the counterpart of the new Continental Mark VI and offered only for 1980, becoming the Lincoln Town Car for 1981 (effectively through 1989). On the new Ford Panther platform (rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame, shared with the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis) it shed 10 inches of wheelbase and 14 inches in length and nearly 1,000 lb (117.4 in wheelbase, 219.2 in long, 78.1 in wide, 56.1 in high, 4,061–4,147 lb), delivering the best year-to-year fuel-economy improvement in Ford history (38%) and switching Lincoln from the worst 1979 CAFE rating to the most fuel-efficient full-size car sold. It introduced the standard 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission (AOD, developed as the Ford Integral Overdrive with a 0.67:1 fourth gear and torque-converter lock-up in third and fourth), the first fuel-injected Ford V8 (based on the 302 small block, a 129 hp "5.0L" rounded up from 4.9 L, Ford's first metric-displacement engine), an optional 140 hp carbureted 351 Windsor V8, EEC-III engine management, a digital instrument panel and a trip computer. The Continental was the base model with padded roofs, the Town Car/Town Coupe the top trim distinguished by two-tone paint, and Lincolns differed from Mark VIs by exposed headlights and full-width taillamps. Production was 31,233 (7,177 coupes and 24,056 sedans).
Collectors Spotted in the Lincoln Continental Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Lincoln Continental yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental 351 cu in Windsor V8 (140 hp) | 1980–1980 | 5.8 L V8 | 140 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Continental 5.0L (302 cu in) Windsor V8 (129 hp) | 1980–1980 | 5.0 L V8 | 129 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the Continental 351 cu in Windsor V8 (140 hp) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
When this Continental ended production in 2020, it took the last Lincoln sedan sold in America with it — the brand has been SUVs only ever since.
When this Continental died in 2002, Lincoln didn't give its successor the name back — the closest replacement arrived seven years later as the alphanumeric MKS.
This Continental made Ford the first American carmaker to put airbags on both sides of the dash as standard — only Porsche's 944 Turbo had done it first, anywhere in the world.
For 1985 this Continental quietly became an ABS pioneer, adopting 4-channel anti-lock brakes far more advanced than the "Sure-Track" system Lincoln had used back in the 1970s.
The 1982 Continental quietly introduced an American first: gas-charged shock absorbers, tech so effective Ford later retuned it for the Mustang SVO.
This 1980 Continental made Lincoln the last American brand to finally downsize its full-size cars — and the shortest Lincoln since the Versailles.
This generation held the line as a full-size land yacht longer than any other American nameplate — Lincoln didn't downsize the Continental until the 1980 model year.
This generation’s convertible ditched its roof but not the weight: frame reinforcements to compensate made it one of the heaviest passenger cars Ford ever built.
The 1959-60 Continental Town Car and Limousine hold a grim superlative: the heaviest American standard-wheelbase sedans built since World War II.
The 1958 Continental Mark III convertible is the longest mass-produced convertible in US history — beaten by only one car ever built, the ultra-rare 1934-37 Cadillac V16.
When this Continental’s run ended in 1948, so did an era: it’s the last car from a major American automaker ever sold with a factory V12.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.