Built to beat the Cadillac Seville, it instead got outsold three to one by it in its 1977 launch year.
Lead trim: Versailles 302 cu in V8 (133 hp) · up to 135 hp
Lincoln Versailles1977–1980
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Lincoln Versailles 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.
FactBuilt to beat the Cadillac Seville, it instead got outsold three to one by it in its 1977 launch year.
The Lincoln Versailles is a mid-size luxury sedan sold by Lincoln from 1977 to 1980, the smallest Lincoln ever marketed at the time and introduced as a competitor for the Cadillac Seville, replacing the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia as a variant of the Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch, the ultimate development of the American Ford Falcon chassis architecture. It was the first Lincoln with exposed headlights since 1969 and the first vehicle marketed in North America with clearcoat paint and halogen headlights, and offered only as a four-door sedan (the smallest Lincoln, nearly three feet shorter than the Continental): 109.9 in wheelbase, 200.9 in long, 74.5 in wide, 54.1 in high, 3,827–3,913 lb. At $11,500 it was the most expensive Lincoln sedan, priced $2,000 under the Seville and below the Continental Mark V; production totaled 50,156 at Wayne and Mahwah (the first Lincoln built outside Wixom since 1957). It had a "Continental spare" decklid, model-specific taillamps, a Ford 9-inch rear differential with rear disc brakes, forged 14-inch aluminum wheels with Michelin whitewall radials and a standard leather-trim power interior; for 1979 a fiberglass "coach roof" cap developed by American Sunroof Company gave a more upright rear window with a standard vinyl roof. A V8 was the sole choice with the 3-speed C4 automatic: initially the 351 cubic-inch V8 (135 bhp at 3200 rpm, 275 lb-ft at 1600 rpm), phased out in favor of the 302 (133 bhp at 3600 rpm, 243 lb-ft at 1600 rpm); the page does not date the switch. The Seville outsold it three to one in its 1977 debut year, and sales more than doubled after the 1979 update.
Collectors Spotted in the Lincoln Versailles Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Lincoln Versailles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versailles 302 cu in V8 (133 hp) | 1977–1980 | 4.9 L V8 | 133 hp | 243 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Versailles 351 cu in Windsor V8 (135 hp) | 1977–1980 | 5.8 L V8 | 135 hp | 275 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
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