1998 Lincoln Town Car and Kin

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Many Lincoln Town Cars of the 1998-2011 generation are still on the road as I write this.  I've never driven one, but occasionally have ridden in some that are used as airport limousines.  They have luxurious interiors and the back seats are nice and comfortable.  And I've read that they are reliable and can easily attain high mileages -- that is why many limousine operators were unhappy when Ford stopped production, meaning that possibly inferior replacements would eventually be needed.

Wikipedia entries for the Town Car and its Ford Panther platform siblings, the Mercury Grand Marquis and Ford Crown Victoria, are respectively here, here, and here (scroll down to the 1998 generation in each case).

Besides cruising around cities and towns, these cars cruised well on the USA's Interstate system of freeways.  Police forces used the Ford version in beefed up form.

I had trouble finding suitable factory-sourced images for this post, so what you see below will have to do, I'm afraid.

Gallery

1998 Lincoln Town Car
This is an example of a large sedan whose shape was greatly influenced by wind tunnel testing.  Ornamentation is restrained even by 1998 standards: the busiest part is the grille that evokes in a flattened manner Lincoln grilles of the 1930s.

Rear treatment is also restrained.  The chrome license plate area surround includes a tiny red detail borrowed from the grille ensemble.

1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
Mercurys were not as upscale as Lincolns.  Nevertheless, frontal styling remains restrained despite having more elements such as the rectangular-detailed chin grille.  The main grille features vertical bars, a sometime Mercury brand cue.

The Grand Marquis' rear is also more elaborate than the Town Car's.  I don't think the reflector panels on either side of the license plate area work well with the tail light design.

1998 Ford Crown Victoria
The Ford's frontal styling is more simple than that of the Lincoln.  Simple in a clever way that suggests that the Crown Victoria is not in the same league as the Grand Marquis or the Town Car.

Rear styling is similar to the Mercury's, but with different (and better) chrome trim placement.

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