Motor City Malaise: The 1977-1980 Lincoln Versailles

There are likely two types of individual reading this post right now- folks that absolutely adore the Lincoln Versailles, and folks that have never heard of the car until this second. If you fall into the former category, welcome; you've come to the right destination! If you fall into the latter category, prepare for a fascinating lesson on this unique and cool car that has been sadly consigned to the dust bin of automotive history. Motor City Malaise is setting out to change that!

Now, to properly set this up we need a bit of historical context, so bear with me. Chances are, you've DEFINITELY heard of this car:

1977 Cadillac Seville

Cadillac launched the Seville in 1975 as a response to the increase in European sports/luxury imports from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar. Cadillac marketed the Seville as the "internationally sized" Cadillac, utilizing a much smaller body/frame, and highly advanced technological stuff for a mid-70s domestic car, such as true electronic fuel-injection. Despite it's comparatively small size, it was still the most expensive Cadillac of it's time, adding to the air of exclusivity. After a couple years of decent success with this formula, Lincoln realized that they needed to 'get into the game' for themselves. By essentially taking a Ford Grenada/Mercury Monarch frame and heavily 'up-styling' it, they came up with the formal-sounding Lincoln Versailles, as seen here:

1977 Lincoln Versailles

Although it was much smaller than other Lincoln models, the Versailles was still a much more traditional American luxury offering than the Seville in every other sense. The grille and body lines were more formal, there was a lot more chrome, and even a 'faux spare tire bustle hump' on the trunk. The drivetrain was also traditional 70s American luxury: two long-time Ford workhorse engines were offered- the 302 Windsor, or the 351 Windsor, which put out 133 hp and 135 hp respectively. Although you might scratch your head at those nearly identical power figures, keep in mind that the 351 was a much torque-ier power plant, displacing 275 lb/ft of torque compared to 243 lb/ft from the 302. Both were mated to a 3-speed C4 automatic transmission. Smooth ride was guaranteed through a combination of double-insulated front shocks, freon-filled rear shocks, and low-friction ball joints seated in Delrin-coated bushings.The Versailles is notable for being the first American production vehicle to use clear-coat paint (including many "Tu-Tone" options), and one of very few cars of the time to offer four-wheel power disc brakes, as opposed to discs/drums. Inside, the Versailles could be equipped with just about any and every luxury option available in its day: power locks, windows, powered moonroof, remote garage door opener, leather seating, leather-covered steering wheel, instrument panel, arm rests, map pockets, assist straps and padded console...now that's a lot of cowhide!

While the Versailles may have been overshadowed by its Cadillac counterpart both in features and sales numbers, it is a nonetheless compelling piece of Malaise-era Detroit auto history that absolutely deserves its own feature on the Motor City Malaise page! With that, enjoy these photos: