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Road Rake
Chicago. Land of Lincoln. Town Car.
Not many people realize that Ford is staying in business on the strength of visonary management and some very old cars that just won't die.
While they may not have named the Lincoln Town Car after the state of Illinois, you'll find more of these limos here per capita than sinecures at City Hall (we're talking Cook County). I have always loved these body-on-frame battlewagons with the magic carpet ride.They stiffened the frame and suspension in 2003 to make the car drive less like a portable living room and more like an ergonomically enhanced La-Z-Boy if there is such a thing.
Its all quite something considering that this car has the same fundamental construction as a truck. This is also the reason these cars last to 500,000 miles. While they may loosen up over time (and they do) this mega-stiff frame has rarely met a Loop pothole it could not pummel. Unlike a BMW. Or a Blago. Who, let's face it, had bigger things to negoatiate. Maybe even Rahm did too? Why has Fitzgerald asked for more time? Have we actually heard the tapes? Do any of them drive Fords?
2 Reader Comments
My family and I recently went to CA, NV and AZ on vacation from Australia and rented a Lincoln Towncar. Compared to vehicles back in OZ which are now very much modelled on Euro cars, the Lincoln was very much as large luxo-barges were back home 30 years ago. I loved it! It was like driving your lounge-suite! But to drive a lounge-suite at 85-90MPH is a true treat in this annoying politically correct age! I am saddened that Ford are going to axe the TownCar. It is a pity nostalgia is not enough to save a model but then again look what is happening to the US trucks in light of $4-5 gas prices: niche products are where high margins are at - populism does not count! Love the Lincoln!! My daughter summed it up when we returned to Melbourne last week and had to sit in our "trendy" euro modelled Australian GM product: "Dad, the seats are SO HARD!". Lot to be said for a lounge suite on wheels!
I drive a WHITE Towncar and have never been kicked out of the senior citizen parking spots at Perkins, even though I'm 10 years from qualifying.
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