Cool old Town Car video
#16
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But back in the 80ies and 90ies, these American Lincolns and Cadillacs were such garbage. I was 14 when i came to the US in 1993, and I did not even drive back then and did not know much about cars, but even being a passenger in many of them I could make the distinction. I remember when my cousin got himself a brand new 1994 Q45, it just felt like a spaceship compared to all the American cars I've ridden before, there was not even a comparison, a whole different level. And the original LS400 was even better than the Q45. When I was getting my first car, I specifically did not want anything American because most of them were just sad sights.
Of course, 30 years later its great to see a pristine Lincoln as a collectors car, but there was a day when these were the laughing stock.
#17
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There was a time when a lot of Americans truly would rather have one of these than a Mercedes
I do find it funny that Clarkson is showing a late 80s Town Car as an example of American cars from the 70s lol
#18
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To be fair, they really weren't a laughing stock in America. They sold a LOT of these and a lot of people really liked them. American sensibilities about cars were way different than they were in Europe, they still are but they are far closer today than they were back then.
There was a time when a lot of Americans truly would rather have one of these than a Mercedes
There was a time when a lot of Americans truly would rather have one of these than a Mercedes
#19
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Had nothing to do with patriotism, this was just the sort of car that a lot of Americans really liked. Hard to argue with 200k annual sales. What luxury car sells anywhere near that well today?
#21
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The Japanese and Germans had to adapt their products to better reflect what Americans wanted before that really started to happen though.
#22
#24
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I think there were a lot of WW2 veterans still around that influenced sales like my father who was a pilot during the war. He refused to ever own a German or Japanese car and his influence was strong. I remember a time when I told him I wanted to buy a VW bug as my first car. He told me fine but to never park it our driveway but to park it at the end of the street and walk home. My Brother in law who worked at a car dealership often would take a Towncar from the lot to take our family out. I don't remember any of issues being talked about here except that it was a big and fancy car but also out of our families budget.
My dad drove American cars for a long time because he did a lot of business with labor unions, and couldn’t be seen driving a foreign car. He had several Japanese sports cars before that time, he had a 240Z and a 260Z and an RX7. Then he started driving American stuff because he had to. He had a Chrysler Cordoba and a Cutlass Calais and a Chrysler Fifth Avenue before the Lincoln and the Caddy.
When he got the LS I had an Explorer and when he would go play golf with those labor guys or go out to dinner etc he always drove the Explorer.
#25
Lexus Test Driver
Interesting slice of history. Can't stand the reporter.
#26
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#27
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With all due respect, maybe you, in particular, needed Dramamine after riding in a vintage Town Car, but for millions of Americans, that was EXACTLY the kind of ride (along with Bordello interiors, pillow-soft seats, and cocoon-like sound-insulation) that they wanted...
1) the trunk space was PATHETIC. it has all kinds of corners and obstructions and a deep but very small 'well' in the middle. it was useless for putting anything very large in (you know, like suitcases!), so i had to put most of my gear on the back seat.
edit: just watched video and see the trunk, lol forgot about the MASSIVE spare using a load of it.
2) the interior space was PATHETIC. with GIANT seats, a giant dash, there was VERY few places inside to put anything - it was incredibly bad.
edit: from video i see, no door pockets, no center console storage!
3) the car leaned so bad in ANY turn at ANY speed, it would likely induce nausea even in popeye or other seasoned sailor (or pilot). WORST... HANDLING... EVER.
4) it was slow. the v8 roared to life when hitting the gas, but not a lot happened. like a large ship it slowly gathered speed, and the brakes were dangerously poor.
this was by far the worst 'luxury' car i've ever driven.
some people may have wanted them because they spoke to 'american luxury' and excess and a dying era.
Making the vehicle-suspension firmer doesn'tnecssarily help, though. That only increases bumping and harshness.
second, because modern cars are so much more sophisticated in the design process, the inevitable trade-offs of 'firmness', control, response to small bumps, large bumps, cornering, etc., are all vastly improved over simple springs and shocks of the past. i know you have a nostalgic fondness for the old boats, but really, they suck in comparison to anything from the past couple of decades.
also true, and all for the good!
Last edited by bitkahuna; 08-15-21 at 10:51 AM.
#28
Lexus Fanatic
1) the trunk space was PATHETIC. it has all kinds of corners and obstructions and a deep but very small 'well' in the middle. it was useless for putting anything very large in (you know, like suitcases!), so i had to put most of my gear on the back seat.
edit: just watched video and see the trunk, lol forgot about the MASSIVE spare using a load of it.
2) the interior space was PATHETIC.
with GIANT seats, a giant dash, there was VERY few places inside to put anything - it was incredibly bad.
edit: from video i see, no door pockets, no center console storage!
3) the car leaned so bad in ANY turn at ANY speed, it would likely induce nausea even in popeye or other seasoned sailor (or pilot). WORST... HANDLING... EVER.
4) it was slow. the v8 roared to life when hitting the gas, but not a lot happened. like a large ship it slowly gathered speed,
and the brakes were dangerously poor.
this was by far the worst 'luxury' car i've ever driven.
maybe you should have been in a different seat.
i know you have a nostalgic fondness for the old boats, but really, they suck in comparison to anything from the past couple of decades.
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