Lincoln Versailles |
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Wikipedia: Lincoln Versailles
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Lincoln Versailles page on 29 March 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Lincoln Versailles is a mid-size luxury car manufactured by Ford Motor Company and marketed by its Lincoln division as a rebadged variant of the Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch. Marketed as a 4-door sedan from 1977 to 1980, the Versailles reached a production total of 50,156 and was noted as the first production vehicle to offer clearcoat paint.
The Versailles nameplate derives eponymously from the noted 17th century palace outside Paris.
During the mid-1970s, the Lincoln division of Ford sought to expand its model range for multiple reasons. Since 1961, Lincoln had marketed the Lincoln Continental as its sole model line (while sold by Lincoln-Mercury, the Continental Mark series would not officially adopt the Lincoln nameplate until 1986). By comparison, Cadillac offered four distinct model lines and Chrysler (excluding Imperial) offered two distinct sedans.
While sales of large luxury cars recovered following the 1973 oil crisis, its impact led to the rise of imported cars. As the economy-car segment saw market share increases from Honda and Toyota, the luxury car segment saw its own changes as well. While competing in price with Cadillac, Imperial, and Lincoln, the West German BMW 3.0Si and Mercedes-Benz 350SE/450SE offered American luxury-car buyers a far different vehicle than produced by American manufacturers.
In May 1975, General Motors introduced the Cadillac Seville as a 1976 model, developed in response to the fuel crisis and European luxury sedans. While the Seville was the smallest Cadillac in 40 years, it was also introduced as its most expensive sedan. Although using the chassis and mechanical underpinnings of the Chevrolet Nova to save on engineering and development costs, the Seville was given its own exterior; no body panels were shared between the vehicles.
For the 1977 model year, Lincoln introduced the Versailles as its compact sedan offering, expanding the Lincoln model line for the first time since 1960. Although the smallest Lincoln, the Versailles carried the highest base price at $11,500 ($48,154 in 2017 dollars), in line with its Cadillac counterpart. The first Lincoln manufactured outside of Wixom Assembly since 1957, the Versailles was produced alongside the Mercury Monarch and Ford Granada. The model was notable for being the first production vehicle to be sold with clearcoat paint and halogen headlights in North America.
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Subject: 1979 Lincoln Versailles Lincoln-Mercury Public Relations Photograph
Caption: The Lincoln Versailles has a luxurious new appearance for 1979, highlighted by a completely redesigned roof that has been extended eight inches. The new longer roof features a padded vinyl half-roof available in two distinct patterns - cavalry-twill vinyl with a convertible-style rear window or valino-grain vinyl with a frenched rear window (above). Other new features for Lincoln-Mercury's smallest luxury sedan include the first domestic application of halogen headlamps, a padded vinyl decklid applique, new integral coach lamps, modified rear doors for easier entry and exit and an exciting new entertainment system - an all-electronic radio under development for five years. View photo of 1979 Lincoln Versailles - 3.4MB |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
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| 3 March 2008 | NHTSA Recall 08E019000 Intercontinental Auto Parts ALG 44/1, Purolator F10024, 1978-1980 Ford Bronco, 1977 Ford Country Squire, 1977-1980 Ford E-Series, 1978-1982 Ford F-Series, 1980 Ford Fairmont, 1979-1980 Ford Granada, 1977, 1979-1980 Ford LTD, 1980 Ford Mustang, 1975 Ford Pinto 1979 Ford Ranchero, 1977-1980 Ford Thunderbird, 1980 Lincoln Versailles, 1975 Mercury Bobcat, 1977, 1979-1980 Mercury Capri, 1977, 1979-1980 Mercury Colony Park, 1977-1980 Mercury Cougar, 1977, 1979-1980 Mercury Grand Marquis, 1979-1980 Mercury Monarch, 1980 Mercury Zephyr FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Recall Page - 1 page |
