2008 Lincoln Town Car

A veritable anachronism of the automotive world, the Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that has been Lincoln's flagship and a favorite of livery services everywhere since 1981. Now in its third generation, the Town Car features old-school body on frame construction and a live rear axle while riding on a platform that dates back to 1978; nevertheless, it continues to sell due to the appeal of its traditional rear wheel drive, V8 setup.

Currently the largest sedan available for sale in the North American market, one of the Town Car's biggest selling points is a spacious, comfortable interior and a vast (21.1 Cubic Feet) trunk, enough to hold four golf bags. The Town Car is powered by a 4.6 Liter V8 that produces 239 horsepower and 287 lb.-feet of torque mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Safety features include dual front and side airbags as well as electronic traction control.

The Town Car comes in four trim levels: Signature, Signature plus, Signature L, and Designer Serious. Signature, the base trim, comes standard with a full leather interior, 17- inch machined aluminum wheels, and two tone paint. Signature plus ups the ante with power seats and adjustable pedals, an eight speaker audiophile sound system, heated front seats, and a wood and leather trimmed steering wheel. The Signature L features a six inch longer wheelbase for increased rear seat legroom and a rear seat amenities package that includes heated seats and rear audio/climate controls. Finally, the Designer Serious includes two tone interior trim, higher quality leather, and unique wheels. Options include a power moonroof, six disc in-dash CD changer, and a DVD-based navigation system sure to befuddle the Town Car's octogenarian owners.

The Town Car received its last major update in 2003; aesthetically, changes were limited to a refreshed exterior and mildly updated interior. Mechanical changes were much more comprehensive, comprising a strengthened chassis with a 24 percent increase in torsional rigidity, a variable assist rack-and-pinion steering system for improved road feel, and a redesigned front suspension. Since then, the Town Car's only updates have been a new steering wheel and a redesigned gauge cluster that incorporates a digital/analog speedometer and, for the first time, a tachometer. The Town Car's future is in jeopardy after 2010 when the car, along with its sister models the Mercury Grand Marquis and Ford Crown Victoria, is scheduled to be put out of production; Ford is rumored to be considering the development of a new full-size rear wheel drive platform to underpin a replacement.