Lincoln Town Car - Third generation

Thernnext new body style premiered in 1998, a redesign which included thernremoval of the car's hood ornament and more angular shapes. The Cartierrnmodel also received a 220 hp version of the Modular V8.

The morernboxy Town Car design of the 1990s was replaced by a curvacious designrnscheme with a downwards sloping trunklid, pursed lip grille and cat-eyernheadlights.

While the Town Car lost three inches in overallrnlength, the new Town Car was two inches wider, one inch taller, andrnweighed 600 pounds more. The post-1997 Town Car features a slightlyrnlonger wheelbase as well.

The interior was also completelyrnredesigned. Door and instrument panels as well as the radio face,rnswitches and controls were redone. Additional wood trim was added tornthe newly designed dahsboard and the door panels. The power seatrncontrols were moved to the door panels. Lincoln emblems were also addedrnto the door panels.

A factory option available to individualrnowners of Town Cars since 2001 has been a version of the Town Car withrnan extra six inches of rear seat legroom, designated as the "L" orrn"long" version. This model provides extra amenities for rear-seatrnpassengers, including a unique rear-seat switch that allows thernfront-passenger seat to be moved forward as desired for extra room inrnthe rear.

A Touring Edition also became available in late 2000.rnThe Touring Edition featured a more powerful 235 hp version of the TownrnCar's Modular V8 engine, dual exhaust pipes and unique 16 inch alloyrnwheels with larger tires.

2003

A minorrnbody redesign in 2003 added the hood ornament back again. 2003 alsornmarked the last year that the Town Car was available in a trim packagernwith the name "Cartier" (1981 to 2003). Beginning with the 2004 modelrnyear, the top-of-the-line Town Car was instead designated as thern"Ultimate". The Touring edition (on the Signature model only) wasrndropped likely because the handling of 2003 Town Cars were far betterrnthan last year's Touring edition. The 4.6 L V8 with 239 hp was alsornintroduced for the 2003 model year.

The interior remained largelyrnunchanged for 2003. More brushed satin metals and an analog clock werernadded to the interior. The Lincoln emblems on the door panels werernremoved and the radio face including climate controls received arnfacelift.

For the 2005 model year, the Ultimate trim level wasrndropped. The trim levels for the 2005 Lincoln Town Car were: Signature,rnSignature Limited, and the Signature L with a lengthened wheel-base.

Forrn2006, the model trim levels were changed again. The trim levels for thern2006 Town Car are: Signature, Signature Limited, Designer, andrnSignature L.

The Town Car overwhelmingly dominates the limousinernmarket in the United States, since it is the only American luxury carrnstill in production with body on frame construction, making thernproduction of stretched versions easier than with unibody construction.