Autocade is an international car cyclopædia that’s geographically unbiased, carefully edited for enthusiasts and media who want a quick, accurate reference. There is a greater emphasis on models produced after 1970.
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Lincoln Continental. 1982–7 (prod. n/a). 4-door sedan. F/R, 2443 cm³ diesel (I6 OHC), 3797 cm³ (V6 OHV), 4942 cm³ (V8 OHV). Continental downsizes again, going from the Panther platform to the Fox one, which underpinned the Ford Fairmont (1978–83) and the contemporary Mustang. Bustle-back look followed Cadillac Seville (1980–5) and Imperial (1981–3), but Ford was late to the party. Fuel injection for V8, with 131 hp, but the car was particularly heavy (c. 4,000 lb). Plenty of luxury, and ride still floaty, but slightly more responsive than before. Facelifted in 1984 to more aerodynamic front end.
Manufacturing location: Wixom, Michigan, USA
Marque: Lincoln | Model: Lincoln Continental | Predecessors: Lincoln Continental (1980), Lincoln Versailles | Successor: Lincoln Continental (1988–94)
Ford Taunus 17M (P2). 1957–60 (prod. 239,978). 2- and 4-door saloon, 3-door estate, 2-door convertible. F/R, 1698 cm³ (I4 OHV). American-influenced styling, complete with tailfins, earned the P2 the nickname Barocktaunus (baroque Taunus) or Fliegender Teppich (flying carpet). Introduced for Ford to fight the mid-market segment. Bored-out version of the 15M’s OHV four. Karl Deutsch produced the convertibles. Facelift in 1959, with flatter roofline, reducing the height by 3 cm. Syncromesh on all four forward gears with facelift, redesigned cylinder head, and compression ratio increase, leading to improved fuel economy. Appeared very dated when its successor was introduced.
Manufacturing location: Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Marque: Ford | Model: Ford Taunus | Successor: Ford Taunus 17M (P3)
Fiat’s flagship was part of the Tipo Quattro project to develop an executive car. The other participants were Alfa Romeo (which created the 164) and Saab (the 9000). Fiat and Lancia (with the Thema) were more closely related, with the Croma arguably the lowest-positioned of the four. The Croma never caught on, with stronger executive cars from Germany. When Fiat announced a large station wagon on the Opel Vectra C platform in 2005, it curiously reused the Croma name—and the vehicle flopped again. The company’s halcyon days of producing large cars—such as the 130—seem to be behind it.
Marque: Fiat | Predecessor: Fiat Argenta
q.v. Alfa Romeo 164, Lancia Thema, Saab 9000
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