Watch a 2011 Lincoln Town Car Hit Top Speed on the Autobahn
When you have the need for both speed and a lot of very pillowy leather.
The Ford Panther platform is one of the most ubiquitous cars ever to grace American roads, with a staggering 9.6 million built over more than three decades of production. However, seeing one in Europe is a bit stranger because most police departments choose domestic models, and a 212-inch-long sedan isn't quite an easy fit on most smaller European roads. As a result, it's a little surprising to see a Polish YouTuber romping one down the German Autobahn, and yet, it seems like a natural choice.
Here is one courtesy of the YouTube channel Petrolhead Number One. He shows off the car and then, right around the four-and-a-half minute mark, hops on the Autobahn, and keeps his foot matted until the speedo stops climbing. A display on the dash helps show the speed with more accuracy than Lincoln's 20-mph-increment speedometer; despite the driver repeatedly trying throughout the video, the Lincoln is limited to just a tiny bit over 102 MPH. He appears to be quite relaxed, throwing up his hands to say "that's all" when the sedan tops out. Watching his other videos makes it clear why 100 MPH is no big deal; a recent upload shows him behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz E550 that topped out at 155 MPH.
Despite the incongruency of spotting a Lincoln ripping down Germany's unlimited-speed stretches, it does make sense for an alternate universe where Europe got really into USDM vehicles. The Town Car is extremely comfortable and overall is similar in ethos to a Mercedes-Benz W124: base models are taxis, just like the Crown Victoria, and higher models get leather and softer springs. Granted, Ford never quite built a 150 MPH+ capable Panther body like Mercedes did with the 500E, but at least you could rip a hefty burnout in the Marauder and that feels close enough.
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