Designer Lincolns In A Fancy Faceoff: 1984 Lincoln Town Car Cartier vs. 1977 Lincoln Continental Mark V Givenchy

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Towing a British sports car across the country with a pickup truck that’s older than some of the staff members seems like a trip that’s Autopian in every way. Most importantly, it means that something catastrophic is going to go wrong. Our own Mark Tucker is apparently taking such a journey now, and if you’re surprised that he’s stranded somewhere in Kansas with busted brakes, then you don’t read enough of this website.
Anyway, our grease-covered and beat colleague has asked us to chip in with the Shitbox Showdown for a few days, so let’s see what damage we can do to his precious baby.
Objects from fancy designer brands are never cheap. You see someone walking out of a Gucci store with a tiny bag you can figure they just dropped a few hundred bucks on something, but if they leave holding a grocery-store-sized bag you can assume the item inside costs as much as a used car.  In fact, today we’re going to look at actual shitboxes branded with designer names which you can purchase for the price of a much, much smaller brand-new item from the same storied name.  Let’s take a look.

1984 Lincoln Town Car Cartier – $5,500

Engine Drivetrain: 5.0 liter V8 with 140HP (fuel injection, but throttle body)

The Cartier brand is known for their quality timepieces such as the iconic Tank watch, worn by the likes of Andy Warhol and other celebrities. Here’s one you can buy now for a cool $5800; I’d love to get one but it likely won’t help you get to work in the morning. Ah, but this Lincoln Town Car Cartier seems like it could do that in style.

Location: Rock Falls, IL

Odometer Reading: 51,000 miles

Runs/Drives: Like a watch, apparently

This one on Facebook Marketplace appears to be in pretty good nick with a mere 51,000 miles on it and a very clean interior. I actually owned a 1988 model of this very car with a mere 200,000 on the odometer which was a remarkably pimptastic car so one that has one less trip to the moon and back on the clock must drive a treat.
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The ad says nothing about the functionality of the air conditioning, which is the primary reason you would buy a car like this but if this thing has had a much work done as the ad states, the investment of getting that blowing meat-locker-cold would be worth it.
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Man, I had the same interior in my later car, and I do have to say that as dumb as it looks there was nothing like hopping into this thing at seven o’clock at night after a long day at work and just wafting home.
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The only thing that’s a bit of a misnomer to me for a “Cartier Lincoln” not to have an actual Cartier clock on the dashboard. This one has the digital gauge cluster with glowing blue digits, but maybe it has “Cartier electronics” powering the timepieces.  I would hope so since if I recall that cluster costs something like $800 when it “goes bad”.
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1977 Lincoln Continental Mark V Givenchy – $8000

Engine/Drivetrain: 7.5 liter V8, 208 HP (seriously)

In the late seventies, Lincoln employed the services of a number of highbrow designers from major luxury brands to create versions of their luxury cars. Supposedly the unique color combinations and interior finishes were hand-picked by the designers, but if you take the ad copy with a grain of salt there’s a possibility that the Dearborn offices of Ford just sent a large check to the participants in exchange for the rights to the name.  Regardless, the brands like Givenchy survive to this day and still make products with eye-watering prices like this crocodile bag for $11,000.

Location: Linden, NJ

Odometer Reading: 105,245

Runs/Drives: has that in the bag

How much Givenchy branded car can you get for that money? Quite a lot if you’re looking at steel-to-dollar ratio, as this 1977 Lincoln Mark V Givenchy edition proves. Photos show a car not quite as clean as the newer Town Car in our showdown but with this you’re getting a Lincoln from the days before the word “downsizing” ever existed.

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There are tutorials available on how to best photograph a car for selling, yet the owner of this thing does not appear to have read them (or maybe they just missed the helpful tip to “shut the engine hood.”) Also, for whatever reason when I see a Lincoln Mark with Jersey plates in front of a body shop I just assume a body is in the trunk.

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There’s a woodworking project console and an odd gauge someone plopped into the dash above an ominous red button so I am hoping that isn’t some nitrous injection or other such nonsense not befitting a Lincoln. The raised white letter tires also hint at some nefarious activity.

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The wine-colored leather goes well with the Givenchy-spec metallic salmon finish has seen better days but the interior isn’t bad, though when I see a moon roof I automatically think leaks and carpet that smells like the south side of San Francisco at low tide. The interior reminds me of the car used in the Alanis Morrisette Ironic video.

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Regardless, you could likely buy a better car, but not a bigger one.

So what’s it gonna be? Does a luxury car with the name of a fancy clock maker strike your fancy, or maybe a high-end fashion brand is more to your tastes? Or, do you just say forget it and spend that cash on a brand-new luxury item that won’t leak oil on your driveway?

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70 thoughts on “Designer Lincolns In A Fancy Faceoff: 1984 Lincoln Town Car Cartier vs. 1977 Lincoln Continental Mark V Givenchy”

  1. Man, I wanted to vote for the Continental. The Mark V is an icon, with as much metal in its grille as my Toyota has in its hood and front fenders combined, and the color’s fantastic… but the Town Car’s simply in nicer shape than the Pinkoln, for less money.

    Realistically, it’s about all the car I’d want to live with, anyway.

  2. What on earth makes you think that Mark is a Givenchy?

    Everyone knows that a 1977 Givenchy was Jade Green with Chamois forward-two-thirds vinyl roof & bodyside moldings, with a Jade Green interior and turbine spoke wheels. 1978 Givenchys were almost exactly the same, but a darker shade of Jade Green paint.

    That Mark, sir, is a Red/Rosé Luxury Group with Forged Aluminum wheels.

    https://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/lincoln/77lincoln.html

  5. My wife only has three rules for my car collecting:

    1) No shit sits outside (I push that envelope regularly)
    2) No El Caminos (or El Camino-ish cars)
    3) No fake-ass spare tire humps. (My MKVII dreams are regularly crushed)

    Given what she DOES let me get away with, I’ll abide by these.

    Sooooo…..Town Car for me.

  8. I remember an episode on an episode of The Simpsons Homer was running for the Sanitation Engineer position. His opponent was late for a debate and claimed someone cut his brakes. The ever witty Homer than said then you should have been early. If Mark is broken down shouldn’t he have more time to write?
    Just something to think about.
    Anyway Cartier is the right answer.

  9. I maintain that EV swapping a bunch of velour throne land yachts would be an amazing way to run a failed business for a year or two

  13. If I could see the poll, I’d be voting for the Town Car. I wanted to vote for the Mark V, but combination of New Jersey/random gauge/red button/homemade console/white letter tires/Kmart fog lights indicate something is going wrong here. Even though the ’84 is one of the less desireable Lincolns, it’s in good shape and the one to pick. Plus, my grandfather was a Town Car Cartier man, so I’d have his approval.

  15. No poll visible, but another vote for the town car.
    Reading the title, I expected to be voting for the Mark V, as they’re just generally much cooler. But the condition of the two vehicles, especially the unknown “mods” to the bigger boat drove me to the Town Car in excellent shape.

  17. Back in the day I had a Fleetwood Brougham with a very similar interior to today’s ’84 example. I swear on an illuminated taillight those seats had healing properties. Beat yourself up all day on the Ultimate Frisbee pitch, then ride home in Cadillac style feeling great.

    So I vote for that one, in the hopes it also has healing properties for when my outta shape self does something stupid like going for a bike ride…

  18. Rolling with the Townie! It looks to be in decent shape and isn’t parked in front of a body shop in New Jersey with the hood open so…

  20. The 80’s Lincoln peeks my fancy for some reason, but nothing other than the plethora of parts due to other fun things having been done to it’s stable mates.

  21. Give me that ’77 Givenchy; doesn’t yet have the downsizing of the ’84 Panther platform so it’s pure full size luxury in a cigarette smelling package.

  23. For some reason the poll isn’t showing up for me, but I’ll have the 80’s Lincoln. Which surprises even me, but I prefer cloth to leather.

  25. Sure, the Town Car is the better car, but I have to consider the overall Experience.
    I’ll push that red button: Give a me the Givenchy!

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