Lincoln Town Car review: the last American land yacht, now a Bahrain curiosity not a used-car pick
2.6/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The Town Car is a genuine piece of American automotive history and a comfortable one to ride in, but it is not a sensible used purchase in Bahrain in 2026. Body-on-frame simplicity means an independent mechanic can keep the mechanicals running, but trim, electronics and body parts are essentially unobtainable locally. Buy one only as a project or a curiosity, never as a car you plan to depend on.
Pros
- Ride comfort and cabin isolation that no modern sedan bothers to replicate
- Body-on-frame simplicity keeps the core mechanicals easy for an independent mechanic to service
- Genuinely spacious cabin, front and rear, with a driving character unlike anything sold today
Cons
- Interior trim, brightwork and original electronics are essentially unstocked in Bahrain
- No Lincoln distributor support left for a model this old — parts mean US aftermarket imports
- Fuel consumption of 13-14 L/100 km is unremarkable even by 2011 standards
- Resale and buyer pool in Bahrain are effectively nonexistent outside enthusiast circles
The Town Car's final generation, built through 2011 with only a light 2003 facelift, was already an anachronism when new: body-on-frame construction, rear-wheel drive, a live rear axle, and a naturally aspirated 4.6-litre V8 sending a modest 239 hp through a four-speed automatic, at a time when most rivals had long since moved to unibody platforms and independent rear suspension. That simplicity is exactly what made it beloved for livery and chauffeur work — smooth, isolated, and mechanically straightforward to keep running for a quarter of a million kilometres.
What the car is actually like
Ride comfort is the whole point, and the Town Car still delivers it: the long wheelbase and soft suspension tuning soak up expansion joints and speed bumps in a way no modern sedan bothers to replicate anymore. Performance was never the brief — 0-100 km/h arrives in a leisurely stretch of time — and the car rewards a relaxed driving style rather than any attempt to hurry it.
Cabin space is generous, front and rear, and the column-mounted shifter and bench-seat option on lower trims are reminders of an era before every car defaulted to bucket seats and a centre console. It is a genuinely different experience from anything currently sold, which is exactly why enthusiasts still seek examples out.
Why it does not work as a daily car in Bahrain today
The mechanical simplicity that makes the Town Car easy to keep running does not extend to everything else. Interior trim, exterior brightwork, and anything tied to the original electronics are no longer stocked by any Bahrain distributor, and sourcing them means importing from the US aftermarket — slow, and not always successful. Fuel consumption in the 13 to 14 L/100 km range on a car this size is unremarkable by 2011 standards and worse than most modern alternatives.
This is a car for someone who already wants a Town Car specifically, has found a rust-free, well-kept example, and has budgeted for the reality that most repairs beyond routine mechanicals will take patience and effort most owners are not prepared to give a daily driver.