The 1970s was a watershed decade for the American auto industry. Slipping away were the freewheeling days of the 1950s and ’60s, replaced by two “oil crises,” spiralling fuel prices and new fuel-economy, emissions and safety legislation. It was a dramatic transformation for what had once been a largely self-regulating business.
Besides these technical hurdles there was a longer-range, potentially more dangerous threat from offshore: The accelerating encroachment of imported luxury cars.
After America’s failure to permanently repel the imports with the 1960 compacts and 1971 subcompacts, it was even more alarming to find upscale mid-size cars such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar selling in quantity. Detroit was proud that its cars were bigger, more luxurious and lower priced than anyone else’s.
Cadillac responded first with its “international size” Seville based on the mundane X-car (Chevrolet Nova, et al.) platform that was so well camouflaged hardly anyone noticed.
The Seville, introduced in mid-1975 as a 1976 model, was about 610 mm shorter than regular Cadillacs. Taking a cue from the foreigners, Cadillac priced it higher than any other Cadillac except the limousine.
The new, smaller Cadillac sold a surprising 60,000 in a longer-than-normal first model year, prompting Ford to immediately start planning a competitor.
Being behind, Ford rushed its new luxury compact and it became immediately obvious that the 1977 Lincoln Versailles was a very thinly disguised Ford Grenada/Mercury Monarch. The only new stampings were a Continental-inspired tire hump moulded into the deck and new grille/headlamp assembly featuring Continental’s Parthenon-style grille.
The Versailles had the corporate 5.7-litre (5.0/302 version in California for emissions reasons) overhead valve, 135 horsepower V-8. It came with a two-barrel carburetor rather than the Seville’s and imports’ more sophisticated fuel injection. Suspension was front coil springs, rear leaf springs and four-wheel power disk brakes.
The 2,791 mm wheelbase was 111 mm shorter than the Seville’s, while overall length was very close, at 5103 mm. At 1,792 kg, the Versailles was nearly 204 kg lighter.
To entice buyers to pay almost three times more for a car looking very similar to the Grenada/ Monarch, Ford emphasized the extensive attention paid to enhancing luxury and quality.
For a quiet, vibration-free ride, special treatment was lavished on the chassis and running gear. The driveline was carefully balanced and the conventional driveshaft universal joint was replaced by a smoother double cardan type.
The floorpan was reinforced and a flexible coupling was fitted to the steering shaft to reduce road shock through the steering wheel. Additional rubber bushings isolated noise and vibration and more than 45 kg of sound-deadening material was added to the body. Each Michelin X steel-belted radial tire and its forged aluminum wheel was precisely matched and balanced as a unit.
Versailles received extensive quality control during and after assembly, with every one undergoing dynamometer and road simulation testing. Particular attention was paid to sealing, fit and finish. The Versailles was the first American car to receive a clear acrylic finish over base paint, known as clearcoat. Cadillac’s Seville couldn’t match the little Lincoln’s lustre.
Lincoln applied its expertise in luxurious interiors to the Versailles. In additional to power there was air conditioning and AM/FM stereo search radio. Carpets were deep pile and arm rests, instrument panel and steering wheel were leather covered.
The original flush of interest produced an encouraging 15,434 sales in its shortened 1977 model year, compared with about 45,000 Cadillac Sevilles for a full year.
The 1978 Versailles was virtually identical, although the California 5.0 litre V-8 engine was now standardised and fitted with a new electronic engine control system. Alas, Versailles’s lookalike status was catching up with it and only 8,931 were sold while Seville boomed along at almost 57,000.
For 1979, Ford extended the roof 203 mm for a more formal profile and to increase rear headroom and door size. It also received a significant American first in halogen headlamps that were twice as powerful as regular sealed-beams.
The new profile renewed some sales interest and in spite of a price almost the same as the Mark V Lincoln, the Versailles sold 20,007 1979s.
For 1980 Ford apparently decided that if a high price was good, a higher one was even better, increasing the Versailles by about $2,000. This and a decline in car sales brought on by the second “oil crisis” reduced sales to 4,784 1980s.
The Lincoln Versailles was quietly discontinued in 1980, after a little more than 50,000 total sales in four model years. While Seville and Versailles were credible efforts, luxury imports went on to establish a permanent place in the North American market.
