This diesel option was all about fuel economy. It would have been nice if you could have asked the owner to share his fuel economy experience, and the range of this vehicle on a long distance trip. More pertinent than cup holders. Unique review.
My dad had a diesel Mark VII in 1984. I thought it was like a sports car. It had good power especially at higher speeds. That car you’re driving must need servicing. I wish he had kept that car. It also got around 50 mpg on long road trips.
BMW Diesels in the 80’s were crap, which is why you don’t see any of them being driven around regularly, the way you do with Mercedes 240D’s and 300D Turbos
@@ClassicTVMan1981X Not quite as bad as the Oldsmobiles. I’m sure you could get 100-200k miles out of an 80’s BMW I6 Turbo-Diesel. BMW has always made good engines, at least up until the 2010’s. The problem isn’t the engine - it’s all the plastic & computer chips hooked-up to the engine. You didn’t have that problem with Mercedes, the whole car was built to be infinitely maintainable & serviceable.
@@stoneylonesome4062 Nor did, of course, the Olds mill; the Olds mill's problems were the same number of head bolts as the gas 350 V-8 and no fuel/water separator, as well as the fact that some diesel fuel wasn't even clean.
Wow this is so awesome!! I wouldn't even care that is slow, it is so unique. A car I would consider adding to my collection for sure. Owned a 1984 Mercedes 300d at one point, and it actually accelerated pretty well with the 180lbs of torque. Especially compared to the original 240d without the turbo, which had 54 hp
My uncle bought a new 180D Mercedes in 1960. Could barely get up the hills in Portland, OR. He never tried negotiating the hills in San Francisco since me might not have made it home.
I had a 1985 Continental. It had a 302 gas V8 and 4 speed auto. Only problem was the air ride suspension relays would fail and you would be one axle or the other on the ground! I eventually replaced it with conventional coil springs. The car was eventually stolen and destroyed! Thanks for the memories!
Had an 85, 5.0 gas, what a car! Sold it after 1st airbag went. 300 bucks later. I thought oh no, 3 other airbags and a 500.00 compressor in the trunk. Also, original owner didn't honor the recall on wood veneer panels, peeling. I went to the dealer & no plastic parts left. For Sale sign went up.
I hear that so often about these air-sprung cars. Packard offered a self-leveling suspension in the 1950s that used torsion springs instead of air springs ; the motor and gearbox just turned the other end of the bar. It sounds like a more robust solution, though I've never seen a test of the way the cars actually drove.
Contemporary road tests put 0-60 between 13.5-14.5 seconds. I suspect the latter is more accurate, but for the era even that wasn't horrible. This is 1984 and nothing had any power - the HT4100 had only 10 more hp for a much larger and heavier vehicle, so even the diesel Conti was 'quick' by comparison. And the Caddy diesel made 105 hp. A few years later the Conti would get a detuned Mustang V8 (before the 88 redesign turned it into a V6), so the 86-87 models had some poke, although by that time the 10-11 second 0-60 was decidedly mid-pack. I like the Valentino and much more so the later Givenchy editions, they look slick and pack a lot of 'modern luxury' for the money. The mid-cycle refresh helped the 'face' too. Great car? No. But, absent the diesel, not horrible.
It wasn't considered a detuned Mustang engine...Ford considered it a standard output 5.0, with the Mark VII LSC and Mustang having the HO (high output) versions.
Wow, what a throwback this is with the bustle back and the two-tone paintwork, really glad you did this review because I wasn't aware they came with an optional diesel engine (malaise era). They were cutting edge believe it or not when introduced by Lincoln in the early '80's. The beginning of the end of North American car makers dominance.
My sister has one, purchased brand new, Windsor V8 black with tan interior, her name is Beverly. She drove her until Lincoln recently reintroduced the continental. The new one is her daily, but she brings Bev out on the weekends still and she still looks amazing.
Remember it was only about MPG back then. MPG was all that mattered and people were still in great fear of another fuel crisis that crippled the USA... These diesel Continentals got 20 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the high way, if babied, and this was absolutely impressive back then.
Good video though probably the first time I've ever seen a diesel vehicle get no mention of torque. The transmission choice comes from using BMW 2.4L inline-six cylinder turbodiesel. Which BTW was in use by BMW for 8 years and diesels in general sold well in Europe not in the US. In the US only diesel trucks are in common use. Gotta laugh at how new diesels are so good certainly don't hear that often. Tons of emissions sensors, def fluid etc.. making them a no go outside of commercial truck use.
As a matter of fact this engine was used in BMW's 5 series(524td) form same era and has pretty decent acceleration compared to this "lathe" on wheels. But the engine is just one piece of the car recipe, isn't it?
I'm french and several years ago i had a BMW E30 with that engine but WITHOUT a turbo, the famous 324d, 86hp of pure diesel ! It was slow but reliable and suffisant for the french backroad ans everyday drinving
you gotta drive the five-oh! a completely different Continental experience. this was a very entertaining and informative video. here is a little tidbit for you: DTE = Distance To Empty. also the 8th Gen was actually larger overall; i go into detail in my “Lincoln Continental - First Front Wheel Drive” Video. it’s a must watch 😊
You should try one of the contemporary GM diesel sedans. Some of them made it through to today, and have had many of their deficiencies taken care of, so they at least don’t break down much anymore. You should also try a Chevy Cruze diesel, see how GM’s second attempt at a diesel sedan compares (was available with a manual transmission!)
What a beauty! Especcially this awesome 2tone paint. In Europe it is very usual to ride a Diesel. But I never have purchuased one (riding my 8th car now). Also hating that sound, dirt, smell, heating- and short-trip-behavior...
There is a misconception about why the American automakers got interested in diesels. Yes, it has to do with fuel economy. But automakers in the late 70s and early 80s were getting squeezed from both sides. Most people think fuel economy and clean emissions go hand in hand, but they don't. Unless you're dealing with a car that is out of tune, these are conflicting goals. The most efficient engines burn lean, but lean engines make smog. So automakers were being told they had to sell cars that didn't pollute, to a customer base who was hurting from high fuel prices. But diesels were exempt from most emissions regulations. Sort of like how they started turning trucks into SUV's for regular people to drive in the 90s, because trucks didn't count towards their CAFE averages. By going diesel, they could forget about emissions controls and just focus on efficiency. The larger arc is how the American auto industry had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the age of fuel injection. While the American automakers were putzing around with diesels, hoping that the disgruntled American buyer would agree with their PR that making engines that are powerful efficient, and clean is "impossible" and vote out the regulators, automakers in Europe and Asia simply began developing fuel injection systems which, at the time, removed all mechanical complexity from emissions controls. A carburetor in 84 was a rats nest of vacuum lines, it needed an air pump which burned (read: wasted) excess fuel in the exhaust, and was an extremely difficult to diagnose if it failed a smog test. My 84 BMW with fuel injection is dead simple. No air pump. Just an O2 sensor, a catalytic converter, and an airflow meter. Even compared to fuel injection in the mid 90s, it's ridiculously simple. In the 60s the American automakers started messing around with fuel injection, and the results were bad. First because nobody knew how to fix them. Second because the computing tech was not yet ready. Third, because there was no compelling reason to clean up emissions yet. So by 1980 they had been doing the carburetor thing for so long that they assumed they could just strong arm the government into relaxing emissions laws. And instead, we saw Germany and Japan, whom many buyers, and buyer's father's, fought in WW2, quickly dominate the market.
I believe DTE is distance to empty. I had the 84 Cadillac El Dorado diesel and was happy with most aspects of it, didn't mind getting 33-35 MPG around town and even better on highway.
Nice review. Thanks for sharing! FYI, opera lights are when those lights you pointed at are on the exterior of the car. They were more of a 70's thing. Take care.
my late father actually had one of the diesel Lincolns! he had the Mark VII. funnily, my grandma had the E28 524td which had the same engine/transmission. his is the ONLY one i've ever seen in real life, they were extremely rare then and even more-so today! i'll never forget the gurgling sound of that diesel engine; it really was a gorgeous car (the BMW was even more beautiful but i digress).
I can't imagine that many were both powered by the diesel engine and Valentino editions, so thank you for featuring it. I would humbly suggest washing and vacuuming your cars before making videos, as this car would have shown much better had you done so. (I mention this as a general rule, and because you have listed it for sale.)
I would like to see how that compares to the E28 BMW 524TD for which this engine was actually designed for. Oh and by the way the same engine was in the Vixen RV from the same time period.
As a Ford mechanic at Lincoln dealership in the 80s I've seen these with over half million miles on them slow are not the engine and transmission are bullet proof.
What’s interesting about GM’s attempt at diesels is that it was a repurposed small block 350 that Oldsmobile thought they could just build as a diesel engine, and they where terrible. At least Ford made the attempt to get a diesel engine from someone already making them. It’s a wonder why GM didn’t just go to Detroit diesel and get one, they did eventually but the damage was already done. I’m also surprised the big three didn’t just go to someone like Cummins or Caterpillar to see if they had some smaller tractor diesel engines that they could have used in some of their smaller cars, I have a 2001 VW Golf TDI and it only sounds like a small tractor while idling, at freeway speeds it just sounds like a little four banger cruising down the highway.
Detroit diesel had nothing small enough at that time. Eventually the 6.2 came along for the '82 model year and that at least had input from DD. The weakest part of the Olds diesel was the material specifications for the head bolts. An easy and cheap fix but by the time GM got around to it, the damage was done. I have an '82 5.7 Olds diesel, all original with 225K on it. Reliable as a rock........and just as slow.
Had an '82 when it was new. Super nice car, would pass anything on the highway. Had a 302 V8. It was a good car but looked retro when the next generation premiered in 1988.
Ultimately, time has been the best judge on 80’s Diesels. BMW Diesels were generally pieces of junk, which is why you don’t see any of them driving around, unlike Classic Mercedes Diesels, which are genuinely reliable, and infinitely serviceable and maintainable.
@@stoneylonesome4062no the fact is there were barely any brought here at all compared to Mercedes. Of course the Mercedes diesels were great but even now there’s a lot of people swapping m57 diesels in place of Mercedes diesels that have been failing, even in sprinters.
They were left no choice. Café was after them to get better mileage and they thought they would attract a different buyer because of the BMW. It was more of a joke in an LSC . Of the same vintage. The government jumped on board and made all kinds of crazy rules for American manufacturers. PS did You Ever Dr., Mercedes diesel , even slower, but people loved them
this thing is almost hen's teeth rare! I remember these copycat Sevilles but never knew they had a diesel option much less sourced from bmw. And a "Valentino" edition...must've been Ford's answer to Caddy's Gucci editions. 🤣 Gotta love the headliner. Ford must've used the same 💩 adhesive that GM was using for their headliners, or some 3rd party co. made headliners for both companies. Btw, the Caddy diesels were terrible mostly because they broke alot due to the fact that GM's cheap way to test the market with a diesel offering was to convert their gas powered V8's into diesels which showed just how stout their gas powered V8's were that they could withstand the excessive torque stresses as a diesel and not fail within a few miles.
You are wrong about the GM Wankel. GM had paid for a license to produce the Wankel engine in 1970. The oil embargo killed the GM Wankel and was certainly not being researched because of the oil embargo.
That thick cloud of smoke forming behind it under acceleration (0:30) makes me doubt it makes all 114 hp. Yes, a 80s diesel will smoke under load but covering the whole street is, well, lets say it exceeds the homologation values.
Interesting...I would just call this a midsize car. I remember when these were new Well...at least the engines didnt self destruct like the GM diesels of the same time period Interesting to note that during this period people were lining up to buy Mercedes diesels that ended up lasting hundreds of thousands of miles
I'm looking at this car and whoever did the window tint job did a very good job although it's hard to tell if it's really clean work. I'd laugh if owner is a window tinter.
12:10 - Diesels aren't popular at the moment because of political market manipulation for fuel costs. That is currently over $5/gallon in Illinois. Gas, also unnecessarily expensive due to politics, is currently more than $1/gallon less. Not only is a fill-up cheaper, the government is compelling manufacturers to go the EV route rather than diesels or other alternatives.
this diesel engine is from a BMW 5-Series which was 300kg (661lbs) lighter than this Lincoln, also they came mostly with manual transmissions in Europe.
My aunt had one of these new from '86/87. Smoked three packs a day with the windows up, recirculating the tar through the A/C. Melted lipstick in the power seat console. Rear air bags sagging after a couple years. Yikes.
Diesel engines are more expansive to run than gas engines. They consume less fuel, but maintenance is much more expansive, they are more complex engines. Much cheaper/better option is LPG gasoline engine.
@@MilanStojakov The worst about diesels after 2000 is DPF and EGR clogging, in many cars DPF can be regenerated either the car does it itself or you could use diagnostic tool to perform forced regeneration.
@@kebabaluba DPF started to be mass installed in diesel cars after about 2007. EGR is known to clog, but you can do EGR delete but then you would be polluting more. Fuel injection system is especially expansive and can be hard to fix, and depending on manufacture can be really sensitive to fuel quality. I never owned a diesel with DPF but the early ones were a real pain to fix and manage, as far as I know. If you want cheap transportation, complex cars and engines are to be avoided.
I think this engine was never mated to an automatic transmission in Europe. I can imagine better performance with a manual. But guys… i learned to drive on a 54 hp naturally aspirated diesel 😂 talk about 0 to 60 in 20 second territory. But we never had the issue with acceleration per se in Europe as you seem to be obsessed with in the US
These and the Olds/Cadillac Diesels were SO BAD and are pretty much why American's get nervous about buying diesel cars these days, but it's hilarious to see it get reviewed. It may be a complete dud but it's a quirky and fun dud
That and the fact that diesel is more expensive than gasoline (petrol if you're not from the US) and diesel engines are more expensive to maintain. If you're not towing heavy loads very often it doesn't make financial sense to own a diesel car. Dieselgate (VW lying about their diesel emissions figures) also contributed to the decline of diesels in the US.
@@damilolaakannidiesels we’re much cheaper to own and maintain before the emissions stuff were added. It’s easier to find Mercedes diesels over 400k miles than ones with less than 150k. After the emissions stuff added around 08, then I’d agree for the most part.
I really want to drive one, and test it's 0-60, it sounds fun. I drive a Mitsubishi Mirage, which people often say is so slow it's unsafe, I don't find it slow at all, but that's just me. But this would be fun, floor it all over, never worry about speeding.
This was part of an experimental fleet, not a production car. Ford bought 800 BMW diesel engines and installed them into 600 Continentals and 200 in Mark VII's. They were great cars, but GM's well publicized engineering flop of converting an Olds V8 to diesel the wrong way had already destroyed the diesel market in America. There was no point of Ford moving forward with this concept, so the fleet was sold off to the public. A coworker's buddy bought a Mark VII. These had 25 gallon tanks and got 40 MPG - a 1000 mile range! They took to to Florida. On the return trip they filled up in Miami, FL and didn't stop again until Monroe, MI!!! And only because they didn't think they could make it all the way back to Dearborn.
@jeffbranch8072 This guy is talking about the car as if it is somewhat modern, when it is not and has high miles on it too. When these were new they were always a bit slow, but not terribly so when compared to similar models at the time as many cars were due to emissions and detuning engines for economy. These were NOT bad cars even with a diesel of the day, and they were general reliable. That's saying something considering how bad modern Ford reliability is today.
@@watershed44 , plus the Continental has 4 wheel disc brakes and an independent rear suspension. It wasn't much on styling but it had it where it counted. Car guys used to scour junk yards to get those rear suspensions.
I worked at a Ford dealership in the early eighties when one of these ( a pre-production model ) was brought to the shop by Ford personnel for servicing who had been test driving it across the country.
I'd love to know what microphone you use. You're the only car channel that mutes the sound of the engine and makes your voice sound tinny. I hope you work on that because you have the most entertaining videos and most interesting cars. But the sound of the engine while you're inside driving is what makes us feel that we are IN the car and actually get to feel the experience. It's all tinny and muted. Even a camera phone mic catches the sounds of the engine from inside of the car as it sounds in real life. I can't understand what is going on with your mic.
You were how old Mr. Pradel when this supposedly, "Terrible Sedan With A BMW Diesel Engine!" came out? You are gravely mistaken to conflate Ford Motor's approach with the automotive diesel with General Motor's. As you should know, GM took a gasoline engine and converted it to a bastardized diesel and then passed it off to their loyal customers. Ford Motor purchased a proven and long tested genuine turbo diesel that had been used in European cabs for years. The actual cruising comfort and highway mpg of this Lincoln was astounding. Recall this vehicle offered a genuine alternative during the horrible malaise period. Ask some actual customers what their take on the vehicle was before passing judgment.
Its not nearly as bad as you imply; our Ford dealer service rep had one as a company car. Not fast, but not as slow as you might think. Keep in mind this was 1984 and in comparison to the Cadillac diesel or the Oldsmobile diesel (especially the one year 260 diesel in the Cutlas line) and at one point (I worked at a multi line GM dealer 80-82) we had more cars down to engine problems than new cars in stock. The Continental diesel was a very rare bird; I only saw one besides the factory rep car in my years with Ford/L-M service. But it must have been reliable enough, it was traded in on a new Lincoln and it had 300k+ miles on it.
I see a whole bunch of switch gear from my 1985 Thunderbird. The electronic climate control switches, headlight delay switches, automatic transmission selector, radio, power window buttons, and power seat buttons on the console with the same toggle joystick. Even has the same premium stereo. You would think that Lincoln would have been a little more exclusive for their premium cars.
Thanks for this! What i don't understand is that Ford Europe had aktually three Diesel engines to offer back then. Why bought they the engine form BMW? Someone hasn't to understand Ford I guess.....
It:s funny to listen to the Intro or the story were you say " Fords guys walked from their headquarters in Cologne down the street and knocked on the door of BMW" (shortened quote) Lol: Did you realize BMW is in Munich ( yes, Oktoberfest Munich) which is a different German country (or state, as you Americans would call it) BMW at that time sold that straight 6 engine to a lot of companies, including an American company to put it into RV's , and Italian makers of SUV's and more, even a boat engine was developed by BMW themselves, as well as they sold their gasoline engines to small sportscar companies, all before they bought Rolls-Royce and Rover, which now makes them the engine of choice in several versions of british cars, including Mini. BMW means : Bayerische Motorenwerke , means Bavarian Motor Manufacturing , which is the reason for the chrome words " Bavaria" on cars they sold in the US, since Americans often thought BMW meant British Motorworks or such.....
put a 550 3.0 diesel bmw in a corvette in it with 500 hp 900 nm torque and a fuel consumption of 8 lt diesel on 60 miles ..cruising! you wont felt ashamed but end the month with much more money in your pocket.. diesel is the KING...all enviormental bullshit is Bullshit!
Lincoln got it righter than Cadillac did. It may sound like a farm tractor, but Lincoln was smart and used a BMW engine for its diesel option. And I don't think it had any of the quality and longevity problems of the Olds/GM 5.7 diesels. If you wanted power, you got a Mustang 5.0 or a heavier duty pickup with the 7.5 big block, aka the 460.
the whole diesel luxury car thing was started actually by Mercedes-Benz. The American car companies were trying to play catch-up when they started selling like wildfire in the late seventies. The thing about M-B diesel cars is they were designed completely to be a diesel luxury car and weren't just a swap-out of a conventional gas powered vehicle. Even then, diesel powered luxury cars were more about moving around urban areas, where speed limits were only 25-35mph, than traveling fast on the open roads and highways. That car, in particular is a very cleverly disguised fox-body (Ford Fairmont) vehicle.
There is no way that turbo was functioning. It was relying on its fuel injection only. A turbo diesel can have surprising acceleration. I remember the first time I drove a late ‘90s F-250 with the 7.3 turbo diesel… it would scat and had tons of torque. I also once owned an ‘84 Suburban with a a POS non-turbo diesel. 0-60 was close to 20 seconds and the stinky smell of diesel was always present in the engine bay which them permeated the cabin.
When I was growing up, my grandfather was a Ford/Lincoln guy and one of his neighbors was a Cadillac guy and I remember the neighbor had a bustleback Cadillac Seville with a diesel engine. My goodness, that thing was noisy - whenever they started it up, the whole neighborhood could hear that car. A noisy, diesel belcher is not what I think of when I think of these 70s/80s malaise era luxury barges - a Lincoln of similar vintage with a 302 would also be as slow as molasses, but at least it wouldn't sound like a cement truck.
I just traded my truck for the EXACT car in this video about 3 hours ago. Same black ziptie on driver's door mirror. Same missing door pull on inside of driver's door. Same exact chipped paint pattern on lower right side of front bumper. Illinois title.
the bmw was the best diesel in the business back then. sadly the lincoln is still a little bit too heavy for it. and i would have propably preferred even a 4 cyl petrol instead of it (but obviously not an american made one)
Distance To Empty (DTE). That, I know from the 1980's. Diesel engined Lincoln however, is new to me. Ya learn something new everyday. Thanks for the info.😊
A neighbor of mine had one and I just think it's so ugly. They were meant to compete with the Cadillac Seville. I knew this big goof who bought one 20 years ago and drove to Canada to get it for $500 dollars. The seller convinced him it only had 50000 miles on it. When it was shut off the rear shocks would eventually drop. He decided to start it one day in the winter for no reason and got out of the car, shut the door, he most likely slammed it and something triggered the power lock to the lock position. The car was running for an hour and he couldn't get in. He took a brick and smashed out one of the vent windows to reach in and open it 😂 I think he had a quote of $200 to replace the glass.
This diesel option was all about fuel economy. It would have been nice if you could have asked the owner to share his fuel economy experience, and the range of this vehicle on a long distance trip. More pertinent than cup holders. Unique review.
My dad had a diesel Mark VII in 1984. I thought it was like a sports car. It had good power especially at higher speeds. That car you’re driving must need servicing. I wish he had kept that car. It also got around 50 mpg on long road trips.
BMW Diesels in the 80’s were crap, which is why you don’t see any of them being driven around regularly, the way you do with Mercedes 240D’s and 300D Turbos
@@stoneylonesome4062 I guess they were indeed just as bad as the Oldsmobile 5.7L diesel V-8.
@@ClassicTVMan1981X Not quite as bad as the Oldsmobiles. I’m sure you could get 100-200k miles out of an 80’s BMW I6 Turbo-Diesel. BMW has always made good engines, at least up until the 2010’s. The problem isn’t the engine - it’s all the plastic & computer chips hooked-up to the engine. You didn’t have that problem with Mercedes, the whole car was built to be infinitely maintainable & serviceable.
@@stoneylonesome4062 Nor did, of course, the Olds mill; the Olds mill's problems were the same number of head bolts as the gas 350 V-8 and no fuel/water separator, as well as the fact that some diesel fuel wasn't even clean.
This car is rarer than commonly thought. There needs to be a big friggin box to measure truck space.
How about an upright vacuum?
Ha ha.
Exactly!
you sir are a genius that is a FANTASTIC idea😂😂😂
@@kwaza8574 what'd you mean rarer than commonly thought? Most people have no idea these even exist
Wow this is so awesome!! I wouldn't even care that is slow, it is so unique. A car I would consider adding to my collection for sure. Owned a 1984 Mercedes 300d at one point, and it actually accelerated pretty well with the 180lbs of torque. Especially compared to the original 240d without the turbo, which had 54 hp
You diesel guys are masochists.
😂😂😂😂
I've got an 87' 300sdl, she makes around 150hp and 200lb/ft, she moves pretty good with 10 psi from the turbo.
@@chuckpeterson3262 no fuel sometimes costs heaps in some places (e.g. Italy)
My uncle bought a new 180D Mercedes in 1960. Could barely get up the hills in Portland, OR. He never tried negotiating the hills in San Francisco since me might not have made it home.
@@billolsen4360 It's a diesel, it would clear those hills, slowly, but it would, whereas a small weak gasser, I wouldn't be so sure.
I had a 1985 Continental. It had a 302 gas V8 and 4 speed auto. Only problem was the air ride suspension relays would fail and you would be one axle or the other on the ground! I eventually replaced it with conventional coil springs. The car was eventually stolen and destroyed! Thanks for the memories!
Had an 85, 5.0 gas, what a car! Sold it after 1st airbag went. 300 bucks later. I thought oh no, 3 other airbags and a 500.00 compressor in the trunk. Also, original owner didn't honor the recall on wood veneer panels, peeling. I went to the dealer & no plastic parts left. For Sale sign went up.
Topic of the diesel only
I hear that so often about these air-sprung cars. Packard offered a self-leveling suspension in the 1950s that used torsion springs instead of air springs ; the motor and gearbox just turned the other end of the bar. It sounds like a more robust solution, though I've never seen a test of the way the cars actually drove.
The RCR review prepared me for how terrible this car is
Me tooooo lol it was worse than the bravada 😆
@phillyspitta8147 NOTHING will be worse then a bravada so I know LMAO
6:08 DTE = Distance Til Empty
Distance To Empty
Contemporary road tests put 0-60 between 13.5-14.5 seconds. I suspect the latter is more accurate, but for the era even that wasn't horrible. This is 1984 and nothing had any power - the HT4100 had only 10 more hp for a much larger and heavier vehicle, so even the diesel Conti was 'quick' by comparison. And the Caddy diesel made 105 hp. A few years later the Conti would get a detuned Mustang V8 (before the 88 redesign turned it into a V6), so the 86-87 models had some poke, although by that time the 10-11 second 0-60 was decidedly mid-pack. I like the Valentino and much more so the later Givenchy editions, they look slick and pack a lot of 'modern luxury' for the money. The mid-cycle refresh helped the 'face' too. Great car? No. But, absent the diesel, not horrible.
It could probably have beaten my 78 6 cylinder Fairmont Futura.
It wasn't considered a detuned Mustang engine...Ford considered it a standard output 5.0, with the Mark VII LSC and Mustang having the HO (high output) versions.
The diesel was its strength.
5.7L diesel in my Oldsmobile did over 20 seconds to get to 60mph
One of the many great things about this channel is that I never know what to expect next!
Wow, what a throwback this is with the bustle back and the two-tone paintwork, really glad you did this review because I wasn't aware they came with an optional diesel engine (malaise era). They were cutting edge believe it or not when introduced by Lincoln in the early '80's. The beginning of the end of North American car makers dominance.
My sister has one, purchased brand new, Windsor V8 black with tan interior, her name is Beverly. She drove her until Lincoln recently reintroduced the continental. The new one is her daily, but she brings Bev out on the weekends still and she still looks amazing.
Beverly ❤😂
No she doesn't. Topic is the diesel version
@@Bloodcurling you be well 😅
Remember it was only about MPG back then. MPG was all that mattered and people were still in great fear of another fuel crisis that crippled the USA... These diesel Continentals got 20 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the high way, if babied, and this was absolutely impressive back then.
Good video though probably the first time I've ever seen a diesel vehicle get no mention of torque. The transmission choice comes from using BMW 2.4L inline-six cylinder turbodiesel. Which BTW was in use by BMW for 8 years and diesels in general sold well in Europe not in the US. In the US only diesel trucks are in common use. Gotta laugh at how new diesels are so good certainly don't hear that often. Tons of emissions sensors, def fluid etc.. making them a no go outside of commercial truck use.
In Europe most cars are diesel.
As a matter of fact this engine was used in BMW's 5 series(524td) form same era and has pretty decent acceleration compared to this "lathe" on wheels. But the engine is just one piece of the car recipe, isn't it?
I'm french and several years ago i had a BMW E30 with that engine but WITHOUT a turbo, the famous 324d, 86hp of pure diesel ! It was slow but reliable and suffisant for the french backroad ans everyday drinving
you gotta drive the five-oh! a completely different Continental experience. this was a very entertaining and informative video. here is a little tidbit for you: DTE = Distance To Empty. also the 8th Gen was actually larger overall; i go into detail in my “Lincoln Continental - First Front Wheel Drive” Video. it’s a must watch 😊
Remember, we were cursed with Nixon's revenge - the 55 mph.speed limit. So performance really wasn't so important.
The 5.0 model was so very desirable, but I will stick with my Grand Marquis.
Man oh man America made some horrible cars around this time
You should try one of the contemporary GM diesel sedans. Some of them made it through to today, and have had many of their deficiencies taken care of, so they at least don’t break down much anymore.
You should also try a Chevy Cruze diesel, see how GM’s second attempt at a diesel sedan compares (was available with a manual transmission!)
Here in Europe almost all large sedans, especially those used for chauffer service, are diesels. And you'd never notice.
@@dm5374 yes like my twenty year old V70 diesel
I actually like the industrial sound of the diesel engine.
I have one,just adjust the waste gate, 35 mpg,mine goes pretty good
6:14 The DTE button is you distance to empty
What a beauty! Especcially this awesome 2tone paint.
In Europe it is very usual to ride a Diesel.
But I never have purchuased one (riding my 8th car now). Also hating that sound, dirt, smell, heating- and short-trip-behavior...
There is a misconception about why the American automakers got interested in diesels. Yes, it has to do with fuel economy. But automakers in the late 70s and early 80s were getting squeezed from both sides. Most people think fuel economy and clean emissions go hand in hand, but they don't. Unless you're dealing with a car that is out of tune, these are conflicting goals. The most efficient engines burn lean, but lean engines make smog. So automakers were being told they had to sell cars that didn't pollute, to a customer base who was hurting from high fuel prices. But diesels were exempt from most emissions regulations. Sort of like how they started turning trucks into SUV's for regular people to drive in the 90s, because trucks didn't count towards their CAFE averages. By going diesel, they could forget about emissions controls and just focus on efficiency.
The larger arc is how the American auto industry had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the age of fuel injection. While the American automakers were putzing around with diesels, hoping that the disgruntled American buyer would agree with their PR that making engines that are powerful efficient, and clean is "impossible" and vote out the regulators, automakers in Europe and Asia simply began developing fuel injection systems which, at the time, removed all mechanical complexity from emissions controls. A carburetor in 84 was a rats nest of vacuum lines, it needed an air pump which burned (read: wasted) excess fuel in the exhaust, and was an extremely difficult to diagnose if it failed a smog test. My 84 BMW with fuel injection is dead simple. No air pump. Just an O2 sensor, a catalytic converter, and an airflow meter. Even compared to fuel injection in the mid 90s, it's ridiculously simple.
In the 60s the American automakers started messing around with fuel injection, and the results were bad. First because nobody knew how to fix them. Second because the computing tech was not yet ready. Third, because there was no compelling reason to clean up emissions yet. So by 1980 they had been doing the carburetor thing for so long that they assumed they could just strong arm the government into relaxing emissions laws. And instead, we saw Germany and Japan, whom many buyers, and buyer's father's, fought in WW2, quickly dominate the market.
I believe DTE is distance to empty. I had the 84 Cadillac El Dorado diesel and was happy with most aspects of it, didn't mind getting 33-35 MPG around town and even better on highway.
Nice review. Thanks for sharing! FYI, opera lights are when those lights you pointed at are on the exterior of the car. They were more of a 70's thing. Take care.
I had a few BMW 524TD's and those where not slow at all compared to other traffic back then.
I used to own a 1986 Eddie Bower edition Bronco 2. It had a 2.9 l fuel injected V6. It also had a 5 speed manual with push button for wheel drive.
Terrible sedan? Honestly, no way. I think this car is so beautiful, and way better than any BMW.
😂😂😂
my late father actually had one of the diesel Lincolns! he had the Mark VII. funnily, my grandma had the E28 524td which had the same engine/transmission. his is the ONLY one i've ever seen in real life, they were extremely rare then and even more-so today! i'll never forget the gurgling sound of that diesel engine; it really was a gorgeous car (the BMW was even more beautiful but i digress).
I remember when I told somebody that Lincoln's are Fords and Fords are Lincoln's He told me I was crazy.
I can't imagine that many were both powered by the diesel engine and Valentino editions, so thank you for featuring it. I would humbly suggest washing and vacuuming your cars before making videos, as this car would have shown much better had you done so. (I mention this as a general rule, and because you have listed it for sale.)
The car is so slow because the TURBO is still in the box, in the trunk. Hook it up!
A Lincoln with a BMW diesel engine from the factory? THAT'S DOUG DEMURO WORTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would like to see how that compares to the E28 BMW 524TD for which this engine was actually designed for. Oh and by the way the same engine was in the Vixen RV from the same time period.
That was actually a very good engine in its time and performed well in the presumably much lighter and more agile BMW.
This car is so weird and rare which makes it kinda cool
As a Ford mechanic at Lincoln dealership in the 80s I've seen these with over half million miles on them slow are not the engine and transmission are bullet proof.
What’s interesting about GM’s attempt at diesels is that it was a repurposed small block 350 that Oldsmobile thought they could just build as a diesel engine, and they where terrible. At least Ford made the attempt to get a diesel engine from someone already making them. It’s a wonder why GM didn’t just go to Detroit diesel and get one, they did eventually but the damage was already done. I’m also surprised the big three didn’t just go to someone like Cummins or Caterpillar to see if they had some smaller tractor diesel engines that they could have used in some of their smaller cars, I have a 2001 VW Golf TDI and it only sounds like a small tractor while idling, at freeway speeds it just sounds like a little four banger cruising down the highway.
Detroit diesel had nothing small enough at that time. Eventually the 6.2 came along for the '82 model year and that at least had input from DD. The weakest part of the Olds diesel was the material specifications for the head bolts. An easy and cheap fix but by the time GM got around to it, the damage was done.
I have an '82 5.7 Olds diesel, all original with 225K on it. Reliable as a rock........and just as slow.
Had an '82 when it was new. Super nice car, would pass anything on the highway. Had a 302 V8. It was a good car but looked retro when the next generation premiered in 1988.
Wasn't the next gen a dolled-up Taurus with a waterfall grill?
@@MisterMikeTexasMustang bodies ever after
I drive a 1985 Lincoln Town Car. It's amazing that it's nothing like the Continental in this video.
Yeah I miss my 1988 TC.
BMW 524td was a good car. Performance was good compared to the gas 528e and better than the Benz 300d Turbo
Ultimately, time has been the best judge on 80’s Diesels. BMW Diesels were generally pieces of junk, which is why you don’t see any of them driving around, unlike Classic Mercedes Diesels, which are genuinely reliable, and infinitely serviceable and maintainable.
@@stoneylonesome4062no the fact is there were barely any brought here at all compared to Mercedes. Of course the Mercedes diesels were great but even now there’s a lot of people swapping m57 diesels in place of Mercedes diesels that have been failing, even in sprinters.
They were left no choice. Café was after them to get better mileage and they thought they would attract a different buyer because of the BMW. It was more of a joke in an LSC . Of the same vintage. The government jumped on board and made all kinds of crazy rules for American manufacturers. PS did You Ever Dr., Mercedes diesel , even slower, but people loved them
this thing is almost hen's teeth rare!
I remember these copycat Sevilles but never knew they had a diesel option much less sourced from bmw. And a "Valentino" edition...must've been Ford's answer to Caddy's Gucci editions. 🤣
Gotta love the headliner. Ford must've used the same 💩 adhesive that GM was using for their headliners, or some 3rd party co. made headliners for both companies.
Btw, the Caddy diesels were terrible mostly because they broke alot due to the fact that GM's cheap way to test the market with a diesel offering was to convert their gas powered V8's into diesels which showed just how stout their gas powered V8's were that they could withstand the excessive torque stresses as a diesel and not fail within a few miles.
You are wrong about the GM Wankel. GM had paid for a license to produce the Wankel engine in 1970. The oil embargo killed the GM Wankel and was certainly not being researched because of the oil embargo.
The gas crisis was long over by 1984 and gas was at it's cheapest in years. The Lincoln BMW diesel likely had its engineering roots years earlier.
It's glazed over, not grazed over. It's also 'take it or leave it', not give it or take it. No hate just help.
OUTSIDE: Opera lights.
INSIDE: reading lights.
if this thing had a manual 5 spd it would be much more faster but the americans couldnˋt build a fast sedan in 79s.
I have one mine is the solid burgundy, it is beautiful. 1987.
That thick cloud of smoke forming behind it under acceleration (0:30) makes me doubt it makes all 114 hp. Yes, a 80s diesel will smoke under load but covering the whole street is, well, lets say it exceeds the homologation values.
I absolutely love my 7th Gen Continental, best car I've ever owned. Of course mine has a Ford 302 and AOD so it actually runs.
DTE is Distance to Empty... one of the most used/important buttons
Why is he saying desle instead of diesel... There's a Z in there my man 🤣🤣🤣
Bigger turbo turn up the fuel a bit and a 5 speed manual will make it go alot faster
Interesting...I would just call this a midsize car. I remember when these were new
Well...at least the engines didnt self destruct like the GM diesels of the same time period
Interesting to note that during this period people were lining up to buy Mercedes diesels that ended up lasting hundreds of thousands of miles
I hope you come across a 8th generation Lincoln Continental from 1988 - 1994.
The GM (Olds) 5.7 V-8 had 2 more cylinders, no turbo, and still only 105hp, sometimes 120. And those were put in much bigger/heftier cars.
I'm looking at this car and whoever did the window tint job did a very good job although it's hard to tell if it's really clean work. I'd laugh if owner is a window tinter.
The DTE button stands for distance to empty.
12:10 - Diesels aren't popular at the moment because of political market manipulation for fuel costs. That is currently over $5/gallon in Illinois. Gas, also unnecessarily expensive due to politics, is currently more than $1/gallon less. Not only is a fill-up cheaper, the government is compelling manufacturers to go the EV route rather than diesels or other alternatives.
Diesel was cheaper than gas here in AZ for a while, but gas is slowly falling and they’re getting closer in price.
At least old diesels can run homemade biodiesel. Newer ones can't.
The emissions equipment and DEF turn a lot of people off from newer diesels too
Awesome vid. Thanks!
I’m genuinely surprised that it is so lethargic with this engine. Turbo diesels - even older ones in Europe were pretty nippy. Good review though!
They were detuned for the American market.
this diesel engine is from a BMW 5-Series which was 300kg (661lbs) lighter than this Lincoln, also they came mostly with manual transmissions in Europe.
I had no idea this existed. Man this was a great review.
It’s a testament to how terrible BMW’s Diesels are that they managed to make an I6 unreliable.
My aunt had one of these new from '86/87. Smoked three packs a day with the windows up, recirculating the tar through the A/C. Melted lipstick in the power seat console. Rear air bags sagging after a couple years. Yikes.
I think a lot of people in USA would love a modern diesel car, they are cheaper to run than gasoline engines and have more torque.
Diesel engines are more expansive to run than gas engines. They consume less fuel, but maintenance is much more expansive, they are more complex engines. Much cheaper/better option is LPG gasoline engine.
@@MilanStojakov The worst about diesels after 2000 is DPF and EGR clogging, in many cars DPF can be regenerated either the car does it itself or you could use diagnostic tool to perform forced regeneration.
@@kebabaluba DPF started to be mass installed in diesel cars after about 2007. EGR is known to clog, but you can do EGR delete but then you would be polluting more.
Fuel injection system is especially expansive and can be hard to fix, and depending on manufacture can be really sensitive to fuel quality.
I never owned a diesel with DPF but the early ones were a real pain to fix and manage, as far as I know.
If you want cheap transportation, complex cars and engines are to be avoided.
I think this engine was never mated to an automatic transmission in Europe. I can imagine better performance with a manual. But guys… i learned to drive on a 54 hp naturally aspirated diesel 😂 talk about 0 to 60 in 20 second territory. But we never had the issue with acceleration per se in Europe as you seem to be obsessed with in the US
It's honestly shocking for us to drive a vehicle that just gives up on any sort of incline. Y'all are used to that, we're not.
@@seanthe100 yeah.. i mean we were used to that. We shared the autobahn with very slow cars to super fast cars and somehow we managed ☺️
These and the Olds/Cadillac Diesels were SO BAD and are pretty much why American's get nervous about buying diesel cars these days, but it's hilarious to see it get reviewed. It may be a complete dud but it's a quirky and fun dud
That and the fact that diesel is more expensive than gasoline (petrol if you're not from the US) and diesel engines are more expensive to maintain. If you're not towing heavy loads very often it doesn't make financial sense to own a diesel car. Dieselgate (VW lying about their diesel emissions figures) also contributed to the decline of diesels in the US.
@@damilolaakannidiesels we’re much cheaper to own and maintain before the emissions stuff were added. It’s easier to find Mercedes diesels over 400k miles than ones with less than 150k. After the emissions stuff added around 08, then I’d agree for the most part.
My 524td was not that slow at all. Got as high as 40mpg on a trip. Loved that car .
DTE: distance to empty.
An E28 is a lot lighter I guess, and with a manual transmission efficiency is much higher.
I really want to drive one, and test it's 0-60, it sounds fun. I drive a Mitsubishi Mirage, which people often say is so slow it's unsafe, I don't find it slow at all, but that's just me. But this would be fun, floor it all over, never worry about speeding.
This was part of an experimental fleet, not a production car. Ford bought 800 BMW diesel engines and installed them into 600 Continentals and 200 in Mark VII's. They were great cars, but GM's well publicized engineering flop of converting an Olds V8 to diesel the wrong way had already destroyed the diesel market in America. There was no point of Ford moving forward with this concept, so the fleet was sold off to the public. A coworker's buddy bought a Mark VII. These had 25 gallon tanks and got 40 MPG - a 1000 mile range! They took to to Florida. On the return trip they filled up in Miami, FL and didn't stop again until Monroe, MI!!! And only because they didn't think they could make it all the way back to Dearborn.
@jeffbranch8072
This guy is talking about the car as if it is somewhat modern, when it is not and has high miles on it too. When these were new they were always a bit slow, but not terribly so when compared to similar models at the time as many cars were due to emissions and detuning engines for economy.
These were NOT bad cars even with a diesel of the day, and they were general reliable. That's saying something considering how bad modern Ford reliability is today.
@@watershed44 , plus the Continental has 4 wheel disc brakes and an independent rear suspension. It wasn't much on styling but it had it where it counted. Car guys used to scour junk yards to get those rear suspensions.
@@jeffbranch8072 No IRS on the Conti. or Mark VII. It was a Ford 8.8 with air springs and disc brakes.
My aunt had an 84 Givenchy edition, with a v8. For years I obsessed over that car. Extremely smooth and quiet.
DTE = Distance to Empty
I worked at a Ford dealership in the early eighties when one of these ( a pre-production model ) was brought to the shop by Ford personnel for servicing who had been test driving it across the country.
It's also a Fox Body....Which is honestly kinda funny.
With that paint scheme, the side profile of this car doesn't look half bad.
Lots of errors in this vid
Would be cool to smash a good M57D25 (BMW 2.5 6 Zylinder commonrail Turbodiesel with 163 horse) under the hood. Then its fine.
DTE is distance to empty aka fuel range
What's it basing that on?
I'd love to know what microphone you use. You're the only car channel that mutes the sound of the engine and makes your voice sound tinny. I hope you work on that because you have the most entertaining videos and most interesting cars. But the sound of the engine while you're inside driving is what makes us feel that we are IN the car and actually get to feel the experience. It's all tinny and muted. Even a camera phone mic catches the sounds of the engine from inside of the car as it sounds in real life. I can't understand what is going on with your mic.
You were how old Mr. Pradel when this supposedly, "Terrible Sedan With A BMW Diesel Engine!" came out?
You are gravely mistaken to conflate Ford Motor's approach with the automotive diesel with General Motor's. As you should know, GM took a gasoline engine and converted it to a bastardized diesel and then passed it off to their loyal customers.
Ford Motor purchased a proven and long tested genuine turbo diesel that had been used in European cabs for years. The actual cruising comfort and highway mpg of this Lincoln was astounding. Recall this vehicle offered a genuine alternative during the horrible malaise period. Ask some actual customers what their take on the vehicle was before passing judgment.
Its not nearly as bad as you imply; our Ford dealer service rep had one as a company car. Not fast, but not as slow as you might think. Keep in mind this was 1984 and in comparison to the Cadillac diesel or the Oldsmobile diesel (especially the one year 260 diesel in the Cutlas line) and at one point (I worked at a multi line GM dealer 80-82) we had more cars down to engine problems than new cars in stock.
The Continental diesel was a very rare bird; I only saw one besides the factory rep car in my years with Ford/L-M service. But it must have been reliable enough, it was traded in on a new Lincoln and it had 300k+ miles on it.
I see a whole bunch of switch gear from my 1985 Thunderbird. The electronic climate control switches, headlight delay switches, automatic transmission selector, radio, power window buttons, and power seat buttons on the console with the same toggle joystick. Even has the same premium stereo. You would think that Lincoln would have been a little more exclusive for their premium cars.
Cool, my 6 grade teacher had a Bugandy gas powered one.
1. A horrible idea.
2. An ashtray and cigarette lighter.
Very cool.
Forgot about them.
Bring them back forthwith.
and in the mid 2000's people started saying the word "diesel" incorrectly. It's pronounced "deez-ull"; not "deeS-ull". Ask any German.
OMG! I didn't know power operated retracting quarter lights were even a thing! I learned something today!
Thanks for this! What i don't understand is that Ford Europe had aktually three Diesel engines to offer back then. Why bought they the engine form BMW? Someone hasn't to understand Ford I guess.....
It:s funny to listen to the Intro or the story were you say " Fords guys walked from their headquarters in Cologne down the street and knocked on the door of BMW" (shortened quote) Lol: Did you realize BMW is in Munich ( yes, Oktoberfest Munich) which is a different German country (or state, as you Americans would call it) BMW at that time sold that straight 6 engine to a lot of companies, including an American company to put it into RV's , and Italian makers of SUV's and more, even a boat engine was developed by BMW themselves, as well as they sold their gasoline engines to small sportscar companies, all before they bought Rolls-Royce and Rover, which now makes them the engine of choice in several versions of british cars, including Mini. BMW means : Bayerische Motorenwerke , means Bavarian Motor Manufacturing , which is the reason for the chrome words " Bavaria" on cars they sold in the US, since Americans often thought BMW meant British Motorworks or such.....
put a 550 3.0 diesel bmw in a corvette in it with 500 hp 900 nm torque and a fuel consumption of 8 lt diesel on 60 miles ..cruising! you wont felt ashamed but end the month with much more money in your pocket.. diesel is the KING...all enviormental bullshit is Bullshit!
It looks to be smoking pretty bad when you accelerate so maybe the turbo is shot or leaking.
Lincoln got it righter than Cadillac did. It may sound like a farm tractor, but Lincoln was smart and used a BMW engine for its diesel option. And I don't think it had any of the quality and longevity problems of the Olds/GM 5.7 diesels. If you wanted power, you got a Mustang 5.0 or a heavier duty pickup with the 7.5 big block, aka the 460.
the whole diesel luxury car thing was started actually by Mercedes-Benz. The American car companies were trying to play catch-up when they started selling like wildfire in the late seventies. The thing about M-B diesel cars is they were designed completely to be a diesel luxury car and weren't just a swap-out of a conventional gas powered vehicle. Even then, diesel powered luxury cars were more about moving around urban areas, where speed limits were only 25-35mph, than traveling fast on the open roads and highways. That car, in particular is a very cleverly disguised fox-body (Ford Fairmont) vehicle.
There is no way that turbo was functioning. It was relying on its fuel injection only. A turbo diesel can have surprising acceleration. I remember the first time I drove a late ‘90s F-250 with the 7.3 turbo diesel… it would scat and had tons of torque. I also once owned an ‘84 Suburban with a a POS non-turbo diesel. 0-60 was close to 20 seconds and the stinky smell of diesel was always present in the engine bay which them permeated the cabin.
When I was growing up, my grandfather was a Ford/Lincoln guy and one of his neighbors was a Cadillac guy and I remember the neighbor had a bustleback Cadillac Seville with a diesel engine. My goodness, that thing was noisy - whenever they started it up, the whole neighborhood could hear that car. A noisy, diesel belcher is not what I think of when I think of these 70s/80s malaise era luxury barges - a Lincoln of similar vintage with a 302 would also be as slow as molasses, but at least it wouldn't sound like a cement truck.
I just traded my truck for the EXACT car in this video about 3 hours ago. Same black ziptie on driver's door mirror. Same missing door pull on inside of driver's door. Same exact chipped paint pattern on lower right side of front bumper. Illinois title.
the bmw was the best diesel in the business back then. sadly the lincoln is still a little bit too heavy for it. and i would have propably preferred even a 4 cyl petrol instead of it (but obviously not an american made one)
Distance To Empty (DTE). That, I know from the 1980's. Diesel engined Lincoln however, is new to me. Ya learn something new everyday. Thanks for the info.😊
A neighbor of mine had one and I just think it's so ugly. They were meant to compete with the Cadillac Seville. I knew this big goof who bought one 20 years ago and drove to Canada to get it for $500 dollars. The seller convinced him it only had 50000 miles on it. When it was shut off the rear shocks would eventually drop. He decided to start it one day in the winter for no reason and got out of the car, shut the door, he most likely slammed it and something triggered the power lock to the lock position. The car was running for an hour and he couldn't get in. He took a brick and smashed out one of the vent windows to reach in and open it 😂
I think he had a quote of $200 to replace the glass.