Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Personal Luxury Cars, (PLCs) out of production but not out of my heart.

Bill Mitchell always knew what I wanted.

One of the first of the breed was the four seat Thunderbird. It set the tone for this kind of car for many years. Although it carried a Ford nameplate it was often considered to be almost comparable in status to a Lincoln. They were often found parked alongside one another in the same garage.

Styling is 50's fussy but still pretty cool.
What kid didn't want their own Batmobile?

The Thunderbird had the market pretty much to itself until 1964 and the release of the Buick Riviera. 1966 brought the release of the Toronado and the next year the fabulous El Dorado debuted.

In my opinion one of the best looking cars ever made.

These were all clustered at the higher priced end of the spectrum, especially the Eldo.

There was plenty of room in the market to accommodate a popularly priced competitor and Chevrolet was ready to make a move. The Monte Carlo hit the market like a bomb in the early 1970's and started setting sales records.

The personal luxury car was itself a reflection of what the market wanted and it seems that other types of cars began adding the trappings of broughammy luxury items. Notably things like half landau tops, opera windows and wire type wheel covers.

History is nice but what does this have to do with me?

Personal luxury cars have always hit a sweet spot for me.

While I was always a fan of full size coupes, PLCs were what I transitioned to. They filled the bill for a distinctive, luxurious, and even sporty model.

I had originally wanted an Eldo
but got a Seville so that my kids could have their "own doors."

I've thought about an '91 and up, El Dorado as they are quite good looking. I had a Northstar equipped Seville STS. Based on that experience I would pick the more reliable 4.9 V8, 200 hp is enough. The handling and utility of the car is very good. The 1979 through '85 models are also one of my favorites but only the '79 came equipped with a good engine, the Olds 350 V8.  V8-6-4s and HT 4100s are best avoided.

The Lincoln Mark VII and Mark VIII are also on the list. I prefer the styling and interior of the VII and the good old reliable 302 engine is a good bet. They run okay but it wasn't until 1990 that the horsepower hit 200.

I find the styling of the Mark VIII too modern and the interior is too plasticky. However I do like the inclusion of IRS and the DOHC engine is very powerful.

A sporty luxury car seems to be what I need.

The entries in the lower end of the market came with a variety of optional motors. They all came equipped with V8s, though a Monte Carlo had a two barrel 350 and the 77-79 Thunderbirds had a base 302 and an optional 400.

This is the Thunderbird SC. Super coupe with supercharged V6
and a five speed manual transmission.

The Thunderbird Super Coupe is as close to a European road car as any American PLC ever got. They even included a five speed manual transmission as well as IRS. There was also a Cougar XR5. Both are very tempting.

Earlier model Eldos, Toronados, and Rivieras, and even Thunderbirds always came equipped with a version of the top of the line motor.

This meant that they were pretty fast for a standard automobile. A higher level of performance was always part of the package. Back in the day a Cadillac, Lincoln or Imperial was a real roadburner. This tradition was kept alive with the introduction of the first PLCs.

The Golden Age of the PLC spanned the decade from 1965 through 1975.

So, what would I consider to be a reasonable PLC model to purchase today?

Would I buy something from "the Golden Age?"

This would be something like a first gen Eldo, Toronado, or Riviera. or maybe a Mark III, IV. or V, or Big Thunderbird. The big T Bird was nothing but a slightly modified Mark IV. They were the same size, but the Mark was a bit plusher. There were some pretty cool decor packages available. They couldn't compare with a Bill Blass Mark V in blue and white!

Now that's what I call a car!

I don't think that I would get a 60's car like my Rivieras again. Even though my Wife liked the looks of my '66. A '67 through '70 El Dorado had always been on my wish list but they are big and very thirsty. The '71 through 76 convertible Eldos look very impressive but I'm not into the "Superfly" thing anymore.

How about a Pontiac Grand Prix?

These have got  the right attitude!

My Aunt bought a new '69 model and it got so much attention. It was a glamour car like the El Dorado. These came with the 400 V8. Later they had an optional 455. The option was continued into 1972 or '73 colonnade models. The earlier models had a more distinctive appearance. I seriously considered a  very cool three way white '76 at one time.

Mercury Cougar?

My own new Cougar was an '84 model with the base V6. It was a comfortable, quiet cruiser that was great for long distance highway trips. That was why I bought it. I was making a lot of runs up from L.A. and I didn't want to take the chance that my older '77 Cadillac would break down and make me late, or miss work. It was not  powerhouse but it was more than adequate. While they are nice, they don't seem as special as the first generation models. I have found a nice 5.0 V8 on Craig's List. Maybe.

I wanted a Thunderbird, but my Wife wanted the formal roof Cougar.
We got the Cougar.

It's fun looking for cars on the internet. More fun than actually buying them. I've got plenty of free time to kill. There has been some movement on one of my projects, I'll be reporting on that soon. Though I'm spending most of my time just keeping the batteries up.