Friday 15th April 1977

The Lincoln Versailles, a luxury-compact was introduced as a competitor of the Cadillac Seville during the grand opening ceremonies for the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, US. Essentially a rebadged Ford Granada, the Versailles took the bland sedan and added a new grill, trunk and paint finishings. Along with the Mercury Monarch, the fraternal triplets shared a 135hp V8 capable of pushing the car from zero to 60 mph in around twelve seconds.The one element the Versailles kept true to its royal namesake was its paint. The Versailles was the first car to offer a factory standard clear-coat paint job, and almost every Versailles was given a “dual shade” (two-tone) paint job, an 80 dollar option. With flashy, long-lasting paint, the Versailles would later become the perfect drug dealer’s car. Lincoln wisely anticipated this, and proudly displayed in its 1977 press release that for only 416 dollars, the Versailles’ front seats were capable of reclining to a position now known as the “Gangster Lean.” But while it proved to be a great used car (for drug dealers), the Versailles ended up being too similar to the much-cheaper Monarch and Granada. Lincoln sold less than 5000 in 1980, and decided to discontinue the car.