These days, Ford is all about crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks, not just here but also abroad. But if you wind back the clock about 25 years ago, the product portfolio was a little bit more diverse.
Of course, we’re not complaining about the current model lineup. The Territory, Ranger, and Everest are solid vehicles, and the Explorer and Mustang bring a slice of Americana in the Philippines. But there is one interesting footnote in the company’s history in the Philippines, one that’s nearly forgotten.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Review: 2024 Honda Brio 1.2 RS CVT
We render the rumored Toyota Land Cruiser Mini as the new FJ
As you know, Lincoln vehicles aren’t officially sold in the country. The Navigators you see here are all grey market units. But there was one time that the company did sell a Lincoln here, and it was even coursed through Ford dealerships here.
If you missed the headline, that model is none other than the Lincoln Town Car. As far as we’re concerned, it’s probably the most American car sold in the country in the late ‘90s…next to the Chevrolet Suburban, that is. What makes it so, you ask?
If you ask your parents (or grandparents) what a traditional American car is like, they’re likely to reply with two or three things. These are typically full-sized sedans well over five meters long, nice cushy seat inside, and V8-powered. That’s exactly what the Lincoln Town Car was. It even uses an old school body-on-frame chassis with a frame that dates back to 1979.
For those aware of its history, you might also know the Town Car as the Ford Crown Victoria’s most luxurious version. So, in some ways, Filipinos could get themselves a leather-lined Crown Vic with air suspension in the late ‘90s.
So, what was the Philippine-spec Town Car like? Well, it was close to the US version. It was identical to the North American model with the only key difference being a metric instrument cluster. The Town Car had a 4.6-liter V8 under the hood, but it’s not exactly what we’d call a powerhouse. It only made 205hp, but it did have a meaty torque figure of 380Nm. There were dual-exhaust models that came with 220hp, but what we had here was the single-exhaust version.
How much was it, you ask? This leather-lined land yacht was about P2.5-million back in 1998. While it sounds reasonable today, it was a serious amount of money in the late-‘90s. For reference, a Ford Expedition was about under P2-million, and that was for the XLT 4WD.
The result? Well, it wasn’t exactly a smash hit. Ford did manage to shift a few examples, but it was the Expedition that folks flocked to. After just two short years in the market, Ford Philippines pulled the plug on the Town Car. A Lincoln-badged model has yet to return to the country officially since.
Why didn’t it sell? We can think of a number of reasons. First is the aforementioned Expedition. You can get a bigger, more imposing, and practical vehicle for much less than the Town Car, even if the Lincoln was far more luxurious. Also, for the same price, people can choose to buy something like a BMW 523i or a Mercedes-Benz E230, cars with more prestige and cache than the Town Car.
But we think Ford can have another crack at Lincoln in the Philippines. Besides, just look at the number of grey market Navigators on the streets.
