I am writing something for Oppositelock I need your advice

"JR1" (type35bugatti)
03/07/2015 at 18:36 • Filed to: Advice

I want to make a list of the top 100 longest cars. Should I include extended wheelbase such as the Rolls Royce Phantom Extended or just go with the regular wheelbase?

DISCUSSION (26)

My citroen won't start > JR1
03/07/2015 at 18:38

You should all things LWB.

TheHondaBro > JR1
03/07/2015 at 18:38

Yes.

ranwhenparked > JR1
03/07/2015 at 18:39

I would treat the LWB and standard wheelbase versions of the same car as two separate entries. They do come that way from the factory though, so they should be included.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > JR1
03/07/2015 at 18:40

yessiree.

JR1 > ranwhenparked
03/07/2015 at 18:54

No to Limo right?

JR1 > My citroen won't start
03/07/2015 at 18:54

Ok thanks.

No to limo?

JR1 > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
03/07/2015 at 18:54

Ok thanks.

No to limo?

JR1 > TheHondaBro
03/07/2015 at 18:54

Ok thanks

No to limo?

My citroen won't start > JR1
03/07/2015 at 19:02

That's a bit too much, unless it is something other than a stretched version of a normal car.

JR1 > My citroen won't start
03/07/2015 at 19:05

Thanks for the input I agree

Clay Smith's Revenge > JR1
03/07/2015 at 19:07

I don't care which version of the Rolls you use, just make sure you include the 1975 Lincoln Town Car. That thing was loooong

ranwhenparked > JR1
03/07/2015 at 19:37

It's your list. But, I probably wouldn't bother with aftermarket limo conversions - too many variations, too many coachbuilders and customizers to keep track of, and you could probably make a whole list where every entry was just stretch limos.

JR1 > Clay Smith's Revenge
03/07/2015 at 19:39

It will be on the list as of right now it will be one of the higher ranked cars but it won't even be the highest Lincoln on the list

Clay Smith's Revenge > JR1
03/07/2015 at 19:54

My dad had a '75 Town Car when I was growing up so I'm well acquainted with the intimidating length it brings to the party.

Frankly the fact that there's a longer Lincoln out there than that land barge is a little bit frightening

JR1 > ranwhenparked
03/07/2015 at 20:14

I think so too. I am going to keep the limos out of the equation

JR1 > Clay Smith's Revenge
03/07/2015 at 20:15

The Town Car was technically just a 4 door Continental right?

Clay Smith's Revenge > JR1
03/07/2015 at 20:25

I think they might have shared a frame at the time but the bodies were completely different, IIRC. One of dad's friends had a Continental and I can remember than parked next to each other. The Town Car had a much longer overhang behind the rear axle than the Continental did. If they have the same bumper to bumper measurement it must have been that the bulge of the continental kit on the trunk of the Continental made the rear overhang appear shorter.

Of course if you're basing longest off of wheelbase then throw my remembered observations right out the window

JR1 > Clay Smith's Revenge
03/07/2015 at 20:35

Nope overall length. I personally think the wheelbase measurement is stupid

Clay Smith's Revenge > JR1
03/07/2015 at 20:46

Yeah, I do as well but I can understand the rationale behind it.

I have no idea what generation the '75 Town Car was (nor do I know what generation they were on when they killed it), all I know is that I watched the Town Car shrink throughout almost all of the 80's before it began growing again. My dad drove nothing but Town Cars from '75 until he died in 2011. The man was Lincoln loyal to a fault

JR1 > Clay Smith's Revenge
03/07/2015 at 21:24

Through the best of times and the worst of times it sounds like. Lincolon needs more customers like your dad. I must say I respect his choice in cars the Town Car has always been an American icon in its own right.

Clay Smith's Revenge > JR1
03/07/2015 at 21:55

Yeah, he was definitely a loyal customer for over 35 years but he was also an example of what one of Lincoln's biggest problems have been forever: an aging customer base. Unfortunately Ford never gave Lincoln the range of models that might have attracted a younger customer (or prematurely buried models that had a chance like the LS).

Cadillac had the exact same problem until they introduced the CTS and then changed the styling on their other models to one that mirrored the more angular CTS styling. Now the median age of their customer base has gone down far enough to capture a customer that might be a 25+ year brand loyal one. I'm just afraid that when Ford decides on a long term strategy for Lincoln that they're committed to staying with that younger customer market is either completely unaware of Lincoln as a brand or their only awareness is of models given big rollouts suddenly disappearing 3-4 years later. They're really going to have to do a lot of work to rebuild the Lincoln brand and I question whether they'll have the patience and desire to do it. Ford has been on quite a good run beginning just before the industry bailout thanks to smart financial moves and Ford products selling well. It would be too easy for them to say "we're successful now selling almost no Lincolns, why commit resources to a brand we are already all but living without?". They killed off Mercury with no sales losses, but I would hope somebody would understand that doing away with Lincoln is a much, much bigger issue that goes beyond units sold

JR1 > Clay Smith's Revenge
03/07/2015 at 22:13

I know Ford recently gave 2 billion dollars to Lincoln. Jalopnik has a post about it somewhere. So I think there is probably some hope for Lincoln yet.

Clay Smith's Revenge > JR1
03/07/2015 at 22:46

I wasn't aware of that at all. That is a good sign for Lincoln, I hope they use the fresh capital to first overhaul the entire brand and create a new across the board style concept unique to Lincoln, much like J Mays did at Cadillac, where one glance confirms "Lincoln" regardless of model. Second, engineer some new models to have a range of vehicles available that will appeal to the general public. It's key that the Lincoln range is specific to them only. Badge engineering various Ford platforms killed off Mercury and left Lincoln on life support, let's not revisit it. Most importantly, though, is sticking with whatever direction they decide to take Lincoln. That more than anything is why I've only considered Lincoln for a car once in my life. I worried they'd discontinue the LS and the ones on the road would instantly appear out of date and that's exactly what they did.

JR1 > Clay Smith's Revenge
03/08/2015 at 09:10

Yeah I think we will hopefully see some promising stuff coming from Lincoln in the future. Unlike Cadillac they have the CUV and SUV bases covered on the field. I am hoping with the MKS redesign they go rear wheel drive. It is a stretch but it would at least give them more credibility. A convertible would be nice too

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1
03/09/2015 at 12:19

I missed this, but absolutely include factory limos - but not conversions in most cases. Pre-war cars, you might include coachbuilt long versions, but only if they comprised a large percentage of overall build. IOW, Imperial limo, absolutely. Continental limo or LWB commercial Panther, absolutely. Something they only made 5 of out of 56 made in 1931 or something... hard to say. Modern limo, absolutely not.

JR1 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/09/2015 at 12:30

LWB cars I am including but as a general rule anything that says Limo or commercial vehicle I am staying away from. I feel that most of these factory limos were likely bought by commercial interests and not private hands so they should not be included.