1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car: A Rare Ember Moondust Classic from the Midwest

Classic cars have a way of finding me, and the 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car I encountered in April 2015 was no exception. After a long Midwest winter, I was on my way to a favorite Chinese restaurant in East Moline, Illinois, when this copper-toned Town Car stopped me in my tracks.

Thomas Klockau I screeched to a halt, leapt out of my Lincoln Town Car Cartier, and admired the vehicle parked off the frontage road. Fortunately, I had engaged the parking brake, preventing a potential mishap in the florist parking lot.

This 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car was painted in Ember Moondust, an extra-cost option listed in the brochure. While I initially considered it might be Cinnamon Gold Moondust, the deeper hue confirmed it was the Ember shade. Moondust paint, similar to Cadillac’s Firemist options, featured brilliant metallic flakes and was a premium feature.

The Town Car was in near showroom condition, complete with luxury wheel covers, whitewall tires, and polished exterior chrome and badging. As the top trim level, it surpassed the base Continental models in luxury and features.

The Town Car and its two-door counterpart, the Town Coupé, were optional packages over the standard Continental coupe and sedan. These packages included upgrades such as "floating pillow" seating, enhanced door panels, power vent windows (often called "cigarette windows"), a full vinyl roof, a carpeted trunk with a spare wheel cover, and more. Thomas Klockau

A key visual change for the 1977 model year was the introduction of the new Mark-style "Parthenon" grille, replacing the previous low, wide design. The two-door Continental retailed for $9,474, while the sedan started at $9,636. The Town Car/Coupé package added to the base price. Additional options included Moondust paint, turbine-style aluminum wheels, polished forged aluminum wheels, the half-top Coach Roof, and optional oval opera windows for the sedan’s C-pillar. Notably, opera windows were not included with the Town Car package but were a separate extra.

The 1977 Continental two-door weighed 4,836 pounds, while the sedan tipped the scales at 4,880 pounds. Powertrains included a 179-horsepower 400-cubic-inch V-8 or a 208-horsepower 460 V-8. All models featured power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, automatic temperature control, and white-sidewall Michelin tires.