Diesel-powered luxury vehicles are becoming increasingly rare in the United States, but you can to buy one of the more obscure examples from the 1980’s.
Recently noticed by Redditors, there’s a Craigslist listing for a 1984 Lincoln Continental Mark VII. While most 1980’s Continentals are pretty forgettable, this one features a BMW-sourced turbodiesel engine.
It would be natural to assume this is some kind of homebrew modification, but the engine was equipped straight from the factory. Following the two oil crisis in the 1970’s, Lincoln wanted to offer a more efficient engine in the Continental and eventually tapped BMW to use their 2.4-liter six-cylinder turbodiesel. While it only produced 114 hp (85 kW / 115 PS), the diesel engine wasn’t much less powerful than the 5.0-liter V8 petrol which developed 140 hp (104 kW / 142 PS).
Despite offering significantly better fuel economy ratings, the diesel engine bombed with consumers. There’s no word on how many units were sold, but the Craigslist ad suggests there were only around 2,500 built. Regardless of the final number, the diesel-powered variant was only offered for two years.
This brings us to the Craigslist’s car which is a coupe that has spent decades in storage. The seller is asking for $2,500 and says the model is in “near perfect shape” despite the fact that it hasn’t been started in 20 years and needs a new head gasket.
That seems like a lot of money for a broken Lincoln Continental, but the seller goes on to say the car is rust free and has a gray leather interior that is in near perfect condition. While the listing doesn’t mention mileage, the car comes with the original window sticker and factory paperwork.
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