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Junkyard Gem: 1979 Lincoln Versailles

Sometimes a car manufacturer creates a chassis design that continues to make money for decade after decade, and that's just the jackpot that the Ford Motor Company hit when it built the 1960 Ford Falcon. While that car itself stayed in production in Argentina all the way through 1991, the real payoff for Dearborn came with the many vehicles that ended up being built on modified versions of that platform. There was the original Mustang, of course (and its Mercury Cougar sibling), but also the Ford Maverick/Mercury Comet and its successors, the Ford Granada, Mercury Monarch and Lincoln Versailles. That last car is one of the rarest of all the 1960 Falcon descendants, and I've managed to find a nice example in a boneyard in Sparks, Nevada. The Lincoln Versailles wasn't the first Ford product to be named after Louis XIV's pad in France. That honor went to the mid-1950s Ford Vedette Versailles, a flathead V8-powered sibling to the Simca Vedette and Chambord. The Lincoln Versailles was built from the 1977 through 1980 model years. The idea was that it would compete with the very successful Cadillac Seville, a Chevy Nova-based luxury sedan that debuted for the 1976 model year. These cars were not big sellers, with just over 50,000 produced during their four model years. This one is the first junkyard example I've seen for at least 20 years. The Versailles came with a sturdy 9-inch rear axle assembly and was equipped with disc brakes all the way around. Since it bolts straight into a 1964-1973 Mustang (and many other related Fords), a Versailles rear is always the first thing purchased when one of these cars hits the junkyard. This one probably got yanked by the very first junkyard customer who recognized what it was. The interior is still very, very nice. The front seats appear to be the "Flight Bench" split-bucket type, done up in turqouise "Champagne Dorchester" cloth. You wouldn't see an interior this luxurious in a Granada! And I would know, since I took my first driver's test in my family's 1979 Granada. A factory AM/FM/8-track radio came as standard equipment in this car. For an extra $321 ($1,395 in 2022 dollars), you could have a factory CB radio as well. The aftermarket also provided trunk-mount CBs. A Cartier-badged mechanical-digital clock was also standard equipment. This is essentially the same clock that went into much cheaper Fords of the decade. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Ford recalls 277,000 Super Duty trucks over foggy rear-view camera

Ford has issued a recall that applies to around 277,000 units of the Super Duty pickup built between the 2017 and 2020 model years. The campaign also includes about 13,000 units of the Lincoln Continental, and it aims to fix an issue that makes the rear-view camera foggy. Assigned recall number 22V-644 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes 139,131 units of the F-250, 109,960 units of the F-350, 14,830 units of the F-450, and 13,119 units of the Continental. The affected trucks are all fitted with the Ultimate Trailer Tow Camera system and were built between November 12, 2015, and March 10, 2020, while the affected Lincoln models are equipped with the 360-degree camera and were made from November 30, 2015 to March 10, 2020.  Ford explains "degradation of the coating on an internal rear-view camera lens can lead to a progressively foggy or cloudy image." It adds ultraviolet radiation causes the problem and that this issue increases the risk of an accident, though it's not aware of accidents or injuries. Owners of affected cars and trucks who have already paid to get the issue fixed have until September 30, 2022, to ask Ford for a refund. The company will begin notifying customers about the recall by mail on September 12, 2022, and it will ask them to take their vehicle to the nearest authorized dealer to get the rear-view camera replaced free of charge. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Restoring Headlights | Autoblog Details | Complete Detail Bonus

Lincoln Nautilus, Ford Edge latest prediction: Production ends in July 2024

In June, Auto Forecast Solutions put out a report compiled by its vice president of global forecasting, Sam Fiorani. One item in the report covered how Fiorani had heard from "multiple sources" that Ford shut down the program to replace the Edge crossover in 2023. Assuming this came to pass, with the Lincoln Nautilus based on the Edge, the inference is that the Nautilus would retire at or around the same time. Ford's response to media queries about the report was either "No comment" or PR-speak deflection. Lincoln's statement on the matter to Motor1, a crafty non-answer, was, "The Nautilus plays and will continue to play an important role in Lincoln’s growing SUV portfolio which includes the Corsair, Aviator and Navigator. Lincoln is investing in growth segments like SUVs and we have no plans to exit the segment." It's possible Lincoln has no plans to leave the segment, but the Nautilus might, according to a fresh, unsourced report in Ford Authority. The site claims the Nautilus will end production at the Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, in July 2024.  Again, we can't know how much, if any of this, is true. But we're zeroing in on a timeline for the potential end of the Edge and Nautilus in the U.S. Those are the only two products Oakville currently builds, and when the Canadian union Unifor asked Ford about the reports in June, Ford couldn't offer union reps anything concrete or reassuring. The Detroit News quoted Unifor chief Jerry Dias as saying of the automaker, "There is no question, they are going through a major evaluation of their portfolio, based on a whole host of things."   We could be seeing one of the earlier theories for Edge's potential demise coming true. Some analysts suspect Ford could be pruning its crossover lineup because it has too many similarly-sized offerings at the moment, the Edge hasn't met its sales targets in Europe, and more compact crossovers are on the way that could bring better street cred if they're associated with the Bronco or Bronco Sport. Unifor and Ford are now in negotiations over a new contract, so it's possible we'll get more clarity in the next month or so about Ford's plans and what will come of Oakville and its roughly 4,000 workers. If Ford walks away from the assembly plant, it will only have two engine plants left in Canada, and no vehicle assembly north of the border for the first time in about a century.