Buick Continental vs. Lincoln: Personal Luxury Car Showdown – The Battle You Never Knew Existed
You pull up to the valet stand in a 1957 Continental Mark II, and the attendant doesn’t ask for the keys—he just stares at the spare tire hump on the trunk and whispers, “Is this a… Rolls?”
TL;DR
Here’s the thing most car fans get wrong: Buick never made a “Continental.” That name has always belonged to Lincoln—and it’s one of the most important nameplates in American luxury history . But Buick did spend decades battling Lincoln with its own heavy hitters: the Buick Century, the Buick Park Avenue, and later the LaCrosse . So while this isn’t a direct “same-model” fight, it’s the showdown everyone thinks happened. The Lincoln Continental created the personal luxury car segment in 1939. Buick perfected the affordable premium sedan for families who wanted comfort without the flash. One was built for presidents and rock stars. The other was built for dentists who secretly wanted to feel like presidents. This is the story of two very different ideas about American luxury—and why both of them died.
Key Takeaways
- Lincoln Continental invented the personal luxury car in 1939 as Edsel Ford’s personal vacation car; Buick didn’t have a direct competitor until the 1958–1960 Continental Mark III era .
- The 1956 Continental Mark II cost $10,000—the same as a Rolls-Royce and nearly five times a Ford Customline. Ford lost $1,000 on every one .
- Buick’s real Continental-fighter was the Century, produced until 2005. It offered 175 hp from a 3.1L V6 and J.D. Power loved it for reliability and value .
- By 2019–2020, the fight was LaCrosse vs. Continental: Lincoln offered 305 hp V6 power and 17/26 mpg; Buick delivered 194 hp and 25/35 mpg for $16,735 less .
- Both sedans are now dead in North America. Lincoln killed the Continental in 2020 to become an SUV brand. Buick killed the LaCrosse in 2019 for the same reason .
Wait, There’s No “Buick Continental”? Let’s Clear This Up Now
If you clicked this post thinking, “I swear I’ve seen a Buick Continental at a car show,” you’re not crazy. You’re just running into one of automotive history’s weirdest coincidences.
Buick never made a car called the Continental. The confusion comes from two places.
First, there really was a Buick built by General Motors Continental S.A. of Antwerp, Belgium from 1923 to 1957. But that’s a manufacturing subsidiary, not a model name. They built regular Buicks for the European market—8-cylinder sedans, price lists in Dutch and French—and shipped them out of Belgium . It’s a cool footnote for collectors, but it has nothing to do with Lincoln.
Second, people confuse “Continental” with “Century.” Buick’s Century was the real Lincoln fighter. Launched in 1936, revived in the 1970s, and sold all the way until 2005, the Century was Buick’s “banker’s hot rod”—a big, soft car with just enough power to make highway merging feel effortless .
So here’s the rule: Lincoln owns “Continental.” Buick owns “Century” and “Park Avenue.” They never threw punches in the same ring. But if they had? Oh, it would’ve been beautiful.
The Lincoln Continental: How a Vacation Car Changed America Forever
Let’s start with the king.
1938. Edsel Ford—Henry’s son, the one with actual taste—wants a car for his March vacation in Florida. Not just any car. He wants something low, lean, and European. Something that doesn’t scream “American excess.” He hands chief stylist Bob Gregorie the blueprints for a Lincoln-Zephyr and says, “Fix it.”
Gregorie sketches for an hour. Maybe less.
What comes back is a car sitting seven inches lower than stock. No running boards. A hood so flat it almost touches the fenders. And behind the trunk, mounted right out in the open where everyone can see it: a spare tire with a chrome cover .
Edsel loves it. His rich friends love it. He sends a telegram back to Michigan: “I could sell a thousand of these.”
He wasn’t wrong. By 1941, dies were stamped. By 1948, the Continental had become the last American car sold with a factory V12 engine—and the first vehicle ever to create the personal luxury car segment .
What’s a personal luxury car? It’s not a sports car. It’s not a family hauler. It’s a vehicle designed around one person’s desire to arrive in style. Performance matters less than presence. Handling matters less than hushed silence. You buy a Continental because you’ve made it—and you want everyone at the country club to know without saying a word.
The 1956 Continental Mark II took this philosophy to its illogical, beautiful extreme. Ford spun Continental off as its own brand, separate from Lincoln, to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The Mark II cost $10,000—roughly $100,000 today. It had a 368 cubic-inch V8, hand-fitted body panels, and virtually no chrome because real money doesn’t need to shout .
Elvis owned one. The Shah of Iran owned one. Frank Sinatra owned one. Warner Brothers gave Elizabeth Taylor a custom Mark II painted to match her violet eyes.
And Ford lost about $1,000 per car because building perfection is expensive .
The Continental name bounced around after that—sometimes a separate brand, sometimes a Lincoln, sometimes a bloated 5,700-pound land yacht with a reverse-slant “Breezeway” rear window. By the 1980s, it had been downsized onto the Ford Taurus platform, which is like putting a tuxedo on a golden retriever. Still charming. Still luxurious. But not quite what Edsel imagined .
Buick’s Quiet Counter-Punch: Century, Park Avenue, and the Art of “Enough”
While Lincoln was chasing Rolls-Royce, Buick was chasing the guy who wanted a Rolls-Royce but had three kids and a mortgage.
Buick’s Century (1998–2005) was the anti-Continental. It didn’t have a hand-hammered body or a celebrity owner list. What it had was J.D. Power approval, rock-solid reliability, and a price tag that made sensible people nod approvingly .
The last Century models packed a 3.1L V6 making 175 horsepower and 26.9 kgm of torque (that’s about 195 lb-ft for us Americans). Mated to a Hydra-Matic 4T65-E automatic, it wasn’t fast. It wasn’t flashy. But it would run forever, sip fuel moderately, and never, ever embarrass you at a red light .
This is where Buick and Lincoln fundamentally diverged. Lincoln sold status. Buick sold stewardship.
The 2000 Buick Park Avenue went head-to-head with the Lincoln Continental of the same era—and honestly, the numbers tell a fascinating story. The Park Avenue’s 3.8L V6 made 205–240 horsepower depending on trim. The Continental’s 4.6L V8 made 275. Lincoln won the spec sheet. But Buick offered more rear legroom (1,052 mm vs. 965 mm), more shoulder room (1,491 mm vs. 1,438 mm), and essentially identical trunk space .
The Park Avenue was designed for passengers. The Continental was designed for drivers who wanted to look like they had passengers. Subtle difference. Huge implications.
By 2019, the fight had evolved into Buick LaCrosse vs. Lincoln Continental. And by now, the gap was stark.
| Model | 2019 Buick LaCrosse | 2020 Lincoln Continental |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $29,570 | $46,305 |
| Engine | 2.5L Inline-4 | 3.7L V6 |
| Horsepower | 194 hp | 305 hp |
| Torque | 187 lb-ft | 280 lb-ft |
| MPG (City/Hwy) | 25 / 35 | 17 / 26 |
| Curb Weight | 3,490 lbs | 4,224 lbs |
| Rear Legroom | 38 inches | 41 inches |
| Trunk Space | 14.3 ft³ | 16.7 ft³ |
| Standard Features | Keyless start, WiFi | Heated seats, memory settings, wood trim |
*Sources: CarBuzz , Cars.com *
The Continental was heavier, thirstier, and $16,735 more expensive. But it also offered 305 horsepower, real wood interior trim, cooled seats, and a presence the LaCrosse simply couldn’t match. One was a luxury car. The other was a really nice economy car with Buick badges.
Neither one survived.
Timeline: The Rise and Fall of American Luxury Sedans
1939 – Edsel Ford’s prototype Continental debuts. Hand-hammered body, V12 power, external spare tire. The personal luxury car is born .
1948 – First-generation Continental dies. Last American V12 passenger car .
1956–1957 – Continental Mark II arrives as a standalone brand. $10,000 price tag. Ford loses money on every one. Elvis buys one anyway .
1958–1960 – Continental folded back into Lincoln. “Mark III, IV, V” era produces some of the largest unibody cars ever built. Massive, thirsty, glorious failures .
1970s–1980s – Continental survives on opera windows, vinyl roofs, and Hollywood pimp cameos. Downsized onto Fox platform, then Taurus platform. Luxury becomes accessible .
1998–2005 – Buick Century enjoys quiet dominance. J.D. Power darling. 3.1L V6, 175 hp, zero drama .
2002 – Lincoln Continental discontinued. Replaced by Lincoln LS and MKS .
2017 – Tenth-generation Continental resurrected. Beautiful, competent, and five years too late .
2019 – Buick kills LaCrosse in North America. SUV era begins .
2020 – Lincoln kills Continental—again. This time for good. Ford announces plans to move production to China, but COVID and market shifts quietly bury the plan .
Chart: The Price of Prestige (1956 vs. 2019)
Note: 1956 Ford Customline price is approximate; period advertisements show base models under $2,000. Continental Mark II data from CarBuzz and Wikipedia .
So Who Won? Depends on What You Value
If luxury means exclusivity, heritage, and V8 power, Lincoln won. The Continental is one of the most important American cars ever built. It defined a segment. It carried presidents and pop stars. Its silhouette—low, long, spare tire hump proudly displayed—is instantly recognizable eighty years later.
If luxury means value, reliability, and not overpaying for a badge, Buick won. The Century and Park Avenue delivered 90% of the comfort at 60% of the price. They didn’t make headlines. They made loyal customers. And in the used market today, a clean Park Avenue is a screaming deal while a Continental Mark II is a seven-figure collector piece .
But here’s the uncomfortable truth neither brand wants to admit: both of them lost.
Lincoln killed the Continental in 2020. Buick killed the LaCrosse in 2019. Today, both companies sell crossovers and SUVs exclusively in North America. The personal luxury sedan—whether priced for billionaires or dentists—simply doesn’t sell anymore.
Ford tried to save the Continental by moving production to China. It didn’t work. Buick tried to save the LaCrosse by keeping it alive in China as a stretched, long-wheelbase model. It’s still there, technically, but it’s a ghost of what American buyers remember .
FAQ: Your Buick vs. Lincoln Luxury Car Questions
Did Buick ever make a car called the Continental?
No. The “Buick Continental” confusion comes from General Motors Continental S.A., a Belgian assembly plant that built European-market Buicks from 1923–1957. It’s a place, not a product .
What was Buick’s real competitor to the Lincoln Continental?
The Buick Century (1998–2005) and later the Buick LaCrosse (2005–2019). The Park Avenue also competed directly with the Continental in the full-size luxury sedan segment .
Which is more reliable: Buick Century or Lincoln Continental?
J.D. Power consistently rated the Buick Century as one of the most reliable entry-level premium sedans of its era. The Continental, particularly the 1990s FWD models, had more electrical and suspension complexity .
Why did Lincoln and Buick stop making sedans?
Americans stopped buying them. By 2020, crossovers and SUVs accounted for over 70% of new vehicle sales. Both Ford and GM decided to focus on high-margin trucks and SUVs rather than low-volume sedans .
Can I still buy a Lincoln Continental?
Not new. The tenth generation (2017–2020) is the last. Good used examples are available between $25,000–$45,000 depending on mileage and trim. The 80th Anniversary Coach Door edition with suicide doors is the one collectors want .
Is the Buick LaCrosse still sold anywhere?
Yes, but only in China. The Chinese-market LaCrosse is a stretched, redesigned model with no North American equivalent. It’s actually quite popular there—just like the GL8 van .
Which car is cheaper to maintain?
The Buick, by a significant margin. Parts are cheaper, engines are simpler, and you don’t need a specialist mechanic. A 2000s-era Buick Century can be kept on the road for pocket change; a 2000s Lincoln Continental with air suspension problems will cost you thousands .
The Last Word: What We Lost
The Lincoln Continental and the Buick Century represent two sides of the same American dream.
One said: “I have arrived.”
The other said: “I have arrived, and I still have money left for my kid’s college fund.”
Neither philosophy is wrong. Both produced beautiful, comfortable, uniquely American automobiles that simply don’t exist anymore. The Continental is now a footnote in Ford’s SUV catalog. The Century is a used car special you can buy for $4,000 and drive for another 100,000 miles without complaint.
Edsel Ford’s 1939 convertible is in a museum. Your grandfather’s 2002 Park Avenue is probably still in his garage.
Which one mattered more? That’s not for me to decide.
Which side of this luxury showdown do you fall on—old-school Lincoln prestige or sensible Buick value? Drop a comment and tell us about the Continental or Century you still remember riding in.
References:
- AutoTrader.ca: 2000 Buick Park Avenue vs. 2000 Lincoln Continental Comparison
- Hagley Museum: Buick (Continental) Archives, 1923–1957
- Wikipedia: Lincoln Continental
- CarBuzz: 2019 Buick LaCrosse vs. 2020 Lincoln Continental
- AutoNet: Buick Century Discontinuation (2007)
- CarBuzz: American Cruisers—Lincoln Continental History
- Cars.com: 2019 Buick LaCrosse vs. 2019 Lincoln Continental
- AutoNet Mobile: Buick Century & Rainier Final Production
- Wikipedia (archive): Lincoln Continental (2015)
- Wikipedia Chinese: 林肯大陸 (Lincoln Continental)
