Introduced for the 1975 model year as a plush, top-tier version of a full-size sedan line, this nameplate began life as a luxury-oriented trim and quickly became one of the brand’s most recognizable large cars. It was initially offered as part of a broader family, then became a separate model line for 1983 as market demand shifted toward traditional rear-wheel-drive American sedans with a more upscale character. Across its life, it evolved through several generations while staying focused on comfort, a quiet ride, and formal styling rather than sportiness.
By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the car was closely associated with the downsized full-size era and later with Ford’s Panther-platform architecture, which gave it a long-running mechanical foundation shared with corporate siblings. That durability helped it remain a familiar presence in police, taxi, fleet, and private luxury use, even as the segment itself shrank. In its later years, it was especially admired by buyers who wanted a conventional big sedan at a time when the market was moving toward front-wheel-drive alternatives and SUVs.
Production continued through the 2011 model year, making it one of the longest-lived American nameplates of its era and one of the final representatives of the classic rear-wheel-drive land-yacht formula.