<Tr> <Th> Class </Th> <Td> Personal luxury car Full - size luxury car </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Layout </Th> <Td> Front - engine, rear - wheel - drive layout (1939 - 1987) Front - engine, front - wheel - drive layout (1988 - Present) Front - engine, four - wheel - drive layout (2017 - Present) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Lincoln Continental is a series of luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company . Introduced in 1939 as a personal vehicle of Edsel Ford, who commissioned a coachbuilt Lincoln - Zephyr convertible as a vacation vehicle to attract potential Lincoln buyers . In what would give the model line its name, the exterior was given European "continental" styling elements, including a rear - mounted spare tire . Produced for 55 years across nearly eight decades, there are ten generations of the Lincoln Continental . </P> <P> Within the Lincoln model line, the Continental has served several roles ranging from its flagship to its base - trim sedan; from 1961 to 1976, the Lincoln Continental was the sole model line sold by the division . As part of its entry into full - scale production, the first - generation Lincoln Continental became the progenitor of an entirely new automotive segment, the personal luxury car . Following World War II, the segment evolved into coupes and convertibles larger than sports cars and grand touring cars with an emphasis on luxury and style over handling . From 1956 to 1957, the Continental nameplate also saw use in the short - lived Continental Division, marketing the 1956 - 1957 Continental Mark II as the worldwide flagship of Ford Motor Company; as a second successor, Ford introduced the Continental Mark series in 1969, produced over five generations to 1998 . </P>

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