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In the parlance of Lincoln-Mercury Division, Lincoln Town Car says it all.

For 1998, the Town Car not only says it all, but adds “with a difference.”

The new ’98 Town Car has been restyled, and redesigned from an engineering standpoint. All new exterior and interior designs, substantial advancement to the chassis, suspension, and brakes, and customer- driven features make Lincoln’s luxury sedan quite different from its predecessor.

The Ford Motor Co. has rolled the dice on this one. It has abandoned the classic look of the former Town Car and is betting that the new TC’s more contemporary aerodynamic lines will attract younger purchaser who currently are imbued with upscale imports.

The multi-million dollar question is will it turn off the traditional Town Car buyer.

The new Town Car Signature Series that Ford Motor’s Jim Trainor provided for a test car was a standing testimony to this question. It represented everything that was new about the luxury Lincoln sedan, from new grille to flowing lines to shorter overall length to luxury interior trappings.

The changes were of such a magnitude that I ran this thing by Capri pianist friend and occasional test pilot Dave Lowe for a second opinion. After a turn at the wheel, Dave opined he wasn’t sure that the so-called baby boomers were going to opt for something this big.

Size-wise, the ’98 Town Car still is a big rear- drive four-door in the mode of luxo-boats of the past. Even though the overall length is about 3 inches shorter that the ’97 TC, its 215.3 inches of length stretches beyond those of competitive Cadillac, Mercedes, or BMW models.

The Town Car chrome grille hints at classic Lincoln design. Wraparound headlamps optimize the lighting pattern of dual beams. The belt line is higher. And the absence of the traditional C-pillar window allows for more flowing lines at the rear.

While the car was slightly shorter, there was a ton of room inside the passenger cabin. The sedan is a full six- seater, with a new 40-20-40 front seat consisting of two individual sliding seats divided by a fixed center section.

A broad center arm rest lifts up to provide space for a third front seat passenger. The arm rest has a padded lid for access to storage space for cassettes and a cradle for a cellular phone.

Information overload

The instrumentation consisted of basic white-on-black gauges for a quick and easy read. An information center told you everything you ever wanted to know about the automobile and maybe some things you didn’t.

I can see information like a door or trunk ajar, traction control off, fuel remaining, distance to empty and the like. But the direction you are going? That’s what road maps are for.

As was expected with a Signature Series, leather was the order of the day. But I would have liked real wood trim rather than the simulated variety

A major strength of the new Town Car is the smoothness of the ride without sacrificing stability control. A virtual mauso leum of quietness when going fast, at Interstate speeds you could carry on a conversation like you were sitting in your living room.

Chalk this up to a re-engineered full perimeter separate frame and separate body that is mounted for better isolation of noise and vibration.

Control is dramatically improved via a new Watt’s Linkage rear suspension that enhances tracking and stability, plus reducing front end lift and dive during full throttle acceleration and hard braking. You could stand on the gas or the brakes and the car tended to remain level.

An optional touring package was onboard that also included new mono-tube shock absorbers for better body control through fast corners. The package is a $500 item, but it also give you 20 more horsepower than the standard 200 horses.

It is rather obvious that the Town Car, and presumably Town Car owners, are not really designed for drag racing.Even so, 0-60 miles an hour comes in at 7.9 seconds, not bad for a sedan that weigh s in at 2 0 pounds over two tons.

Power is by Lincoln’s 16-valve, 4.6-liter (281-cubic inch) single overhead cam V-8. The inclusion of the Continental or Mark VIII’s double overhead cam 32-valve V-8 would make the Town Car a decidedly zippier combination.

The desire to own one of these things is, of course, prefaced by the need to bring money. The bottom line on the test car was $41,785. In exchange, you get a dynamic luxury sedan.