Plenty of car people love Ford’s Panther platform. The Crown Victorias, Town Cars, and Grand Marquis that once served as taxis and patrol vehicles are now being scooped up by enthusiasts for tank engine swaps and track duty alike. But this particular Lincoln has lived a much different second life as a Hongqi CA7460 replica, and its origin story is super interesting.
I stumbled upon this car when Panther Magazine posted it for sale on Instagram. Curious, I reached out to the seller, whose name is Yang (@cy0208 on IG). He explained to me that, while this is a registered 2001 Town Car underneath, it wears many Chinese domestic market parts—from the grille and lighting to the unique badging you definitely won’t find at your local salvage lot.
The way Yang explained it to me, China’s state-owned FAW group sent a design and engineering team to the United States sometime around 1997. This trip and multiple follow-up conversations resulted in Ford shipping nearly complete Town Cars to China for Hongqi to outfit with its own distinguishing parts. It was even intended to become a diplomat’s car, as a long-wheelbase model was developed to serve as an inspection vehicle in the 1999 National Day Military Parade in Beijing. Plans were scrapped as political tensions swelled following the U.S. bombing of China’s embassy in Belgrade.
Still, Hongqi built an entire line of CA7460 limousines, and the car itself remained in production until 2005.
What Yang did was buy a 2001 Lincoln Town Car in the States and then fit it with Hongqi components that he imported from China. It has made its way around the internet, and as I researched the car, I was utterly unsurprised to see that Jason Torchinsky at The Autopian had already seen it in person (That guy’s too good!).
What’s new now is that the Hongqi replica is for sale, and you can buy it for $10,000. You might whiff at that, but just know that it has only 75,000 miles or so on the odometer. The interior is in way better shape than it could be, and there’s a fair chance it’s the only one around.
Like all CA7460s and Town Cars of this ilk, it’s powered by a 4.6-liter modular V8. Rear-wheel drive means it’s capable of some smoky burnouts and skids, if you’re into that type of thing, though part of me hopes someone will avoid thrashing it completely. Yang put a lot of work into assembling this car, and he’s kept it respectfully clean.
I’m afraid I won’t be the one to buy this car. Blame it on my other projects, like the 1966 Ford dump truck that’s currently parked in my driveway with two flat tires. But perhaps you’ll be interested in taking home this piece of automotive esoterica?
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