features such as a digital LCD clock, dual map lights, lighted passenger vanity mirror, rear-seat map pockets, and plush carpeting with soundproofing. Chassis The Versailles shares its wheelbase with the Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch and the four-door Ford Maverick/Mercury Comet. Marketed as a compact car, the Versailles is closer in size to the mid-size segment of today, in terms of exterior footprint. According to Lincoln advertising, a quality-control regimen was used at the factory. According to the marketing, final assembly included dynamometer testing of the engine/transmission, a water spray test to pinpoint body leaks, and a simulated road test. The Versailles featured "matched and balanced" driveline elements, low-friction lower ball joints, double isolated shocks, reinforced chassis areas, sound insulation, and balanced forged 14-inch aluminum wheels with Michelin whitewall X-radials. Bodywork received the first clear-coat paint on a regular production car.” The Versailles shared its powertrain with the Monarch upon which it was based, with a V8 engine as a sole choice. Initially, the Versailles was powered by the 351 cubic-inch V8, phased out in favor of the 302 cubic-inch V8. The three-speed C4 automatic transmission was the only transmission available. The rear differential used in the Versailles was Ford 9-inch with rear disc brakes, replacing the drums used on the Granada and the Monarch. Sales In comparison to the Cadillac Seville, the Lincoln Versailles fared poorly, outsold by the Cadillac by a three to one margin in its 1977 debut year. Following its update for the 1979 model year, sales of the Versailles would more than double, though remaining far behind its Cadillac counterpart. In its entire production run, Lincoln would sell 50,156 examples of the Versailles. By comparison, Cadillac would outsell that total in both 1978 and 1979, the last two years of the first-generation Seville. References External links Versailles enthusiast site American Granada, Monarch & Versailles Registry & Forums Versailles Mid-size cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles 1980s cars Cars introduced in 1977 Luxury vehicles Vehicles discontinued in 1980