Lincoln should let loose with a new Versailles for 2028.

Why not go completely “full ’70s” and imagine what a new Lincoln Versailles might look like today? A confident, slightly theatrical, retro-futuristic sedan that knows exactly what it is, and isn’t afraid to show it.

The original Lincoln Versailles from the late 1970s was Ford’s attempt to compete with the very popular Cadillac Seville. It debuted in 1977, right when downsized luxury sedans were suddenly becoming fashionable and socially acceptable. Cadillac approached the idea seriously. The Seville may have shared engineering roots with other GM products, but it looked and felt distinct enough to justify its premium positioning and higher sticker price.

Lincoln, on the other hand, chose a far more economical path. Instead of engineering something special, they revised the front and rear ends of the existing Ford Granada and essentially called it done. A formal grille, a Continental-style hump, opera windows, all the expected “Cheezy” visual cues were present. But most of the design was unmistakably Granada. Buyers recognized that almost immediately.

The money-saving strategy didn’t fool anyone. Sales were modest from the beginning, withabout 15,000 units in the first year. And dropped to under 9,000 in 1978. For 1979, Ford invested a bit more effort to make the Versailles look and feel more convincingly like a proper Lincoln. The revisions helped, and sales climbed to around 21,000 units. But the momentum didn’t last very long. By its final year in 1980, sales fell to under 5,000. Meanwhile, Cadillac was moving over 53,000 Sevilles in 1979 alone, clearly proving there was strong demand for a smaller American luxury sedan.

After only four years, Ford quietly pulled the plug. The Versailles disappeared without much ceremony, and no successor ever followed. It became one of those fascinating footnotes in automotive history. A genuinely good idea undermined by cost-cutting decisions.

And that’s exactly why reviving the name today would be so entertaining.

“Versailles” is unapologetically old-fashioned. Slightly cheesy. Almost excessive in tone. On a sleek, cutting-edge new sedan, the contrast would be fantastic and deliberately ironic. In an era dominated by anonymous alphanumeric names and brick-like SUVs, something with real personality would stand out immediately.

Cadillac is still developing new Ultium-based electric sedans. They clearly still believe in the segment and its long-term potential. So why not Lincoln? Why simply concede the field without even attempting something distinctive? A new Lincoln sedan could easily be based on Ford’s all-new Universal EV Platform.

Lincoln has been selling the Lincoln Zephyr in China since 2022, which is essentially a modern evolution of the MKZ we once had here. Yet sales have been disappointing, with only 13,839 units sold last year. In a market where sedans are still highly desirable, and design presence matters enormously. Meanwhile, Cadillac sold over 84,000 units of the Cadillac CT5 in China during the same period. That’s not a small gap.

It almost feels like Lincoln is going through the motions instead of making a bold, confident move. And bold is exactly what a modern Versailles would need to be.

I’m convinced a “modern yet slightly retro” Lincoln EV sedan could absolutely find a real audience here as well. Something formal, upright, unmistakably American, with a truly luxurious retro-futuristic interior. It could compete directly with the BMW i5, the Audi A6 e-tron and others. Not by copying them, but by confidently offering something they simply can’t.

Instead of chasing sportiness, Lincoln could lean fully into quiet opulence and character. Rich materials. Strong design identity. A bit of theatrical flair. The kind of car that doesn’t apologize for being different, or for standing out in traffic. And yes, cheesy is good.

The original Versailles failed because it tried to look expensive without truly being different from its Ford cousin. A new one could succeed by fully embracing both its heritage and the opportunities of the EV era. Transforming a once-forgotten name into something genuinely distinctive and surprisingly relevant again.

Let’s go crazy…