1997 Lincoln Town Car Executive Series

The Lincoln Town Car was nearing the sunset of its second generation in the mid-1990s, with the body given a serious refresh for 1995, making it more aerodynamic and keeping it viable for another few model years until the next generation was ready. The grille became smaller and better blended with the snout, flanked by composite headlamps with clear lenses and above a sleeker front bumper, while the mirrors were more aero and now in body-colored housings. It still shared its body-on-frame platform with the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis.

It was available in three levels of trim: Lowest on the luxo ladder was the Executive Series, like the Black example in the photos. Above that were the Signature Series and the Cartier Series.

The Executive and Signature cars came with the 4.6L SOHC Ford Modular V-8 in a single-exhaust configuration, rated at 190 SAE net horsepower, backed by the four-speed 4R70W automatic transmission. Cartier Series cars had dual exhausts which bumped output to 210 horses.

The "Y-spoke" fifteen-inch alloy wheels were stock on the Executive Series cars, while the Signature Series had a sort of BBS-looking wheel as standard and Cartier cars got distinctive shiny sixteen-inchers. The dealer-installed padded top on this one is covering the rear quarter windows.

Base price on this entry-level luxobarge was $37,280, which is about $75k in current dollars.

This one was photographed with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens in October of 2025.

1997 Lexus ES 300

Like Honda and Nissan, when Toyota launched a new luxury marque for the US market, they knew that dealers would need something to sell besides just the flagship luxobarge, so at Lexus stores the all-new 1990 LS 400 rear-wheel-drive V-8 sedan was backstopped by the ES 250, essentially a gussied-up Toyota Camry.

After two model years, the ES 250 was replaced with the ES 300, iterated from the latest version of the Camry. The second generation of the ES 300 launched for the '97 model year and can be told apart from the '92-'96 models externally only by minor details.

The new 1997 XV20 models, like the Diamond White one in the photos, were powered by a transverse 3.0L DOHC 24V 1MZ-FE all-aluminum V-6 that sent its 200 SAE net horsepower to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.

Motor Trend's test car managed a 7.9 second zero-to-sixty time and ran the quarter in sixteen seconds flat at 87 mph. Base price was $29,900, which is about sixty long in 2025 dollars, although the as-tested price for MT's test ride was $35,592.

This one was photographed with a Pentax K20D and a 16-45mm f/4 zoom lens in July of 2025.

1997 Buick Riviera

The Buick Riviera as a distinct model (as opposed to a trim package name) debuted in the 1963 model year as personal luxury coupe intended to compete with Ford's Thunderbird.

It carried that banner alone for GM until it was joined a few years later by the Oldsmobile Toronado. By the late Sixties, the Riviera, Toronado, and Cadillac Eldorado shared a platform (although the Riv was distinguished from the other two by hanging on to rear wheel drive until the '79 model year.)

1995 saw the eighth and final generation of the Riviera, like this clean 1997 Medium Autumn Green example. The base engine was originally the 205hp GM 3800 corporate V6, with an optional 225-horse supercharged version of the same motor.

When Car and Driver tested a '95 with the blown V-6, it clocked a 7.2 second zero-to-sixty time and put the quarter mile away in 15.6 at 90mph. A governor shuts off the fun at 109, which is a shame in a coupe that looks to have the aero of a bullet train. This was pretty reasonable acceleration in those days for a luxury coupe that only weighed about an NFL linebacker short of two tons.

For the '98 model year, the supercharged 3800, now producing 240 SAE net horsepower, became the standard motor. The final Rivs were rowdier than anything seen since the old 455cid days of the late Sixties, and the ovoid styling and clean interior looked nice, but 1999 was the end of the road for the Riviera nameplate at Buick.