Lincoln introduced the Town Car as an optional package for the 1972 Continental and made it a standalone model in 1981. It became the flagship Lincoln, but decades later the Town Car became known mainly as a chauffeur-driven executive car and a stretched limousine for special events. The last Lincoln Town Car rolled off the assembly line in 2011 when Ford Motor Company decided to cancel it and the other models using its platform and powertrains such as the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis. However, the name quietly resurfaced on Lincoln’s MKT model from 2013 to 2017, denoting the version of the SUV the company sold to commercial buyers.