But, as the body-on-frame sedan drives off into the sunset, livery owners and riders will be comforted by a familiar name adorning its replacement: The Lincoln MKT Town Car. Livery and limousine versions of Lincoln’s new full-size people hauler are ready to fill their cargo holds with Samsonites and Halliburtons as they transport anyone from the prom queen to company execs.

Revealed at 2011 International Limousine, Charter, and Tour show—we’re going to have to rethink our auto-show priorities—the MKT Town Car will be offered in a standard-length “Livery” body style with the option of front or all-wheel drive, as well as a heavy-duty “Limousine” model that is stretchable by up to 10 feet and comes standard with all-wheel drive. Engine info has yet to be revealed (as if passengers even care), but we’re guessing a version of the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder could power the front-drive livery model, while AWD versions of livery and limo will pack a 3.7-liter V-6 producing about 300 hp. Neither of these boats will be winning any stoplight races, but recall that the V-8 of the original-recipe Town Car sedan was only pushing 260 hp.

Living with the Livery

On to what passengers will really care about. Both versions of the MKT Town Car feature a higher ride height for easier ingress and egress, and, in livery models, the second row is moved back 1.5 inches (the third row disappears altogether). The three-person leather seat also reclines and features a switch to move the front passenger seat if even more legroom is desired. A USB port and 110-volt outlet are available to passengers for juicing up mobile devices, which may come in handy if they spend a lot of time using the MKT Town Car’s Wi-Fi system. The audio can be controlled from the rear seat, so you won’t have to suffer through the driver’s choice of entertainment while sitting in traffic.

Party in Back with the Limo Edition

Stretchable by up to 120 inches, the limo version of the MKT Town Car is built on what Lincoln says is a specially engineered heavy-duty chassis. It features upgrades to the suspension, electric power steering, and transmission, as well as unique wheels and tires (with a full-size spare), different wheel bearings, standard all-wheel drive, and—thankfully—upsized brakes. Most important, the Limo has vanity mirrors in the headliner. For the safety of all—including other drivers—both MKT Town Cars will list a rear-view camera, Sync (including voice-activated controls), and a blind-spot monitoring system as standard equipment.

The new MKT Town Car models will begin rolling off the line of the Oakville assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, next spring, and more details will emerge before then. (Presumably, that timing will coincide with production of the MKT hearse.) It’ll surely be a bit of a strange sight when this Town Car pulls up to chauffer you to your destination, but as we say good-bye to the antique Town Car sedan, something just feels right about the fact that a new generation of Town Car will be there for executives on the move.