For 1990, the Town Car underwent a full redesign (after following the traditional nine-year Lincoln model cycle). As the model line represented over half of all Lincoln sales, a redesign of the Town Car proved risky, but was also mandated by passive-restraint requirements and fuel-economy improvements. Shedding its sharp-edged exterior lines to allow for a far sleeker exterior, the Town Car adopted many rounded styling elements from the Mark VII; traditional elements also returned, including a formal rear roofline, radiator-style grille, chrome trim, and C-pillar quarter windows. Delayed until the 1991 model year, the Lincoln Town Car marked the debut of the 210 hp 4.6 L Ford Modular V8 engine, the first overhead-cam 8-cylinder engine used in an American car since the Duesenberg Model J. Built on a revision of the Panther platform, the 1990 Lincoln Town Car shared its underpinnings (but no exterior panels) with the 1992 Ford Crown Victoria (dropping the LTD prefix) and Mercury Grand Marquis.