Space to spare
Sometimes, when building a car, size matters, so here we bring you some of the longest of all time.
Of course, American land yachts feature heavily, but we’ve tried to mix it up, too.
Some are well known, others rather less so, but all are most definitely larger than average.
1. 1967 Toyota Century (16ft 4in/4980mm)
The Century was launched in 1967 as Toyota’s flagship model, as pictured.
It was produced to celebrate the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda, the company’s founder, hence the name.
Designed to be a chauffeur-driven vehicle, rear space was a priority so the luxury car was on a suitably lengthy wheelbase to accommodate this.
In the mid ’80s, Century production soared thanks to Japan’s booming economy and a limousine version was released in 1989, standing 18ft 11in/5770mm long.
This was more than 2ft longer than the standard version and was positioned to take on the likes of Rolls-Royce.
2. 1978 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2 (17ft 3in/5283mm)
Revived from the 1924 Lagonda, the series 2 was worlds apart from its original namesake.
Designed by William Towns, it featured the aerodynamic wedge shape of the time, a highly influential silhouette for Towns.
Inside, the car had advanced electronic features and switchgear which made it very expensive.
When the Lagonda made its debut at the 1976 Earls Court Motor Show, the prototype was reportedly a non-runner.
Promotional footage of the car used video magic to make it look like it was moving under its own steam, but it was really just coasting downhill.
3. 1953 Kaiser Manhattan (17ft 7in/5363mm)
Probably most well known for the Kaiser Darrin, which had doors that slide forwards into the wings, the company also produced the Manhattan.
Just 4109 were built before competition drowned Kaiser’s sales and the company folded.
Priced from around $2500, Kaiser marketed the Manhattan as the ‘World's First Safety-First Car’.
This was thanks to its large windscreen for improved visibility, good brakes for more stopping power and bright headlights for driving at night.
4. 1928 Opel Regent (17ft 9in/5400mm)
Although the vehicle pictured is not in fact more than 17ft long, the original Opel Regent was.
The German manufacturer launched the car in 1928 as its first venture into the luxury segment.
Intimidated by Opel’s success, GM bought the company and the name was given to a new model in the early ’30s.
Along with the acquisition of Opel, GM traced the 25 Regents that had left the production line and bought them back from the owners at far over retail price.
Once in possession of the original vehicles, GM destroyed them as well as all production plans and most of the imagery associated with the Opel Regent disappeared with the sands of time.
5. 1983 Zimmer Golden Spirit (17ft 10in/5436mm)
Arguably the epitome of neoclassical car design, the Golden Spirit is a 1920s and ’30s-inspired modern creation.
The original Zimmer company was founded in 1980, but lasted a mere eight years before it declared bankruptcy.
In a strange turn of events, the name and assets were sold in 1997 to Art Zimmer who was no relation to the founding family.
He revived the brand and produced new Zimmer cars until 2020. The first Golden Spirits were built on Ford Mustang chassis and the later cars used a Lincoln town car as a base.
This meant that, despite the odd styling, the vehicles could be serviced at Ford garages.
6. 1964 Dodge Custom 880 (17ft 11in/5456mm)
The Dodge Custom 880 was rather early to the American fashion of long cars, hence it’s one of the shortest on our list. It also had a very short production run of just four years.
The model was created as a stopgap for Dodge and Chrysler to market a full-size car that was in a middling price range, and would be more affordable than the luxury models offered under the Chrysler brand.
The company took its Newport model and merged it with a 1961 Dodge Polara which allowed for a quick turnaround and with just one engine option, the vehicle sufficed for this short period.
7. 1964 Mercedes-Benz 600 (18ft 2in/5540mm)
Revealed at the Frankfurt show in 1963, the 600 was Mercedes’ first limousine to receive a V8 engine, making the car pretty spritely despite its 2.5-tonne weight.
Its maker claims it reached a top speed of 127mph and could do 0-62mph in 10 secs.
As standard it was equipped with air suspension, power brakes, and an electric heating and ventilation system.
Popular with celebrities because of its luxury and safety features, it was also the basis for Mercedes’ first post-war bulletproof vehicle in 1965, a Pullman 600 limousine with an elevated roof.
The dimensions above are for the four-door model, but if a customer requested the six-door version, it was even longer at 20ft 5in/6240mm.
8. 2001 Bentley Arnage LWB (18ft 6in/5640mm)
The Arnage was the last Bentley model produced under the ownership of Vickers.
Around the same time, the brand was being sold off, and BMW and Volkswagen were keen to secure Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
Ultimately, Volkswagen bought the Bentley brand and some of Rolls-Royce’s assets, but didn’t have the rights over the Rolls-Royce name, which BMW later got hold of for a much better deal.
Under new ownership, there was a slight problem: the Arnage was powered by a BMW engine.
The decision was made to badge the remaining BMW-engined Arnages Green Label, with the following Red Label models fitted with the old Rolls-Royce L-series V8.
9. 1977 Plymouth Gran Fury (18ft 6in/5649mm)
Not to be confused with the Fury, the Gran Fury was its successor from 1975.
The ‘Gran’ moniker was originally used in the Fury line-up for the Gran Sedan and Coupe, but it took over as the official name for this model.
Available in two- and four-door body styles, the Gran Fury also had a station-wagon version, all of which shared the equivalent underpinnings as the Dodge Monaco.
Thanks to a reasonable retail price and hardy engineering, the Gran Fury became popular with police departments and taxi firms, so they were kitted out specifically for these disciplines, like the one pictured.
10. 1968 Pontiac Bonneville (18ft 8in/5677mm)
This model was named in homage to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the home of several land-speed record runs.
Whilst its speed and agility weren’t groundbreaking compared to the cars that ran at Bonneville, it was pretty quick for a car of this ilk.
Over its 10 generations the model underwent significant restyling changes, ultimately diverging away from the chrome-clad vertical bumpers and boat-like length in the late ’80s.
Its various iterations saw two-door, four-door, estate and convertible body styles, until its demise in 2005.
11. 1974 Ford Country Sedan (18ft 9in/5720mm)
Introduced in 1952, the Country Sedan was an estate car that was originally based on the Ford Custom.
Later in its production run the model took from the Ford Galaxie, until production ended in 1974.
The Country Sedan was nearly identical to the Country Squire, but this was Ford’s top-of-the-range wagon and the Sedan was its mid-range model.
As such, it didn't get a wood-grain exterior finish and came with comparatively minimal equipment.
The two models shared the same underpinnings, but Squire production continued into the ’90s before it was retired as the family wagon was being replaced by SUVs and minivans.
12. 1986 Daimler DS420 (18ft 10in/5740mm)
Commonly known as the Daimler Limousine, this model was famously favoured by royalty.
The four-door, six-window configuration allows for three rows of seating, or two rows with ample leg room in the back.
Unlike American land yachts, the DS420 looks like a relatively normal-sized vehicle from the front, because its bonnet is fairly well proportioned.
Move around the side and the rear extends in swooping lines to a capacious boot behind the passenger compartment.
Much of the vehicle was based on Jaguar underpinnings. Its long wheelbase meant the factory sold part-bodies to coachbuilders to make hearses from.
13. 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (19ft/5786mm)
By the time 1971 rolled around, Oldsmobile ushered in its ninth and largest generation of the Ninety-Eight.
To celebrate Oldsmobile’s 75th anniversary, the following year, the company partnered with the jewellers Tiffany and Co to produce a special-edition Regency model.
The vehicles were painted in Tiffany Gold and featured a dash-mounted Tiffany clock. Owners had the choice of gold or black velour-style pillow seating – only around 2500 were made.
Along with the vehicle itself, customers reportedly received a sterling silver keyring which, if lost, could be placed in a mailbox and upon delivery at Tiffany’s the key would be returned to its owner.
14. 1972 Buick Electra (19ft/5789mm)
The Electra was a staple in Buick’s line-up for three decades, but 1972 was arguably one of its most successful years.
The ’72 model sold by nearly a third more than the previous year, totalling 172,000 vehicles.
In 1973, the Electra received a few tweaks including a new front bumper and grille, but engine power dropped so the ’71 and ’72 models are more sought after now for their powerful engines.
In 1974, the energy crisis significantly damaged sales, but the Electra endured until it was a much shorter model when production ended in 1990.
15. 1975 Dodge Royal Monaco Brougham Wagon (19ft 1in/5829mm)
The Dodge Monaco enjoyed five generations spanning from 1965 to 1992.
The Royal Monaco Brougham moniker came in its third-generation form in the 1970s.
It featured hidden headlights that differed from the pop-up headlights that were popular in Europe at the time.
Instead, the vertical front end housed headlamp casings that tipped back into the car to produce its lights. In the daytime, the body-coloured coverings blended into the front.
From 1977, the Royal Monaco was sold as a two-door hardtop, four-door saloon and a five-door estate.
16. 1977 Lincoln Continental MkV (19ft 2in/5850mm)
Produced only from 1977 to 1979, the Lincoln Continental MkV was the longest two-door coupe ever made by Ford.
Following the ’70s fuel crisis, the focus had shifted a little towards more economical vehicles, not that a 19ft car screams fuel economy…
But, either way, the MkV got the smallest-displacement engine in a Lincoln or Continental since 1957.
Even though this generation was lighter than its predecessor, it was far from a speed machine. Its V8 engine was good for around 200bhp and the three-speed automatic gearbox helped to trundle along at a relaxed pace.
17. 1971 Pontiac Grand Safari Wagon (19ft 3in/5875mm)
While we said goodbye to the wood-panelled Morris Traveller in 1971, on the other side of the Atlantic, Pontiac was introducing the Grand Safari Wagon, a car that championed that exterior wood look.
This was by far one of the heaviest and longest vehicles Pontiac ever produced, but it featured some interesting solutions to cope with its cumbersome size.
At the rear it had a power-assisted tailgate that opened in a clamshell fashion. Inserting and turning a key at the rear would drop half of the tailgate into the boot floor, while from inside the car a switch controlled the glass window which slid up into the roof to make room for loading and unloading in tight spaces.
Although the mechanism was heavy, the vehicle was already weighty, so this added functionality made the rear end usable.
18. 1973 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron (19ft 7in/5977mm)
Up against the Cadillac Fleetwood and Lincoln Continental, the Imperial LeBaron was Chrysler’s land yacht offering.
The excessively long wheelbase smoothed out the ride over bumpy roads, but did little for the car’s manoeuvrability in tight spaces.
Imperial was Chrysler’s luxury arm, but struggled to detach itself from the main brand in the way that Lincoln achieved.
The LeBaron’s styling was described as the company’s fuselage look, because of how the vehicle was built and undoubtedly because of its small-plane-like size.
19. 1968 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (19ft 10in/6045mm)
The Phantom VI was Rolls-Royce’s last model to feature a separate chassis and sold in its product line for 12 years.
Mainly bodied as a seven-seat limousine, it was also available as a hearse and a convertible.
To create the ultimate passenger experience, the Phantom VI was equipped with independent front suspension and a leaf-sprung rear axle.
Its V8 engine has enough power to shift the mammoth car, initially as a 6.2-litre unit and later a 6.7-litre engine paired with four- and three-speed automatic transmissions.
20. 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five (20ft 2in/6154mm)
Available with seven passenger seats or as an imperial limousine with a glass divide between the driver and rear passengers, the Seventy-Five was Cadillac’s most expensive vehicle in 1959 at just under $5000.
Around 700 of each version were produced and thanks to its size, Cadillac sold commercial chassis to be turned into ambulances and funeral cars.
The model was popular with government officials and business people as a luxurious chauffeur-driven car.
The Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five featured period styling cues like the rear fins with double tail-lights that look like flames shooting out the back.
21. 2004 FAB 1 Lady Penelope’s car (26ft/7925mm)
Okay, so admittedly this isn’t a production vehicle, but this FAB 1 was aptly adapted from Ford’s 11th-generation Thunderbird model, which brought the iconic car to life for the 2004 live-action Thunderbirds film.
Although the original film featured a six-wheeled Rolls-Royce, the company declined to be involved in the modern remake, so Ford redesigned Lady Penelope’s land, air and sea car.
Inside, there’s a throne-like seat surrounded by wood, leather, sheepskin and chrome. And, of course, the car is finished in Lady Penelope’s colour of choice, pink.
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