What is a "real" Lincoln? My take.

Simply put: BOF, RWD, V8.
Basically I like all the traditional full size Lincolns (Town Car, Continental) although I am partial to the Mark Series as well, which went to more of a mid size car in the later years.
To me a nice Lincoln should have a presence (dignified, elegant, and stately), be competitive with the other American luxury brands, be unique,smooth, fast, and quiet, and have subtle luxury and a classy design inside and out. And tons of room (read "the body trunk")
Some examples of what I'm talking about:
1951 Cosmopolitan
1955 Capri
1961 Continental
1974 Town Coupe
2011 Town Car
If you take a look at the sidebar on the left called "my dream garage" you will notice that I am a bit stuck in the 70s when it comes to favorite Lincs.  In my opinion the 70s cars had the best look, with the angular and boxy styling, and plenty of chrome, like the 60s Continentals, but with more embellishment and styling flair. I also like the comfort and luxury in the interiors, and big block power under the hood. I grew up around the 80s Town Cars and Fox body Continentals, which I liked but the styling just seemed a bit awkward. When I went to a Fords only car show a few years ago, I finally saw a bunch of the 70s models and had an epiphany. The styling was similar to the 80s Town Cars that I liked, but with all the rough edges taken out, they were elegant and attractive. "Full size, full luxury" was what they called it back then. I should probably reserve a full post for praising the 70s Continental. :)
But seriously, most any big RWD V8 Lincoln will get my approval on some level. Some of the smaller stuff like the LS and the Mark VII-VIII are interesting too, because I think that they showed a possible new direction for Lincoln as a sport luxury brand (the direction Cadillac has taken with their "Art and Science" models, trying to compete with BMW, ever since the CTS came out.) and they highlighted Ford's technological advancements for the time. They showed that Lincoln could hang with the European and Asian competition, even in the 90s. The last Lincoln model I really liked was the Mark VIII. The newer Town Cars are nice, but I have mixed feelings about them due to styling changes in the late 90s that I didn't like and a feeling of being "cheapened out."
I don't like the modern FWD Lincolns, and SUVs.
I'm not fond of the new MK-whatever Lincs, I think they are ugly, and the basic foundation is all wrong, no frame, front wheel drive, and they are V6 only (and FOUR cylinders it looks like too! Man what is the world coming to.) Okay they still make the Navigator, which is nice, and reminds me of the classic big cars, but its an SUV which I fundamentally don't like, and I just never forget I'm in an Expedition. At least Lincoln's cars still have nice interiors, because I'd much rather be inside the cars than looking at 'em from the outside, especially if I'm in an MKT. God forbid I see the car's reflection in a storefront window. Oh yeah, I'm in an overpriced Flex with styling cues from a baleen whale. Not exactly the stuff dreams are made of. Which brings me to my final point here. A Lincoln used to be like a Cadillac in that it's what owners of the company's regular car brand aspired to drive...someday when they've made it. Let's go back to the 60s for a minute. A Ford Galaxie owner could look at a Continental and say, someday when I get promoted I'll get me one of those beauties. It was a part of the American dream to work up to an American luxury car. Now so many affluent buyers are passing Lincoln by for the European and Asian competition, not to mention that other American luxury brand.
Hey, I know what I like. More power to anyone who likes the new MK line. But I'll stick with my old school Lincs.