A land yacht is an informal category of large automobiles.[1] [2] [3] While full-size cars are manufactured worldwide to this day, the term is most often used to describe the full-size cars of American origin between 1960 and 1976.[4]
Alongside full-size and luxury four-door sedans, the land yacht term applied to multiple body styles, including two-door notchback sedans, personal luxury coupé, convertibles, and station wagons.[5] [6]
Land yachts are among the largest mass-produced cars manufactured, a category which is represented by full-size SUVs.
The term "land yacht" began to appear in the late 1950s, as full-size luxury cars began to grow in size independently from mainstream nameplates.[7] Initially descriptive of the high level of comfort features and soft ride, land yachts were designed "for the open road where living room-comfortable seats made the front seat seem like a plush couch with a windshield and steering wheel in front of it." During the 1960s and 1970s, land yachts of various types were produced by nearly all American automobile manufacturers; the largest were made by Cadillac, Lincoln, Imperial, and Buick.[8] A "Brougham" trim level denoted many examples of the 1970s. Following the 1973 and 1979 oil crises, the "land yacht" term had negative connotations, primarily referencing the cars' poor handling (as a consequence of the soft ride), unwieldy size, and vague steering.
The 1973 oil crisis brought the first wave of American-produced cars to face pressure toward downsizing, coinciding with a shift by consumers away from glamour alone towards quality, feature content, and fuel economy. For example, American Motors' last full-size car was a redesigned 1974 Ambassador built on a 1220NaN0 wheelbase and available only in Brougham trim that was discontinued after one model year as consumers shifted toward more economical cars.[9] [10]
Following the 1979 oil crisis, U.S. car manufacturers again "struggled to redirect the inertia of bigger cars and engines." The New Yorker, the flagship of the Chrysler brand with a 1240NaN0 wheelbase and a 4401NaN1 V8 engine, was discontinued after 1978 before being succeeded by a smaller model. In 1991 and 1992, respectively, General Motors and Ford introduced redesigned full-size cars for the last time. After the 1996 model year, General Motors phased out production of the Buick Roadmaster, Chevrolet Caprice, and Cadillac Fleetwood,[11] with the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car outlasting them by 15 years.
Excluding limousines, the longest American-produced production sedan is the 1974-76 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 nine-passenger sedan, measuring 252.20NaN0. At 57120NaN0, the heaviest American-produced car (excluding trucks and SUVs) is the 1960 Lincoln Continental convertible.
As of 2022, these remain the longest and heaviest production cars made by American-market manufacturers.
Outside North America, the term "land yacht" sees little use on locally produced cars, primarily due to different consumer demands. Past and present, several flagship models from Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, and Bentley have placed ride comfort as a primary design objective, with dimensions comparable to the largest American saloons produced.
In contrast to its LWB counterpart, the Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB was developed to be driven by its owner; it was produced nearly exclusively as a four-door saloon. The 1963–1981 600 SWB has a length of up to 218.1inches and a vehicle weight of 5456lb.[12]
The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII (and the currently produced Phantom VIII successor) are positioned as flagship saloons, breaking from the previous Phantom model line of limousines bodied by coachbuilders. The standard-wheelbase Phantom VII is 226.9inches long, with a kerb weight of 5644lb. Following the 2002–2012 Maybach 57 and 62, Mercedes-Benz revived the nameplate as its Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand in 2015. The Mercedes-Maybach S650 is 7.8inches longer than its Mercedes-Benz S-Class counterpart, with the S650 having a length of 214.7inches, weighing 5037lb.[13] Similarly, Bentley has traditionally produced rivals to Rolls-Royces biggest vehicles, most recently with its Mulsanne, which was 219.5inches long in its shortest form, and as much as 258.9inches in Grand Limousine specification.[14] Aston Martin has also produced large-sized models including the 1974-1990 Lagonda and the Lagonda Taraf.
The "land yacht" description was used in the 1941 film Sullivan's Travels to describe a bus converted with bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen, or an early recreational vehicle (RV).[15] [16]
Airstream, an American manufacturer of RV trailers (caravans), used Land Yacht as the model name of its flagship model line of trailers.[17] [18] [19] [20]