Slang term used to describe the enormous American cars of the 1960's and
1970's, implying that such vehicles are the size (and shape) of actual boats. Examples include the
Lincoln Continental, my parents' 1977
Mercury Cougar Villager
station wagon, Ford
Galaxie 500, Buick Electra, and any old
Cadillac.
Many of these station wagons seated up to nine passengers, and gas-guzzling V8's were standard equipment on any self-respecting big car of this era.
Nowadays, the land yacht category has almost entirely died out, surviving only in such cars as the Cadillac DeVille and the Lincoln Town Car. However, the spirit is alive and well in the Sport-Utility Vehicle...