Lincoln is bringing back its iconic Continental badge next year, and this is it. Now in its tenth generation, the Continental has the unenviable task of putting its maker back to the top of the heap. Ford’s luxury brand has taken a beating in the last decade, and it is up to this concept now to restore the marquee to its former glory.
It certainly does look good in pixel form. Liberal use of chrome and a strong shoulder line gives the concept a distinctive, upmarket feel. The Lincoln logo mesh grille and the dynamically tinting clear roof that fuses with the windshield as an unbroken element looks the business, and are interesting throwbacks to Lincoln’s watermark years in the sixties. The door handles pop out, Tesla-style, and the four elongated tailpipes at the rear nestled in even more chrome is certainly something to differentiate it from the German big three. We don’t see those gorgeous pinwheel wheels making it into production, but who knows, they just might.
“Luxury at its best is about simplifying and quietly exceeding expectations, rather than being the loudest statement on the road,” writes Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO, in the press release. “The Continental Concept showcases the promise of quiet luxury from Lincoln going forward. It also is a strong indication of what’s to come next year as we introduce our new Lincoln Continental full-size luxury sedan.”
And luxury certainly does abound on the new Conti. Those fully reclining seats look super comfy, and it comes with a “tablet lap tray that deploys from the through-center console,” a champagne storage compartment, and Venetian leather first-class travel cases. There is more chrome inside, and it is all done up in the plushest of fashions, with blue-tinged deep pile carpets, silk headliners, and generous lashings of wood everywhere. The front seats are heated, cooled, massaging, and 30-way adjustable, with independent movements for the side bolsters, shoulders, and each thigh. Take that, Maybach!
Lincoln is cagier when it comes to the technical bits though. All we know is that it will be powered by a 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged V6 EcoBoost engine, which is exclusive to Lincoln, although we are still hoping for a proper rip-snorting V8 flagship variant. Power will likely be transmitted to all four wheels.
The new Lincoln Continental will likely be unveiled at the New York Auto Show this coming week, and go on sale next year as a 2017 model.
