HISTORIC RIDE
6/3/2008 12:35:53 PM by Stacy Wynn
We trace the history of one of the most legendary automakers in America and find that Lincoln’s luxurious drive to the top was made one impactful milestone at a time.
Photos courtesy of Lincoln
From its inception, Lincoln has held a unique position in the international car market. Known for a tradition of building first-rate upscale American vehicles, the line-up has traditionally featured more lavish features, higher powered engines, and more posh good looks than its sister companies Mercury and Ford or the mainstream American design of Chevrolet. Whether the model in question is a sedan, touring car, SUV or truck, Lincoln designers strive to remain at the forefront of the American luxury ideal — and that’s no surprise when one looks back to the company’s roots.
Lincoln was founded in 1917 by Henry Leland of Cadillac fame. Leland chose the brand name Lincoln as a tribute to his early childhood hero, former President Abraham Lincoln. Despite the fact that the early L-Series and K-Series received much critical acclaim, the company soon found itself in financial trouble. In 1922, Ford Motor Company stepped in, believing that Lincoln’s fine reputation for crafting status-cars was a perfect enhancement for the everyman Ford line-up. And they were right. By the 1930s, owning a Lincoln was the symbol of living The American Dream.
This was also a time of great creativity on the part of the engineering and design departments. A notable highlight of this era was the extremely well-received Zephyr. Modeled after a record-breaking diesel express train, the Burlington Zephyr, this stellar design once accounted for nearly four-fifths of the firm’s sales and are highly collectible today.
Though the 1940s was a much more practical decade, Lincoln stayed true to its heritage with the dazzling Continental, the brainchild of Edsel Ford, Henry’s son. Keeping in tune with the Post WWII mood of the country, Lincoln promoted such rising stars as the legendary Mark II, and in the late 1960s the Mark III. The 1960s are considered by many to be the height of “free love and freedom in car design” and Lincoln holds their own with the spectacular “suicide” rear doors of their ‘60s Continentals.
Lincoln engineers have always kept the future in mind. Long before the Oil Crisis, they launched the 1970s-era Mark IV and the revolutionary Versailles. The Versailles has the distinction of being one of the first true luxury mid-size cars. Unfortunately for Lincoln, the cost-conscious public opted for the highly similar and much less pricey Ford Grenada.
Later, Lincoln rebounded with their classic, full-size, no-holds-barred Town Car in the early 1980s. Research and development was also directed to focus on new technology, allowing them to launch such now-ubiquitous ideas as anti-lock brakes. The decade of big hair and Wall Street scandals was reflected in such notable editions as the smaller Mark VI, perhaps best remembered for its velvet interior.
The firm “crossed the pond” when it came to styling the European influenced Mark VII, which was offered with an optional BMW turbo diesel. The Mark VIII was the last of the breed. Despite its four-cam V8 and state-of-the-art air suspension, the customer base was already being lured away by the newly named SUVs.
Never one to be left behind, the company went back to the drawing board to launch the eminently successful Navigator in 1998, once again putting Lincoln at the top of their game. The Navigator featured a stunning leather-wrapped interior and the latest in upscale amenities. Oddly enough, after this grand debut, management went in a new direction — pickup trucks. In keeping with Mercedes and BMW, they also introduced more affordable models, which allowed new buyers previously unable to afford a Lincoln to experience the company’s first-rate engineering, materials and high-American style.
Some may say that the cars have gotten dated, but nothing is further from the truth. Under the Ford technological umbrella, Lincoln has gone green in all 50 states. What does this mean to the environment? It means that starting with Lincoln’s 2008 edition flexible fuel Navigator SUV and passenger car line-ups, all these models meet or exceed not only the federal emissions requirements, but those of such stringent states as California.
According to the environmentally conscious Green Car Congress, the new Lincoln MKT touring car concept features a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost Flexfuel engine variant with turbo-charging and direct injection. The EcoBoost technology — and the downsized engine applications it enables — will deliver approximately 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer emissions and better driving performance versus larger displacement engines. They will also cost less than hybrid or diesel options. The MKT concept’s V6 delivers 415 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, and is mated to a six-speed transmission for greater fuel efficiency. First production models will begin with the MKS flagship in 2009.
Though the MKS takes its cues from “Old-School styling,” it is ready to go head-to-head with Lexus and other luxury leaders. The tiger under the hood is expected to offer the power and torque of a V8 with the fuel-efficiency of a V6. It will be available with front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive with such computerized functions as intelligent access with push-button start and adaptive cruise control, THX-certified audio system with 5.1 Surround Sound and SYNC and Ford/Microsoft’s hands-free voice-activated communication and entertainment system.
Not bad for a firm that almost didn’t make it through the growing pains of its first five years.