Lincoln needs to start being poor man's Rolls Royce again. And if the average buyer is older than 80, so be it, it worked pretty well during Lincoln's history ... until they switched to FWD, sporty design and MK-nonsense names.

 

One for Ford..........





One for Lincoln.........

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Saw this posted on BON . . . 'Lincoln MKF Concept' (but not from Lincoln.)

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/06...ould-make.html

 

Good that Lincoln wants a RWD platform for a coupe/sedan. Don't think any purveyor of luxury cars will be taken too seriously unless they have a RWD offering IMO (such as Acura FWD/AWD vs Lexus/Infiniti RWD/AWD models competing in similar categories). I haven't given a crap about Lincoln ever since the Mk-series RWD coupes went away. Still hoping for a return to RWD and some handsome styling for the brand.

 

I'm liking that saloon, too!

 

I want an updated version of the Interceptor concept that became the Taurus, but something distinctly Lincoln. The proportions were fantastic on that car, it'd just need some Lincoln influence to be a fantastic 5-series competitor if built on the right platform.

 

I see Lincoln following the same footsteps as Mercury, dying a slow death through lack of real corporate investment. They are trying to do it on the cheap and dirty through tarted up Ford models that basically fools but a very few. Lincoln:

• Needs a rock solid corporate vision, strategy and above all, commitment.
• A clearly defined Brand identity, purpose and clientele.
• A fully flushed model lineup.
• Fully world class platforms, drivetrains and technology.
• A fully modern, sophisticated design DNA.

Currently, it has few of these critical elements and thus, its mediocre sales and image ought not to be surprising. It seems to be a sort of forgotten bother to Ford brass that don't seem to have the guts to either make it work or simply put it out of its misery -- they simply need to make up their mind one way or the other.


Rather than going after the most senior of the senior age set with some retrospective geezer-mobile models harkening back to some gauzy golden age, Lincoln out to be Ford's cutting edge showcase of design, stylistic and engineering talent and prowess that is forward looking into tomorrow, not dreamily reminiscing about yesterday. Cadillac is a clear and obvious example of where Lincoln should be heading, fielding a number of very impressive world-class cars that are fast, sophisticated and even daring (CTS Coupe and CTS-V wagon).

Mustang-derived BMW 3 and 5 Series class model(s) (or split the difference with a “4 Series” class model) would be quite obvious, though they would have to be more substantially Lincoln specific than the thin Ford retreads festering in their showrooms now. Ford’s parts shelves are already amply stocked with suitable motors, so that part should be easy.


Unfortunately, I’m not confident Ford has either the spine or even strategic vision to make this happen, and fast and that the most likely prospect is for Lincoln to simply fade away like Mercury before it.

 

Let's see . . . A new Director of Design, Max Wolff, a new dedicated Lincoln design studio (as of 2011), 180 modelers, engineers, stylists and designers, and a $1 Billion investment . . . and all that is "on the cheap?" And Cadillac isn't burning up the charts with sales. Their percentages are off much more than Lincoln the past few months.

The 2013 MKZ is the "1st" design model that Wolff has gotten his hand's on (other than some "tweaks for MKS re-fresh"), and you think it is retrospective?

I am not saying Lincoln is a lock for success, I'm simply trying to flush out some of your comments given a number of pretty significant changes at Lincoln within the past 12 months . . .

 

Hopefully those changes harbinger much greater ones to come, and perhaps once Wolff's design influence have time to seep in much deeper, that will become much more compelling too. At present though, these are still hopes. Also, a billion dollars spread across a whole division is chump change these days. I'm hopeful, but I think Ford likely still needs to devote a bit more time, attention and money to make Lincoln a truly compelling brand rather than just a sort of nice one popular around the bingo parlor and senior center. Putting some real firepower in the brand, ala a Mustang based RWD performance sedan/coupe would really make a bold statement in that direction.

 

I really loved my Mark XIII, but it is not the everyman's car. The upkeep on the air spring suspension alone is enough to make your wallet sad. But if you can afford it, that's probably not a problem for you.

 

Mark XIII... I think you mean Mark VIII

The aftermarket has come to the rescue for some older Lincolns as they have developed conventional spring kits to replace the trouble prone air springs. There is also better availability of aftermarket air springs now too if someone wants to keep the suspension functioning like original.

 

I would still like to see a suicide 4-door sedan that reminds me of the classic 60's Lincoln Continentals and late 60's 4-door Tbirds. Yes radical modern styling would be nice.

 

If a 4 Door RWD Lincoln is in the works, I know some buddies who will give feedback on the ride quality while sporting the silver bracelets with matching chain in the middle rolling in the back of one. Behold the prospective police cruiser that will replace the Taurus Police Interceptor that replaced the Crown Victoria in turn we can hope that this concept will replace the Police Chargers across the nation.

This could also make for great tv chase shows highlighting CHP mobbing through So-Cal chasing people down from the comfortable ride quality of a Lincoln. "Bad bad boys, ah-watcha gonna do, ah-watcha gonna do when they come for you!?!?"

 

Mark VIII - must be the meds going to my head...

Sure, I could have went conventional from the get go, but I loved the feel and movement of the air springs - plus it was easy to mod them lower to the ground - I could get over 30 mpg at 70 mph and look good doing it.

No to mention you can do all sorts of crazy stuff with those air bags including making a Radio Shack custom relay to bypass the computer and directly control the bags, or better yet: a fast release compressor/tank - you can literally make it bounce like hydraulics, though the bags won't last long.

My air spring guy also told me it was impossible to get bags for older Lincolns, even aftermarket, so it's only a matter of time before the conversion becomes necessary - even old used bags for a Mark VIII are a but expensive on eBay last I checked.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that the main reason for that is that Cadillac killed off STS and DTS and replacement (XTS), as well as the new ATS, are not out for sale yet.

 

Would you expect much less from Government Motors?

 

Makes sense to me . . .

 

Cadillac is doing a great job refining their lineup. Once they get these new models in full production and a few months of sales and awareness of how new they are they should start selling very well and I believe they will always outsell Lincoln. I grew up remembering both sets of my Grandparents had Cadillacs so I tend to like Cadillacs way more than Lincolns.

I have to say there is not a single Lincoln left in production that I would aspire to own and I do not see any promise any time soon. And no the next MKZ does not cut it. Lincoln enthusiasts and loyalists have filled comments everywhere about what they want in a Lincoln but Lincoln has taken the attitude that "you will take what we give you because we know best and we have to be like Audi"... I got news for Lincoln... Lincoln buyers don't want an Audi... And Audi buyers don't want a Lincoln.

 

I completely agree. Lincoln needs to stop trying to be American BMW/Audi and needs to go back to what they used to be - poor man's Rolls Royce.

 

I caught they recently polled their FB fans... and 290 people responded to the questions below. So these are a sampling of the Lincoln fanbase... they're seemingly banking on technology and design within their model lineup- Their most recent MKS Ecoboost comparo is a decent displaying. (www.luxuryprovingground.com)

Personally I don't think RWD will be a savior- a solid AWD system that's made to deal out performance can be just as good- and better reaching to the demographic- they'd then be alongside many technology forward companies that have developed some form/shift to AWD performance.


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