The last Lincoln sedans have rolled off the assembly line and Ford is now focused on its well-stocked line of Lincoln SUVs and crossovers as its flag ship vehicles. But speculation continues that new Lincoln models are on the way.
In a recent article online publication Autoevolution carried a piece by by Mihnea Radu with photos that imagines a new Lincoln cruiser evolved from the latest Ford Mustang. See below and let us know what you think of the idea at info@lcocwetern.org:
Ford used the Mustang name on the Mach-E electric SUV. However, there was a much simpler way to increase sales and profits: make a Lincoln version of the famous 5.0 pony. It’s a crazy idea, but it will begin to make sense in a moment.
Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of cases where making two of the same car is great. For example, Nissan had the 350Z while Infiniti had the G35 Coupe. It sounds like there would be some overlap, but we’ve seen fans so loyal that they own both. Also, Chrysler really shot itself in the foot when it stopped offering crazy Hemi V8s. Who says people won’t want a 300C and a Charger?
Ford is no stranger to yielding platforms and engines to Lincoln. There’s currently a lot of it going on in the SUV and crossover segment. However, Lincoln might benefit from two additions to its range – a muscle car and a pickup truck.
Obviously, trucks are booming right now, and Ford still has the sales crown. But where GM shares the burden between the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, the F-150 is left to fight alone. In 2002, Lincoln made its first truck, the Blackwood.
It was a massive sales flop, but research showed Lincoln owners also had trucks at home. So they tried again with the Mark LT, which made its debut in 2006. Offered with a short-bed crew cab and 5.4-liter V8, it ultimately also failed because it was seen as nothing more than an F-150 with a new face.
Do Lincoln owners also have Mustangs? They might. The GT500 is one of the fastest ponies ever built, not to mention quite the looker. But the following rendering by wb.artist20 suggest an alternative appearance, one that’s more of a cruiser coupe. This is a revised version of a car he created earlier, dubbed the Thoroughbred because the name usually implies an expensive racehorse.
Your comments:
From Larry Knutson: Love it. No more Mercury Cougars as an upgraded Mustang, so a Lincoln Cougar would be a great idea. Strictly a luxury version of the hottest Mustang. When I was a kid and the new 1952 Lincolns came out and won the Mexican Road Race for three years, Lincolns have danced in my head for 68 years, own two now, 2012 and 1948 Continental. Still dream of owning a badass Lincoln.
From Dan Weiss: The simple fact that Lincoln stopped making cars says only one thing: the cars Lincoln has built in recent years are generic, boring and ugly. Lexus, Mercedes, Cadillac and BMW sell thousands of cars a year. Many are great looking exciting cars. Lincoln blew it. They could have done a modern take on the slab side center opening cars that defined them for a decade. They made a few and that was it. Just like Ford killed Mercury and GM killed Olds and Pontiac, who had some of the most exciting cars ever built, Lincoln committed suicide because they built ugly boring cars no one wants. Now they will steal the Mustang and put new taillights on it. Sounds like the Cadillac Cimarron all over again.