1981 Lincoln Mark Vi Base Sedan 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Lincoln Aviator debuts as stylish 3-row crossover with a surprise

NEW YORK — At a studio in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, after a walk through an "art gallery" full of inspiration for Lincoln's newest midsize, three-row Aviator crossover, we saw the company's future. That's not breathless hyperbole, either. Lincoln's huge Navigator is selling like gangbusters, but the aging MKT is a sad vestige of the company's last attempt to reinvent itself. The company needs an attractive, well-proportioned three-row with contemporary powertrains to complement the MKC and the larger Nautilus (nee MKX). For those wondering, the MKC is likely to get renamed at its next refresh, and the lousy MK__ naming convention will finally die. But while the names are refreshing, that's not the reason the Aviator is so important. For one, it'll almost certainly lend its underpinnings, which are rear-wheel-drive based, to the next Ford Explorer. The other is that it's an all-important three-row, a conventionally-shaped one rather than the awkward MKT's long, lumpy look. The Aviator — the vehicle we saw is a preview, not a production model, but is extremely close to production — has style and presence. There's more than a bit of Range Rover Velar in the look, but it's not a clone. And the interior is a wonderful interpretation of the larger Navigator's bold, distinctive and purely American look. View 20 Photos While many, many details are unspecified at this stage — including exact engine details, dimensions, and the like — there's enough there to draw some conclusions about the new Aviator. For one, it's got a version of the Navigator's elegant interior. Those Perfect Position seats, also seen in the Continental, covered with soft leather, are central to the Aviator's interior experience. When's the last time beautiful seats were such a selling point? Other than Volvo, no one's put enough attention on unique and particularly comfortable seats. It's a unique selling proposition and, also, a nice aesthetic detail. You could say the same for the dash design: It's low and sleek, with solid but not bulky elements and the sort of tastefulness normally reserved for Scandinavian industrial design. Back to the rear-drive platform and what little else we know of the powertrain. For one, it'll feature a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine with an available plug-in hybrid option. As far as we can tell, both versions will use the same engine, and there are no optional engines outside of this.

Two limos used by President John F. Kennedy are going up for auction

Two Lincoln limousines last used by President John F. Kennedy are being auctioned by Bonhams in New York. As reported by fordauthority.com, the cars are part of The American Presidential Experience sale. Neither Lincoln is the infamous open convertible in which Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas (that car is on display at The Henry Ford museum in Michigan), but one of these was used by the president on that fateful trip. The white 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible carried the President, Mrs. Kennedy, and Texas Governor John Connally, on the morning of November 22, 1963 in Fort Worth, Texas. They rode in this Lincoln from the Texas Hotel, where the President and Mrs. Kennedy had spent the night, to a breakfast where JFK gave a speech. From there, they drove through Fort Worth, on streets lined with crowds, to Carswell Air Force Base for the flight that would take them to Dallas. The car was a loaner from local dealer Bill Golightly, and was sold in 1964. It spent time in several different museum collections and has been partially restored, receiving a new engine and a repaint in its factory Ermine White. The red leather interior, however, is said to be original. The pre-sale estimate for this Lincoln is $300,000–$500,000. The second Lincoln is a 1960 Continental Mark V Executive Limousine. It was modified by Hess and Eisenhardt and features bulletproof doors, a divider window, a two-way telephone, and rear-seat climate controls. This car was leased to the White House and was used by President Kennedy for personal trips around Washington, as opposed to official trips for which the larger presidential limousine would be used. After President Johnson took office, this Lincoln returned to the Ford Motor Company and was purchased by a private individual who had a contact at Ford's Washington office. It, too, later spent time in various historical collections, and its body has been restored but the interior remains original. The pre-sale estimate is $200,000 to $300,000. History buffs who miss out on either of the cars might raise their paddles for some of the other items offered. There's a full-scale facsimile of the Oval Office, a partial fuselage of a Boeing 707 retrofitted as a replica of the Kennedy-era Air Force One, as well as numerous smaller items. The auction takes place on October 14.

Analysts warn Lincoln shouldn't follow Ford out of the sedan market

Lincoln looks set to mimic Ford's on-going shift away from sedans. The move makes sense on the surface, but analysts warn the luxury brand needs to keep some low-riding models in its portfolio. The company's current lineup includes two sedans, the MKZ and the Continental, plus five SUVs. The sedans aren't long for this world, according to The Detroit Free Press. The publication learned Ford's Hermosillo, Mexico, factory will stop manufacturing the MKZ in late 2020 or early 2021, and it pointed out UAW documents note Continental production will continue "through its product lifecycle." In other words, it's the last model on the Continental branch of the Lincoln family tree. These two nameplates represent 23.3 percent of Lincoln's annual sales so far in 2019, which is a surprising and respectable statistic. One in four cars the company sells is a sedan. The problem is that they accounted for 27.6 percent of the firm's sales in 2018, and that number will continue to fall in 2020 as customers flock towards crossovers and SUVs. And yet, exiting the sedan market isn't the right answer for a company that wants to re-establish its reputation as a luxury automaker. Eric Noble, the president of consulting firm CarLab, told The Detroit Free Press about 40 percent of American buyers in the market for a luxury car choose a sedan. The Chinese market — where Lincoln hopes to gain a secure foothold in the coming years — also has a healthy appetite for sedans. Going SUV-only is a strategy that might work well in the United States, but it doesn't suit Lincoln's ambitions. Germany's big three luxury brands all have a flagship sedan at the top of their range. We can't argue against sales data; the sedan market is shrinking. There are ways to keep buyers in the fold, however. The Continental is a stellar effort from the brand, and a solid foundation on which to build. Noble pointed out Lincoln could use the rear-wheel drive platform found under its Aviator and Ford's latest Explorer to build a four-door model with a fastback-like roof line in the vein of the Audi A7. It's a sleeker, sexier body style that tends to attract more buyers than a more conventional three-box sedan, which is often criticized as old-fashioned. Automakers can normally get away with charging a little bit more for these cars; the A7 is more expensive than the A6, for example. Electrification could be the Lincoln sedan's saving grace.