1999 Lincoln Town Car Signature Sedan 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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Five cursed and haunted cars

Any kid lucky enough to grow up in Detroit is familiar with the Henry Ford Museum. It's huge, full of shiny things and a great place to take a child and let them burn off some energy. After several field trips and weekend outings however, the dusty concept vehicles and famous aircraft tend to lose their punch for youngsters. As a fifth grader, I was already gazing on the museum's many gems with glassy eyes. On yet another school trip, we made our way to John F. Kennedy's death car, a gleaming black Lincoln limo. The aging volunteer docent told our little group something I had never heard before. "You know, this car is haunted. Several employees have reported seeing a gray presence right here," he said, pointing to the back passenger side seat. I perked up. Now here was something I had never heard before. A haunted car? Sure, it happened in Goosebumps, but this was real life. It made sense, in a way. Cars can be violent, emotional places. That's certainly the case with JFK's limo, as well as the other four cars on this list. And maybe those gut-wrenching deaths can permanently doom a car. 5. Archduke Franz Ferdinand's Graf & Stift Death Limo World War I tends to be a forgotten war, despite being pretty terrible in its own right and setting the stage for the entire 20th Century. The French forces, for instance, lost more lives in the first month of WWI than the US did in the entire Civil War. Everyone who has been through a freshman world history course knows the conflict started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot by a Bosnian anarchist. The crazy thing is, Ferdinand had already avoided an attempt on his life that day, and was actually on his way to the hospital to comfort those who had been injured in the crossfire. One of the would-be assassins simply walked out of a cafe and saw his intended target sitting in front of him where the open-air limo had stalled. The archduke and his wife were shot through their heads and throats. Their deaths would not be the last caused by the limo. Throughout the war and into the 1920s, the limo was owned by fifteen different people and involved in six accidents and thirteen deaths, not counting the 17 million or so killed in the war triggered by the Archduke's assassination. The first person to own the car after the Archduke was an Austrian general named Potiorek, who went insane while riding in the car through Vienna.

2021 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring brings plug-in hybrid tech to the small crossover

LOS ANGELES — When the new Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair were launched, the Corsair was strangely lacking a hybrid variant like the cheaper Ford. The reason for this is that Lincoln was preparing a slightly more advanced hybrid for the small luxury crossover. The 2021 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring elevates itself over the Ford by bringing plug-in capability and a different kind of all-wheel drive. At the front of the Corsair, the powertrain is the same as the Ford Escape. It's a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4 and an electric motor powering the front wheels. But at the back, Lincoln has added another electric motor with a single-speed transmission to power the rear wheels, just like Toyota has been doing in the all-wheel-drive versions of the Toyota Prius, RAV4 Hybrid and Lexus UX250h. In addition to giving the Corsair four driven wheels, it brings total horsepower up to 266 ponies, an increase of 66 over the Ford. Having this rear motor opens up lots of freedom for how much power is given to the rear wheels, and a Lincoln representative said that the rear can go into a coasting or free-wheeling state when cruising for efficiency. Supplying electricity to the Corsair Grand Touring is a floor-mounted 14.4-kWh battery pack. Lincoln estimates it will provide enough power for the Corsair to drive about 26 miles on a charge. Neither the battery nor the rear motor take up any interior space, so rear passenger and cargo capacity remain the same as the regular Corsair. Charging can be done at Level 1 or Level 2 chargers, with the former taking 10 to 11 hours and the latter taking 3 to 4 hours. DC fast charging is not available, something that's featured on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Hybrid mechanical bits aside, the Corsair Grand Touring is just like any other Corsair. The only indicators that it's a hybrid are the unique grille, 20-inch wheels, blue badging and additional door for the charging plug. The Grand Touring comes standard with Lincoln's cell-phone key system, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and automatic high-beams. Automatic parking, a head-up display and adaptive cruise control are all options. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but will likely revealed closer to the on-sale date in the summer of 2020. Looking at the price structure for the Aviator, which also has a Grand Touring plug-in hybrid variant, the Corsair Grand Touring could be priced above the current range-topping Reserve trim.

With gaps in product portfolio, Lincoln embraces experiences

In one sense, Lincoln is on a roll. It rides out the year having unveiled three substantially refreshed SUVs — the new full-size Navigator, the MKC crossover and the Nautilus, the new name for its top-selling MKX that Lincoln revealed in Los Angeles. The company is on pace to sell 50,000 vehicles this year in China, a four-fold jump after just three years in that market, and its sales growth in the U.S. outpaces its competition in the luxury segment. And analysts applauded the brand for moving away from its confusing alphanumeric naming system as a way to differentiate itself. But Lincoln remains far behind its competitors, with a market share that lags the likes of Lexus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even Cadillac. Its product portfolio is more limited too, heavy on hot-selling SUVs, but with only two cars — far fewer than the German luxury brands — and no marquee sports cars. Instead, Lincoln made it clear in Los Angeles that it's leaning heavily on creating distinctive experiences for its customers — its strategy focuses on being "warm, human and effortless" — as a way to stand out from the field. One way it's trying to do that is through its Black Label program, which offers premium interior trim options like unique leather stitching patterns, Alcantara headliners and laser-etched aluminum accents, and combines all that with a suite of services. Black Label members get an enhanced premium maintenance plan that includes wear and tear, anytime car washes and annual detailing, a dedicated concierge and the ability to be custom-fitted for a vehicle at their home. It also comes with a Culinary Collection, a curated list of more than 50 participating restaurants across the country that offer exclusive reservation assistance, visits from the noted chefs and other perks. Lincoln is introducing a new "Gala" Black Label theme on its new Nautilus, which it says is inspired by a night at a fashion gala. It's an interior decked out in what it calls Carmine Red, reflecting a popular color in fashion, with perforated seat stitching that form interlocking Ls. It joins the Thoroughbred and Chalet Black Label themes for the new Nautilus, which goes on sale next spring. Other Black Label themes including the Navigator's Yacht Club theme, with a Chroma Blue exterior paint color, upgraded leather seats and whitewashed teak wood in the center console, and Center Stage, with jet black Venetian leather with red accents, available on the MKC.