2001 Lincoln Towncar ( Stretch Limousine) on 2040-cars

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Lincoln Continental death looms with changes at Flat Rock Plant

Ford's Flat Rock Assembly plant just south of Detroit produces the Ford Mustang and the Lincoln Continental. Automotive News reports that the automaker plans to produce two battery-electric crossovers at the facility, the EVs scheduled for sale in the 2023 model year. The EVs were previously meant to be built in Ford's Cuautitlan Stamping and Assembly plant in Mexico, which builds the Fiesta. According to the AN piece, moving the EVs to Michigan means the end of Lincoln Continental production in the U.S. Sunset is expected in "late 2021" for a sedan that is just three years old, and that never got the momentum to assert itself and reassert the Continental nameplate. The Continental has been on death watch since at least March 2018, when Ford Authority reported that the luxury sedan wouldn't get more than one generation. The changing of several guards in the top ranks scotched a plan to move the Continental onto the CD6 platform for rear- and all-wheel-drive vehicles. In September 2018, Jalopnik put more meat on those crossbones, saying Flat Rock workers alleged the big Lincoln could bid adieu as soon as this year, and automaker insiders had seen production merely scheduled — not approved — for 2020, with nothing beyond that. Then, as now, Ford appears to be leaving open the possibility for Continental production to continue in China, and just maybe be exported here. The two twinned midsized EVs, using the codenames CDX746 and CDX747, would come in Ford and Lincoln flavors. Said to be roughly the size of the Ford Edge/Lincoln Nautilus platform siblings, the automaker has requested suppliers gear up for annual production of up to 65,000 units between the two models. When they arrive, they'll form part of the 16 EVs Ford plans to have on the market worldwide by 2022. The others we know of so far are the crossover that will channel the Mustang, an electric F-150 pickup, and an EV project with Rivian.

The Lincoln Blackwood was the original luxury pickup. It was also weird.

As the 20th century drew to a close, Lincoln's mainstay product, the venerable Town Car, was well on its way to livery-car limbo and the brand's sales were sinking. The surprise-hit Navigator, introduced for 1998, indicated a possible way forward: luxury trucks. The following year, Lincoln rolled out a concept (pictured at bottom) that was essentially a dolled-up F-150 pickup: the Blackwood. Reaction was sufficiently enthusiastic that the Blackwood appeared in showrooms, essentially unchanged, for 2002. Luxo-trucks are now all the rage, but Lincoln's attempts to make the Blackwood truly special tripped up this pioneering pickup, which was canceled after just one year. That means this 2002 Blackwood for sale right now on Cars and Bids presents a rare opportunity. Lincoln grafted a Navigator nose onto an F-150 body, and if they had stopped there, the Blackwood might have fared better. But Lincoln went further. Motivation was provided by a 5.4-liter InTech V8 with 300 horsepower driving the rear wheels. Four-wheel drive wasn't offered, because Lincoln didn't want to raise the ride height. Air springs supplemented the rear leaf springs. The interior was stuffed with all manner of Navigator-spec luxury gear, with leather, heated and cooled seats, power-adjustable pedals, and even an early navigation system — which was the only option. Seating was strictly for four thanks to the rear captain's chairs. As if adorning it with faux African wedgewood and aluminum inlays wasn't distinctive enough, the cargo bed became a cargo trunk thanks to the standard, power-operated hard tonneau cover. Inside, the floor was carpeted, the sides were brushed aluminum, and the space was illuminated by LED accent lighting. Rather than a drop-down tailgate, access was via a pair of Dutch doors. To align with the nameplate, the only color offered was Gunslinger Black with a black interior. To maintain exclusivity, Lincoln planned to cap sales at 10,000 units. That provided wholly unnecessary, as sales only reached 3,356. Lincoln pulled the plug after one year. The 2020 asking price was $52,500 (roughly $77,000 today). The truck for sale on Cars and Bids is sure to go for less, although bidding is pretty strong out of the gate. It currently sits at $8989 with six days to go in the auction.

What will the next Presidential limo look like?

With recent news that the Secret Service has begun soliciting proposals for a new armored limousine, we've been wondering what the next presidential limo might look like. The current machine, nicknamed "The Beast", has a design based on a car that's no longer sold: the Cadillac DTS. If General Motors gets the job again, which wouldn't be a surprise considering the government still owns a chunk of the company, the next limo's shape would likely resemble the new XTS (below, left). But Cadillac hasn't always been the go-to car company for presidential whips.
Lincoln has actually provided far more presidential limousines throughout history than Cadillac. In fact, the first car modified for Commander-in-Chief-carrying duty was a 1939 Lincoln K-Series called "Sunshine Special" used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the last Lincoln used by a president was a 1989 Town Car ordered for George H.W. Bush. If President Obama wanted a Lincoln today, it would likely be an amalgam of the MKS sedan and MKT crossover, as illustrated above.
And what about Chrysler? The only record we could find of a President favoring the Pentastar is Nixon, who reportedly ordered two limos from the company during his administration in the '70s, and then another one, known today as the "K-Car limo," in the '80s after he left office. Obama, however, has a personal - if modest - connection to Chryslers, having owned a 300 himself before he took office. A 300-based Beast (above, right) would certainly earn the U.S. some style points.