LIGHT BULB MOMENT AT LINCOLN

More than 14 years after the Lincoln Continental (and the Lincoln Town Car) disappeared from America's roads, Ford Motor Company has splashed out on a new Lincoln Continental, debuting the production version at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

2016 Lincoln Continental

Why? Does America really need a return to behemoth motor cars?
Well, yes it does. Or, rather Ford Motor Company thinks it does.

You see in 2002 Ford did a really dumb thing, It decided not to replace the ageing Lincoln RWD sedan, which is spun off the ubiquitous RWD Ford Crown Victoria.

2002 Lincoln Continental

2007 Ford Crown Victoria

Both of these cars are an integral part of of the fabric of big-car America.

A sea of yellow in the Big Apple

They were everywhere - painted yellow, and black, and also Black & White.

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

Sure, the old Continental/Crown Victoria were body-on-chassis dinosaurs, but they earned big bucks for Ford as Police Cars, Yellow Cabs and black, chauffeur-driven limousines - or as they are quaintly referred to in the USA as: 'Livery Vehicles'. Most of the limos were the long wheelbase Town Car.

Long wheelbase Lincoln Town Car

At airports all across America, these are the cars you see most - cabs and limos. In fact near the close of their production life the twin behemoths sold very few cars to private buyers. Nearly all production went to livery fleets. 

However, to be truly accurate Ford did produce small numbers of the Crown Victoria up until 2011 solely for sale in the Middle East.

In its wisdom, Ford told the thousands of livery fleets across the country that the Town Car would be replaced by the Lincoln MKT.

Lincoln MKT

Ford Flex

The MKT was really the Ford Flex with a different set of clothes.

The livery market basically gave Ford the finger!



Most livery companies decided to keep giving their ailing Town Cars new injections of life rather than replace them with the MKT.

2016 Lincoln Continental

Interior 2016 Lincoln Continental

So, after being roughed up by the livery industry, I think Ford has surrendered, and this new Continental (which looks pretty sharp, although I think it's 'channelling' the Mercedes-Benz C-class) may well spawn a 'really new' Lincoln Town Car, because I think the Ford accountants have decided they'd rather have the money, thanks!