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Lincoln Continental brings back suicide doors with Coach Door Edition

Remember that teaser image from last week indicating the Lincoln Continental would get suicide doors? Well, it's happening, and we got to check out a prototype late last week. As you can see from the photos, the vehicle is essentially a stretched Continental with rear doors that latch forward. Lincoln doesn't call it the suicide door edition, of course. No, the proper name is 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition. Semantics aside, the car is here to pay homage to the suicide doors of the 1960s Continental and celebrate 80 years since the original Continental was introduced. That's the why; now here is the how. To build this special edition, a Continental begins life as a normal Black Label model, and leaves the factory with normal doors intact. From there, Lincoln ships the car to Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts for the stretch and other modifications we'll get into later. Before you start cursing Lincoln for not really screwing together a suicide door Continental, know this: Lincoln engineered all the components, metalwork and everything else that goes with the build. It then gives the car and components to Cabot for the fabrication work. So yes, somebody else is doing the conversion, but you're still getting a Lincoln-engineered vehicle. Make of that what you will. Cabot has done work for Ford before with the MKT and Transit Van, but Lincoln says it's much more involved in this build than it ever was before. To begin, the Continental gets a six-inch stretch. It was a relatively long car before, but boy does this thing look like it's lounging now. That's exactly what you'll be doing once inside those suicide doors. Lincoln claims best-in-class legroom, and yes, to our eye that is surely accurate. Someone well over 6 feet tall could easily stretch all the way out and still have room to spare back there. The only problem we noticed? Headroom. A sloping roofline combined with seats that are well pushed back doesn't leave a whole lot of space up there. It looks like Lincoln noticed this and carved out little spaces in the headliner, but it might not be enough for those who are closer to the sky than most. A flow-through center console occupies space where the middle seat would typically be. This has all sorts of controls for things like audio and climate control. Lincoln said the one we sat in wasn't entirely finished with all the features and electronics that will be included.

Hennessey’s 600-hp Lincoln Navigator is here

The tuners at Hennessey have begun deliveries of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator HPE600, a full-size SUV that boosts the Navigator's normal 450-horsepower output to 600 hp, announcing its arrival with a video showing the performance 'ute riding a dynamometer. Hennessey said it was a natural decision to turn to the Navigator because it has mostly the same 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine as the F-150 Raptor, which it converted last year to the 602-hp 6x6 VelociRaptor. So it added engine management computer software upgrades, a stainless steel exhaust system, high-flow air induction and large front-mounted intercooler with blow-off valve. Dyno results in the video show the Navigator topping out at around 500 hp and 500 pound-feet of torque at around 3,800 rpm at the wheels; Hennessey says the 600 hp comes at 6000 rpm. The upgrades are good to take the nearly three-ton SUV from 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds, about 0.7 seconds quicker than the standard Navigator, and run the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds at 107 mph. The tuning package will set you back $19,950, including installation. Additional options include 22-inch forged monoblock wheels, lowered suspension and Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers and 15.1-inch brake rotors. There are also HPE600 badges on the front door jambs and tailgate, and embroidered headrests. It comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty. Just 200 are planned for the 2018 model. You can order it now through Hennessey or any authorized Hennessey Lincoln dealer. Related Video: Image Credit: Hennessey Lincoln SUV Luxury Performance Hennessey tuner lincoln navigator tuning

Lincoln to resurrect old nameplates for China?

Judging by the success that many luxury automakers are currently experiencing in China, it's no surprise that Lincoln plans to take advantage of the situation by peddling its wares across the Pacific. Lincoln will open its first Chinese dealership next year, but potential buyers there won't be mucking through the same alphabet soup of car names found in American showrooms. USA Today reports that Ford's luxury car division could revert back to legacy names (like Continental and Zephyr) in China while keeping the MK_ names here in North America.
In speaking to Ford exec Jim Farley during the LA Auto Show, USA Today says that Lincoln could switch its naming structure as models are refreshed. Farley didn't confirm that the naming revamp would be a China-only decision, but article leaves little hope that American buyers will get to see the return of classic names anytime soon.
Why would Ford rehash old Lincoln names for China only? Buyers there seem to have a better historical associations with the nameplates than in the US. Chinese also still hold Lincoln in high regard, associating the marque with use by prominent government officials.