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Lincoln Aviator's Air Glide Adaptive Suspension knows when it'll hit potholes

Lincoln is set to release its all-new three-row 2020 Aviator this summer. It will become the fifth SUV in Lincoln's lineup and the second-most expensive of the bunch, behind its Navigator big brother. One of the vehicle's stand-out features is the available Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview, which adjusts to the road using cameras and sensors. Lincoln detailed the modern tech in a new video seen above.  Selling vehicles in the luxury space requires various impressive characteristics, but above all, the most important might be the ride. Engineers design everything to maintain a comfortable experience, and today, the preparation for rough roads doesn't stop in the development and production facilities. Modern technology allows cars adapt to the surfaces they're driving on rather than applying a one-size-fits-all setup to all roads.  The 2020 Lincoln Aviator will use Air Glide Suspension and Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview in attempts to provide the best ride possible. The Air Glide Suspension uses air springs instead of coil springs, and the air bladders will stiffen or soften based on the road conditions, driving speed, and drive mode.  The Adaptive Suspension uses 12 sensors placed throughout the vehicle to monitor all sorts of vehicle conditions. It collects information on body motion, steering, acceleration, and braking and adjusts accordingly. Lincoln says the system reads the road about 500 times per second and can change settings up to 100 times per second. For example, the Aviator will know when a pothole is incoming and will stiffen the shock absorber to reduce the harshness of the hit. Road Preview, which uses a built-in forward-facing camera near the rearview mirror, helps understand the road up to 50 feet ahead and aids in informing the adaptive suspension of incoming bumps between two to eight inches.  Buyers interested in the Aviator will be able to choose between two powertrains: a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 or a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 hybrid. The Standard model starts at $52,840, while the Black Label Grand Touring starts at $89,540. Look for the Aviator to pop up at dealerships soon. 

Ford recalls 650,000 trucks and SUVs for defective wipers

Ford announced earlier this month that it is recalling 652,996 F-Series pickups, Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators produced for the 2020 and 2021 model years to address an issue that may cause their windshield wipers to separate, reducing visibility and leading to potentially hazardous driving conditions.  According to the Blue Oval, one of its suppliers used worn tooling components that resulted in wiper arms being produced with splines that are not tall enough to fully engage the motor pivots they're mounted to, which can cause the connection to strip when the motors are turned on. This could result in the wiper arms not moving at all, or engaging only intermittently.  "Worn wiper arm spline tooling core inserts at the supplier resulted in insufficient spline tooth height, which can cause the arm attachment to strip when used with a certain wiper motors with higher torque," Ford said in its defect report to NHTSA. "Potential symptoms include erratic or slow wipe speed of the driver or passenger wiper arm. An improper functioning wiper arm may potentially result in reduced visibility in certain conditions, which could increase the risk of a crash." Ford says the vehicles were not produced in VIN order, so while not all of the nearly 653,000 vehicles have bad wiper arms, they're all suspect until proven safe. Ford will notify owners of the recall campaign starting in May.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Recalls Ford Lincoln Safety Truck SUV

High-tech, remote-controlled Golden Sahara II custom car going for auction

Imagine a vehicle with automatic braking, remote operation, self-opening doors and a big screen on the dash. You're probably imaging a Tesla Model X, but we're actually talking about a car called the Golden Sahara II, a custom car originally built in the 1950s, and it's going for auction at Mecum's event in Indianapolis. According to Mecum, this custom car started out as a 1953 Lincoln Capri owned by George Barris, the man who created the original Batmobile. He didn't have it long before it ended up in a crash that led him to use it for a major custom project. He teamed up James Skonzakes, known as Jim Street, to create and pay for the build. In 1954, the car was finished with wild body work, actual 24-karat gold-plated exterior trim and a pearlescent gold paint created from fish scales. It carried the name of Golden Sahara, and it cost $25,000 to build. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In 1956, Street decided to invest a whole lot more into the car. He sent it to a shop in Dayton, Ohio where it was fitted with a myriad of high-tech features. These included a central control stick that could operate the throttle, steering and braking, push-button steering controls on the dashboard for both the driver and the passenger, a remote control for moving it slowly and for opening the doors. It had sonar antennae at the front for automatic braking, a TV in the center stack, a radio, a phone, and even a cocktail cabinet in the back and mink carpeting. All of these features were on display when Street appeared with the car on the TV show I've Got a Secret, seen above, as well as in a period news story in which Street's wife demonstrated the features including the light-up wheels and tires for turn signals. That clip is visible below. The total cost of the car, now called Golden Sahara II, was $75,000. Adjusted for inflation, that's nearly $700,000. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Eventually, Street stopped showing the Golden Sahara II, but he never got rid of it. It was recently found in his garage, and the car will finally go for auction in May at Mecum's Indianapolis auction. The car will be sold in unrestored condition, which looks to be fairly rough, but savable. It appears the remotes are still there, too. The car will be auctioned with no reserve, so it will have a new owner.