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Junkyard Gem: 2006 Lincoln Zephyr

The Lincoln Motor Company went all-truck for its North American offerings in the 2021 model year, announcing the death sentence for the Continental and MKZ sedans in 2020. The MKZ was the sibling to the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan (the latter car discontinued in 2011 when the entire Mercury Division got the axe), but it wasn't called the MKZ for its first model year of 2006. For that one year, it was given a name with deep resonance in the Ford Empire: Zephyr. Here's one of those cars, found in a Denver boneyard recently. Ford's first use of the Zephyr name came when Edsel Ford spearheaded the creation of the futuristic-looking Lincoln-Zephyr for the 1936 model year. The Lincoln-Zephyr packed a flathead V12 engine under its hood, which is the same engine that turned a Model A Ford into a Cadillac-passing hot rod in the 1955 Charlie Ryan song "Hot Rod Lincoln" (the better-known 1971 cover version by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen inaccurately refers to the Lincoln engine as a V8; ex-Commander Cody frontman—and Iggy Pop's high school classmate—Bill Kirchen still makes the V8 claim but he's earned the right by now). The Zephyr name disappeared from the Lincoln lineup after 1942. In 1950, Ford of Britain revived the Zephyr name for use on a Dagenham-built saloon; British Zephyr production continued through 1972, and left-hand-drive versions of the Ford Zephyr were sold in the United States from the 1952 through 1964 model years. Mercury finally got the use of the Zephyr name, for the 1978 through 1983 model years, on the Mercury-badged sibling to the Ford Fairmont. A Chinese-market midsize luxury sedan built by Changan Ford was given the Zephyr Reflection name prior to launch, but it hit showrooms last year as the Lincoln Z. So much history in the junkyard! The saga of the name change from Zephyr to MKZ didn't end with the 2007 model year, though. Members of the Lincoln top brass spent some months insisting stubbornly that the new name should be pronounced "Mark Z" (apparently in reference to the great Lincoln Mark cars of the past or perhaps the brand-new Mark LT pickup), but finally acquiesced to the "Em-Kay-Zee" pronunciation used by everybody else in the United States and the "Em-Kay-Zedd" pronunciation used by the rest of the English-speaking world. The interior of the 2006 Zephyr was quite similar to what you got inside the Fusion and Milan, but with real wood (maple or ebony) trim and standard leather.

2025 Lincoln Navigator revealed with dramatic look, massive screen in Monterey

Say a big hello to the 2025 Lincoln Navigator, now more grand-looking and chock full of tech than ever before. This marks the fifth generation of Lincoln’s three-row luxury SUV, and while its bones are largely carryover, its appearance and interior experience are totally fresh. As for those hard points, the Navigator is still rolling with a body-on-frame construction, independent rear suspension and the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 paired with the 10-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive standard. Said engine produces 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, the same output as the 2024 model. Both the standard length and the L model return, with the latter pictured in white just below. While this Navigator may end up driving much the same as the current one, it sure does look largely new from the outside. A fresh grille design gives it a mighty loud and proud aesthetic from the front and is complemented by a big light bar for even more visual presence. Like other new Lincolns, this one features the “Lincoln Embrace” for approach that plays an animation via the lights to welcome your return to the car. The full-width taillights do the same with new light-up “3D” badging. Chrome is thrown out the window in favor of satin aluminum trim accents (a Jet Black Appearance package will apply glossy black trim instead), and just like the refreshed Escalade, 24-inch wheels are newly added to the party – 22-inch wheels are the new standard. One particularly new big-deal feature youÂ’ll notice on the exterior is the “Lincoln Split Gate” that is essentially a split tailgate the likes of which you find on BMWs and Range Rovers. Similar to others, the tailgate is split so three-quarters of the gate opens up, while the remainder folds down. It allows for easier loading and unloading, but can also be used as a seat (600-pound capacity) when parked. Lincoln even offers a “Cargo Tailgate Manager” option that can function as a seatback for the tailgate, a table for tailgating events or to split the cargo area into a multi-level storage shape. Things really start to look totally new when you hop into the front seats and take in the new 48-inch panoramic display that spans the whole width of the dash. YouÂ’ll recognize the Lincoln Digital Experience setup from the 2024 Nautilus where it debuted, and it operates in a similar manner here.

Ford patents a multi-touch version of its classic keypad

For decades, Ford has offered a keypad on the doors of their cars that would allow owners access with the right code. Amazingly, the keypad has survived almost unchanged except for a recent touch button version. A new patent from the Blue Oval shows the keypad may get a big upgrade soon. The first big change is that it looks like the keypad may move to the key fob. Although it might be possible to have it on the car itself as well, the patent only seems to focus on the key fob. In addition, the fob will now be a multi-touch pad similar to that of modern smartphones. This will allow for more diverse code entries, according to the patent's description. Instead of just a simple number code, owners could enter a code that involves swipes and keystrokes, and even simultaneous keystrokes. For instance, you could enter a code that requires swiping from 1 to 3, followed by holding 2 and 4 to unlock the car. The patent also seems to indicate that this keypad would then display unlock functions and other functions on the fob after the correct code is entered, thus making it more than just a way to unlock the car. As for the practical implications of this keypad system update, it could provide an added layer of security. If someone steals your keys, they would have to also know your access code to get into the car. Whether this would also help make the key and car harder to hack would remain to be seen, though. Another possible benefit could be the prevention of accidental lock and alarm button presses, although that likely isn't a common issue. There could be potential downsides as well. If used as an extra layer of security, the legitimate owner would have to punch in their code on the fob to get in, which would render proximity key benefits relatively useless. Moving the keypad to the fob would also mean owners couldn't get into their cars without having the key with them. We don't have any clues as to when this could become a feature, but it doesn't seem like it would be difficult to implement, so it could show up in the next few years. Related Video: News Source: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeImage Credit: Ford, United States Patent and Trademark Office / Ford Auto News Ford Lincoln Technology keyless entry