Rear Parking Aid, Remote Engine Keyless Entry, Push Button Start,off Lease Only on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III

The story of the Continental features plenty of fascinating plot twists during its off-and-on 1940-2020 history, and one of the most interesting is the car that resulted from the decisions of the Ford Motor Company's mighty warlord during the 1960s: Lee Iacocca. That was the 1969-1971 Continental Mark III, a car that printed bales of money for Ford. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those cars, found in a Northern California car graveyard recently. Iacocca wanted a Lincoln to compete with Cadillac's snazzy new Eldorado coupe, and he wanted to do it on the cheap. Since the original Mustang had been so profitable in large part because it was based on the Falcon compact, the same philosophy would be used for the new Lincoln coupe. The Ford Thunderbird, which had become a well-over-two-ton behemoth by 1967, would provide the Mark III's platform; this had the added benefit of using excess production capacity at the T-Bird's assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan. Focus groups disliked the Mark III, but Iacocca and Henry Ford II ignored them and pushed forward with production. This worked out well; Mark III sales beat the Eldorado's immediately and the platform-sharing with the Thunderbird kept costs low and profits fat. Along with the Mustang and the Chrysler minivan, the Mark III stands as one of Iacocca's greatest business triumphs. These cars used to be reasonably easy to find in wrecking yards, but they've been junkyard rarities for at least the past decade. This one lived a hard life. The 460-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8, rated at 365 horsepower and 500(!) pound-feet of torque, was gone when I arrived. The chrome received a gold-plating treatment by a customizer at some point. It's possible that this car was once a good-looking lowrider, but that would have been decades ago. About the only remaining hint of its former opulence is the rear seat. The MSRP for this car was $7,281, or about $59,286 in 2023 dollars. The 1970 Cadillac Eldorado cost $6,903 ($56,208 now). Of course, the out-the-door cost for both cars would have been quite a bit higher, after not-so-optional options had been added by the customer. This individually decisive motorcar has no peer.

Why, believe it or not, the Lincoln Nautilus is one of 'America's hottest brands'

  Adidas Sambas, Sol de Janeiro skin care products, Nvidia AI chips, and... the Lincoln Nautilus? In what bizarro world is the Lincoln Nautilus (F) — a nameplate only an Uber driver or your grandfather could love — in the same sentence as those hot brands?  The answer: It made it to Ad AgeÂ’s “AmericaÂ’s hottest brands” list for 2024. In fact, the Nautilus, a midsize crossover, is actually drawing interest from younger buyers. Take that, Boomer.  According to Ad Age, the annual hottest brands list highlights companies and brands that are currently enjoying some kind of buzz or mainstream awareness — no matter how fleeting that may be. Reporters and editors at Ad Age whittled down 60 or so hottish brands to the eventual 20 that made the big cut.  They also try to avoid repeat winners.  But if you're looking for sales or other financial metrics in these rankings, forget about it. The list is more focused on chatter and online buzz.  Back to the Nautilus.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The SUV was redesigned for 2024 with a fresh, tech-laden interior, highlighted by a wrap-around digital dashboard. Such features, apparently, helped. Sales of the latest Nautilus jumped 42% in the first half of 2024 compared to the year-earlier period.  And if you're wondering, kids, the Nautilus comes in a hybrid version as well — a powertrain that has been doing quite well for Lincoln and parent company Ford. Ad Age believes the techy interior look, along with that hybrid powertrain, is responsible for the brand's newfound buzziness.  It also helps that the NautilusÂ’ ad and marketing game plan is as modern as the latest version of the vehicle. For example, it has a relatively new celebrity backer in tennis legend Serena Williams, who will be featured in a new ad campaign later this year.  A hit song of sorts in its ads doesn't hurt either. Called “Kaleidoscope Bliss (The Nautilus Song),” the song was big on social media, of course. LincolnÂ’s creative agency even had the band behind the song, Heavy Duty Projects, release an extended version of the song for fans who were clamoring for more.  “WhatÂ’s really good is that they're recognizing it as the song from the commercial,” Megan McKenzie, Lincoln's U.S. marketing head, said to Ad Age. The new Serena Williams ad will feature the song as well.

Lincoln Aviator debuts as stylish 3-row crossover with a surprise

NEW YORK — At a studio in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, after a walk through an "art gallery" full of inspiration for Lincoln's newest midsize, three-row Aviator crossover, we saw the company's future. That's not breathless hyperbole, either. Lincoln's huge Navigator is selling like gangbusters, but the aging MKT is a sad vestige of the company's last attempt to reinvent itself. The company needs an attractive, well-proportioned three-row with contemporary powertrains to complement the MKC and the larger Nautilus (nee MKX). For those wondering, the MKC is likely to get renamed at its next refresh, and the lousy MK__ naming convention will finally die. But while the names are refreshing, that's not the reason the Aviator is so important. For one, it'll almost certainly lend its underpinnings, which are rear-wheel-drive based, to the next Ford Explorer. The other is that it's an all-important three-row, a conventionally-shaped one rather than the awkward MKT's long, lumpy look. The Aviator — the vehicle we saw is a preview, not a production model, but is extremely close to production — has style and presence. There's more than a bit of Range Rover Velar in the look, but it's not a clone. And the interior is a wonderful interpretation of the larger Navigator's bold, distinctive and purely American look. View 20 Photos While many, many details are unspecified at this stage — including exact engine details, dimensions, and the like — there's enough there to draw some conclusions about the new Aviator. For one, it's got a version of the Navigator's elegant interior. Those Perfect Position seats, also seen in the Continental, covered with soft leather, are central to the Aviator's interior experience. When's the last time beautiful seats were such a selling point? Other than Volvo, no one's put enough attention on unique and particularly comfortable seats. It's a unique selling proposition and, also, a nice aesthetic detail. You could say the same for the dash design: It's low and sleek, with solid but not bulky elements and the sort of tastefulness normally reserved for Scandinavian industrial design. Back to the rear-drive platform and what little else we know of the powertrain. For one, it'll feature a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost engine with an available plug-in hybrid option. As far as we can tell, both versions will use the same engine, and there are no optional engines outside of this.