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Lincoln's L100 teases luxurious autonomy with crazy-long doors

Lincoln chose Pebble Beach (not to mention its brand centennial) to show its new autonomous coupe concept. This unconventional 2+2 has everything you expect from a classic Lincoln luxury car — an extravagant presence, over-the-top appointments and, most importantly, the most ridiculous suicide doors we've ever seen. It may not seem obvious in photos, but the L100 is truly massive. It's longer than a Navigator (Lincoln's words) and arguably has a far more impressive aura. The wheels are tucked beneath the L100's body work to make the car more slippery; the slick impressions adorning the bodywork are lined with LEDs, allowing for a customizable movement "signature."  And then there are the doors. The L100's massive portals are mounted on hinges the likes of which you've never seen, which is appropriate given the scale of this massive coupe. The doors open rearward, then outward imbuing the works with look akin to that of a mechanized insect startled by an intruder. The angle can be customized, Lincoln says, and the ingress/egress points are lined with LEDs that allow for custom lighting effects, including an illuminated "red carpet" that makes puddle lamps look like weak party tricks.  Lincoln Model L100 Concept Exterior 7 View 13 Photos "We are at a special moment in our history. Over the last 100 years, Lincoln has pioneered multiple innovations and pushed the boundaries of design that have come to define our brand as we know and love it today," says Joy Falotico, president, Lincoln. "With the Model L100 Concept, we reimagine what the Lincoln sanctuary might look like for our clients of tomorrow moving us forward to define the next chapter of the Lincoln story." Lincoln was light on the L100's technical details, suggesting only that it utilizes next-gen (solid state) battery tech and a wheel-in-motor configuration to maximize available interior space. The stylized "wheel" panels eliminate turbulence and are sculpted outward from the car's centerline to maximize space for the actual wheels and tires hidden beneath them. Lincoln's designers say it was surprisingly easy to assure clearance for the front wheels to pivot with steering inputs, but despite the L100's size, it's hard not to fixate on how narrow that front track must be. Lincoln's idea of the next chapter is one where people still own their own cars even if they don't drive them. This is in contrast to Cadillac's InnerSpace concept, which is otherwise very similar in both concept and execution.

Lincoln Aviator warning and alert sounds are played by an orchestra

Lincoln used members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to create alert chimes for its new Aviator SUV. Luxury manufacturers are always looking for more ways to increase the level of ambiance, and Lincoln went so far as to contract some of the best musicians in the world to create a more comfortable atmosphere. In total, the musicians created six different alert chimes for 25 different alerts the Aviator could provide. The alert chimes fall into three different categories Lincoln uses for warnings: non-critical, soft-warning chimes and hard-warning chimes. They are all made using a blend of percussion instruments, violin and viola. Lincoln plans to expand the instrumental sounds across its entire lineup eventually. These chimes will represent warnings for things like an open fuel door, unbuckled seat belt, the lowering of the power liftgate and plenty more. It's not a bad day when leaving your headlights on or door open lead to a pleasant musical sound coming from your speakers. All the sounds seem appropriate for their particular functions, and do sound more pleasing than the normal alerts. Lincoln says the musicians initially came up with 125 different sound options before they narrowed it down to just six. While it might feel a bit gimmicky at face value, a calming sound playing versus an annoying beep might reduce in-car aggravation. The Aviator with these warning sounds will be revealed at the LA Auto Show at the end of the month as well. It was originally shown as a close-to-production-looking concept car at the NY Auto Show earlier this year. All the official production details will be coming in LA. We'll be there in-person to tell you if these new musical chimes are a win. Lincoln Aviator warning chimes View 5 Photos Related video:

Coach Door Everything! This low-volume Lincoln Continental needs to inspire future Lincolns

One of the stranger vehicles that came through the press fleets last year was the 2020 Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition. And it was strange for a wide array of reasons. It’s an extremely limited-production model; Lincoln only built 150 examples, plus another 80 of the 2019 80th Anniversary Edition that first featured the same rear-hinged doors. ItÂ’s also obsolete, since Lincoln ended production of the base Continental last year. And even if Lincoln kept building Continentals, the model was effectively obsolete in a world dominated by crossovers and SUVs. Plus, as weÂ’ll touch on in a bit, its driving dynamics were rather old-school for better and worse. But after spending some time with this odd car, it became clear that Lincoln managed to make something special, and the coach doors shouldnÂ’t die with the Continental. Before we dig deep into what the car is like and the lesson Lincoln should learn from it, hereÂ’s a quick refresher. The rear-hinged Continental started with the 2019 80th Anniversary Edition as a run of 80 cars, followed by the 2020 Coach Door Edition. To give it the fancy doors, as well as the extra length they required, Lincoln partnered with Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts. They took a Black Label model with the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, made the body modifications, and also added a few custom interior touches. Besides those changes, itÂ’s just like any other Continental Black Label. Well that, and it costs nearly $40,000 more. LincolnContinentalCoachDoors_03_HR View 36 Photos Since nothing really changes mechanically, thereÂ’s nothing about the Coach Door EditionÂ’s driving experience that sets it apart from a similarly equipped Black Label. The 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 pulls hard all through the rev band and with no waiting. ItÂ’s a bit coarse for a luxury car engine, but the performance makes up for it. The relatively old six-speed automatic is quite smooth, though shifts are slow. Ride and handling change quite a bit depending on whether youÂ’re in the normal comfort mode or sport mode. Comfort mode does a great impression of the floaty, bobbing land yachts of the past, which is accompanied by quite a bit of body roll. Pop it into sport mode, and the body roll is significantly reduced, the steering weights up, and control is massively improved. It almost feels nimble. But the ride becomes stiff and bumpy, not something befitting a mini limo. So itÂ’s a mixed bag.