1966 Lincoln Continental Coupe 7.6l on 2040-cars

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Why Grandpa loved Lincoln: Looking back at a century of design

It’s been 100 years since Henry Ford, in the aftermath of World War I, purchased the scraps of the Lincoln Motor Company. Ford put his son Edsel in charge of the automaker, and challenged him to create a luxury car company that could rival Cadillac, Packard and Pierce-Arrow. This meant, first off, bringing actual automotive designers into the fold, building out FordÂ’s first such department. The Model T, FordÂ’s then long-in-the-tooth mainstay, was created by engineers, and looked it. “For Lincoln, the innovation and setting of new standards of modernity has always been a core of our design,” said Kemal Curic, a 20-year veteran of Ford, and global design director of Lincoln since 2014. “Since its founding purchase from Henry Leland, Lincoln was always courageous to introduce new designs.” These included concentrations on streamlining and exuberance. These focci yielded a number of vehicle designs that were influential not just for the brand, but for the industry. 1936 Lincoln Zephyr, 1939 Lincoln Presidential Limo “Some of the cars that changed America were the 1936 and ‘38 Zephyr. The ‘36 for its aerodynamic look, and the ‘38 for its patented horizontal grille,” said Lincoln archivist and historian Ted Ryan. “Also, the 1939 Zephyr Continental, developed in ‘39 as a 1940 model – later known just as the Lincoln Continental – instituted another icon that stayed in place for decades with the spare tire initially exposed, and then treated with the spare tire hump.” Both Ryan and Curic also called out a number of other inspiring Lincoln models. These included the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept – which was later turned into the Batmobile by George Barris – and the 1961 Continental, famed for its rectilinear slab sides and suicide doors, plus its role as a presidential limousine in the Kennedy era. “These cars emphasized horizontality,” Curic said. “We like to relate that to the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright in his architecture. Wright loved his Lincolns. These proportions on the exterior were always Lincoln signifiers.” 1961 Lincoln Continental, Lincoln Futura Concept Lesser known than these is an example of what, back in the day, was known as a Hybrid: a car featuring an American powerplant and European design. “IÂ’m a huge fan of the 1955 Indianapolis Concept,” Curic said, a stunning jet-like vehicle that was last up for auction by RM SothebyÂ’s in 2013.

New Lincoln Nautilus teased with massive interior screens

The next-generation Lincoln Nautilus is officially slated for reveal on Monday, April 17, according to a teaser video just released on Lincoln’s social media channels. LincolnÂ’s mid-size two-row SUV is definitely due for a big update, and one look at the teaser suggests weÂ’re getting exactly that. Instead of giving us a glimpse of the exterior, Lincoln trained the camera inside. The video appears to be of a welcome lighting sequence played over multiple massive screens, starting on a central infotainment screen and then transitioning to additional displays further up on the dashboard. The pattern of dancing light then appears to reach out of the screen and onto the door panels where strips of physical LED lights are “lit” by the light transitioning from the screens. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The whole sequence is rather dramatic, but it allows us a glimpse of whatÂ’s happening inside the new Nautilus. For one, the interior is chock-full of screens. The giant display on the dash appears to stretch from one pillar to another, so weÂ’re looking at a full-width display. An oddly shaped steering wheel can be seen by the light of the screen — it looks more square than round, as the top portion is cut off. Below those top screens, a regular-looking infotainment screen is put front and center. We canÂ’t see much else, but the NautilusÂ’ reveal is coming soon enough, so look out for a debut on Monday next week. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Watch 14 hot rides take over concept car lawn at Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an annual celebration of the beautiful, old cars that grace Monterey Car Week. But Monterey – and Pebble – features lots of newer metal, too, and that includes the concept lawn at Pebble Beach. Now, "concept lawn" isn't a totally accurate name anymore, and you'll see why in the list below. This year especially, plenty of production cars can be found in the area once reserved for the conceptual. Still, we're happy to see them. Here's what's featured this year: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Audi R8 BAC Mono Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R Buick Avenir Galpin-Fisker Rocket Speedster Hyundai HCD-16 Vision G Coupe Icona Volcano Infiniti Q60 Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 Maserati Ghibli McLaren 570S Rolls-Royce Wraith By our count, that's seven concepts out of fourteen cars. But it still makes for one hot group of metal. Check 'em out in the gallery above. Related Video: Related Gallery 2015 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn View 38 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Alfa Romeo Audi Bentley Buick Infiniti Lamborghini Lincoln McLaren Porsche Concept Cars Videos Original Video Pebble Beach