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Two limos used by President John F. Kennedy are going up for auction

Two Lincoln limousines last used by President John F. Kennedy are being auctioned by Bonhams in New York. As reported by fordauthority.com, the cars are part of The American Presidential Experience sale. Neither Lincoln is the infamous open convertible in which Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas (that car is on display at The Henry Ford museum in Michigan), but one of these was used by the president on that fateful trip. The white 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible carried the President, Mrs. Kennedy, and Texas Governor John Connally, on the morning of November 22, 1963 in Fort Worth, Texas. They rode in this Lincoln from the Texas Hotel, where the President and Mrs. Kennedy had spent the night, to a breakfast where JFK gave a speech. From there, they drove through Fort Worth, on streets lined with crowds, to Carswell Air Force Base for the flight that would take them to Dallas. The car was a loaner from local dealer Bill Golightly, and was sold in 1964. It spent time in several different museum collections and has been partially restored, receiving a new engine and a repaint in its factory Ermine White. The red leather interior, however, is said to be original. The pre-sale estimate for this Lincoln is $300,000–$500,000. The second Lincoln is a 1960 Continental Mark V Executive Limousine. It was modified by Hess and Eisenhardt and features bulletproof doors, a divider window, a two-way telephone, and rear-seat climate controls. This car was leased to the White House and was used by President Kennedy for personal trips around Washington, as opposed to official trips for which the larger presidential limousine would be used. After President Johnson took office, this Lincoln returned to the Ford Motor Company and was purchased by a private individual who had a contact at Ford's Washington office. It, too, later spent time in various historical collections, and its body has been restored but the interior remains original. The pre-sale estimate is $200,000 to $300,000. History buffs who miss out on either of the cars might raise their paddles for some of the other items offered. There's a full-scale facsimile of the Oval Office, a partial fuselage of a Boeing 707 retrofitted as a replica of the Kennedy-era Air Force One, as well as numerous smaller items. The auction takes place on October 14.

Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

Lincoln Zephyr makes a comeback, but only in China

The Lincoln Zephyr name is back. The name was previously used on some of the luxury brand's sedans before World War II, and for a single model year on a sedan derived from the first-generation Ford Fusion. Now it appears on the Zephyr Reflection concept, a car that will preview a production sedan for the Chinese market. Yes, the car you see above is only for China, and also happened to be designed by Lincoln's Chinese design branch. Apparently the country still has a strong demand for sedans, so Lincoln can keep offering them. It's a very stylish machine, looking a bit like a smaller first-generation Audi A7 from some angles. The wide, low grille and accompanying light bar give it an athletic stance. It has cool details such as the fender trim that blends into the front door handles. Although it's being shown at the same show as the Ford Evos crossover, the Zephyr is unrelated. And looking closely at the profile, we can see that the roof and glass bear an extremely strong resemblance to the outgoing Ford Fusion. We wonder if it's a majorly redesigned version of the old sedan. There's nothing in the interior that would remind you of the Fusion, or its cousin the MKZ (successor to that other Zephyr). The whole width of the dash bears a screen, which can be split for driver and passenger to do things.The rest of the interior is similarly simple, decorated mainly with some contrasting leather, and a Lincoln badge pattern in the doors. Lincoln didn't give any information about the powertrain. We imagine it will use some existing Ford turbocharged engines. The production model will launch later this year, so more details will probably come closer to the on-sale date. But remember, this Zephyr won't be crossing the Pacific. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.