The Lincoln brand was founded in 1917
More than a hundred years ago, an American named Henry Martyn Leland founded the next luxury car brand, Lincoln Motors. Most brands are named after their founders, but Henry Lealand did not do so, but named it after Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, who was an idol of Henry Leland on the one hand, and established the brand image with the name of President Lincoln on the other hand, indicating that the company was focused on producing top luxury cars.
Henry Lealand's company did not start with cars, but produced V12 aircraft engines, and then he turned his attention to automobile production, so Henry Lealand immersed himself in the development of Lincoln cars. With its elegant and streamlined design and outstanding driving experience, Lincoln Motors has gradually become a hot luxury car brand in the United States.
L-series: Lincoln's first model
Henry Leland always believed that the V8 engine with an angle of 60° was more stable than the V8 engine with an angle of 90°, and the market performance proved that Henry Lealand's persistence was correct, and the L-series, which was introduced in 1917, was greatly appreciated.
K-Series: The first presidential car
By 1932, Lincoln Motor divided the K-Series into two series— the Model KA (with v8 engine) and the Model KB (with V12 engine). Among them, the Model KA model has a wheelbase of 3454mm, and its engine can reach a maximum power of 125hp, while the Model KB V12 engine adopts a new design with an angle of 65°, with a displacement of 7.3L and a maximum power of 150hp.
It is worth mentioning that the 1939 K-Series V12 model (Model KB) was used as a presidential car by franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, when it also had the nickname "Sunshine Special" until 1948; thus the K-Series model became the first Lincoln car to be used as the usable car of the President of the United States.
It's a convertible model originally built by Lincoln Company and modified specifically for the president by Brunn & Company, Inc., a professional manufacturer in Buffalo, N.Y. In 1941, steel plates and bulletproof glass were upgraded.
Zephyr: Pioneered streamlined design
Lincoln Z
The ephyr features Lincoln's first steel frame structure and is powered by a V12 engine that combines power and comfort. The advent of the Lincoln Zephyr rekindled the enthusiasm for luxury cars at the time, so it was in the limelight.
From 1936 to 1940, Lincoln-Zephyr appeared as separate sub-brands and subsequently incorporated into the Lincoln umbrella. In 1951, the Museum of Modern Art in New York hailed the Lincoln Zephyr as "America's first successfully designed streamlined sedan."
In 1939, the first generation of Lincoln Continental was launched, celebrities from all walks of life flocked to this model, and Eddel Ford also received blank checks from more than 200 friends asking for the lincoln continent to be customized, and this model gradually became a status symbol.
The first-generation Lincoln Continental shared the Chassis and Powertrain of the Lincoln Zephyr, powered by a 4.4L V12 engine. Later, affected by World War II, the first generation of Lincoln Continental was discontinued in 1942; seven years later, in 1955, Lincoln Motors ushered in the mass production of the Continental Mark II.
Just before the launch, Lincoln's board of directors asked for a brand new logo for the Continental Mark II, and robert Thomas, the chief assistant designer, drew a simple doji pattern on the drawings. It was this simple, elegant doji that was not only unanimously approved by everyone on the board of directors at the time, but also became the Lincoln logo we are familiar with today.
Introduced in 1956, the Continental Mark II is a milestone in American automobile design, with a slender, elegant body, a noble temperament, and a polishing and polishing of the paint that takes 60 hours, which is a masterpiece of handcrafted craftsmanship.
Subsequently, each generation of Lincoln Continental has had different innovations, always leading the trend of automobile design. At the high-level summit of the United States and the Soviet Union at Camp David, President Nixon would be a 1973 Lincoln continental with Brezhnev.
On August 10, 1998, the last Continental Mark VIII rolled off the production line, marking the end of decades of lincoln continental series. Of course, Continental Mark VIII made a lot of attractive changes to lay the groundwork for the subsequent Appearance of Lincoln LS.
It is worth mentioning that in 1939, the Continental was also an accessory model under the Zephyr sub-brand, and from 1940 to 1948, the Continental was divided under the Lincoln brand.
Lincoln Cosmopolitan: Truman & Eisenhower
The advent of the Lincoln Cosmopolitan in 1949 also made history, with four-way electric seat adjustments that were at the forefront of a personalized ride experience in luxury cars.
Harry P. After Harry S. Truman was elected the 33rd president of the United States, the White House prepared 10 Lincoln Cosmopolitans for him, built for Lincoln by Henny Motors and modified by Hess and Eisenhardt.
Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, hit the shed of his Lincoln Cosmopolitan with a transparent bulletproof cover, so the car also had the title of "Bubble-Top"; the Lincoln Cosmopolitan was in service until 1965.
Lincoln Continental X-100: The last convertible of the President of the United States
In 1961, Lincoln also had a model built for the president, the Lincoln Continental SS-100-X (only 2), which was modified by Hess & Eisenhardt, and added a bulletproof transparent canopy to the Lincoln Continental Convertible, which cost up to $200,000.
But after the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, the White House stopped using the convertible. The Lincoln Continental X-100 was upgraded and optimized again, and it was not retired until 1977.
Lincoln City Town Car is divided into: Signature and Limousine. The Town Car continues Lincoln's tradition of success and establishes itself as the benchmark for the new generation of Lincoln luxury cars.
Lincoln Town Car is a four-door sedan, a new generation of models based on the Ford Panther platform developed, body size and curb quality are smaller, Lincoln Town Car has launched a total of three generations of models, to 2011; while the two-door Model Lincoln Town Coupe due to the low heat of the market segment, poor sales, announced discontinuation in 1982.
The Lincoln Town Car is a typical American luxury car, it is known for its comfortable ride, generous space, dignified shape, exquisite carriage and humane configuration, and the Lincoln Town Car emphasizes ride comfort, so its handling performance is not ideal.
Of course, many Chinese consumers know and remember Lincoln, more than Lincoln's extended version of the courtesy car; in fact, the "extended version of the courtesy car" is just a folk name, the official name is Lincoln Town Car Limousine. In the wedding market more than 10 years ago, Lincoln Town Car Limousine was a hot wedding car.
Lincoln Town Car Limousine offers a choice of 6m, 8m or even 10m model lengths, equipped with a 4.6L V8 engine, the power is still relatively abundant, but it is more testing technology to drive.
The exterior is not as domineering as the interior, lincoln Town Car Limousine is equipped with a large sofa, wine cabinet, TV, you can think of anything to offer, simply luxurious.
Lincoln LS: Competes with other luxury brands
In 2000, Lincoln introduced the sports sedan LS, and since there was already a Lexus LS model at that time, the Lincoln LS divided the models into LS V6 and LS V8 according to the engine. Lincoln LS adopts a young, sporty design, wheelbase of 2908mm, the handling is biased towards the tough and stable of European cars.
It is worth mentioning that lincoln LS is Lincoln's first rear-drive sports luxury car, but also specially launched a manual version, although the manual transmission did not meet Lincoln's expectations, but lincoln LS the entire car series sold 260,000 vehicles in the 7-year life cycle, the results are still quite good.
After entering the new century, Lincoln changed their attitude towards the release of new cars, and suddenly became much more active, including several models familiar to Chinese consumers...
Lincoln MKZ took over the baton in 2006, and Lincoln officially opened a new way of naming "MK" models. Lincoln MKZ has won a good market reputation for its spacious space and comfortable ride, and its through-line taillights have not only become one of the genes of the family design in the future, but also let other brands imitate models.
I have to say that the lincoln model after the millennium is more luxurious and modern, and the Lincoln MKZ is no exception, equipped with a new Lincoln Star-style forward gas deletion, the new LED headlights not only have full value, but also adjust the lighting of the lateral corners according to the angle of steering wheel steering when turning.
Lincoln MKZ's interior design respects simple design, but in terms of materials, it has reached the height of "BBA", and the places where the limbs can touch are basically suitable for leather wrapping, and its texture is still very good. The hollow system follows the update rate of the family, equipped with the latest in-vehicle multimedia system, which is becoming more and more functional and the experience is getting better and better.
High-end models are equipped with adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning system, lane keeping assist system, etc.
In 2017, the Lincoln MKZ brought a hybrid model to the Chinese market, and the core components will be covered by an 8-year or 160,000-kilometer warranty. The powertrain consists of a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle naturally aspirated engine and electric motor, with fuel consumption as low as 4.1L/100km.
Since 2008, the Lincoln MKZ has been Lincoln's best-selling model. In early 2020, Lincoln officially announced that the Lincoln MKZ would be discontinued to make way for a new sedan named "Zephyr" in the future.
In 2009, Lincoln launched the model that succeeded Lincoln Town Car - Lincoln MKS, which was based on the Ford D3 platform platform platform and positioned a new generation of Lincoln full-size luxury models.
The most striking design of lincoln MKS is the double-layered water tank grille, with beautiful headlights, and sharp lines raised on the bonnet, which are not only aggressive, but also blend lincoln's traditional classics with the depiction of future design trends. The turn signals and parking lights at the front and rear of the car are led.
It is worth noting that the MKS is the first time that a Lincoln brand car has adopted a 20-inch rim, which is doubly powerful.
In terms of interior, the design of the flying wing center console similar to the front face is still luxurious, and the leather-wrapped center control, steering wheel and seat can also reflect its superior status in terms of texture.
In terms of power, the all-new 2.9EcoBoost V6 engine is to replace the current 3.7L V6 engine. The new engine, code-named "Nano", is expected to have a maximum output of 300 PS.
2014: Determined to revive the Chinese market
For Lincoln Motors, 2014 was an important year – re-entering the Chinese market. Lincoln learned the lesson of the last time, no longer hastily introduced models, but according to the needs and preferences of the Chinese market, a number of models were tailored, including the Lincoln MKZ and SUV models Lincoln MKC mentioned earlier.
With the launch of these two models, Lincoln Motors has opened dealerships in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou. In 2021, Lincoln Motor's performance in China surpassed the sales volume of the US domestic market for the first time, with full-year sales of 91,600 units, an increase of 48% year-on-year.
In 2022, Lincoln Automobile will still maintain the momentum of "around SUVs", but at the same time, it will take the sedan as a key area of strength, continue to practice the "Lincoln Way 2.0", and maintain the advantages of the Chinese team being highly localized and the brand independent operation.
10th Generation Lincoln Continental: The flagship sedan of the ebb and flow
Continental
Mark VIII "retired" in 2002, and the tenth generation of Lincoln Continental made a comeback 14 years later in 2016. When it comes to Lincoln Continental, we think of presidential seats and rear seats, and the tenth generation model is no exception, inheriting the advantages of comprehensive configuration, strong power, and generous price.
The Lincoln Continental body is more than 5 meters long, and its slender shape is awe-inspiring. In order to shape its own American mature and stable style, Lincoln Continental adopts a dense mid-mesh design and uses chrome treatment to exude the light that flagship models should have. In order to make the side lines of the body look more coordinated and smooth, there is its waistline integrated intelligent induction electric suction door handle, and the entire opening action is also gentleman and elegant.
Lincoln's interior style is relatively calm, restrained but not losing grace, this style is very suitable for the taste of the masses, and for the business elite, this design will be very compatible with their own temperament.
Lincoln Continental is equipped with two engines, namely a 2.0T turbocharged engine and a 3.0T turbocharged engine, and the gearbox matched by both engines is a 6-speed manual transmission, and the gear shift mechanism is also a more unique button design.
Lincoln Z: Starting a new chapter
At the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show, Lincoln Motors finally brought a brand new sedan, which had been named "ZEPHYR" before the release, which seemed to pay tribute to the Zephyr that once led the fashion trend, and could also be seen as a new chapter in the Zephyr model.
In any case, the arrival of Lincoln Z has injected fresh blood into the domestic luxury car market and brought consumers different model choices.
From the perspective of the price range of 252,800-340,800 yuan, the Lincoln Z and Lincoln's SUV models have similar ideas, allowing users to pay a relatively affordable price and have a high-quality American luxury experience. It is very bright in terms of appearance, comfort, technology, power and other aspects, and profoundly interprets the brand connotation of "luxury has its own way".
Lincoln Z's welcome/farewell lamp is a rare configuration of this level, the effect is eye-catching, full of ceremonial sense: when the owner approaches the vehicle at 5-7 meters (Lincoln PAAK mobile phone smart key)/3 meters (key), the headlights/taillights turn on the welcome light (the taillight welcome light language has three animation effects to choose from), and the Lincoln Starlight is marked and extended to both sides (Zunya version and ZunYao version).
In terms of vehicle NVH, Lincoln Z continues Lincoln's "quiet journey" DNA, using optimized aerodynamic design, front acoustic noise reduction glass and 24 acoustic packages, with ANC active noise reduction system, to provide a quiet driving experience. Lincoln Z also comes standard with a "fresh air butler", which includes a high-efficiency activated carbon filter with PM2.5 filtration, air quality monitoring and PM2.5 display, and unlocking fresh air, parking and fresh air functions.
In terms of driver assistance configuration, Lincoln Z also made great efforts, Lincoln Co-pilot360 2.0 intelligent driving assistance system, covering PCA anti-collision assistance, iACC intelligent adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, lane in the middle of the leading driver assistance configuration, to achieve L2 level intelligent assist driving, the premium version of the model also standard with L2+ level ActiveGlide active driving assistance (higher Lincoln Z equipped) and one-click parking and other functions. High intelligence has become one of the labels of Lincoln Z.
Write at the end
A hundred years ago, Lincoln Automobile created a number of precedents and led many trends; a hundred years later, Lincoln Automobile conquered the global market with a new attitude, which made sufficient efforts to treat the Chinese market, accelerated the process of brand localization, insisted on localization and upgrading, and brought domestic consumers a better understanding of their luxury models.
After a hundred years of wonderful and a century of precipitation, Lincoln Automobile will continue to deepen and grow in the test, and continue to create classics and brilliance.
(Text: Pacific Auto Network Li Jiaming)