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2007 Lincoln MKR Concept

The stunning Lincoln MKR Concept, set to debut at this year’s NAIAS in Detroitis a timely reminder that Ford of America’s luxury brand is not tossing the towel in just yet. If anything, this design study promises a new Lincoln with a clear, focused brand image, and one we can definitely look forward to. I was introduced to the MKR well in advance of its world debut, and had a chance to see it up close, to learn about it, and to hear first hand about where the Lincoln brand is going, much of it suggested by this very car. No, not all Lincolns will be elegant, long, swooping things, but you can expect to see some of the characteristics of this car in the not too distant future. Peter Horbury - he who shaved the boxy edges off Volvo - Executive Director of Design of the Americas, was on hand and walked the lot of us through the thought process on this car.

Though the obvious response from most that catch aglimpse of the MKR will be a resounding, “Build it!” this concept serves a greater purpose in which a new design language for

The Lincoln MKR: a brand new face for a brand new type of car. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Lincoln is established. Horbury says that the car has seven particular design elements, which he and his design team have earmarked from previous Lincolns spanning the ‘40s through the early ‘80s. The look of automobiles changed so rapidly during those years, you wouldn’t expect to see these cues, but they’re ever present. What exactly can be expected? Cleaner, less cluttered looking cars with strong belt lines and powerful C-pillars. The nose of Lincolns will gain what’s called a bow-wave - the little thin pinched line that runs up the leading edge of the car flanked to both sides by double-winged grilles separated by the Lincoln star. The back end is equally as rigid in definition, with thin, horizontal tail lamps that span

The MKR and the man in charge of giving Lincoln its new direction, Peter Horbury. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the width of the car, broken only by a space large enough to fit the Lincoln star.

It may sound like a whole lot of lingo, but it doeswork. The MKR is a fascinating looking vehicle that incorporates each one of these elements into a vehicle and does so without putting too much emphasis on any particular decade or any particular car. Future Lincolns won’t necessarily have all of these details, but they will have most of them. It's big and its toothy, but unlike any other Lincoln we've seen on the road in recent years, the grille actually has a shape to it. It's menacing, but it doesn't lose an ounce of sophistication in the process. The body is curvy yet svelte, showing that modern Lincolns need not look blocky and steadfast like the older Continentals and Town Cars. As for the rest of the car, it’s completely unlike anything that Lincoln has ever

It looks like a coupe, but the MKR is really a four-door sedan. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

turned out, production, concept or otherwise. It's a sign that Ford's luxury brand is embracing something new.

With these kind of looks it's almost guaranteed that the MKR packs heat, but it's not a big-block, large-displacement monster of a V8 as would be expected. Instead, it's a brand new engine that Ford has been tinkering around with called TwinForce. It's Ford of America's first gasoline direct injection system, and they've deemed this year's Detroit show is the right time to introduce it, given that BMW, Audi, Lexus and GM have all given such technology a go in recent times. The highly pressurized fuel makes its way into six cylinders with a sum total of 3.5 liters in displacement, but it has immensely deep lungs thanks to a pair of turbochargers. Indeed, if it's heat you want, it's heat you'll get as the MKR makes 415 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. And because the green mentality is just as popular as most anything else these days - even in the realm of upper executive rides

The interior is just stunning, with light leather, chrome and oak wood. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

- this Lincoln will run on gasoline or E85. In true concept style, much of the engine and the bay it resides in is painted in the same Cranberry metallic as the bodywork; the rest is accented in chrome. That engine resides on a rear-wheel drive platform with four-wheel independent suspension, rumored to be the underpinnings of the Australian Ford Falcon.

I like where they’ve taken the interior too. Just look around andyou'll know that it could be nothing less than fine American design, the architecture sharing the same kind of cues and characteristics that could be found in a Herman Miller catalogue. In general, the materials consist of rich, grainy wood, light leather, lots of chrome and high-quality glossy plastic, illuminated in ice blue ambient lighting. But behind the subtle hints of ‘60s, delivered by the aforementioned materials, there are some very clever touches that are definitely futuristic. That symmetrical T-shaped dashboard creates two slanted binnacles for the front occupants. The one for the driver contains the instruments - slim chrome-ringed dials illuminated in blue - while the

Skylight has the Lincoln star for support beams and decoration. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

front passenger gets an individual display. Instead of separate knobs and switches, the MKR has buttons that are directly integrated into the console, while the LCD display can be covered by a wooden panel.

Behind the beautifully crafted cabin, mind you, areundertones of environmental friendliness. The carpets are made out of mohair, the headliner out of wool and the console that splits the car from left to right is made out of engineered, recycled oak wood. Even the seat cushions are comprised of a soy-based foam. These are the kinds of things that parent company Ford hopes to integrate into more of its products, and for this particular application it’s coined the phrase “guilt-free luxury”. But the best part about the MKR is that it looks just as good as any concept that Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac or Audi ever produced, and there isn’t a whiff of recycling old designs involved. Had Lincoln not been so enthusiastic about their ability to remove chromium when it processes its hides, no one would know the difference. You’d just say they’re extra creative in their material choice.

Look up from any of the four deeply sculpted bucket seats and there’s a glass skylight that lets light

Expect to be seeing the TwinForce in future high-end Ford products. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

stream into the airy cabin, and even better, if you happen to get a glimpse from above, the shape of the beams that support the roof make up the Lincoln star. This is just one way that Lincoln wants to infuse its brand image into its vehicles, and in so far as I can see this is the right way of going about letting people know what it's all about. Lincoln ought to be proud; it’s made some magnificently wonderful vehicles in the past. The one that always sticks in my mind is the 1960s-era four-door convertible Continental. Civilized luxury that never once put ostentatiousness over tastefulness.

Whether or not anyone realizes it or likes it, Benz CLS-style cars are key directors of new luxury. Reading these pages, you will hear about how every major player in the luxury market wants to add an extra set of doors to typically sporty car shapes. Audi, BMW, Porsche, and as you’ll soon find out, Jaguar too - in reality, the whole lot of them. Lincoln’s design doesn’t stray too far from what we’re familiar with and this is no bad thing. It has the right idea with the MKR. If the brand plays its strength cards, its inherent American-ness, and then if it can embody its production vehicles with the same sense of passion as its concepts, it would really take the cake and give Lincoln a fighting chance amongst the kings of the luxury world.

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