The Lincoln Continental Should Make A Comeback

86 years ago this day, the epitome of American luxury was born: the Lincoln Continental. It should make a comeback.

GM loves reusing nameplates. It has reused the Monza, Cavalier, and Cruze for many markets. Now, it’s reviving the Sonic badge for the Brazilian market.

But why am I writing about GM in a Lincoln article? Because, more often than not, the strategy works for Ford’s biggest competitor. The company even plans to revive the Camaro, and, fortunately, it’s likely a pony car, and not an SUV.

Ford should revive the Lincoln Continental badge, and today is the perfect day to talk about it. Now, it shouldn’t be an EV, although a crossover is a tolerable option.

The Lincoln Continental Is Born

86 years ago this day, Edsel Ford requested a luxury vehicle so he could drive up and down while on vacation in Florida (by the way, it’s the most boss move I’ve heard), and his employees were quick to work.

Legend has it that designer Bob Gregorie came up with the sketch within an hour.

Edsel loved the design so much that he was sure he’d sell 1,000 units. Spoiler alert: he’d break the 1,000-unit mark after the end of World War II. The country endured major social and economic change, so Ford decided to shift focus and, in 1948, the first-generation Lincoln Continental ceased to exist.

As an interesting note, this would be the last American vehicle with a V-12 engine. You can read more about the fascinating history here.

Ford/Lincoln could use a luxury competitor for Cadillac

Now, before you all jump at me, hear me out. The Cadillac Celestiq is a great exercise in marketing and engineering. It showcases one thing: American brands can produce flagship vehicles that rival and outperform European counterparts.

While Lincoln’s fleet is impressive, none of the SUVs in the lineup is superior than, for example, a Bentley or Rolls-Royce. I’m even wary to say that the Navigator can duke it out with the Range Rover.

However, there was once a time when the Lincoln Continental was as impressive, if not more, than many European luxury vehicles. You can read more about how the Mark II really set the standard for luxury.

Again, as the Celestiq proved, it doesn’t have to be an SUV. In fact, with such changing times, it doesn’t even have to be an EV. Ford just needs to wow the audience and go all out.

Every Brand Is Making a Luxury Option

If you’ve paid attention to the news lately, you’ll see that Chrysler is beginning work on a Halcyon-inspired option for the market.

It’s no luxury car, but it shows the brand is willing to think outside the box. However, there’s a big elephant in the room.

The Lincoln Continental was not a best-seller

1966 was the best year in sales for the Lincoln Continental. That’s a tough stat to overcome. In fact, before facing the ax in 2021, the Continental sold only 1,460 units.

Plenty of factors plagued the Continental, with one of the biggest being that the market shifted to SUVs from large sedans. Also, as the company ended the Fusion, keeping the platform alive only for a slow-selling luxury option made no sense.

However, as this article highlights, one of the most important reasons the Lincoln Continental failed is that it failed to wow within the sector, while other Lincoln products were successful.

A vehicle like the Continental should never be sedate, and that’s where Ford failed. However, like the Celestiq, the company has a chance of coming up with something that will blow people’s minds away.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time it revives the Continental badge. Yet, it could be the best. Plus, Ford really must vindicate itself after reusing the Mustang badge on the Mach-E.

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