Ford Resurrecting The Lincoln Continental

(Ford Motor Co.)

After rolling off into the sunset 13 years ago like a luxury dinosaur (a dinosaur with wheels, okay?), the Lincoln Continental is reversing back onto the scene. Ford Motor Co. says it’s bringing a new Continental to the market soon, with a full-size sedan going on sale next year.

The Continental was pushed into the storage closet after Ford acquired other luxury brands like Jaguar and Volvo, and competing cars came in from elsewhere in Europe and Asia. Ford turned to naming its luxury cars things like the LS and MKS to emulate those foreign rivals, instead of giving cars names that are actual words.

That’s changing now with the return of the Continental. The new version of the vehicle will be shown at this week’s New York auto show in concept form, reports the Associated Press.

The Continental dates back to 1938, when Henry Ford’s son Edsel wanted a convertible for his spring vacation. After impressing folks in Palm Beach with the car, Edsel made it part of Lincoln’s lineup.

In its attempt to score with new customers, the Ford’s CEO Mark Fields says the company wants drivers to get an experience that’s laid back.

“We want folks to get into our vehicles and — for lack of a better term — chill,” Fields said.

The concept car features a bunch of technological doodaddery, including moonroof glass that turns opaque at the push of a button. Another button makes the front passenger seat slide forward while the rear passenger seat reclines, which is a feature built with China in mind. Luxury car owners there often have their own drivers, and Lincoln cars are pretty popular over there right now. Here in the U.S., you can just call your friend Jeeves and make’em drive you around, like I do.

It’s likely that the Continental will push out the MKS, which has been on the top of Lincoln’s car roster for the last seven years.

Lincoln Continental, the car of presidents, is returning [Associated Press]