It’s exterior design looks familiar, as many of the styling lines can be seen on current Lincoln vehicles. There are no suicide doors, but Lincoln Mark X’s interior is striking. White leather and state of the art LCD dash monitors make this vehicle look more like something out of a Stephen Spielberg motion picture.

Unfortunately Mark X was built round Ford’s failed Thunderbird body, which may be one reason why this Lincoln convertible never made it into production. Mark X featured a 3.9-liter, 4-valve DOHC V-8 aluminum engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission delivering 280 horsepower and 286 foot-pounds of torque. Read all about this concept that never was in the Ford/Lincoln Press release below.

(from Ford Press Release) “The focus with Mark X was on pure, integrated design. Our holistic exterior and interior design approach instantly shows its rewards…”

– Marek Reichman, Chief Designer

* Mark X’s sumptuous interior and integrated exterior design theme embody future Lincoln luxury.
* Mark X is Lincoln’s first convertible with a power-folding, retractable, glass-roofed hard top.
The forward-looking design aspirations of Lincoln vehicles in the 21st century are expressed by the Mark X, Lincoln’s first two-door convertible concept with a power-folding, retractable, glass-roofed hard top.

Mark X, pronounced “Mark Ten,” is a two-seat luxury convertible roadster that blends design elegance with driving athleticism. The use of rich materials, varying textures and contrasting colors represents an evolution of the current Lincoln design philosophy.

Throughout its history, Lincoln has used the Mark name to signal a truly special vehicle. It began with Edsel Ford’s first Continental, the Mark I. Next followed the 1956 Continental Mark II, which quickly became a classic because of its high quality, clean styling and consumate good taste.

The 1969 Mark III went on to sell more than 30,000 units, making it at the time, Lincoln’s most successful new model ever. Other Mark vehicles were introduced in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

The Mark X concept is designed to demonstrate the potential of the Lincoln brand by stretching its DNA to a sophisticated roadster. While a concept at this point, Mark X illustrates one possibility for expanding Lincoln into new luxury niches.

“The focus with Mark X was on pure, integrated design,” said Marek Reichman, chief designer. “Our holistic exterior and interior design approach instantly shows its rewards, competing against the best personal luxury convertibles in the world.”

Based on the rear-wheel-drive Ford Thunderbird architecture, Mark X features a 3.9-liter, 4-valve DOHC V-8 aluminum engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission delivering 280 horsepower and 286 foot-pounds of torque. Its athletic stance is accomplished through 19-inch, 12-spoke machined aluminum wheels with P245/40/R19 Michelin tires on the front and wider P275/35/R19 tires in the rear.

Clean Surface Design

Mark X’s surface language is a model of precision engineering. Emphasis was placed on integrating design into the functional aspects of the car from the expansive grille to the innovative door handles to the sleek rear fascia. The result is an uncluttered exterior where essential details like the delicate contrast of Atlantic Pearl paint, chrome accents and well-placed Lincoln emblems are subtle, yet drape the vehicle in elegance.

The focal point of Mark X’s exterior is a new Lincoln grille. The polished aluminum egg-crate grille features a rhythmic pattern of solid horizontal and vertical chrome trim. Mark X’s grille may appear on future Lincoln vehicles.

Two High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps use an arc capsule to generate a faster response and produce double the amount of light compared to a conventional headlamp.

Mark X’s sleek 185-inch profile is accentuated through the refined use of a chrome finisher along the upper shoulder line that wraps the entire vehicle and a subtle shoulder break that runs front to rear. Understated breaks also appear on the rear deck and hood while heated exterior rear view mirrors with directional indicators are elongated for visual emphasis.

Occupants access Mark X using slender polished aluminum door handles that are flush-mounted to the driver and passenger door surface. Thumb locators set in the door handles allow the handles to reveal themselves when pushed. Both doors can also be opened by remote keyless entry.

To ease ingress and egress, one-piece hinges on the inside driver and passenger doors move the doors forward and out to give increased foot clearance at the front compared with conventional hinges.

Mark X’s boattail rear fascia offers pure and clean surfaces without typical bumper offsets. The wide, Light Emitting Diode (LED) tail lamps center the Lincoln emblem. The LEDs light up 200 milliseconds faster than traditional bulbs, consume less power and outlast more conventional lighting sources. Consistent with the vehicle’s integrated design theme, the dual exhaust pipes are neatly placed into Mark X’s sloping rear.

At nearly 15 cubic feet, Mark X’s leather-lined trunk is spacious. The fully powered two-piece glass roof is choreographed to stow smartly into the rear deck in less than 30 seconds without interfering with trunk space.

Inviting and Indulgent Interior

Mark X’s high-quality interior showcases Ford Motor Company’s tripling of investment in interior design.

The interior workmanship of Mark X is flawlessly crafted. The right combination of contrasting colors and textured materials presents a modern and luxurious cabin. Mark X’s Lime Sorbet interior is complemented with White Corian accents, polished aluminum, dark chrome, natural grain leather seating, plush sheepskin flooring and tailored tone-on-tone stitching throughout.

The instrument panel integrates a softly illuminated, jewel-like instrument cluster that combines analog with digital technology. A solid flowing center console constructed of ribbed dark chrome separates driver and passenger, unites the interior with the exterior and conceals a storage unit in the rear bulk head. A laser-inscribed “Lincoln Mark X” vanity plate above the glove box suggests an air of luxury.

A four-spoke, power adjustable steering wheel wrapped with leather and dark chrome features cruise, volume and navigation controls. Mark X’s SelectShift transmission allows the driver to shift from manual drive to a five-speed automatic from the steering wheel or shifter in the center console.

A multi-functional, 7-inch LCD information panel is operated by a mouse located in the center console and displays satellite navigation, climate control status and vehicle dynamics like seat memory or tire pressure.

Occupants further benefit from Mark X amenities like rain-sensing windshield wipers, an automatic dimming interior rear view mirror and Lincoln’s exclusive THX®-certified audio system with six speakers, automatic mute control and automatic volume adjust. Dual zone climate control with pollen filtration allows a 30-degree F difference in temperature settings for the driver and passenger.

The first Lincoln Continental was developed and designed by chief stylist Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie for Edsel Motors. With hardly any trim overall, this model included an externally-mounted covered spare tire – the Continental series’ trademark.

The Continental name was revived in 1955 with the Continental Mark II. This version was a unique design with the highest quality control ever seen in the auto industry. It was nothing but class all around – with very limited availability, it appeared even more exclusive than the original. The 1956 Continental was one of the most expensive cars in the world, with a cost of $10K, rivaling Rolls-Royce models.

In 1961, Continental was completely redesigned by Elwood Engel. It was two feet shorter than its predecessor. The new Continental’s most recognized trademark, back doors with rear hinges – or “suicide doors,” which were a purely practical decision. According to Wikipedia: The new Continental rode a wheelbase of 123″, and the rear hinged doors were hinged from the rear to ease ingress and egress. When the Lincoln engineers were examining the seating buck that styling had made up, the engineers kept hitting the front hinged door of the buck with their feet. The rear hinged doors solved the problem. 1961 was another benchmark for this model, as it was the first car built in America to be sold with a 24,000 miles/2-year bumper to bumper warranty.

The 1970 Continental continued the long, slab-sided design but axed the suicide doors. Standard luxury features gradually became optional over the decade, with the 460 cubic-inch engine becoming an option in 1977, replaced by the 400 cubic-inch small-block as standard. From 1975 to 1980, a Continental Town Coupe was available alongside the four-door Continental Town Car and Continental Mark V.

After two more decades and sales that dipped after 1999, the 2002 Continental was introduced as the final to bare this name. Lincoln’s discontinuation was due mostly to the growing shift in the consumer marketplace away from large front-wheel drive luxury vehicles. But the Lincoln Continental will always be an American trademark of automotive engineering and gorgeous design.

Stereotypes love the Continental

Watch as a Russian stereotype, who sounds more like he is doing an impression of Khan from Star Trek II, ogles the 1966 Lincoln Continental.

Lincoln Mark VIII – Ready for the Symphony

Ladies and Gentlemen – a Lincoln is the London Philharmonic of luxury automobiles.

Lincoln MKS Daft Punk Ad

Hip-hop, techno and electronica, call it what you will, but Daft Punk sure can carry a tune – as they prove it in the new commercial featuring Lincoln’s MKS.

1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan Ad

It’s been decades of riding the highways for Lincoln, and their advertising stretches back to America’s Post WWII era.

The Good Old Day of Lincoln-Mercury

Before buy-outs, mergers and bailouts lived the car Goliath of Lincoln-Mercury. Check out this 1960′s ad for the “Lincoln-Mercury” Marquis.

The President is much like Batman. He has always needed a nice car. And not just any car. He needs a car to be classy, powerful, and keep him well protected. President’s cars have been specifically modified to be faster, stronger, and anything but ordinary. Usually equip with heavy armor, bullet proof glass, and pretty much anything to make him feel like the man. Throughout the years, Lincoln has been directly associated with some of the most memorable Presidents since they abandoned the good ol’ horse and wagon. Let’s take a look at these special vehicles and a time line of their progression.

In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt used what he called the “Sunshine Special.” This beast should have been named “Holy Crap We’re Going So Fast I Think We Passed the Sun” because this Lincoln featured a V-12 engine. And I don’t know about you, but I would imagine a V-12 engine in 1939 would have probably felt like Mr. FDR was strollin’ around strapped to NASA’s first test to the moon.

In 1950, the President’s car was upgraded to a Lincoln Cosmopolitan, also known as the “Bubble Top.” I’m going to take a creative guess, but perhaps it acquired the name because the top…well that looks somewhat like a bubble. This convertible included a V8-engine and was an amazing 20 feet long. It was given to Harry Truman and later Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson would take a joy ride in it.

The next Presidential Limo was known as the “X-100” used by JFK, which was a conversion of a stock 1961 Continental Convertible. We all know the story about this infamous vehicle.

In 1974 President Nixon rode in another Lincoln Continental, which again wisely only had a V-8 engine. The new model’s length grew to 22 feet long and was well armored. Presidents Ford, Carter, and Bush were also ride participants of this luxury vehicle.

The 1989 Lincoln Continental was the last Presidential Lincoln. Unfortunately, the President’s car now is a Cadillac. And a funny one at that. Known as Cadillac One, a creatively clever play off of the President’s jet Air Force One, it has a raised roof and bullet proof glass so thick, it magnifies everything inside the vehicle (Onlookers can almost see what the President ate for lunch.)