DEARBORN, Mich. - Elvis Presley had one; so did Clark Gable. It was even the sedan of presidents. Then the name vanished amid an invasion of newer luxury cars from Europe and Asia.
Now, the Lincoln Continental is back.
Thirteen years after the last Continental rolled off the assembly line, Ford Motor Co. is resurrecting its storied nameplate. The new Continental debuts in concept form at this week’s New York auto show. The production version of the full-size sedan goes on sale next year.
After more than a decade of toying with alphabetical names like LS and MKS to be more like its foreign rivals, Ford’s 98-year-old Lincoln brand is embracing its heritage. It’s a measure of the growing confidence at Lincoln, which is finally turning around a decades-long sales decline. And it’s a nod to the importance of China, where customers know the Continental name and appreciate brands with a rich history.
Ford CEO Mark Fields says the Continental always represented the best of Lincoln. Resurrecting it sets higher expectations, both within the company and outside of it.
“When we get a chance to work on an iconic nameplate like that, it’s a mixture of pride and a mixture of fear, because when you put that name out there, it’s got to deliver,” Fields told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
