Lyndon B. Johnson was America’s 36th president and was known for cruising around his Texas ranch with the top down and scotch and soda in hand. Now you have the chance to own a piece of American history as LBJ’s 1964 Lincoln Continental will go up for auction in Rosansky, Texas thanks to Dan Kruse classics.

The 64′ Continental is all original, sporting a 320 HP, 430 cid V-8 engine and an automatic transmission. The Lincoln comes in creamy white with a tan interior, a perfect match for a cowboy like LBJ, who loved to ride in his full cowboy outfit while out cruising around his 1,500 acre ranch in Stonewall, Texas.

The car is currently on display in the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History, and will go up for sale on March 3rd, 2012. All the profits from the sale will go to the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation whose goal is to preserve the traditions and legacy of the President’s life.

Comparable 64′ Lincoln Continentals have been known to sell for upwards of $35,000, so who knows what this rare car will fetch on auction day.

Ford knows it will take a lot of work to restore its Lincoln premium brand. Most recently, Ford created an elaborate booth with modern decor for Lincoln at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show only to see the MKZ concept go up in smoke. Furthermore, the Lincoln MKZ concept failed to garner the same level of attention as the parent company’s 2013 Ford Fusion, or its main rival’s new 2013 Cadillac ATS compact sedan.

Ford global sales chief Jim Farley admits, “It will take every ounce of our energy to execute Lincoln in North America.” Apparently, that is exactly what Ford plans to do. Over the next couple of years, Ford will introduce seven important new models for the Lincoln line-up. According to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, he expects the new Lincoln vehicles to be just as great as what Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and BMW have to offer. However, rather than developing a dedicated front-engine, rear-wheel-drive luxury platform, Lincoln will stick to platform sharing with mainstream Ford vehicles.

According to Jim Farley, Lincoln’s success is not only dependent on its products, but is dependent on the improvement of customer service as well. Farley said, “the secret sauce to Lexus was the personal touch.” Ideas and suggestions extended to Lincoln dealers include washing an owner’s Lincoln vehicle after servicing, or putting a rose on the seat when returning a car to its owner after repairs.

Ford admits that customers aren’t very keen on Lincoln and that it will be difficult to target young, financially successful men, which would have been obvious luxury targets. Jim Farley says that Lincoln will go after a different demographic that he calls “the magician.” Magicians are trend-setting early adopters that live along the coasts. These young individuals are more likely to try new, interesting products, regardless of what others think.

When Ford Motors dropped Mercury, the decision proved to be extremely beneficial to the American automaker as it allowed greater focus on Ford products, dialing in quality and image. Time will tell whether Ford can get Lincoln to return to its past glory or whether the once iconic luxury brand will join Mercury in the history books.

[Source: USA Today]

The Lincoln MKZ concept that debuted in Detroit earlier this month gave us an olfactory tingle in more than one place after the display started inexplicably smoking in front of us much to its presenter’s chagrin. Despite all that, the MKZ wasn’t the hottest Lincoln design to make the scene.

Instead, the car that’s still capturing imaginations is the 2025 Lincoln Continental EV concept, pictured above. It’s the brainchild of two undergraduate students from Lawrence Technological University in Michigan.  Colin Bonathan and Jeeho Cha are a part of the transportation design program at Lawrence Tech and started on the project last summer. According to the school, Ford liked the concept so much that they decided to get behind it.

Beyond the fact that the student’s concept got exposure at the NAIAS, there isn’t any word on the likelihood of it passing the imaginary phase, though Bonathan did base the exterior on concrete figures like a desired wheelbase length and other components.

GALLERY: 2025 Lincoln Continental Concept

[Source: Lawrence Tech]

Lincoln is desperate for one hot new model in its lineup, just not this hot. At the reveal of the new MKZ Concept at the Detroit Auto Show this week the car in question began to smoke. Embarrassed Lincoln reps ushered giggling journalists away with jokes aplenty. Reception of the new Lincoln wasn’t mixed, it was decidedly negative and the only more appropriate fate for the MKZ concept would have been if it had blown up. You know… because it bombed.

GALLERY: 2013 Lincoln MKZ Concept

Watch the video of the smoking hot Lincoln MKZ concept below:

Continue Reading…

It seems as if the two domestic luxury brands are engaging in a game of tit for tat. Yesterday, Cadillac revealed its new BMW 3-Series fighter, the ATS. Today, rival Lincoln took the spotlight, taking the wraps of this, the 2013 MKZ Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

We’ve been hearing for months about Lincoln’s new focus, including the formation of an independent design group, with the task of making the brand’s vehicles look a lot more distinctive. Brand Design Head Max Wolff, calls the MKZ Concept “elegant simplicity,” with the objective  of creating a car that embodies “warmth.”

Features such as a Cognac colored exterior, contrasting Champagne leather interior, accented with “responsibly harvested” Poplar wood are designed to accentuate this feeling of coziness, while the seats themselves feature perforations in the center, in order to give the impression of Champagne bubbles rising from a bottom of a glass.

So perhaps this car, is not only symbolic of a new design direction for Lincoln, but also emphasizing the brand’s new found freedom, via a rolling celebration.

High-tech interior embellishments include the latest version of MyLincoln Touch, accessed by a Thin Film Transistor Screen directly ahead of the driver, as well as a push button gear selection feature, said to become a signature touch of future Lincoln products.

Outwardly the MKZ employs a new take on the Lincoln split grille, that almost harks back to the 1938 Zephyr and more fluid lines that break away from the almost blocky look of the current MKZ sedan. Out back, full width LED taillamps and big bold chrome “Lincoln” lettering, plus exhaust tips integrated with the rear fascia are signature touches.

Yet most impressive, is the panaromic glass roof, a feature we can also expect to see more of on future Lincoln products, according to Wolff. The glass is actually integrated into the car’s structure, made from steel and boron and is designed to provide each occupant with a “personal,” open air experience.

And that basically sums up what Ford is trying to do with Lincoln, turning the marque into a true boutique brand, where the ownership experience is as intimate as the vehicles themselves. Will it work? Time only has that answer, but as other luxury brands, specifically Teutonic ones, seem bent on bigger and better, the strategy might just work.

GALLERY: 2013 Lincoln MKZ Concept

Part of “the biggest statement Lincoln has ever made at an auto show” is the MKZ sedan concept, which is set to debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show right around the corner.

Up until now, we haven’t even had a single idea on what the concept may look like, but Lincoln has released the first official teaser of the sedan ahead of the show. The photo reveals the return of the full-width taillight for Lincoln, but more importantly proves that a fully new redesigned vehicle for the brand is the right direction to help Ford reinvigorate sales of their luxury brand.

AutoGuide will have more on its official debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Until then, see the complete show preview here.

If you caught a glimpse of U2′s 360 Tour you might recognize the honeycomb-esque expanding and contracting screens at this year’s North American International Auto Show, albiet in smaller form.

They look more like something out of an alien invasion video game than modern art, but Lincoln hopes the miniature versions of Chuck Hoberman’s sci-fi style screens, along with some other art exhibits will help slingshot their brand back into the spotlight at this years Detroit auto show.

“This is the biggest statement Lincoln has ever made at an auto show,” Max Wolff, Lincoln’s director of design, said in a statement.”Our NAIAS display represents more than a vehicle debut. It represents the reinvention of Lincoln.”

If their plan works, people will be lured in to see their MKZ sedan concept for the first time. Art aside, the new design is what Ford‘s luxury brand is hoping will help reinvigorate their sales. Lincoln struggled last year while other brands in their segment surged thanks to continued demand in the U.S. and strong demand in China.

The concept being released represents Lincoln’s effort to offer a completely redesigned brand and will be the first of seven new or heavily modified cars in the future lineup. New means a lot coming from Lincoln, given their history of offering gussied-up Fords that in some cases are outshined by high-end versions of their less expensive ford counterparts (think back to the Aviator versus a similarly comfortable Eddie Bauer Edition Explorer about 10 years ago.)

Sadly, the grand tradition of putting a dress on a pig, but still having, well, a pig was alive and well as late as last year. The 2011 MKZ hybrid (pictured above) was just a prettier Fusion with little else to distinguish the car, which is why a fully re-designed car is big news for the brand.

The two-story, art-adorned display is 50 percent larger than last year’s Lincoln booth at the NAIAS, though it remains to be seen if their charm will churn out new sales.

GALLERY: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

So we won’t be the ones talking about how this funeral was probably staged and highly choreographed, but rather the irony that Kim Jong-il’s final ride was in an American car, a 1976 Lincoln Continental to be exact.

Despite freezing temperatures and plenty of snow out in Pyongyang, North Korea, tens of thousands of citizens were not only enlisted to help clear the snow from the 40-mile parade route, but also stood by to bid their leader farewell. The funeral procession involved several classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles, something Kim Jong-il had taken a liking to when he was alive.

But perhaps being transported atop an American Lincoln is a family tradition, as Kim Jong-il’s father, Kim il-Sung was also taken off in a Lincoln during his 1994 funeral.

Watch the news report below:

Continue Reading…

The 1970s was definitely an interesting era, with good ‘ol disco all over America. And nothing was more luxurious and smooth back in the ’70s then a Lincoln Town Coupe.

Those looking to relive those days can now get their hands on this pristine 1978 Lincoln Continental with just 61,745-miles on the odometer and an asking price of $19,900. Finished in a Midnight Blue Metallic shade on the outside, it’s the Saddle interior that we can’t get over on this retro resale, with the back seat looking like it came out of a VIP room in a 1970s strip club.

Under the hood, this 1978 Lincoln Continental is no slouch either, featuring Ford’s 460-cubic inch V8 mated to their indestructible C6 three-speed automatic transmission. What’s even crazier is reading off the list of options that is on this Continental, giving it a big-dollar price back in 1978: illuminated entry system, defroster group, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, 6-way power bench seat, dual map light, AM/FM/8-track stereo, interval wipers, appearance protection group, right-hand remote control mirror, power lock convenience group, forged aluminum wheels and body side moldings.

This awesome throwback to the disco era would definitely make for a great conversation piece, imaging packing five of your friends with yourself and taking it out on a cruise in town.

GALLERY: 1978 Lincoln Continental V8

[Source: RK Motors]

Gallery: 2013 Lincoln MKS