For Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand in North America, British-born Peter Horbury and his design team has also come up with a new concept car for the
Detroit Auto Show. Though there is no sign of the Lincoln brand ever coming to Britain, as a concept, the Lincoln MKR is worth a closer look.
Apparently, the MKR indicates where Lincoln design is headed, with the following seven items in particular mentioned as pertinent:
- Clean, uncluttered surfaces
- Powerful, dynamic beltline
- Chamfered surface running parallel to the beltline
- Distinctive Lincoln bow-wave, double-wing grille opening
- Thin, horizontal taillamps that run from one side to the other
- Significant C-pillar smoothly transitioning into the cantilevered roof
- Powerful cantrail/roofrail
The huge grille at the front is the only really very American feature. Elsewhere, the car's stance and cab-rear shape has global appeal. At first glance you may think that the MKR is in fact a two-door coupé, but look closer and you'll see shut lines for the rear doors too, though no visible door handles - touch pads are hidden in the chrome trim. It is also suspected that the rear doors open backwards, allowing easy access into the individual rear seats.
The concept's interior is a work of art, extensively utilising recycled oak, mohair for the carpets and soy-foam and leather in the seat construction. The Lincoln emblem is used throughout and one of the marketing catchphrases for the concept is 'guilt-free' luxury.
As well as utilising renewable materials inside the cockpit, the MKR previews an all-new powerplant that is likely to be seen in Europe too at some stage. The basic engine is a 3.5-litre petrol V6, but it features twin-turbocharging and direct injection for added performance and efficiency. The show car is fuelled with bio-ethanol too (known as E85), which helps raise power to 415bhp, with peak torque at 400lb.ft. Though packing significant performance, this unit should be more fuel efficient than larger engines with comparable outputs.
Shane O' Donoghue - 3 Jan 2007