The Lincoln Continental is struggling in the world of luxury sedans, as well as just sedans in general. Rumor has it that the big boy might just be headed to the crusher, but some mystery has been thrown into the mix with a recent tweet from the brand. It's cryptic, at best, and addresses a style element from the old Continental... suicide doors (politically corrected to "Center-opening doors").
Making a statement without a word. Center-opening doors elevated the Lincoln #Continental of the mid 1960's to the pinnacle of mid-century style, a car driven by the likes of Pablo Picasso. #TBT... or is it? Stay tuned to our Instagram feed for more. pic.twitter.com/KZ7OYEqDzP
— Lincoln Motor Company (@LincolnMotorCo) December 13, 2018
Such doors were so named from horse-drawn carriages long ago because if they were accidentally flung open, a passenger could fall out. Of course, no modern car company would build suicide doors into their vehicles without safety measures to ensure this wouldn't occur. Only one car company actually makes their cars with suicide doors, and that's none other than Rolls-Royce. You know they wouldn't take those risks with such high-end vehicles.
What the tweet means isn't clear at all. There's no point in drawing attention to this feature unless Lincoln has something in the works for the next Continental, and boy does it ever need something. The design of the 1965 Continental won't make it to the modern car since it's way too big and likely a bit too boxy. But the doors could possibly show up on a totally reworked Continental for 2020, something that could be a game changer for the car. Or it's just a tweet to draw attention to a car that's destined to end in 2020.
If you read in the tweet, Lincoln says to "stay tuned", whatever that means. The current Continental does borrow some elements from the 2002 concept, except for the suicide doors, which it really could've used to set itself apart from the likes of the BMW 7-Series, the Mercedes S-Class, and the Lexus LS. Though we really enjoyed driving the Continental for its sporty handling and robust power, it's just not special enough to survive.
Lincoln's new Navigator gets all the attention (and sales) and remains the single shining light in a rather lackluster lineup. They've given all their attention to SUVs and crossovers, as evidenced by the new Aviator and the upcoming replacement for the MKX, which will be known as the Nautilus. We'll see if the Continental gets something special or dies the same death as many sedans today.
