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Overwhelming Reaction to Lincoln Blackwood Concept Prompts Plan for Production

8 January 1999

Overwhelming Reaction to Lincoln Blackwood Concept Prompts Plan for Production

    DETROIT, Jan. 7 -- Ford Motor Company announced
today that, based on the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the Lincoln
Blackwood luxury sport utility concept vehicle, plans are now under way to put
the vehicle into production.
    The Lincoln Blackwood concept vehicle was introduced in December at the
Los Angeles Auto Show and currently is being shown at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit.
    "Based on the strong initial reaction to Blackwood since we started
showing the vehicle late last year, we've decided to put the vehicle into
production," says Jac Nasser, Ford's president and chief executive officer.
"Blackwood takes Lincoln and our sport utility lineup a significant step
forward."
    Specific details of the production vehicle and manufacturing plans will be
announced later.
    The Lincoln Blackwood concept vehicle is described as the ultimate utility
vehicle, with all the comfort of a luxury sedan and the convenience and
versatility of a sport utility vehicle.  The four-door, four-passenger luxury
utility is an extension of the extremely successful Lincoln Navigator, with
one important difference:  an enclosed 4-foot, 8-inch box that serves as a
trunk.
    The concept Lincoln Blackwood has an exterior trunk area that is covered
with more than 20 square feet of Wenge wood -- a dark, dense, striated wood
from central Africa -- with a brushed aluminum strip defining each band of
wood.  It's a modern twist on the "woody," which traditionally used different-
colored wood strips between large wood bands.
    The hard top of the closed box in the rear, which is operated by a key
fob, opens hydraulically to a 45-degree angle to reveal an aluminum finished
trunk interior.
    The interior of the Blackwood concept vehicle is based on the Lincoln
Navigator's, with the addition of a global positioning system integrated into
the floor-mounted center console and four bucket seats trimmed in black
Connolly leather.
    Blackwood is built on a 4x2 chassis that's lowered 3 inches to give the
utility vehicle a more stately stance.  It's powered by a 5.4-liter DOHC V-8
and fits into the Class III trailer tow group -- allowing enough towing
capacity for a boat or horse trailer.
    The four-door configuration of the passenger area, coupled with the
extended trunk area in the rear, give the Lincoln Blackwood concept vehicle
the look and feel of a touring coach from the 1930s.