Lincoln is celebrating a century of existence at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance tonight. As a preview of what the brand sees its future being like, it has revealed the Lincoln Model L100 Concept. This concept is an electric autonomous living room complete with a little model of the car that replaces a steering wheel and oh…nearly the whole body opens as doors to get in the thing.
The Lincoln Motor Company was originally launched in 1917. Its founder, Henry M. Leland, was a machinist, engineer, and creator of Cadillac. Leland ended up selling Cadillac to General Motors and serving as an executive before calling it quits in 1917. His new company, Lincoln, was named after Abraham Lincoln, his hero and the first President that he ever voted for. Yes, if you’re counting, that means that Lincoln is actually 105 years old. However, it appears that the Ford Motor Company is only counting from when it acquired the brand in 1922.
And over those 100 years the brand has put out some incredible vehicles. The Model L100 is built to celebrate one in particular: Lincoln’s first luxury car.
As Lincoln notes, the Model L was released in 1920 to a price that was ten times that of a Ford Model T. But in getting a Lincoln you enjoyed a larger vehicle with a custom body. Lincoln says that the Model L100 pays homage to specifically the 1922 Model L.
Now that I have you all mixed up from these dates, let’s check out the Model L100. Our very own Jason Torchinsky is visiting Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and was able to snap up some pictures for us. And it sure is an incredible concept.
Starting on the exterior, the Model L100 is low, sleek, and features graceful curves. In true concept car fashion it has humongous wheels (nod to our Adrian Clarke) and all kinds of lights. Well, calling those wheels is not entirely accurate, because they’re really stationary wheel covers.
Lincoln says that they use lights to “communicate motion, battery life and human presence.” So, Lincoln’s idea for this is that you’d walk up to it and the wheel covers could tell you battery levels.
Getting inside the Model L100 Concept would be quite the event. Instead of a typical set of doors, the concept’s body opens up wide and tall. Seriously, everything aft of the front wheels just opens up in one massive hinge.
Even the glass roof is a part of the grand opening of the Model L100, and it pops up. Of course, this is just a concept, but I do like the thought of making an entrance like this. Well, so long as the entrance has enough room for all of this to happen.
Inside of the Model L100 Concept is a sort of living room or lounge. You’ll immediately notice the lack of a steering wheel and that’s because this concept is for an autonomous vehicle.
However, some control is apparently given to the passengers. How that’s supposed to work is through what Lincoln calls the “chessboard” using a miniaturized model of the car that Lincoln calls a “chess piece.” In the concept, Lincoln says that the chess piece covers the duties that a steering wheel would in a typical car.
Lincoln boasts an interior filled with animal-free materials, featuring a recycled suede fabric. The floor is a giant screen, and the front seats can be turned around to really turn the car into a lounge. As with other luxury concepts it uses a ton of lights, sound, and aroma to make what is described as a sanctuary.
Lincoln is light on technical details, but says that it’s a concept for a vehicle that uses a sold-state battery and hub-mounted motors at each wheel. Of course, battery tech in real life isn’t quite there just yet. But for the concept, it’s said to open up the cabin even more for personal luxury.
Overall, it’s a properly cool concept and it’s even capped off with a crystal greyhound. Unlike some other big luxury concepts of recent times (like the Cadillac Celestiq), this is purely a concept. However, Lincoln says that the concept signals its future vision.
If Lincoln follows through on some of this stuff, especially that sleek design, I think its future looks pretty wonderful.
It’s beautiful from the outside but all it does is show me that Lincoln is complete on the wrong path with car design. If their “concept” for the future is that people with way too much money will want to be driven around in a cramped cabin with a seizure-inducing LED disco floor, only to arrive and not be able to exit the car unless it’s got a parking spot the size of a helipad, they really have completely lost their mind. It shows me they don’t actually have the customer in mind. It’s all flash, no substance. And that is why ties things never get produced; the people who make the concepts are completely divorced from the practice. They have no true vision for the future.
What is the purpose of a self driving car with no entertainment screen or features? How do you keep the kids entertained? How do you load the trunk? How do you check the lights on those life preserver tires when driving?
It feels like Lincoln is getting comfortable with the idea that people are fine riding in one, but they don’t actually want to drive a Lincoln.
The part of the Town Car aft of the B-pillar was the most popular Lincoln of time
Why are the even trying to be in the realm of possibility with lithium-battery tech and wheel-mounted motors. Just say fuck it and go all out ridiculous:
“It will run on fusion power, the leather is made from lab-grown polar bears, and the seats vibrate for her pleasure”
It is amazing art, striking design, and beautiful execution.
It is also pointless because there is nothing in this “concept” that Lincoln will ever consider building.
“Well, calling those wheels is not entirely accurate, because they’re really stationary wheel covers.”
Your front driver’s side wheel cover needs air.
“recycled suede fabric”
Uh, suede is leather. Even if recycled, it ain’t animal-free!
As long as I can chew a steak, I want to sit on dead cow hides in my car.
“suede fabric” isn’t suede. Suede acts as an adjective in this case.
Enjoy your recycled Alcantara.
FYI Lincoln, Cadillac is already producing their ultra-lux vehicle. A few years late in the game me thinks.
What, the swan song Conti with suicide doors isn’t enough for you?
Ford Taurus with suicide doors you mean?
Lincoln or Pontiac, I mean Buick, will be the next OEM to drop off.
I do wonder if this onslaught of brutally powerful performance cars is going to get people bored, thus bringing the mainstream “upmarket” appeal back to luxury rather than performance.
It’s a nice movie prop. They will never ever build any vehicle remotely like this. I hate looking at concepts like this, and I almost wish you wouldn’t post about them. It’s just depressing.
Makes $440 to $500 per day Οnline work which I received $17894 in one month online performing from home. I’m a daily student and work just one to a strive of hours in my spare time. everybody will do that jΟb and online raise extra cash by simply using this interface.. https://googlecash99s.blogspot.com/
Those numbers don’t add up annasmith. $440 to $500 per day for 30 days is only $13200 to $15000. Where is the other $4694 to $2894 coming from?
Selling meth, probably.
Only Fans
“Well, calling those wheels is not entirely accurate, because they’re really stationary wheel covers.”
….which are probably just there to hide the industrial casters that this thing is sitting on.
I imagine the look on my face as I enter the driver’s seat, and hook my left nipple on the corner of that windshield frame at the top of the a-pillar.
Slightly amusing with the whole thing opening up, the stupid “chessboard “ idea, and the clear plastic dog. Whatever the hell this thing is supposed to be, it’s sure not a car.
Lincoln just wasted a ton of money on something bland and useless. It shows me they have nobody there who can deeign a car.
“An Autonomous Living Room”
Why go through all the trouble when I could just sit in my own living room? This is like “all the calories of an ice cream cone in one little pill”.
Can I use the doors and roof as air brake ?
I insist.
Just try to get in & out in the typical 9’ wide mall parking space. The driver will be vaulting out the raised up glass roof & rappelling down the windows & doors.
“Our very own David Torchinsky is visiting Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and was able to snap up some pictures for us. And it sure is an incredible concept.”
Oooh! Is it official? Have David and Jason finally merged and become one super-powerful auto-journalist with the joint power over rust and sarcasm like some kind of smart-ass version of the X-Men’s Magneto?
Oh no! See kids, this is why you don’t write tired. I’ve been fearing for some two years now that I’d accidentally combine them into one person and now it has finally happened.
As far as I’m aware they are still two separate people. I’m not sure the universe can handle them combining together so we constantly have to try keeping them apart.
I’d read articles by David Torchinsky. However, Jason Tracy should be fired immediately.
Makes me happy it’s…a car. And one that looks like nothing else out there.
Shows at least in theory that Ford realizes not everything needs to be an SUV. Or something that hinges on our nostalgia.
the future has no parking garages. Or Valet all the time and have some tiny escape for the person parking the car. Or the Valet just sleeps in it since they can’t afford an apartment! Social Problems solved!
Maybe it’s designed to allow occupants to alight in a respectable area, then to go and self park itself?