2002 Lincoln Continental Concept
Few cars have aged as gracefully as the 1961–63 Lincoln Continental. The sedan's clean, restrained lines became an icon of modern design and defined Lincoln style for decades.
The 2002 Lincoln Continental Concept that debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2002 proved that somebody at Lincoln still knew something about style and heritage. Clean lines? Check. Suicide doors? Check. Immediately recognizable as a Lincoln but not egregiously retro? Check.
But in the two weeks that separated the car's L.A. show debut and the Detroit Auto Show, Ford Motor Company announced the results of one of its many restructuring plans: The production Continental was canceled, making the concept a PR nightmare. For the Detroit show, the freshly estranged concept was shunned. It spent the auto show parked in a dark corner of the Lincoln display area.
