Lincoln has a few reasons to celebrate. Not only is it enjoying its 100th anniversary in 2022, but it's also been named the featured marque of this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It's celebrating by pulling the wraps off its new creation, the Lincoln Model L100 Concept, which pays homage to the brand's original luxury car; the 1922 Model L.
As you can see in the photos here, the Model L100 falls well into concept car territory—much like its sibling, the handsome Star Concept SUV. It's not exactly the kind of car you'll see at dealerships in a year or two with a slightly tweaked design. No, this thing is truly an exercise in design and in dreaming of a more luxurious, chiller future.
Lincoln
Lincoln refers to the Model L100 as an elegant vehicle with aero-influenced styling that signals the brand's future vision for personal mobility. Its interior, according to Lincoln, features advanced technology "that creates the immersive interior sanctuary of tomorrow."
So what does that exactly mean? It means the Model L100 is designed with a distant future in mind. Its elongated shape, opening canopy, sliding doors, and massive wheel covers belong in a world where cars are merely pods that transport passengers—not drivers—to their destination.
This is proven further by its cabin, which is mostly surrounded by glass panels except for the doors. Reverse-hinged doors are designed to welcome passengers in, but not before sensors along the body utilize lighting and sound to welcome them while communicating "motion, battery life, and human presence."
Lincoln
You'll notice that the Model L100 doesn't actually have a steering wheel. No, Lincoln didn't forget. Should you want to go somewhere, you'd simply navigate the car's systems via the tablet-like device in the middle of the cabin. Yes, the one that's got a huge diamond-looking stone attached to it. Lincoln calls this a "center console chessboard."
The "jewel-inspired" chess piece controller actually replaces the steering wheel, because in the future you apparently won't need to drive, as I've already stated. The Concept L100 was created to be a fully autonomous vehicle that delivers an intelligent driving experience—whatever that might mean.
Like in renderings of other futuristic cars, this Lincoln's seats can rotate to face each other, allowing people to interact with one another while the car drives itself down the road. Also, it's got something called a digital floor, which can reportedly transport passengers to the sanctuary of tomorrow with its advanced lighting elements and artificial intelligence.
Regardless of how far-fetched this concept is and how imaginative all this technology sounds, that's exactly the point of a concept vehicle. Dream big or go home. And, if you purely focus on the design, this Model L100 is a stunner.
Sure, most of us would like to see a steering wheel on it, at the very least, but we already have that. Why not dream about something that we don't have and go from there? Looking at it this way, yeah, Lincoln checks all the boxes for a true concept car—one that likely will never become a reality. And that's ok.
As Anthony Lo, chief design officer of Ford Motor Company said at the vehicle's reveal during Monterey Car Week: “Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life," he said. "It allows designers more creative freedom than ever before."
Got a tip? Email us at [email protected]
