Whatever happened to the Lincoln Blackwood - why did it get dropped after one model year? The reason I ask is because I’m borrowing a friend’s Blackwood for the week (my girlfriend has my minivan) and I must say I love the Blackwood a lot. Big, and guzzles gas like nobody’s business, and you can’t really use it as a truck - but it’s darned fun to drive, and the interior is fit for a king. In fact, the only real drawback is the fact that I have to return it at the end of this week.
So…does the Blackwood have a horrible secret that I don’t know about, or is it just an underappreciated treasure?
I am not authority, but the only answer can be that they were unprofitable. They could not have sold very well. With fuel prices the way they are, it would be a worse dud not. I guess that Escalades did better.
I always found the idea of Cadillac and Lincoln trucks about as stupid as racing trucks. The only thing smart about them is that someone can make money.
The real reason was two-fold: Ford sold only 550 nation-wide, and the price was a whopping $44,000 for a dressed-up F-150.
If you want a Loncoln truck you can go buy a brand new Mark LT.
Bad management decision IMHO. Ford is duplicating something they already provide and at a higher, more upscale price tag.
Ford even did this with the old Edsels. Those cars have been the butt of many jokes as being a Lemon but they were not really bad cars at all.
Ford was providing yet another 2 or 4 DR vehicle in their product line that was similar in size/performance to other vehicles sold under the Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury nameplate.
Diluted the pool so to speak.
Ford even sold a few pickups back in the 50s under the Mercury name.
It has limited appeal and was very expensive to produce. A market failure.
Don’t they already do that with about 90% of their vehicles anyways?
Escape/Mariner, Sable/Tarus, Fusion/Milan/MKZ(or whatever they’re calling it this year), crown vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car
Yup! The late, unlamented Lincoln Blackwood was merely a pimped-out Ford F-150 at a super-premium price. Even the 4wd system was merely a part-time system, rather than the sophisticated full-time system that one should expect in that price range.
Anyone who actually took the time to compare mechanical specs, load capacity, and dimensions would have found that the Blackwood was mechanically identical to an F-150 and had only cosmetic interior and exterior differences that did not justify the price. And, assuming that bbowersf’s figures are correct, fewer than 600 people nationwide were naive enough to buy one.
Don’t forget the Mazda clones, too.
It’s a marketing idea first used successfully by Proctor and Gamble. Someone does not like a particular product for some reason. But if you tweak it, they might buy it. If you are going to lose business, shouldn’t you lose it to yourself? Mercury is an upscale Ford, Mazda is a sporty Ford, and Lincoln is a luxurious Ford.
Mercury, Lincoln, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar(they sold Jag though, didn’t they?), Land Rover. All owned by Ford, so they’re fairly good sized globally. GM I think is bigger though. SAAB, Opel, Holden, Saturn, Hummer, Cadillac, Chevy, GMC, Buick, Pontiac and a partnership with Toyota with the Vibe/Matrix(along with who knows what else).
Not only did they just sell Jag to Tata, but also Land Rover.
Lincoln intended to keep production limited to keep the vehicle “exclusive”, in thier own words. They got their wish since nobody wanted this vehicle. No sales is what killed this truck.
Since only 600 of them were made, now it’s a priceless collectors item, a la Tucker…
I agree but it will take 30 years or so for it to become priceless.