Lincoln MK9
{{seealso|Lincoln Mark Series}}{{Infobox automobile
| image = Lincoln MK9 Concept Car.jpg
| name = Lincoln MK9
Lincoln Mark X
| manufacturer = Lincoln (Ford)
Stola
| production = 2001 (MK9)
2004 (Mark X)
| class = Full-size personal luxury car
| body_style = 2-door coupé (MK9)
2-door convertible (Mark X)
| platform =
| related =
| caption = Lincoln MK9 at the Petersen Automotive Museum
| designer = Gerry McGovern
}}
File:Lincoln MK9 concept car interior.jpg
The Lincoln MK9 is a two-door concept coupe presented by Lincoln in 2001 at the New York International Auto Show, and was intended to explore the possibility of a new Mark Series model to succeed the discontinued Mark VIII.
The MK9 was built by Italian coachbuilder Stola{{Cite web |title=STUDIOTORINO - 200007_lincoln (2) |url=https://studiotorino.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=552&catid=53&Itemid=101&lang=en |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=STUDIOTORINO |language=en}} on a stretched version of Ford’s DEW architecture used in the Lincoln LS and Ford Thunderbird and was built to run and drive.{{Cite web |date=2002-10-19 |title=First Look: Lincoln MK 9 |url=https://www.motortrend.com/vehicle-genres/lincoln-mk9 |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=MotorTrend |language=en}} The MK9 is rear-wheel drive, with a V8 engine paired to an automatic transmission, and four wheel independent suspension.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-07 |title=2001 Lincoln MK 9 Concept At Petersen Museum: Photo Gallery |url=https://fordauthority.com/2023/01/2001-lincoln-mk-9-concept-at-petersen-museum-photo-gallery/ |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=Ford Authority |language=en-US}}
The MK9 was designed under Lincoln design chief Gerry McGovern,{{Cite web |title=2001 Lincoln MK9: Concept We Forgot |url=https://www.motor1.com/news/148425/concept-we-forgot-lincoln-mk9/ |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=Motor1.com |language=en}} with initial drawings by Marek Reichman and Adriana Monk. The design features a waterfall grille with a central Lincoln emblem; two full-length chrome accents on the vehicle's left and right shoulder and chrome accented air vents near the doors on the front fenders. The interior features lacquered wood and leather, dark cherry flooring, white leather headliner and red leather seats.
The MK9 concept introduced a new naming convention for Lincoln, using letter and number combinations. The naming system is similar to that of Mercedes-Benz or BMW, without referencing a vehicle's engine size.
The MK9 was auctioned off by Ford in 2010 and is currently owned by the Bortz Auto Collection.{{Cite web |date=2015-12-29 |title=See the Lincoln MK9 and Mercury Messenger Concepts at Amelia Island |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/see-the-lincoln-mk9-and-mercury-messenger-concepts-at-amelia-island |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=MotorTrend |language=en}}
Lincoln Mark X
The Lincoln Mark X (pronounced Mark Ten) concept, introduced in 2004, was Lincoln's adaptation of the 2004 Ford Thunderbird body and chassis, with a retractable hard top in lieu of the Thunderbird's fabric top, with its removable hard top. Sharing some of its design elements with the MK9, the Mark X introduced an egg-crate chrome grille that recalled the grille of the 1964 Lincoln Continental and foreshadowed the grilles of forthcoming Lincoln vehicles.{{Cite web |last=Mehta |first=Sajeev |date=2024-02-14 |title=Save the Lincoln That Couldn't Save the Thunderbird |url=https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/save-the-lincoln-that-couldnt-save-the-thunderbird/ |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=Hagerty Media |language=en-US}}
The Mark X concept model featured a convertible panoramic glass roof. The interior was also based on a "Lincolnized" version of that in the standard Thunderbird (which itself is derived from the Lincoln LS) - which differentiated it from the MK9 interior. The Mark X's official press release described the interior as dressed in Lime Sorbet with white Corian accents, polished aluminum, dark chrome, natural grain leather seating surfaces, plush sheepskin flooring and tailored tone-on-tone stitching throughout.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-21 |title=2004 Lincoln Mark X Concept Car: The One That Could’ve Launched a Retro Revolution |url=https://www.hotrod.com/features/2004-lincoln-mark-x-continental-concept-car-mecum-auction-gendale |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=MotorTrend |language=en}} Its four-spoke, power-adjustable steering wheel also was leather wrapped.
The Mark X is 185" long, and featured 21" chrome alloy wheels. It is powered by a DOHC 3.9 L V8 with {{convert|280|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission, the same drivetrain as the Thunderbird it was based on.
The Mark X was auctioned off by Ford in 2010 and was sold to James Powers, a former Ford designer in the 1950s and 1960s who, in the early 2000s, drew the original drawings that inspired the Mark X.{{Cite web |title=2004 Lincoln Mark X Concept {{!}} Sports & Classics of Monterey 2010 |url=https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo10/lots/r329-2004-lincoln-mark-x-concept/ |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=RM Sotheby's |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The James Powers Collection |url=https://www.mecum.com/articles/the-james-powers-collection/ |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=Mecum Auctions |language=en}}
References
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060425062552/http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=16655 Lincoln Mark X official Ford media press release]
- [http://cars.ign.com/articles/495/495039p1.html IGN website summary of Mark X]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060118044550/http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/autoShows/default.htm Ford Concept Vehicles - Previous Auto Show Photographs (2003-2006)]
{{Lincoln Motor Company}}