Photo: Kevin McCauley on Twitter
Remember when Lincoln confirmed the return of the Continental to its lineup? After a fourteen-year absence, the full-size luxury sedan came back as a stretched Ford Fusion with front-wheel drive, the 3.7-liter Cyclone V6, and a six-speed automatic transmission. Despite these sub-standard aspects, the Continental does look great.
The 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition levels up on the aesthetics with rear-hinged doors and six additional inches for the wheelbase. However, there’s no denying the Continental will meet the same fate as the Cadillac CT6 over poor sales in the U.S.
As we wait for the Conti to be consigned to the history books yet again, automotive photographer Kevin McCauley presents us with a “what if” in the guise of the "Continental Estate.” The shooting brake-inspired rendering is definitely special and spacious, more so if the full-width taillights are retained along with the dual-pipe exhaust system.
However, is there a market for such a car in the United States? Unfortunately no, and anyone who says otherwise is either wishful thinking or living in the past. Porsche is pretty much the only exception to the rule with the Panamera Sport Turismo, but even that fellow sells only a handful of units in this SUV- and truck-driven market.
Wagons are pretty much endangered in this part of the world, be it affordable or expensive ones. Subaru understood how the cookie crumbles a long time ago when it introduced the Outback, and curiously enough, the Legacy-based model with crossover looks is seriously popular to this day. Out of every 20 wagons sold in 2018, 17 were Outbacks.
A small resurgence of the longroof in the United States can also be seen at Audi with the RS6 Avant and Mercedes-Benz with the E 63 S Wagon. Even Ford thinks about replacing the Fusion with an Outback-style model that could bear the name Fusion Active.
But the Continental Shooting Brake? Forget it; it’s not long for this world.
As we wait for the Conti to be consigned to the history books yet again, automotive photographer Kevin McCauley presents us with a “what if” in the guise of the "Continental Estate.” The shooting brake-inspired rendering is definitely special and spacious, more so if the full-width taillights are retained along with the dual-pipe exhaust system.
However, is there a market for such a car in the United States? Unfortunately no, and anyone who says otherwise is either wishful thinking or living in the past. Porsche is pretty much the only exception to the rule with the Panamera Sport Turismo, but even that fellow sells only a handful of units in this SUV- and truck-driven market.
Wagons are pretty much endangered in this part of the world, be it affordable or expensive ones. Subaru understood how the cookie crumbles a long time ago when it introduced the Outback, and curiously enough, the Legacy-based model with crossover looks is seriously popular to this day. Out of every 20 wagons sold in 2018, 17 were Outbacks.
A small resurgence of the longroof in the United States can also be seen at Audi with the RS6 Avant and Mercedes-Benz with the E 63 S Wagon. Even Ford thinks about replacing the Fusion with an Outback-style model that could bear the name Fusion Active.
But the Continental Shooting Brake? Forget it; it’s not long for this world.
even though it would probably sell in negative numbers, a Continental estate would be cool pic.twitter.com/XUYz6KJu25
— kevin mccauley (@kmccauley) May 28, 2020
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