Did you know that the Lincoln Continental Concept from 2002 had suicide doors? Actually, let me be politically correct - it had Coach Doors. Well, the new one's got them too. Revealed only days ago, the Continental Coach Door Edition celebrates the 80th anniversary since the introduction of the Continental brand within the Ford family of cars.

Although some have already noted that the latest Continental won't live past 2020 or 2021, Lincoln is adamant in giving its luxurious saloon even more prestige and gist. What a better way of doing that than adding some real substance in the shape of coach doors, more legroom in the back, and a price tag of a proper luxury sedan. Well, in order to achieve new heights with the Continental, Lincoln made a few striking changes. Finally, we have a proper homage to the Lincoln Continental of the Sixties that had rear-hinged rear doors.

I am now presenting a number of facts about the new Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition. They should give you a better picture as to the sheer uniqueness of the latest model.

Suicide Doors (or Coach Doors)

I do not know what term you prefer, but I can only say that the new Lincoln Continental Coach Door most certainly feel like a unique proposition in the luxury car market. Save for the Rolls-Royce who has had such a door arrangement for ages.

Reinventing them for the car today is only expected, especially because even some Lincoln officials admitted that this car was originally envisioned with the rear-hinged doors. Needless to say, suicide doors aren't anything new for the Continental. It's had them before, and it will have them again.

Why Now With The Coach Doors?

Edsel Ford commissioned the Continental in 1939. Apparently, he wanted a car for vacation, and Lincoln built a prototype. That one, however, did not have coach doors, it was a two-door convertible, and every single high-society Edsel friend apparently liked it. That’s when all the craze began. However, it was not until the fourth generation that the Continental received rear-hinged rear doors and became a sort of a limousine symbol.

Apart from all of this emotional stuff, I suspect there is an even more pressing matter at Lincoln to decide on producing the Coach Door Edition Continental today. See, the latest Continental, although nice and plush, does not sell that well. Plus, some suggest it is nearing its end. Fast. Now, look, at, say, the Continental namesake - the Bentley Continental GT, or the Porsche 911. Their most extreme versions (like the Supersports, or the GT2 RS) came closer to the end of their production. I believe that the same happened with the new Continental Coach Door Edition. It will be extinguished soon. But before it goes, it will make some bang. Suicide doors in 2018 are that bang. And a loud one at that.

Lincoln Produces Parts While Cabot Coach Builders in A Massachusetts Assemble

Yup, the exclusive Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition is not actually built by Lincoln. The process of its creation starts in Flat Rock, Michigan on the same production line as with any other Continental. Then, a car that would be otherwise ready for the showroom is shipped to Massachusetts to Cabot Coach Builders. There, professionals cut the thing in half, add the six inches in length, install all the Lincoln designed and Lincoln-produced parts, and call it a day. Yup, everything that makes the Coach Door Edition special is built outside the Lincoln owned facility. No biggie, though. Cabot Coach Builders are known for its work with Lincoln cars. All the way back to when the Lincoln Town Car was all the rage.

The Lincoln Continental Coach Door Is Longer

Quite a bit at that. In order to make the rear-hinged rear doors make sense, Lincoln had to lengthen the new Continental. It gained six inches in length, and all of it fell between the wheels. I am sure that the Continental Coach Door Edition has more space in the back than any other vehicle in the class. I am looking at you Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8.

Other changes included the addition of special supports to the rear pillar. After all, the doors are hinged to it now so it needs to be able to carry all the added weight. In total, Cabot Coach Builders managed to integrate up to 150 pounds of new metal, support beams, and other stuff on top of the Lincoln Continental Black Label.

Lincoln Black Label Services Are Included

While Black Label is a sort of a trim level in the world of Lincoln, it also includes numerous services such as included maintenance for four years (including possible changes of the brakes, hoses, shocks, and wiper blades), annual vehicle detailing, and free car washes at Black Label dealerships (90 of them in the U.S.).

Furthermore, with a car like this you will be dining in the best restaurants, aren’t you? In that regard, the Black Label Culinary Collection gives you access to some of the best restaurants in the country.

Price

This is an important fact, isn’t it!? That’s about 25 grand more compared to the Continental Black Label. A lot. Then again, Lincoln plans to produce only 80 units. Exclusivity costs money.

Suicide Rear-hinged Doors As A Cost Saving Measure In The Sixties

The old 1960s Continental with rear-hinged rear doors was actually built like that due to the fact that the development of the all-new luxury car for Lincoln would be too costly. As it was built on top of the Ford Thunderbird's architecture, the Continental could not have been as long as the Lincoln would like. Thus, the creation of rear-hinged rear doors made it possible for it to remain close to the Thunderbird in terms of technology and architecture, but with easier access to the rear seats and with far more grace and mysticism.

Final Thoughts

Lincoln will produce only 80 units of the 2019 Continental Coach Door Edition. As expected, it will appear in Detroit in January, but Ford plans to introduce it in Beijing, China as well. Considering that the Chinese love rear seat space, and this one has plenty of it, I can only imagine that they are actually assessing the market response of Chinese rich folks. Although there will be 80 examples built in 2019, we can expect a few more units for the 2020 model year. Although, it is still unknown how many.

The first models will reach its buyers in the summer next year.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Lincoln Continental 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition.

Read our full review on the 2017 Lincoln Continental.

Read our full review on the 1961 Lincoln Continental.