One would have to be a better approximator of wheel diamaters than I to precisely state the size of its multi-dubs, but let’s just call them boop boop a doobs for the time being.

The Navigator is parked on Clapton Road in the London borough of Hackney, which became famous in the early 00’s as the most crime-ridden street in the United Kingdom. Taking the baton of Murder Mile from Ledra Street in Cyprus, the locale is described in an Observer article from April 2001:

Many of the Clapton Road shootings have stood out because of the levels of ruthlessness and brutality involved. Gunmen have pursued their victims in broad daylight, finishing them off at point blank range in front of streets packed with witnesses.

‘The bodies were still in the car up until midday,’ said one shopkeeper who asked not to be named.

There hulks the big Linc, menacing in the harsh light of a flash fired off at night. And nope, it did not have a handicapped permit on display.

Photo Credit: Máté Petrány

DEARBORN, Mich., May 1 — Lincoln Navigator owners wishing they had Ford's industry-exclusive SYNC in-vehicle communications system, need wish no more.

Ford has introduced an affordable, dealer-installed SYNC accessory kit that allows select 2008 Navigator and Navigator L customers to enjoy the award-winning voice-activated communications system that works with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and digital media players.

Ford first introduced the Microsoft-powered SYNC system on the 2008 Ford Focus. And 11 other 2008MY products soon followed, including the Ford Edge, Taurus, and the Lincoln MKX and Lincoln MKZ. As part of Ford's aggressive migration plan, SYNC will be offered on nearly every 2009MY Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle.

"The company's decision to offer the custom SYNC accessory retrofit kit first on Navigator wasn't casual," says Doug White, Vehicle Personalization Marketing & Planning manager, who adds that original migration plans were to add SYNC to the luxury SUV for the 2009 model year. "Customers and dealers were telling us that we needed SYNC on our flagship SUV and we felt we needed to respond to those concerns as quickly as we could," says White. "They essentially said, 'If you have it on Focus, why not Navigator.'"

California dealer Ed Witt of Witt Lincoln Mercury expects the SYNC accessory kit to be a big hit with Navigator customers. Witt was one of the first dealers to order up the kits in early April. "This product is done to perfection and works just as if it came from the factory," says Witt, who installed 10 of the SYNC kits just three weeks after it became available. "For standalone Lincoln Mercury dealers, the Navigator is an extremely important product for us - an icon for the Lincoln brand. Having SYNC gives us the opportunity to go back to our Navigator customers and offer them a solid system that is absolutely seamless and works perfectly."

For the SYNC retrofit kit, customers must own a 2008 Navigator or Navigator L equipped with the Elite Package that includes the voice-activated navigation radio and rear seat DVD. Vehicles must also be built after December 4, 2007.

The accessory kit, which consists of the SYNC module and related hardware, costs under $550 installed. Installation time is under two hours.

The system uses the existing steering wheel button controls and voice- activation functionality connected with the navigation system, eliminating the need for an add-on HMI or microphone to operate SYNC. Once installed, the retrofit SYNC system is fully integrated. "The hardware is hidden and the system is totally seamless to the customer," says White.

SYNC accessory kits are also under development for other vehicles, including the Ford Mustang.

Press Release on E85

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 22, 2008 - Today at the Washington Auto Show and Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Ford Motor Company announced its hot-selling compact SUVs, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, will become more fuel efficient, more powerful and more connected for the 2009 model year.

Ford also announced that it is expanding its commitment to biofuels by adding three additional vehicles to its E85-capable flexible fuel line-up for 2009 - the E-Series van, as well as the standard and extended-length models of the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. These additional product actions are part of Ford's sustainability strategy, which also includes high-volume introductions of EcoBoost gas turbocharged direct injection engines.

Speaking today at Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Ford Motor Company President and CEO Alan Mulally met with industry leaders and media to share today's announcement and discuss how Ford is accelerating the development of new products and technologies customers want and value. Mulally also reaffirmed that Ford will reach benchmark levels of new or significantly freshened products, delivering a showroom with 70 percent new or freshened vehicles by the end of 2008 and 100 percent by 2010.

"This year, we make good on our commitment to freshen our showrooms," Mulally said. "We just introduced the new 2009 Ford F-150 last week, and it was a hit. We also have Lincoln MKS and Ford Flex coming, as well as a new Mustang early next year."

At the Washington Auto Show, Sue Cischke, Ford senior vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, outlined the company's high-volume customer-focused strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.

"Ford Motor Company is increasing fuel economy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions with affordable technologies for millions of customers," said Cischke. "In the near term, we will leverage existing technologies to achieve those goals, including advanced engines and multi-speed transmissions. The 2009 Escape and Mariner are great examples of how we're delivering today."

LINCOLN'S RESURGENCE STRENGTHENED WITH NEW MARKETING ALLIANCE WITH HIP-HOP ARTIST COMMON

* Hip-hop superstar Common joins with the Lincoln brand to promote the 2008 Navigator model line.
* Partnership will feature multiple levels of advertising, marketing and promotional activities between Lincoln and Common's wide-ranging businesses and his community service program.
* The Lincoln brand, just like Common, has experienced tremendous success over the past year and the joint marketing initiatives will help reach out to new audiences for both.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., November 12, 2007—Lincoln, the resurgent American luxury brand, announced today a multifaceted marketing partnership with a rising star and Grammy Award-winning performer Common to promote the 2008 Lincoln Navigator and other brand initiatives.

"Lincoln is excited to be associated with Common because his success story is gaining momentum at the same time that ours is," said Mike Richards, general marketing manager for Lincoln. "Common has earned many accolades for his talents, yet he remains grounded and maintains a confident, unique style all his own. Lincoln shares these brand qualities and it makes us proud to have Common represent Lincoln and increase our brand appeal among consumers."

Through an exclusive partnership with Lincoln, Common will appear in national television broadcast, radio and print advertisements, primarily focused on the all-new 2008 Lincoln Navigator. The first of the ads, titled "Common," will debut nationwide November 25 during NFL Sunday Night Football on NBC, and later appear on general market and urban schedules. The commercial spotlights the people, places and experiences that shaped his life in his hometown of Chicago. It segues to his present-day life as an enterprising, multitalented individual, continuing to reach higher, yet still deeply rooted in his community. His understated confidence, authenticity, and distinctive sense of style echo the personality of the Lincoln Navigator. The print and radio ads will premiere in 2008.

Lincoln will additionally work with Common in developing other online and offline cross-promotional and marketing programs across his diversified businesses, including the licensing of songs for creative executions for television and the Web, tie-ins with Common's books and hat lines, as well as alignments with his concert tour. Common will also perform and make personal appearances on behalf of Lincoln at auto shows and dealer events, and be an integral component of the annual multiple-city Lincoln Lounge events.

Lincoln also plans to align itself with Common's nonprofit organization, the Common Ground Foundation, and will sponsor the first annual Start the Show n' Bowl fundraising event to be held February 2008 during Grammy weekend.

"I am very enthused and honored to connect with Lincoln,"said Common. "I believe that this union will be creative, fresh, and classic. Most importantly, it's a way for Lincoln and me to give back to the community and people in need."

About Lincoln
Award-winning new products are behind the resurgence of the Lincoln brand. The Lincoln MKX crossover, Lincoln MKZ sedan, and Lincoln Navigator have helped the brand achieve 13 months in a row of higher retail sales, for a total sales increase of 14-percent for the year.

The Lincoln Navigator received critical acclaim upon its redesign for 2007, winning Ward's AutoWorld "Interior of the Year" award in the premium truck segment. For the 2008 model, which is arriving in dealers now, Lincoln has improved the interior even further with the available Limited Edition model featuring two-tone leather seats finished with a black piping. Also, now coming as standard equipment on Navigator are the award-winning THX-II Certified Audio System, the class-exclusive Powerfold third row seat, power liftgate, heated and cooled front seats, and SIRIUS satellite radio.

The Lincoln MKX, the brand's first crossover and segment winner of AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award, is designed to appeal to a new generation of luxury customers. It features a luxurious car-like ride, all-wheel drive capability, a powerful and fuel efficient engine, and it has been recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as a 'Top Safety Pick.' The Lincoln MKZ, mid-size luxury sedan segment winner of the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey (IQS), features a powerful 263-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine and is available with all-wheel-drive. The Lincoln MKZ has also been recognized as an "Interior of the Year" award winner in the premium sedan segment by Ward's AutoWorld.

The 2008 models are currently available in Lincoln dealerships nationwide. For more information on the Lincoln products, please visit www.lincoln.com.

About Common
Common rose to prominence as one of hip-hop's most poetic and respected lyricists. On July 31, 2007, he released his critically acclaimed seventh album, Finding Forever, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and went on to earn him both CD of the year and lyricist of the year at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards. He made his big-screen acting debut in the 2007 action film Smokin' Aces. His sophomore effort, American Gangster with Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, opened #1 at the box office when it was released nationwide on November 2, 2007. His upcoming screen appearances will be in Wanted with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie and The Night Watchman with Forest Whitaker and Keanu Reeves.

Additionally, Common launched a career as an author of children's books. The first, The Mirror and Me, teaches lessons of life, the human spirit, and human nature. His follow-up book, I Like You But I Love Me, was recently nominated for an NAACP Image Award. He also started The Common Ground Foundation, an organization dedicated to utilizing the cultural relevance of hip-hop to serve as an advocate for justice, education, to fight poverty and to increase health awareness among youth in underserved communities throughout the United States.

I'm really not sure why Ford keeps needing to attach celebrities to its ad campaigns — like this new commercial starring NBA superstar Dwyane Wade by the folks at Young & Rubicam of the especially blingtastic 2007 Lincoln Navigator — complimenting the already celeb-heavy "Bold Moves" campaign and of course Toby Keith's Amerigasm that is the new Ford trucks campaign. I mean, the chrome alone sells this bad boy to the urban youth, and the only other demographic I'm spotting is celebs whose "Dream" is apparently to help an urban coach set up hoops for his kids just so he can give the coach the keys to his brand-new SUV. And really, we know that demographic's totally going to give away a Caddy Escalade, not the Navigator. – Ray Wert

Related:
Ad Watch: Run Ford Your Life — It's Taylor Hicks!; Ad Watch: Bold And The Beautiful — Ford's Like, Totally All About Kelly Clarkson; Ad Watch: Toby Keith Plays With His Guitar And Spews Forth An Amerigasm Of Song About Ford Trucks [internal]

Agenda

10-10:30am
Lincoln 'Dreams' Web site presentation

10:30-11am
'Being a Secret Agent' program overview
Track driving instructions

11:00-1pm
Evasive & Tactical Driving Session

1-1:30
Travel time

1:30-3pm
Marksmanship Training
Westland

3-4pm
Travel Time

4-6pm
Martini making
Detroit

6-7pm
Travel Time

7:00pm
Casino Royale Movie Premiere

Related:
Ford What? Lincoln Should Be More Distinct, Designer Says [internal]

AutoWeek runs down the next three 2007 product launches from Ford, gauging them in terms of crucialness in the company's plan for rebirth. These launches are, in order of importance, the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator and 2008 F-Series Super Duty. Get our take after the jump.

1. The 2007 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers.
Plan 1 in Ford's move away from the minivan market. They're neck-in-neck with GM to see who can get this new breed of half-caf SUVs in front of the country's moms quicker. But will Lincoln's MKX lure buyers away from the Acura RX?; and will a set of 27s with spinner hubs even fit on one? Importance: Off the charts.

2. The 2007 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
Considering its latest sales figures for large SUVs, GM — which has beaten Ford to market with its redesigned large SUVs for 2007 — found that better may not be enough in this tough market. They also need, say, cheaper gas and a national uptick in pleasure-boat sales. Still, they need the high profit margins, if not the CAFE credits. Importance: Big.

3. The redesigned 2008 F-series Super Duty.
The big boy. Could start an arms race among plumbing contractors and the electricians who sweat their pipes. Importance: 240V.

Mission Critical [AutoWeek]

Related:
Like OMG, LOLROTFL: The Lincoln MKX on MySpace; Ford Launches 2007 Expedition at Houston Auto Show; Spy Photos: 2008 Ford F250 Super Duty [internal]

If you didn't notice, there's a cold pimp war on, people, and the escalation has been accelerating of late (remember when dubs used to be big?). The guys at Burkitt and Burkitt are ready for the next plateau of one-upsmanship, with a plan for a Lincoln Navigator that's hand-encrusted with Swarovski crystals. A full-sized version has yet to be built — note the B&B 1/6-scale, crystal-adorned Mini of earlier this year — but that's only for want of a buyer with true pimp (or World Cup—level footballer) vision. Anyone?

More at Burkitt and Burkitt

Related:
Bring Us A Crystallized Udo-Mini! [internal]

Holy Toledo! Look at that grillework! Lincoln's 2007 Navigator SUV, which premiered in Chicago today, having received an infusion of more facial metal than a malocclusional eight-year-old in a night brace (who's chewing on wire hangers). Like its Ford Expedition cousin, the Navigator will also come in an extended version that offers 25 extra cubed feet of space. Surprise of the day: It won't be called the MKN.

Related:
Ford Launches 2007 Expedition at Houston Auto Show [internal]