Lincoln Blackwood

Lincoln Blackwood
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	2002
Assembly	Claycomo, Missouri
Successor	Lincoln Mark LT
Class	Full-size luxury pickup truck
Body style(s)	4-door truck
Layout	FR layout
Platform	Ford P platform
Engine(s)	5.4L 300 hp V8
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic
Wheelbase	138.5 in (3518 mm)
Length	220.2 in (5593 mm)
Width	78.0 in (1981 mm)
Height	73.6 in (1869 mm)
Related	Ford Expedition Ford F-Series Lincoln Navigator
Designer	Patrick Schiavone

The Blackwood was a luxury pickup truck from the Lincoln division of American automaker Ford Motor Company. It sold in the United States 2002 only, and sold in Mexico 2002 and 2003. The Blackwood was a luxuriously-trimmed version of the Ford F-150 Crew Cab pickup truck, and was greeted with enthusiasm after its debut at the North American International Auto Show in January 1999. Lincoln's success with the Lincoln Navigator emboldened the company to pursue the first-ever luxury pickup truck, and Cadillac was in hot pursuit with the Cadillac Escalade EXT. But when they arrived at dealerships, the Blackwood stalled while the EXT soared. The Blackwood was only available with a black exterior and interior. The truck bed was redone as a trunk, with a power tonneau and plush carpeting. The box was manufactured from plastic composites but lined with stainless steel. The exterior of the bed featured aluminum pinstripes over artificial burled black wood. The truck was rear wheel drive only. All of these luxury features limited the practical usability of the Blackwood, and stood in stark contrast to the highly-utilitarian Cadillac. Only 3,356 Blackwoods were made in just 15 months of production, with the final models selling well below invoice. Retail price was to be US$52,500. The Blackwood was delivered late, with first sales in October 2001, due to a supply problem with the cargo box, produced by Magna Steyr. Ford reportedly froze their contracts with Magna International for part of 2001 over the issue. The Blackwood was manufactured at Kansas City Assembly in Claycomo, Missouri, through December 2002. Lincoln recreated their unique luxury pickup truck as the Mark LT in the 2006 model year, however they did not repeat many of the mistakes made with the Blackwood—particularly its lack of options and versatility. The Blackwood, Shared components from many Fords, and Lincolns, the Body was from a Superduty, the front fenders and hood were from a Lincoln Navigator, but there was some unique parts on it, such as the bed with a power tonneau cover, with stainless steel box lining. The Blackwood came with one option, which was a Navigation system with a 5" color screen

Neiman Marcus Edition

Fifty special Blackwoods were built for the 2001 Neiman Marcus spring catalog. These Neiman Marcus Edition Blackwoods featured the company logo stitched into the headrests, a leather-wrapped rear-console lid with a 7 inch Panasonic wide screen LCD DVD/Video-CD/CD player with wireless headphones and a cooler/warmer. This special Blackwood was priced at US$58,800.

References

• (March 1 2002) "Magna Stumbles Over Blackwood - Lincoln's Blackwood program". Ward's Auto World.