Those 19-inch wheels on the Zephyr ''play an important role generating a positive first impression,'' says David Woodhouse, who led the design team who created it, ''and these wheels reinforce the Lincoln Zephyr's confident personality.''
Zephyr's color -- a warm golden silver called Cashmere -- was chosen to work in harmony with what Woodhouse calls the ''dramatic'' cabin design.
The side profile is complemented by chrome trim at the belt line, door handles and mirror caps, and the soft glow of satin aluminum wheels. The light body color also provides a strong contrast to the bold, dark window graphics.
The rear bumper surface is nearly flush, Woodhouse says, and that ''contributes to the clean, uncluttered lines. Completing the effect is a lower tray framed by a thin line of bright metal trim milled from solid aluminum. Twin chrome tailpipes set wide apart extend through the lower fascia.''
The horizontal theme continues at the front of the car, where a classic Lincoln grille, executed in chrome, is flanked by wide, jeweled headlamps with projector-style barrels whose lower edges dip into the horizontal turn signals.
Another designer, Phil Simmons, says ''there's a strong European influence in the design theme, but we didn't lose the essential North American qualities. You see that in the way it carries itself -- there's a uniquely North American confidence, a certain swagger, almost.''
Design themes explored in a series of recent Lincoln concepts come into sharp focus in the interior of the new Lincoln Zephyr, says Marek Reichman, the director of interior design strategy, so ''expect to see most of these elements again when the production car is unveiled.''
In Reichman's view, the key interior features of the Zephyr ''are a commanding driving environment and the sophisticated interplay between surface textures, such as satin aluminum, chrome, leather and wood.''