2007 Lincoln Zephyr
February 7th, 2006
The reincarnation of the Zephyr nameplate at Lincoln will be short lived.
The Zephyr sedan, introduced last fall for the 2006 model year, will be rechristened MKZ for the 2007 model year. Lincoln says the new name should be pronounced “Mark Z.”
The MKn theme will continue to be rolled out when the recently introduced Zephyr receives some major revisions for the 2008 model including a more powerful 3.5L engine, all-wheel-drive and significant sheetmetal changes up front. When this happens, you can expect the Zephyr nameplate to be once again filed away in the dead badge cabinet for another decade or two and the entry model to wear some manner of MK moniker (MKZ?) on its trunklid. With the Zephyr on sale for a scant two model years, the rebadging is unlikely to cause any significant hiccoughs beyond some incremental marketing costs to establish the car’s new handle.
