Lincoln is experiencing a renaissance these days. What was once thought to be Ford’s forgotten child, Lincoln is back with a vengeance. Their new cars are bold, and dare I say this, beautiful. It seems like they finally hired a team of car designers who know how to pen a sexy shape, and not a moment too soon!

Now that the MKS is out and subject of rave reviews throughout the country, Lincoln is setting it’s sights on the SUV/Crossover segment. Their effort in this class will be lead by the new MKT.

The MKT is basically Lincoln’s version of the crossover. It will ride on the Ford Flex’s chassis and share many of it’s underpinnings. But Lincoln will concentrate a lot of effort in refining the platform, something that will benifit any car that Ford chooses to spawn off this chassis in the future. A good deal will be spent on noise reduction as well as ride confort.

We found these pictures of the MKT at a recent test run out in the Death Valley region of California. Though the car is heavily disguised we can clearly see it’s crossover roots. The car sits lower to the ground than a conventional SUV and is a bit more sporty, thanks to low profile tires and large diameter wheels.

Ford has already said that the MKT will get the company’s new turbocharged 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6. Expected to produce around 340 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque, the MKT should be no slouch then as it makes more power than Audi’s upcoming S4!!!  The Ecoboost engine should return decent mileage for such a big vehicle and a six-speed automatic transmission will be standard. All-wheel drive is expected to be available as an option.

The cars should make it’s official public debut early next year, with dealers receiving them as early as fall.

Above: Looks like the MKT is ready to continue Lincoln’s rebirth….

***ALL PHOTOS PROPERTY OF KGP PHOTOGRAPHY***