Does Anyone Know How We Got Two Continentals?

"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind) 07/23/2016 at 17:49 • Filed to: Naming Schemes

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Neither of these are the cars Im refering to...

I remember all the fits thrown by Porsche when Aston Martin was going to call the Vantage GT12 a GT3. I remember the tantrum thrown by Ford when Tesla wanted a Model E. I remember the controversy of the Lincoln Concept seemingly taking on Bentley cues (because that isn’t something done industry wide). My question is how we ended up with a Lincoln Continental and a Bentley Continental GT?

I understand nuance in alphanumerics, thats why you can have a C300 and a 300C or a 500 and a Five Hundred. However, with “GT” being an industry wide designation, I would think many would assume the Bentley is named Continental instead of Continental GT. Could AMG have a GT Mustang since “GT” is the name of the car and “Mustang” would simple be a variant? Can I name a vehicle “Type-F” without fear of Jaguar? Can I have a car named “A6 S” as long as the actual name of the vehicle includes the S?

I know automakers put in variations of nameplates for trademarks in order to protect themselves from this type of stuff, but it still seems odd this Lincoln-Bentley situation worked out the way it did. Heritage loophole?

dogisbadob > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:00

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And they’re both FWD/FWD-based AWD too! hahaha

There might be a loophole for very common names like GT, 500, and perhaps Continental, too.

It would be much harder to make a Lincoln Mulsanne, for example.

Urambo Tauro > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:02

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I’m very opinionated about car names, and this sort of thing really grinds my gears. Trademark problem or not, automakers should avoid this sort of overlap. Especially nowadays, when you can easily run a Google search to see if someone else has used the name.

Urambo Tauro > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:07

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I’m not sure what to make of the Continental.

According to the dates on Wikipedia, Lincoln had it first. But Bentley didn’t start using it until the Lincoln Continental had already been dead for a few years.

Leon711 > dogisbadob 07/23/2016 at 18:12

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Is the Bentley not a torsen based permanent all wheel drive system rather than a Haldex? The engine is definitely longitudinally mounted.

Wobbles the Mind > dogisbadob 07/23/2016 at 18:13

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I think Bentleys are RWD biased. But now I need to go double check because I truthfully don’t know which Continental GTs are even RWD versions anymore or if they are all 4WD. I’ve never thought to check on that! I know it’s weird because the Audi Q7 is actually RWD-biased and I believe the A8 is the same.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:13

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Timing, both names have been in use by both companies for so long both companies have rights to it. In the 1950s cars weren’t a world wide commodity as much as they are today so Ford was not worried about a low volume British car using a name of one of their old models. Lincoln was not making a Continental when Bentley started making theirs.

Now if Hyundai started making a Genesis Continental lawsuits would start flying.

MultiplaOrgasms > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:14

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Lincoln were the first to put the name on a production car, 1940 as opposed to 1952 in Bentley’s case. However there was a one-off Bentley 4 1/4 litre known as the Embiricos-Bentley...

...from 1938 that set a bunch of speed records in England and continental Europe as well as competing in LeMans multiple times and as a result got nicknamed Continental by the press. As a result all following fast Bentleys were named Continental.

The Lincoln Continental name apparently refers to the externally mounted spare tire that was commonly seen on european cars at the time.

I guess they can both coexist in peace because the names refer to completely different things.

dogisbadob > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:14

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I think only the Mulsanne is RWD now, and of course the Bentayga.

dogisbadob > Leon711 07/23/2016 at 18:15

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Plenty of FWD cars with longitudinal engines, like many from Audi/VW, for example.

Wobbles the Mind > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 07/23/2016 at 18:21

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I don’t know, not one British Carmaker has called out the wings. Though if it turns into a Flying G then we may see some fireworks.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:21

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Saw a new MKZ the other day, it was as hideous in person as I feared.

Wobbles the Mind > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 07/23/2016 at 18:22

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I am immensely upset with Lincoln and Acura for revamping their designs just when they were getting them truly refined. I don’t like the refreshed MKZ and I most definitely do not like the new MDX.

LongbowMkII > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:29

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http://www.leftcoastclassics.com/1933-continent…

Also there’s the Continental Ace.

Urambo Tauro > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 07/23/2016 at 18:30

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I think the MKZ looks nice, but it’s a lot more boring than what they already had. It now looks like some bland mix of Audi and Bentley, and has too much in common with Lincoln’s new Continental.

Ihatepeoplethatthinktheyknowcars > dogisbadob 07/23/2016 at 18:34

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You are wrong. 40/60 distribution. Including Mulsanne. Bentayga is also AWD only not sure of the distribution on that but I am sure it is variable considering what it is trying to be.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Urambo Tauro 07/23/2016 at 18:35

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It just looks like a cheap copy of Audi design, not recognizable as a Lincoln without the massive emblem.

Urambo Tauro > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 07/23/2016 at 18:39

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Agreed. I’d like it a lot more if it didn’t remind me of something else.

I think that every car name needs to have a particular design language assigned to it, and just stick with that theme. Updating the car from generation to generation is fine, but please let it be recognizable!

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 18:42

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Winged logos are so common the idea of them can’t be copyrighted.

Cé hé sin > Leon711 07/23/2016 at 18:42

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Yes and it’s certainly not FWD based. Perish the thought.

I haven’t the faintest idea about the Lincoln though.

Die-Trying > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 19:13

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wings have been around for a bit...........

jimz > Urambo Tauro 07/23/2016 at 19:16

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trademarks are a bit different from copyright and patents, in that you have to both vigorously defend them, and they can be denied or revoked if the USPTO believes there will be “market confusion.”

I’m pretty sure nobody is going to inadvertently buy a Lincoln when they actually meant to buy a Bentley.

Urambo Tauro > jimz 07/23/2016 at 19:33

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Yeah, I don’t think there’s any real danger of the name being used to steal sales away here.

I wonder what Bentley was thinking back then. Did they pounce on the name once they saw that Lincoln had stopped using it? Or maybe they thought that it wouldn’t matter, since automakers weren’t as global as they are now? Or maybe it was just a coincidence, clueless of what names were being used across the pond...

*shrug* Who knows.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 19:54

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Well Lincoln had it since 1939 and Bentley since 1952. Not sure about the law aspect.

carcrasher88 > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 20:01

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Probably because Bentley and Lincoln Continentals have existed at the same time more than once. See 1958-65 and 1984-2002.

Sam > dogisbadob 07/23/2016 at 20:18

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It’s permanent 4motion AWD. They offered a FWD version of the Phaeton for 2 model years, only in Europe, and only with the 3.6 VR6.

ranwhenparked > Wobbles the Mind 07/23/2016 at 20:32

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Well, Ford used the name first, on the original Continental from 1940. Later, when Rolls-Royce first used it for a Bentley in the 1950s, Ford didn’t make an issue of it, since the two cars were in totally different market segments and unlikely to cause any sort of confusion for customers. Also, Rolls-Royce & Bentley’s sales in the US were minuscule, and Lincoln wasn’t sold at all in the UK, so there was no real conflict. Now, since both companies can show a long history of using the name, without ever challenging each other’s usage of it, they both have legitimate claims to the trademark.