2017 Lincoln Continental

The Continental nameplate dated back to the pre-WW2 years at Lincoln and had been in continuous use from 1956 to the first years of the new millennium, when it was discontinued. That last generation shared Ford's FN9 platform with the Taurus and Mercury Sable but when annual sales dipped below the 30,000 unit mark and kept trending downward, the decision was made that the 2002 model year would be the last.

After a decade and a half's hiatus, though, there was once again a new Continental available at Lincoln dealers for 2017. This time around it was based on the corporate CD4 platform used by the MKZ and the Ford Fusion, with the wheelbase given a five and a half inch stretch to 117.9".

It came in three trim levels ranging from Premiere, through Select, to Reserve. All three were powered by a range of V6 engines.

There was the base 3.7L DOHC 24V Cyclone V-6, making 305 SAE net horsepower, with optional 2.7L and 3.0L twin-turbo V-6s putting out 335 and 400 ponies, respectively. (The latter two motors were based on the EcoBoost family, but Lincoln did not use that plebeian-sounding name.) Continentals could be had in either front- or all-wheel drive configurations. The 20" rims on the White Platinum Metallic one in the photo were optional on Select and Reserve trim levels.

When Car and Driver tested a 2017 Continental Reserve with the 3.0 turbo and AWD, it cracked off a respectable zero-to-sixty run of five seconds flat and blistered the quarter in 13.5 at 106mph. Top speed was governor-limited to 147 and it managed to circle the skidpad at 0.84g, which isn't great, but this is a 4,555 lb long wheelbase luxobarge, so... At any rate, the acceleration numbers would have been legit supercar territory in the Eighties or Nineties.

Price as tested was $66,535m which would come to just shy of $87k in 2025.

This one was snapped with an Olympus PEN E-P5 and M. Zuiko Digital 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens in April of 2025.

2017 Mercedes-Benz S550 Cabrio

There have been coupe versions of the big Mercedes-Benz S-class sedans since the C126 380SEC debuted back in the late 1981. They didn't hit US shores officially, though, until the 1984 model year, when the 500SEC went on sale here.

However, apparently leery of poaching sales away from the halo SL-class, there was never a convertible S-class coupe until the C217 cabrio made its appearance for the 2015 Benz lineup.

The S550 coupe and cabriolet replaced the luxo C216 CL coupes. Priced at a bougie $132 grand even before you get jiggy wit' the option sheet, the two-and-a-third ton ragtop was powered by a twin-turbo intercooled 32V DOHC direct-injection 5.5L V-8 putting out 449 SAE net horsepower through a 9-speed auto.

The example tested by Car and Driver (with the optional $5900 Sport Package) launched to sixty in 4.4 seconds and dispatched the quarter in thirteen seconds flat at 110mph. The engine's governor ensures you won't get a ticket for more than 132 in a 55. Impressively, all that heft went 'round a skidpad at 0.88g and stopped from seventy in 164 feet.

The example in the photo was snapped with a Fujifilm X-T2 and XF 16-80mm f/4 R WR OIS zoom lens in October of 2024.

2017 Fiat 500e

Here's an unusual sighting this far east. The original U.S. market Fiat 500e battery electric vehicles were solely imported to meet California mandates for zero-emissions vehicles and were only ever offered for sale in California and Oregon, the two states with the largest percentage of electric vehicle sales. They weren't even advertised outside of those two states, probably because Fiat supposedly lost more than ten grand on each sale.

The front wheels are turned by a 111 horsepower electric motor, powered by a 24-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. With an EPA claimed range of 84 miles, one can assume that the car wasn't driven here to Indianapolis from the west coast, or if it was, the driver had a lot of time on their hands and a heck of an extension cord.

Car and Driver tested a 2013 500e and noted an 8.4 second zero-to-sixty time and an elapsed time of 16.7 seconds in the quarter and an 80mph trap speed. Sticker price for 2017 was nudging $34,000 which is a lot for such a narrow focus car, if you ask me. It's sure adorable, though.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in November of 2024.