The 2002 Lincoln Blackwood was a pickup that didn’t want to look like one. Instead of an open bed, it carried a carpeted, lighted box under a power-lifted cover that stayed shut like a trunk lid. Lincoln hoped to sell thousands of them, but the Blackwood lasted one model year before the company pulled the plug.
Underneath, it was mostly Ford F-150. Up front, it wore the face of the Lincoln Navigator SUV. Out back, it had a cargo area that owed more to a luxury sedan than to a work truck.
Buyers didn’t bite. Here’s what Lincoln built, what it cost and how far short it fell.
What the Lincoln Blackwood was
According to Consumer Guide, the Blackwood was basically a Ford F-150 SuperCrew with a unique cargo bed. It seated four instead of the five or six a SuperCrew could carry. The dashboard came from the F-150, while the front-end styling and interior trim came from the Navigator.
The idea started as a show car. Consumer Guide says the original Blackwood concept appeared on the auto-show circuit in 1999. Its neon lighting didn’t make production, but the side-hinged rear doors on the cargo box did.
The carpeted bed under a power cover
The bed was the whole point. Consumer Guide describes a 4-foot-8-inch cargo box with two side-opening doors at the back. On top sat a solid, power-lifted, front-hinged cover that couldn’t be removed and was designed to be watertight.
Inside, the box looked finished. It had floor carpeting, stainless-steel sidewall trim, storage compartments and internal lighting, according to the same review. Lincoln called it a 26.5-cubic-foot “trunk.”
However, Consumer Guide’s testers weren’t sold. They found the space long but not very wide or deep, and it wasn’t trimmed for dirty work. Drivingline adds that the bed offered considerably less room than an F-150’s. It also describes the cover as a permanent tonneau and the rear doors as a dual-hinged tailgate.
A Navigator engine, and no four-wheel drive
For power, the Blackwood got a DOHC version of Ford’s 5.4-liter modular V8. Drivingline notes that this version went into the Navigator but not the F-150. It was rated at 300 horsepower and 355 lb-ft of torque.
A four-speed automatic was the only transmission, according to Consumer Guide’s used-vehicle listing. The truck was also rear-wheel drive only, because Lincoln never offered four-wheel drive. Even so, it could tow 8,700 pounds, Consumer Guide says.
Performance was respectable for a big truck. In Consumer Guide’s own test, the Blackwood ran from 0 to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds. The EPA rated it at 12 mpg city and 17 highway, and it required premium gas.
What it cost
None of this came cheap. According to Consumer Guide’s used-car guide, the 2002 Blackwood listed at $51,785 before a $715 destination charge. The only factory option was a navigation system at $1,995. Every Blackwood was black, since Lincoln offered no other color.
The price did buy plenty of equipment. Standard features included heated and cooled front seats, traction control, four-wheel antilock disc brakes, a limited-slip differential and power-adjustable pedals. Consumer Guide still scored its value as 1 out of 10.
A big truck to live with
The Blackwood was also huge. Consumer Guide’s specifications list a 138.5-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 220.2 inches. It carried a 25-gallon fuel tank, which it needed at 12 mpg in town.
The guide also flags a few known issues for owners. On 2002 trucks, the cargo cover’s latch may not stay closed. In addition, it lists two recalls covering 2002 and 2003: one for a speed-control deactivation switch that could overheat, and one for fuel-tank straps that could corrode from road salt in some states. Dealers fixed both for free.
Why the Lincoln Blackwood lasted one year
Lincoln had big plans. Consumer Guide reports that the company projected 18,000 sales for the 2002 and 2003 model years. Instead, it built just 3,356. Drivingline puts the total at about 3,300.
As a result, Lincoln announced that the Blackwood would not return for 2003 because of low sales. Consumer Guide’s used-car guide does cover 2002–03, though, and lists the 2003 models as unchanged from 2002. Its reviewer was blunt, calling the truck “an ill-conceived, overpriced lifestyle statement that deserved its fate.”
Drivingline sees it a little more kindly. It argues that Lincoln aimed at a market that didn’t really exist. Meanwhile, GM’s more rugged Cadillac Escalade EXT pickup proved a lot more popular. Lincoln tried again in 2006 with the Mark LT, built on a more conventional F-150 body. It outsold the Blackwood, Drivingline says, but never caught on either.
That leaves the Blackwood’s record short and clear: one main model year, one color, one engine and 3,356 trucks, against the 18,000 Lincoln hoped to sell.
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