RE: O.C.C. Builds Mark LT Chopper
(from Lincoln Press Release) Lincoln and the Orange County Choppers (OCC) team unveiled a unique Mark LT Chopper today at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The build of the one-of-a-kind chopper inspired by Lincoln's all-new luxury pickup truck will be featured on upcoming episodes of Discovery Channel's hit series "American Chopper".
Lincoln had the bike created to show customers what the Mark LT might look like on two wheels and to highlight the key luxury features of the truck. The OCC team handcrafted the chopper in their shop in Montgomery, New York over a three-week period in December 2004.
"Excitement had been building at Lincoln from day one just thinking about what OCC would design," said John Fitzpatrick, General Marketing Manager, Lincoln Mercury. "I was amazed to see their interpretation of Lincoln luxury and the all-new Mark LT. The bike really turned out great."
Mark LT Chopper
"When designing the bike I wanted to give it a substantial stance to match the truck. So I went with a wide tank and lowered it by inverting the front end," said Paul Teutul, Jr., Orange County Choppers, Inc. "I really liked the grille and chrome accents so you can see how we carried that theme throughout the bike. The paint color with the chrome really worked great together."
The chopper stretches over nine feet and sits on a 21x3.5 front tire and an 18x10.5 rear tire to give it a beefy truck-like stance. Lincoln's trademark waterfall grille inspired the design of the gas tank, handlebars, air cleaner housing and oil tank. The dark toreador red metallic paint, the light parchment leather seat, chrome accents and Lincoln badges came directly from the Mark LT.
The bike also has a set of custom chrome rims that feature a patented "friction drive" system that tumbles three embedded Lincoln star logos in each wheel as they turn. Raised and etched Mark LT lettering adorn the belt drive and housing cover. The exhaust's sweeping design ends in a custom flare that copies the seat's unique shape.
The chopper's power comes from a 2150cc motor that produces 131-horsepower and 141 ft. lbs. of torque. The motor connects to a 6-speed manual transmission and belt drive system for a smooth and powerful ride.
"We were excited when we partnered with Lincoln on this project bike," said Teutul., "We visited Ford's Dearborn design studio to see the creative development process that went into the Mark LT. The trip inspired me and allowed me to capture the true essence of the truck in this bike. I can honestly say that this is probably the classiest looking bike we've built at OCC."
Discovery Channel’s "American Chopper" Lincoln Bike episodes will take viewers behind the scenes of the design, development and build of the Mark LT chopper. Viewers will watch the creative genius of the OCC team in action as they worked to get the chopper ready for its international debut.
Paul Teutul, Jr., a.k.a. Junior or Paulie, lead the creative development for the bike. With sheet metal in his blood from the age of 12, he spent his summers at his father’s steel business learning all the skills of fabrication that he would later use building motorcycles. In 1999, Paul Sr. recognized his son’s design and fabrication talent, and with his blessing, Junior left the rail shop to help establish Orange County Choppers as a business.
That year, the father-and-son team debuted their bikes at Daytona Biketoberfest with overwhelming support from bike lovers, and they never looked back. With Paul Jr.as the chief designer and fabricator, and Paul Sr. lending his considerable business talents OCC has been unstoppable. The hit show "America Chopper" allows viewers to see this real-life dynamic duo in action on the Discovery Channel.
That should give Lincoln some much needed publicity.
