A few months ago, American automotive industry elder Lincoln rolled out a concept called the Star, the first representative of a quartet of EVs the automaker states is on the way by 2026. Lincoln added another concept to the roster this month when it rolled out the L100 at Monterey’s Pebble Beach concourse.

Like the Star, the L100 is a mercurial presence, a glistening metallic expression that is slightly sci-fi and definitely eye-catching. And, as the Star sports a surprise or two that includes an extendable bumper that opens up a luggage cache, the L100 in full blossom is a case study in hidden volume that just might have its spatial inspirational foundation in Baba Yaga’s hut.

The L100 looks ahead further than the Star. Designed as an ecosystem of sorts, it is intended to be a fully autonomous vehicle — which explains the way it defines space, and offers options for it — but it also packs ‘next generation battery cell and pack technologies,’ to quote Lincoln’s press release, which hold as-yet untold efficiency. Interestingly, its cosmetic motif is the game of chess; indeed, en-route game of kings competitions may become a primary pastime on the autonomous highways of the future.

Other creature comforts include limelight…an ‘orchestrated symphony of lights’ inside and out which, using AI and GPS sensors, follow a client around the car. Like the Star, the L100 follows the current trend of ‘car-as-mobile-spa’; lighting, digital floor and canopy all interact meaningfully in the imaginative concept.

And, as the Star had its indication of Lincoln’s storied past — suicide doors — the L100, too, hints at the company’s golden age, albeit more subtly.