Serena Williams’ Lincoln Navigator isn’t just a fancy car; it’s really a personal item, something made to be a part of how she lives, rather than simply for comfort or to show off.
A few weeks ago, at the Lincoln Design Studio (a very calm and stylish place), talking with Christine Park Cheng, Lincoln’s Global Design Director, felt more like a discussion of purpose – how the materials, colors and little details can create an experience as much as a vehicle.
Lincoln’s Black Label interiors are already peaceful with their Venetian leather, wooden layers and careful textures. They’re more like a relaxing hideaway than a car’s inside. But Serena’s Navigator goes even further. It wasn’t planned for a group of buyers, it’s for her and her alone.
And that makes all the difference.
For someone like Serena Williams, designing something isn’t about piling on extras; it’s about improving the things she finds important. As Cheng put it, “Our team don’t get to design a custom car for just one person very often, and when that person is Serena Williams, it’s even more special.” The interior is the result of this, feeling solid, deliberate, and quietly expressive. It’s made to fit in with how she lives her life – family, being on the move, the small moments in between – and to also provide a bit of a break.
Working with Galpin Lincoln, the designers turned Serena’s own symbolic choices into subtle, yet important, touches. She’s always liked pink, hearts and roses, but instead of being very obvious, they have been shaped into one lovely design.
A rose, and one of its petals is shaped as a heart.
You’ll find it throughout the Navigator – on the B-pillar, along the back split tailgate – it’s in the details that you don’t immediately see, but that you discover over time.
This Navigator isn’t about speed or a list of all it can do. It’s about the feeling you get when you get inside. The softness of the surfaces, the peaceful colours, and how everything works together to be both sophisticated and comfortable.
It’s a different type of luxury, one that’s not about showing off to others but making a space that feels exactly right for the person in it.
In a way, Serena Williams’ Navigator isn’t a one-time thing. It shows us that the most interesting design often comes from something very personal. And when it’s done well, it doesn’t really need a lot of explaining.