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DEARBORN, Mich. — The 2000 Lincoln LS is Munich-meets-Detroit. It is young-meets-old, with nods to the Lincoln marque’s 80-year tradition, but with an open invitation to a new generation of buyers, young affluents who tend to look more toward Europe and Japan for luxury cars.

The new LS also is Britain-meets-America, quite literally, as it shares the same rear-drive platform and uses many components found in the 2000 Jaguar S-Type, which is made by Ford Motor Co.’s British subsidiary, Jaguar Motor Cars.

And finally, the new LS is the world–at least a viable, drivable part of it–meeting Rodney King. It is tangible proof that good things could happen if we all just got along.

Other automakers have attempted blending worlds, values and components to come up with a commercially acceptable compromise. Some attempts, such as the 1971 Chevrolet Vega, built to compete against European and Japanese fuel sippers, failed miserably. Others, such as the Ford Taurus, designed to woo American buyers of mid-size cars from the likes of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, enjoyed success for a while.

But few carmakers have tried what Ford is attempting with the Lincoln LS–to create a luxury sport sedan of global appeal, one that will play well in North America, Europe and possibly Asia; one that will impress the young without dismissing older, traditional luxury car buyers; and one that will live up to the Walter Mitty fantasies of wanna-be race-car drivers without beating the stuffing out of folks who just want an enjoyable ride.

Too ambitious? Taking the V-8-equipped LS on brief test drives near Ford’s headquarters in this Detroit suburb indicate that the automaker might have hit its mark. In fairness, the test car might have seemed even more on target because it came with the optional Sport Package–17-inch-diameter wheels (as opposed to standard 16-inch) with high-performance tires, a SelectShift automatic transmission (which can be used in automatic or manual mode) and a slightly stiffer-than-American, European-tuned suspension.

But Ford officials insist that even the base LS, equipped with a V-6 engine and a standard five-speed automatic transmission, will live up to the promises of the LS badge. For true sports-car enthusiasts, those attracted to shifting real manual g ears, the company is offering something special: a Getrag-built five-speed manual transmission.

Still, what was presented here in the LS V-8 is remarkable. The Detroit area has lousy roads–broken, rippled, ruffled, potholed. But the LS V-8 made light work of those unpleasant thoroughfares, expertly damping the most egregious bumps and dips and turning in a stellar performance on poorly designed curves that throw less able cars into skids.

Credit exceptionally competent body construction–steel unibody with two bolt-on cross members and a rubber-isolated rear sub-frame–and a four-wheel independent suspension system, with short and long control arms front and rear.

The V-8 engine–an all-new, all-aluminum double-overhead-cam job–ran quietly an d smoothly–almost effortlessly, it seemed–with no discernible downshifting. I used the fully automatic portion of the SelectShift transmission.

I’m eager to hear what the market has to say.

2000 Lincoln LS

Complaint: The SelectShift transmission is a silly waste of engineering and money. If you want an automatic, get the excellent standard five-speed automatic. If you want manual, go for the Getrag five-speed available in the LS V-6.

Praise: An overall excellent compact luxury car–a no-excuses competitor in the global car wars.

Head-turning quotient: It has a BMW 5-series face, accented by a Lincoln Navigator grille. Seems awkward at first, but it grows on you in the manner of a classic. Exquisitely beautiful and ergonomically sensible interior. Leather seats standard.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Triple aces on very bad roads. Excellent braking.

Engines: The tested 3.9-liter, 32-valve V-8 produces 252 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 267 pound-feet of torque at 4,300 rpm. The 3-liter, 24-valve V-6 produces 210 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 205 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm.

Capacities: Seats four adults comfortably, five with a center rear-seat squeeze. Trunk capacity is modest at 13.7 cubic feet. Fuel tank holds 18.1 gallons of recommended premium unleaded.

Mileage: To be determined. Some Ford tech speculation is that the V-6 will get about 30 miles per gallon on the highway; the V-8, around 25.

Safety: Side-impact bags standard. Numerous other passive (crash protection) and active (crash avoidance) safety features.

Preliminary prices: The tested LS V-8 starts at $35,225. The LS V-6 with automatic transmission starts at $31,450, and the V-6 with the optional Getrag manual starts at $32,350. LS cars go on sale this summer. Early prices are subject to change.

Purse-strings note: A true global competitor at extremely competitive prices. Compare with any luxury sport sedan.