By Christine Park Cheng, Lincoln Global Design Director

It’s not every day that our team has the opportunity to design a custom vehicle for one person, but it becomes extra special when that person is none other than the legendary Serena Williams. We were honored to create something for the champion athlete, entrepreneur, designer, and mother, and we knew it was incredibly important that we get it right.

Serena may be a longtime Lincoln Navigator brand ambassador, but she is also a genuine enthusiast. She used the winnings from her first major tournament in 1998 to purchase her first Navigator, which she named Ginger, and she has owned several since. Her persona reflects so much of what Lincoln represents: poised yet powerful, warm and genuine, and deeply family oriented. Because Navigator has been so personal to Serena, we wanted to create something truly special — an extension of her world. The result is a calming space that supports her family while offering a sense of sanctuary and reflection.

Designing for a champion

I first met Serena last July, and we worked closely together to bring her vision to life. Our team faced the creative challenge of translating her story into vehicle form — one that honored not only her personal style, but also her values and accomplishments. The goal was to celebrate who Serena is at her core.

The vehicle was customized by Galpin Lincoln in Los Angeles, a partner with a long history of offering customization and personalization options to Lincoln clients. The result is a luxurious one-of-a-kind Navigator that reflects Serena’s individuality, strength, and grace.

My favorite features

Everything about this vehicle was designed with intention. While it’s hard to choose just a few, here are some of my favorite bespoke features:

1. The Serena Rose – Serena shared that she has always loved three things: pink, hearts, and roses. Our Brand-on-Vehicle Design Team created an elegant rose symbol, with one petal shaped like a heart, to merge her favorites together. The symbol appears on
   the B-pillar and as well as on the rear Split Gate.
2. “Keep going.” – When I asked Serena whether she had a meaningful mantra, she didn’t hesitate: “Keep going.” She shared that life has its ups and downs, and she wanted this daily reminder for herself and her family to never give up. For someone at the top of her game, that humility felt deeply inspiring to me. We laser-engraved the quote onto the vehicle’s sill plates, using a custom font for a refined, sophisticated finish. In addition, we etched the birth years of each family member to the sill plates, Serena on the driver’s side, her husband, Alexis Ohanian, in the passenger seat, her daughter Adira in the rear passenger seat, and Olympia in the rear driver’s side. Serena was incredibly moved by the thoughtfulness of the arrangement.
3. A warm embrace – Serena wanted her Navigator to feel like a warm, cozy hug. Color and Materials Designer Christine Wakefield and the Lincoln CMF team created a color combination that delivers exactly that. Clay Court, a warm, rich brown leather, grounds the interior and nods to Serena’s early success dominating clay courts. Above it, Afterglow, a lighter tan, adds a sense of lift and softness, creating the feeling of an embrace. The subtle tennis-ball perforation pattern in the seats becomes less dense toward the center, while Plush Sheepskin carpeting adds warmth underfoot.
4. Sparkle from the outside in – The exterior color, Perfect Rose, is a warm interpretation of our Sunrise Copper shade, infused with a hint of pink and a sparkle effect that comes alive in direct sunlight, evoking stars dancing across the night sky. We paired the Perfect Rose paint with High Gloss Black upper and beautiful satin accents. Satin Rose Copper and Satin Obsidian details bring sophistication and distinctiveness to the overall design. Inside, the theme continues with hand-painted Big Dipper and Little Dipper designs on the center console.
5. Favorite shade of hot pink – We asked ourselves how to incorporate Serena’s favorite color in a way that complemented the overall design, and the team found a thoughtful and special solution. When Serena first opened the center console, she was thrilled to see hot pink lining the storage compartment and the glovebox. She told me, “I don’t just love it — I’m obsessed with it!”

The Lincoln Design team took great pride in creating this elevated one-of-one Navigator, but the most rewarding moment was seeing Serena’s genuine enthusiasm when she received it. Serena said, while clapping, “This deserves a clap, a standing ovation. She’s beautiful!” You can’t script a reaction like that. She is a true class act and a champion in every sense. We couldn’t be prouder to have her behind our wheel.