- See Ford LTD (Australia) for the Australian-built vehicle of the same name.
| Ford LTD | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 1965-1986 |
| Successor | Ford LTD Crown Victoria (for full-size LTD) Ford Taurus (for mid-size LTD) |
| Class | Full-size (1965-1982) Mid-size (1983-1986) |
| Layout | FR layout |
The Ford LTD was a car model name that has been used by the Ford Motor Company in North America.
The LTD designation is considered by some an abbreviation of "Luxury Trim Decor" and by others as a limited body style classification for the Galaxie. There is evidence that, at least in Australia, it originally stood for "Lincoln Type Design." The original "Car Life" review at the time the first LTD was released suggests that it stood for nothing and was just three meaningless letters (that article also noted it could not stand for "Limited" as Chrysler at the time already was using and had the copyright on that car name/designation). It was to be called the Galaxie 500 LTD, in reference to the introduction of the Chevrolet Caprice and the similar Dodge Monaco and Polara. These upscale models had features found primarily on luxury models from these same manufacturers, but were sold with much lower retail prices. The standard upgrades on these cars were power windows, a power drivers seat, power brakes, power steering, air conditioning, a full or half-vinyl top (called a landau or brougham randomly across different models by the same manufacturers). Another list of upgrades were interiors made of better materials and more powerful engines. Most of these upper trim models were usually all hardtops as opposed to pillared bodies.
In recent years, there has been a raised interest in the Ford LTD. Websites such as the Crown Vic Network (www.crownvic.net) and GMN (Grandmarq.net) have been available to enthusiasts for this platform. Many of these classic car owners have modified LTDs into classic muscle cars or high performance automobiles. With many of them reaching the collectible age, the LTD is seeing a revival in the USA although the LTD name is no longer used as a primary model of a vehicle.
A range of cars wore the LTD badge from 1965 to 1986 in the United States. The LTD name debuted as the highest trim level package on the Ford Galaxie 500(as a matter of fact, "Galaxie 500" nameplates were on the fenders the first year), but became its own model in 1967. The Ford Galaxie name continued for the lower levels until 1974. From 1968 to 1970, the LTD shared its grille, trim pieces, and hidden headlights with the Galaxie XL sport coupe and the Country Squire station wagon. The hidden headlights were removed in 1971, making the grille, trim pieces, and taillamp treatment the only differences in the body. In 1975, the LTD name took over completely, although the long-standing economy line, the Custom 500, remained available through 1978 for fleet sales only in the US and as a full model in Canada. From 1975 to 1978, an even more upmarket model with Lincoln-like hidden headlights and fender skirts was marketed as the LTD Landau. During this period, the model was also sold in Mexico.
In 1977, the name was split and used on two different cars. The full-size LTD continued, but a rebodied version of the Ford Torino was sold as the LTD II. Both offered coupe, sedan, and wagon body styles. This arrangement continued until the standard LTD was moved to the Ford Panther platform in 1979. An LTD Custom 500 model was available in Canada from 1979 to 1981.
In the early years of this body, two grille designs existed: a lower-line one with single square headlights, and a more premium design with dual headlights. The single-light design was most commonly seen on police cars, a market which this LTD and its successors came to dominate. In 1980, the top model became the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, easily identified by a targa-like chrome band across the roof, usually paired with a landau vinyl roof.
From 1983 to 1986, the LTD was split into two separate cars, with the full-size sedan becoming the LTD Crown Victoria and the LTD name placed on a mid-size car based on the Ford Fox platform. The smaller LTD continued in sedan and station wagon forms through 1986, overlapping slightly with the first model year of the Ford Taurus in 1986, the car that became its successor.
The smaller LTD was a very successful car, being the third-best selling car in the United States in 1983 and 1984.
1973-1978
| Third generation | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1973-1978 |
| Platform | Ford Panther platform |
| Engine(s) | 302 in³ Windsor V8 351 in³ Cleveland V8 351 in³ 351M V8 400 in³ Cleveland V8 429 in³ 385 V8 460 in³ 385 V8 |
| Related | Mercury Marquis Lincoln Continental Ford Country Squire Mercury Colony Park |
The LTD was redesigned for 1973. While the new LTD weighed less than earlier models, it was still far in excess of two tons, meaning that agility and fuel economy were both weak points. The most economical engine available was the 302 in³ V8, but was too underpowered. The next largest engine was Ford's 351 in³ V8, which was the most common, if not most powerful choice. Still larger was Ford's 400 in³ V8, and topping the range was Lincoln's huge 460 in³ V8, which gave good power but got less than 10 mpg in city traffic; some examples were observed to be as thirsty as 6 or 7 mpg. In the case of at least some of the 400 models, this fuel economy problem has been traced to a fuel system and manifolds designed to run on methanol fuel, which was unsuitable for gasoline applications. In addition, these engines were choked by emissions systems, with the 400 engine producing large amounts of torque but a relatively poor maximum output of 192 hp.
1977-1979
When Ford decided to phase out the Torino in 1976, they adopted the successful LTD name for its replacement. Since the first and full-size LTD was still on the market, the product planners added a "II" after the LTD. The LTD II was essentially a restyled Torino, and continued until 1979.
1979-1982
| Fourth generation | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1979-1982 |
| Assembly | St. Thomas, Ontario |
| Platform | Ford Panther platform |
| Engine(s) | 255 in³ Windsor V8 302 in³ Windsor V8 351 in³ Windsor V8 |
| Related | Mercury Marquis Lincoln Continental Lincoln Town Car Ford Country Squire Mercury Colony Park |
Downsized two years after its main rival, the Chevrolet Impala, the new 1979 LTD was seven inches shorter than the old one, and four inches shorter than the LTD II. The interior remained just as large as the previous LTD though, and the whole design became more efficient; the reduced width, size, and bulk all led to improved road manners and maneuverability, which had been major drawbacks in the previous LTD. Ride quality improved as well with the new car, as did fuel economy. Originally, the LTD was offered with the 302 and 351 in³ V8s. For 1981 and 1982, Ford offered a 255 in³ V8.
The LTD name went on a smaller Fairmont-based sedan for 1983, and the full-size cars became LTD Crown Victoria.
1983-1986
| Fifth generation | |
|---|---|
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| Production | 1983-1986 |
| Assembly | Chicago, Illinois Atlanta, Georgia |
| Platform | Ford Fox platform |
| Engine(s) | 2.3 L Lima I4 200 in³ Thriftpower Six I6 3.8 L Essex V6 5.0 L Windsor V8 |
| Related | Ford Thunderbird Mercury Marquis Mercury Cougar Lincoln Continental Lincoln Mark VII |
Ford's final family sedan based on the Fox platform, the LTD, and its Mercury twin, the Marquis, were basically a restyle of the unsuccessful 1981 to 1982 Ford Granada and Mercury Cougar, and the popular 1978 to 1983 Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr. In fact, the running gear was identical to the Fairmont, sharing the Fairmont's controlled ride and handling, and all of the virtues of the later Fairmont, including its reputation for reliability. The LTD and Marquis monikers were also used on the full size sedan and wagon, named LTD Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis. Many people mistakenly refer to the Fox platform LTD as an "LTD II," but this is incorrect as the last LTD II was produced in 1979.
Both inherited the Fairmont's 2.3 L four-cylinder, 3.3 L inline-six, and 5.0 L V8 engines; the V8 gained fuel-injection in the LTD and Marquis however. Inherited from the Granada was Ford's 3.8 L Essex V6, which gave smooth and reliable power. The Essex engine gained fuel injection for 1984 in the US; it was carbureted in Canadian markets until 1986. An odd option from 1983 to 1984 was an LPG (propane)-powered four-cylinder engine, but was discontinued due to poor sales and few propane fueling stations. The LTD's final year was 1986, when Ford kept it alive due to the radical nature of its replacement, the Taurus.[citation needed]
In the middle in the 1984 model year, Ford introduced a performance LTD called the LX. It came standard with the high output 5.0 L CFI V8 engine, four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, 600 lb-in front and 270 lb-in rear coil springs, front and rear sway bars, 10 inch front disc and 10 inch rear drum brakes, and a 3.27:1 rear gear ratio with a Traction-Lok differential. The LX model was the only LTD to have a center console with a floor-mounted shifter for the transmission, and a tachometer in the instrument cluster. Roughly 3,260 LXs were produced from mid-1984 to 1985. The Mercury version of the LX was the Marquis LTS and was available only in Canada in much smaller numbers.
Police usage
Because of the sturdy body-on-frame construction of the full size LTD, the car was a popular choice amongst police agencies, primarily in North America, but in US-influenced countries abroad as well.[citation needed] The present-day Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor — although it does not use the LTD name — is a direct descendant of the Ford LTD Crown Victoria.
The midsize Fox-platform LTD was also used for police duty in smaller numbers.
Brazil
The LTD was also produced locally in Brazil between 1967 and 1983, based on the 1966 Ford Galaxie. A locally-produced stretch limousine was also produced.
External links
| Ford road car timeline, North American market, 1946-1989 - | Next -> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mid-sized | Fairlane | Granada | LTD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Torino | LTD II | Taurus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Ford | Ford | Ford | Fairlane | LTD | LTD Crown Vic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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