Ford Panther platform

Ford Panther

Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	1979-present
Class	full-size car full-size luxury car police car taxicab limousine
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Body style(s)	2-door sedan (1979-1987) 4-door sedan (1979-present) 4-door station wagon (1979-1991)
Vehicles	Ford LTD Ford LTD Crown Victoria Ford Country Squire Ford Crown Victoria Ford Police Interceptor Mercury Marquis Mercury Grand Marquis Mercury Colony Park Mercury Marauder Lincoln Continental Lincoln Continental Mark VI Lincoln Town Coupe Lincoln Town Car

The Ford Panther platform is one of Ford Motor Company's full-size, rear-wheel drive sedan automobile platforms; the other is the Australian Ford Falcon. It was introduced for the 1979 model year and has been significantly upgraded since then.

Overview

As of the 2010 model year, it is the oldest vehicle platform in current use in North America. It uses the body-on-frame construction with live rear axle suspension common when it was introduced, but now almost exclusively found in heavy SUVs and trucks. It was introduced in 1978 for the 1979 model year as the response to downsizing of full-size cars from AMC, Chrysler, and GM. As downsizing continued in the 1980s, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick, as well as AMC and Chrysler dropped out of the traditional full-size segment entirely. During trying periods for Ford it was scheduled for cancellation on several occasions, as early as 1985. It has outlasted its GM counterpart, the B-platform which was used for the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster, along with its extended-wheelbase version the D-platform used for Cadillac Fleetwood, until their cancellation in 1996.

The durability resulting from the body on frame construction (which allows easier repair after minor collisions), the cars' low price, and their relatively simple design make the Panther cars appealing as fleet vehicles, including police interceptors and taxicabs. The Lincoln Town Car appeals largely to chauffeur services, and is the most commonly used limousine in North America, due to its ability to be easily "stretched" by lengthening the frame, without compromising chassis strength. The Panther platform is still in production as of 2009 and is currently committed to production until at least 2011. ^[1]

The Panther platform is currently produced only at Ford's St. Thomas Assembly plant in Canada. Prior to its closure on 31 May 2007, the Wixom Assembly Plant was also a Panther assembly site (Lincoln Town Car). Assembly of the Town Car resumed at the St. Thomas plant in January 2008 following paint shop and other upgrades. Ford says they will continue the platform until at least 2011.

Panther Platform Vehicles

Although it has remained in production since 1979, the Panther platform has undergone major changes along the way. There are 3 basic generations: the initial downsized versions, the restyled versions of the 1990s, and the current versions, which date from 2003, when the frame received a redesign.

First Generation (1979-1991)

The first cars introduced on the Panther platform were the downsized 1979 Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis. Both were available in coupe, wagon, and sedan bodystyles. For 1980, the Lincoln Continental and the Continental Town Car were downsized onto the Panther platform. The following year the Town Car became a model line of its own as the Continental name was applied to the Mark VI for 1981. While Lincoln coupes based on the Panther platform were discontinued in 1983, Ford and Mercury coupes lasted until 1987, and wagons were manufactured until 1991.

Model Name	Photo	Years in Production	Notes
Ford Versions
Ford LTD		1979-1982	The LTD name was moved to the Fox platform for 1983, replaced with the name used for the top trim level, LTD Crown Victoria.
Ford LTD Crown Victoria		1983-1991	Production of 2-door sedan model ended in 1987
Ford Country Squire		1979-1991	The Country Squire was not redesigned for 1992 and was largely replaced by the Aerostar in the Ford lineup.
Mercury Versions
Mercury Marquis		1979-1982	The Marquis name was moved to the Fox platform for 1983, replaced with the name used for the top trim level, Grand Marquis.
Mercury Grand Marquis		1983-1991	The Grand Marquis was an optional trim package from 1975-1982 and became a separate line to differentiate itself when the Marquis was downsized to the Fox platform.
Mercury Colony Park		1979-1991	The Colony Park was not redesigned for 1992 and was largely replaced by the Aerostar and Villager minivans.
Lincoln Versions
Lincoln Town Car		1982-1989	Formerly an optional trim package for the Continental, the Town Car became a model in its own right after the 1981 model year.
Lincoln Continental		1980-1982	The Continental was downsized further when it was moved to the Fox platform for 1983.
Lincoln Town Coupe		1980-1981	The Town Coupe was a short-lived 2-door sedan variant of the Town Car; most 2-door Lincolns were Mark VI Continentals.
Lincoln Continental Mark VI		1980-1983	The Continental Mark VI was replaced by the Fox-platform Mark VII in 1984

Second Generation (1990-2002)

In 1990, Lincoln introduced the second-generation Town Car. Going against industry trends, Ford chose not to downsize it any further, instead opting for a more aerodynamic body on the the same platform. For 1992, the Crown Victoria (which dropped the LTD prefix) and Grand Marquis received total redesigns of their bodies; the Ford was restyled to look much like a bigger version of the Taurus, while the Mercury was given the look of a formal sedan. Under the hood, the 4.6L Modular V8 had replaced both the 302 cubic-inch and 351 cubic-inch V8s; first used in the 1991 Town Car, the Modular V8 is still currently the only overhead-cam V8 used in an American family sedan.

1998 upgrades

In 1998, the Town Car was again completely restyled; the Crown Victoria was re-styled to share the roofline with the Grand Marquis, which also saw (less drastic) cosmetic changes. To improve handling, a Watt's linkage was added to the rear suspension (still a live rear axle).

Model Name	Photo	Years in Production	Notes
Ford Versions
Ford Crown Victoria		1992-2002	The Crown Victoria was redesigned in 1998 to share its roofline with the Mercury Grand Marquis.
Ford Police Interceptor		1992-2002
Mercury Versions
Mercury Grand Marquis		1992-2002	Redesigned in 1998
Lincoln Versions
Lincoln Town Car		1990-2002	The Town Car was the first Panther to get redesigned (1990) and the first to receive the Modular V8. Long-wheelbase version introduced in 1999.

Third Generation (2003-current)

For 2003, Ford completely redesigned the frame of the Panther platform, using a design with hydroformed steel. The front and rear suspension were also completely overhauled in an effort to improve handling; rack and pinion steering replaced the recirculating-ball design.

In 2003, Mercury introduced the Marauder, a high-performance variant of the Grand Marquis that was supposed to appeal to buyers who liked the 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS. It sold poorly and was dropped after 2004. Due to very low demand, Ford ended non-fleet sales of the Crown Victoria after the 2007 model year.

Model Name	Photo	Years in Production	Notes
Ford Versions
Ford Crown Victoria		2003-2007 (retail) 2003-current (fleet)	Ford stopped selling the Crown Victoria to retail customers after 2007 Still produced for fleet sales.
Ford Police Interceptor		2003-present	The Police Interceptor represents over 80% of new police car sales.
Mercury Versions
Mercury Grand Marquis		2003-present	The Grand Marquis is the flagship of the Mercury lineup and has also filled in as the current replacement for the 5th-generation Sable (Montego).
Mercury Marauder		2003-2004	Short-lived high-performance version of the Grand Marquis/Crown Victoria. Similar to 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS.
Lincoln Versions
Lincoln Town Car		2003-present	The Town Car is the flagship of the Lincoln lineup and is currently the largest car sold by Ford Motor Company worldwide. Armored version available.

Variants

A 1989 Lincoln Town Car modified into a Presidential State Car for George H.W. Bush.

• The Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale concept of 1995 also used a modified Panther platform.
• United States President George H.W. Bush's Presidential State Car was a modified Panther platform, or more correctly, a modified 1989 Lincoln Town Car with a 460 cubic inch V8 shoehorned into the vehicle during the modification.

2012 and beyond

Ford had considered a new global rear wheel drive platform, which could replace both Panther and Australia's Falcon and Territory. However in January 2009 Ford announced such efforts have been canceled,^[2] leaving Panther without a direct replacement. In recent years, Ford has introduced new full-sized sedans based on the Ford D3 platform as retail models, while the Panther cars continue in production largely for fleet customers. The end of production is slated for 2010 when the St. Thomas Assembly plant producing the Panther platform closes.

The Ford Interceptor concept (Ford D2C platform), debuted at NAIAS in 2007, was speculated to be a replacement for the Ford Crown Victoria, but nothing has been announced.

References

External links

• CrownVic.net
• CrownVic.us
• GrandMarq.net
• MercuryMarauder.net