Ford Elite

Ford Elite at a glance

Launch as the Gran Torino Elite

By the early 1970s the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, introduced for 1970, had created a market for affordable personal luxury coupés. Ford's own Thunderbird was far more expensive, priced just below the Lincoln Continental Mark IV. Ford's quick answer was a low-investment design derived from the Mercury Cougar XR-7, which itself used the Montego two-door body introduced for 1972.

Ford introduced the car on 18 February 1974 as the Gran Torino Elite, and the first cars were titled and registered as Gran Torinos. For 1975 the Gran Torino prefix was dropped. Consumer Guide calls the car a "placeholder" meant to give Ford a foothold in the segment; IndieAuto's history of the car is titled "Ford was late to the party".

Design and engineering

The front end was new: two single round headlamps framed a wide eggcrate grille, replacing the Cougar's four headlamps, and German Wikipedia notes they were meant to recall the Thunderbird. The doors, sides and roof stayed the same as the Cougar's, and the rear quarters carried twin opera windows. Inside, it was identical to the Cougar XR-7 apart from upholstery and minor trim.

Mechanically it was a Torino, with a 114-inch (2,896 mm) wheelbase, front engine and rear-wheel drive, and a three-speed automatic as the only gearbox. The 1976 car measured 216 inches (5,486 mm) from bumper to bumper.

Engines: 351, 400 and 460 V8s

German Wikipedia gives the 1974 outputs as 121–160 kW (165–218 PS) and the 1975 range as 107–163 kW (145–221 PS). For 1976 Ford fitted a longer rear-axle ratio to reduce fuel consumption. To convert these figures into other units, use our power converter.

Production timeline

Rivals in 1974

Wikipedia lists the Elite's competitors as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Buick Regal, Dodge Charger, Chrysler Cordoba and its own sister, the Mercury Cougar. IndieAuto's price list for 1974 shows where the Ford stood:

The Ford therefore cost about US$300–550 more than a Monte Carlo and about US$350 more than a Cutlass Supreme in 1974. IndieAuto suggests that this price, for styling that was less distinctive than its rivals', is one reason it never matched their volume. The Chrysler Cordoba, launched for 1975, later sold very well despite a base price about US$1,100 above the Monte Carlo's in 1975, according to Consumer Guide.

Prices and sales

According to IndieAuto, the 1974 Gran Torino Elite listed at US$4,437 in 1974. That was more than US$400 above a Gran Torino coupé and US$300 above the top Monte Carlo, while a 1974 Cougar XR-7 cost US$4,706 and a Thunderbird over US$7,700. By 1976 Consumer Guide quotes a base price of US$4,879, with air conditioning for US$520 and an AM/FM stereo with 8-track player for US$326 (1976 prices).

The car sold better each year and ranked third among personal luxury cars in each of its three model years, with 366,451 built in total. It never caught the leader: the Monte Carlo built about 353,000 cars in 1976 alone, more than twice the Elite's best year. IndieAuto also points to Ford's falling share of the mid-size market, from about 26% in 1972 to 18% in 1976.

Replaced by the Thunderbird

For 1977 Ford reorganised its mid-size range. The Torino became the LTD II, and the Thunderbird moved down to the LTD II platform, taking over the Elite's role; Wikipedia puts it this way: the Elite in effect continued as a reworked Thunderbird. According to Consumer Guide, the 1977 Thunderbird cost almost US$3,000 less than the 1976 model, and sales reached almost 320,000 in 1977, more than double the Elite's 1976 volume. The whole personal luxury segment passed 1.5 million sales that year, with the Monte Carlo above 400,000. IndieAuto gives Ford's share of mid-size sales as about 22% in 1977, up from 18% a year earlier. The Gran Torino, whose platform the Elite used, is covered in our article on the Ford Gran Torino.

The Elite today

With around 366,000 built, the car is not rare, yet Consumer Guide describes its role as largely forgotten. For a buyer the choice is mostly about engine and year:

• 1974 Gran Torino Elite: the launch version, the only year with the 351 Cleveland and the original Gran Torino badging.
• 1976 Elite: the most common year, with the longer axle ratio for better economy.
• 460 V8 cars: the strongest version, with 151 kW (202 hp) net in 1976.

Other American and European cars from the same years appear in our 1970s classics guide. For the company's wider story, see our history of Ford and the Ford catalogue.