Ford LTD

Ford LTD at a glance

In the 1cars Ford catalogue the LTD is listed next to the mid-size cars it lived beside: the Ford Fairlane and the Ford Torino.

Timeline of the LTD name

From Galaxie trim to a model of its own: 1965–1968

Ford introduced the LTD for 1965 as the most luxurious version of its full-size Galaxie 500. It cost about US$3,500 in 1965, according to German Wikipedia, and was offered as a two-door and a four-door hardtop. Ford built 206,825 of these Galaxie 500 LTDs in 1965 and 1966.

For 1966 the LTD became its own series. A pillared four-door sedan followed in 1967, together with the safety equipment the new federal rules required, and in 1968 the LTD received hidden headlamps. The same year the woodgrain Country Squire wagon was badged as an LTD. Engines across the period were V8s of 289, 302, 352, 390, 427 and 428 cu in. A test cited by Curbside Classic gives the 1965 LTD's 390 four-barrel at 224 kW (300 hp gross).

Nobody at Ford ever gave an official meaning for the three letters. Theories such as "Luxury Trim Décor" or "Limited" circulate, and Ford of Australia later used "Lincoln Type Design" for its own LTD, but American sales brochures never explained the name.

The big LTD of 1969–1978

A completely new body arrived for 1969. The LTD now came as a two-door hardtop, four-door hardtop and pillared sedan, and as the Country Squire wagon; a convertible joined in 1971 and was dropped after 1972. Engines were V8s only, from the 302 up to the 429, which the 460 replaced in 1974. German Wikipedia puts the North American power range of these years at 105–191 kW.

A major redesign in 1973 brought pillared hardtops, and in 1975 Ford added the LTD Landau as the luxury model. Ford and Mercury together sold about 7.85 million full-size cars on this platform from 1969 to 1978.

In 1976 Car and Driver tested an LTD with the 400 cu in V8 against older full-size Fords. Curbside Classic, which republished the test, notes that the big LTD kept selling well until the end of the decade.

Downsized on the Panther platform: 1979–1982

For 1979 Ford introduced the Panther platform. The new LTD was about 380 mm (15 in) shorter and more than 315 kg (700 lb) lighter than the 1978 car, but kept the body-on-frame layout and rear-wheel drive. Engines were the 302 (5.0-litre) V8 as standard and the 351 (5.8-litre) as an option; a 4.2-litre V8 was added in 1981. German Wikipedia gives 90–121 kW for this generation. For 1981 the car was also offered in Germany, where the 5.0-litre V8 was rated at 101 kW (137 PS) and the top speed at 167 km/h.

In 1980 the LTD Crown Victoria became the flagship, reviving a name first used on the 1955–1956 Fairlane Crown Victoria. The wagon could carry up to 2,534 litres of luggage with the rear seat folded. Ford built 758,513 LTDs on the Panther platform from 1979 to 1982.

The mid-size Fox LTD: 1983–1986

For 1983 the LTD name moved to a mid-size sedan and wagon on the Fox platform, replacing the Granada; the full-size car continued as the LTD Crown Victoria. Engines were the 2.3-litre four-cylinder, a 3.3-litre six and a 3.8-litre V6, with a power range of 65–112 kW according to German Wikipedia.

The rarest version is the LTD LX of 1984–1985, a sports sedan with the 5.0-litre V8 from the Mustang; Ford confirmed that 5,287 were built. The LTD was the third-best-selling car in the United States in 1983 and 1984. In total 647,509 Fox-platform LTDs were built before the Taurus replaced the car for 1986.

LTD versions from Landau to LX

The LTD II: a separate mid-size car

The LTD II of 1977–1979 shared the name but not the car. It replaced the Torino and Gran Torino and used their body-on-frame chassis, with a 2,896 mm (114 in) wheelbase for the coupe and 2,997 mm (118 in) for the sedan and wagon. Engines were the 302, 351 and 400 V8s with three-speed C4, FMX or C6 automatics; the big 460 was no longer offered. The final Ford Ranchero was built on the same platform, and Mercury sold the car as the Cougar.

Production fell from year to year:

Sales fell quickly. General Motors had downsized its full-size and intermediate cars, the redesigned Thunderbird and the 1978 Fairmont competed inside Ford, and the smaller 1979 LTD made the LTD II look outdated. It was not directly replaced.

LTDs for collectors today

To compare an LTD with its contemporaries from Chevrolet, Mercury or Chrysler, the 1cars comparison tool lists the catalogue data side by side. Most LTDs were everyday family cars built in hundreds of thousands, so the rare versions attract collectors: the convertible, offered for only two model years (1971 and 1972), the 1965 Galaxie 500 LTD hardtops of the first year, and the LTD LX with its 5,287 cars. The LTD II, with only 48,564 cars in its last year, is another uncommon find. When buying, check that the engine matches the documented version, because the V8s of these years were often swapped.

Photo gallery