auto.wikisort.org - Automobile
The Ford LTD II is an automobile produced and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 in the United States and Canada. Deriving its name from the full-sized Ford LTD model line, the intermediate LTD II consolidated the Ford Torino and Gran Torino model lines, with the Ford Elite replaced by the Ford Thunderbird. Offered in a two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and station wagon, the LTD II also served as a basis for the final generation of the Ford Ranchero coupe utility.
| Ford LTD II | |
|---|---|
 Ford LTD II S four-door sedan | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Also called | Ford Fairlane (Venezuela) |
| Model years | 1977–1979 |
| Assembly |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size/Intermediate |
| Body style | 2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Ford Ranchero Ford Thunderbird (1977–1979) Mercury Cougar |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | 3-speed Ford C4 automatic 3-speed Ford FMX automatic 3-speed Ford C6 automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 114 in (2,896 mm) (coupe) 118 in (2,997 mm) (sedan/wagon) |
| Length | 215.5 in (5,474 mm) (coupe) 219.5 in (5,575 mm) (sedan) 223.1 in (5,667 mm) (wagon) |
| Width | 78.0 in (1,981 mm) |
| Height | 52.6 in (1,336 mm) (coupe) 53.3 in (1,354 mm) (sedan) 54.9 in (1,390 mm) (wagon) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Torino Ford Elite |
| Successor | None |
During its production, the Lincoln-Mercury Division sold the LTD II under the Mercury Cougar badge, replacing the Mercury Montego.
The design of the Ford LTD II is notable as one of the largest vehicles ever produced as an intermediate, released just as the entire American auto industry began a period of downsizing. In terms of exterior footprint compared to full-sized sedans, the LTD II is longer in length and wheelbase and wider than the later Ford LTD Crown Victoria, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Five Hundred, and the Ford Taurus (fifth, sixth, and seventh-generation versions).
Background
For the 1977 model year, Ford Motor Company made substantial revisions to its intermediate-segment product lines involving both the Ford and Mercury brands. As part of the model changes, several product lines were given midcycle updates. To further revive interest, other model lines were consolidated to reduce internal competition and overlap.
Central to the model revision was the discontinuation of the Ford Torino, Gran Torino, and Ford Elite. While the Torino chassis and body were given an extensive updates to extend the lifespan, the Torino/Gran Torino became the Ford LTD II ("II" to distinguish the intermediate model line from the full-sized LTD). Alongside a massive exterior update, the Ford Elite became the Ford Thunderbird, allowing Ford to better compete against the Chevrolet Monte Carlo (and its various General Motors counterparts) and the Chrysler Cordoba, reducing potential overlap between the Thunderbird and the Continental Mark V.
As Ford discontinued the Torino, Mercury replaced the Montego, as it expanded the Mercury Cougar nameplate to its entire intermediate line (with the previous Cougar becoming the highest-trim Cougar XR7 counterpart of the Thunderbird).
Design overview
Chassis
The LTD II uses the body-on-frame construction shared with the 1972–1976 Torino/Montego. As with the LTD, the LTD II used a full perimeter frame; to isolate road shock from the body, the frame was fitted with 14 rubber body mounts and five crossmembers. On the rear suspension, the four-link solid rear axle used coil springs.
The LTD II derived much of its powertrain line from the 1974 Torino, with one exception; in the interest of fuel economy, the 460 V8 was dropped from all Ford and Mercury intermediates, with the 302 V8 making its return as the standard engine (outside of California). As options, Ford offered the 351M V8 and the 351 Windsor V8, with a 400-cubic-inch V8 serving as the largest engine offering. For 1979, the 400 V8 was discontinued.
Body
Although the transition from the Torino to the LTD II is theoretically a midcycle update, Ford stylists made several styling changes to introduce the new model line, moving away from the Coke-bottle styling that dominated the exterior of its Torino/Montego predecessor. All body styles (including wagons) featured frameless door glass; the 4-door models had a thin, fixed "B" pillar. Like the later Torino models, the LTD II coupe lacked a fixed "B" pillar, but the rear quarter windows didn't roll down, making this model a coupe rather than a true 2-door hardtop.
Though limited funds precluded a complete redesign of the exterior, the roofline and all sheet metal from the doors rearward were given an extensive update. Adopting much of the design language of the redesigned Thunderbird, the roofline was given larger, straight-edged windows (including optional opera windows) and a level beltline, while the body retained relatively large fender flares.
The LTD II carried over the use of the Elite's hood and modified front fenders with a restyled front end panel adapting vertically stacked rectangular headlamps and a new grille. The rear end adopted styling elements of the full-sized Ford LTD. Due to the cost of redesigning the rear quarter side panels, the LTD II station wagon was produced with rear doors and rear quarter panels unchanged from the earlier Mercury Montego line; the station wagon was discontinued after 1977.
The LTD II was produced in three trim levels, base-trim "S", standard-trim, and the luxury-minded LTD II Brougham. Bucket seats with console and floor shifter were available on base- and Brougham-level coupes.
- 1977-1979 Ford LTD II body configurations
Ford LTD II Brougham four-door
Ford LTD II two-door
1977-only Ford LTD II Squire station wagon
1977-1979 Ford Ranchero in Squire trim
Discontinuation
Initially popular at the time of its 1977 debut, sales of the LTD II declined rapidly due to several factors. Nearly at the point of its launch, the American car market was met with the downsizing of the Chevrolet Impala and Caprice. While the LTD II competed directly against the smaller Chevrolet Malibu, the downsizing gave the LTD II a larger exterior footprint over the Impala (with a smaller interior). The downsizing of full-sized sedans by GM was met with success, with the Chevrolet Impala/Caprice becoming the best-selling 1977 vehicle in the United States.[citation needed] For 1978, GM downsized its intermediates, with the Malibu (the direct competitor of the LTD II) adopting near-compact dimensions.
Within Ford Motor Company, the LTD II met a high degree of internal competition from the newly redesigned Thunderbird. While eliminating model overlap between its model line and the Mark series, the redesign proved highly popular, reducing sales of the two-door body style. For 1978, the Ford Fairmont was introduced as the official replacement for the long-running Ford Maverick. While officially rated a compact (nearly two feet shorter and seven inches narrower than the LTD II), the interior dimensions of the Fairmont bordered the midsize segment as downsizing was expanded to intermediate-size vehicles. In addition to slow sales, potential model overlap with the Fairmont (and LTD) led to the ultimate discontinuation of the LTD II station wagon. For 1979, the LTD II effectively became obsolete upon the introduction of the downsized Ford LTD. In a similar fashion to the 1977 Chevrolet Impala/Caprice, the full-size LTD was smaller than the intermediate LTD II (11 inches shorter in length, 4 inches shorter in wheelbase, 1 inch narrower, and 500 pounds lighter), yet rivaled its 1978 full-size LTD predecessor in interior space.
Following the 1979 model year, Ford ended its use of the Torino chassis, shifting the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar XR7 to the Ford Fox platform (longer-wheelbase versions of the Ford Fairmont). The Ford Ranchero coupe utility was indirectly replaced by the Ford Ranger, as the coupe utility pickup segment was phased out in favor of compact pickup trucks in the United States.
After its 1979 discontinuation, the Ford LTD II was never directly replaced in the Ford product line. The LTD name returned to use for the 1983 in the mid-sized segment as Ford renamed the Ford Granada during a midcycle redesign; for 1986, the model line was replaced by the Ford Taurus. After the 1991 discontinuation of the LTD Crown Victoria, Ford ended the use of the LTD nameplate in North America.
Production Figures:
| Coupe | Sedan | Wagon | Yearly Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 87,959 | 94,330 | 50,035 | 232,324 |
| 1978 | 85,289 | 85,255 | - | 170,544 |
| 1979 | 19,134 | 29,430 | - | 48,564 |
| Total | 192,382 | 209,015 | 50,035 | 451,432 |
Venezuela
Ford manufactured the LTD II in Venezuela badged as the Fairlane and Fairlane 500. All three body styles were available.
References
- Flammang, James M. (1999). Standard catalog of American cars, 1976-1999. Ron Kowalke (3rd ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-755-0. OCLC 43301709.
На других языках
[de] Ford LTD II
Der Ford LTD II war ein vom US-amerikanischen Automobilhersteller Ford von 1976 bis 1979 produziertes Modell der oberen Mittelklasse mit Hinterradantrieb. Parallelmodell des LTD II war der von der Mercury Division angebotene Cougar.- [en] Ford LTD II
[fr] Ford LTD II
La Ford LTD II est une automobile qui a été commercialisée et produite par la Ford Motor Company entre 1977 et 1979 aux États-Unis et au Canada. Tirant son nom de la gamme des modèles Ford LTD full-size, la LTD II intermédiaire a consolidé les gammes des modèles Ford Torino et Gran Torino, la Ford Elite étant remplacée par la Ford Thunderbird. Offerte en berline deux portes, berline quatre portes et break, la LTD II a également servie de base à la dernière génération du coupé utilitaire Ford Ranchero.[it] Ford LTD II
La Ford LTD (pronunciata el-tee-dee) è una gamma di automobili prodotte dalla Ford Motor Company per gli anni modello dal 1965 al 1986. Presentata come la migliore rifinitura della gamma di modelli Ford a grandezza naturale, la LTD ha introdotto opzioni e caratteristiche normalmente riservate ai modelli Lincoln e Mercury più lussuosi. Il più grande veicolo prodotto dalla Ford in Nord America per la maggior parte della sua produzione, la LTD fu affiancata dalla Ford LTD II intermedia dal 1977 al 1979; la LTD II ha sostituito la gamma Torino / Gran Torino. In varie epoche della sua produzione, la gamma LTD comprendeva berline a due e quattro porte con montanti e pianali rigidi, una cabriolet a due porte e la station wagon a venature di legno a cinque porte Country Squire.[ru] Ford LTD II
Ford LTD II — последний среднеразмерный автомобиль Ford Motor Company, производившийся с 1977 по 1979 для североамериканского рынка. По своим техническим характеристикам Ford LTD II был схож с Ford Torino, который и должен был заменить на рынке США и Канады. При проектировании модели было решено использовалось шасси, применявшееся в Ford Elite 1972—1976 годах выпуска. Наряду с Ford LTD II это шасси также использовалось на Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar, Ford Ranchero с 1977 по 1979 год.Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии