Ford LTD II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ford LTD II | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 1977–1979 |
| Assembly | Lorain, Ohio Atlanta, Georgia |
| Predecessor | Ford Torino |
| Class | Mid-size |
| Body style | 2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door wagon |
| Engine | 302 in³ Windsor V8 351 in³ 351M V8 351 in³ Windsor V8 400 in³ Cleveland V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed C4 automatic 3-speed C6 automatic |
| Similar | AMC Matador Chevrolet Malibu Dodge Diplomat |
The Ford LTD II was a mid-size car built by the Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 for the North American market. It was based on the Ford Torino, which it effectively replaced, and used the same platform as the concurrent Ford Thunderbird, which was down-sized for 1977. The 2-door coupe replaced the Ford Elite, which was a Ford Torino derivative designed to compete with the popular Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
When Ford redesigned its mid-sized models for 1977, they replaced the Torino name with the "LTD II" label in an effort to convince consumers that they were offering a car that combined the quality of the full-size Ford LTD with the sportiness of the Ford Mustang II. While 1977 sales were reasonably strong, they dropped dramatically for 1978 and 1979 in the face of newly downsized intermediate models from General Motors, as well as the new Dodge Diplomat and Chrysler LeBaron. A two-door coupe and four-door sedan were available in all three model years, and a four-door station wagon was offered for 1977 only. It was also the platform for the final Ford Ranchero.
The LTD II was not directly replaced in the Ford lineup; Ford downsized its full-size Ford LTD for 1979, with dimensions very similar to the mid-size LTD II. The 1980 Granada effectively took its place as the mid-size offering, until 1983 when Ford re-named its full-size cars Crown Victoria and a new mid-size LTD was introduced based on the Fox platform.
Engine choices were all V8s; the 5.0 L 302 Windsor, the 5.8 L 351M, the 5.8 L 351 Windsor, or the 6.6 L 400 Cleveland. The 400 was not available in 1979. The 302 was not available in California.
This article about an automobile produced after 1975 is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
