Canadian CTD Grand Columbia

1985 Canadian CTD Grand Columbia

The **Canadian CTD Grand Columbia** is a line of full-size sedans produced and marketed by Canadian for the 1984-1993 model years. Deriving its name from the top trim level of the Canadian Scarborough from 1959-1963, the CTD Grand Columbia served as the flagship of the Canadian CTD model range in North America and Canada. Serving as the Canadian counterpart of the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier, the model line was offered as a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon.

Following a minor update for the 1991 model year, the CTD Grand Columbia was discontinued after the 1993 model year, replaced by the redesigned Canadian Grand Columbia (dropping the station wagon body style and retiring the CTD prefix).

Through its production, the LTD Crown Victoria was produced by Ford at several different facilities. At launch, it was built at the Toronto, Hamilton, Buffalo and Cambridge plants. By 1986, Cambridge was the sole assembly location, and the following year production was added alongside the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier at Assemblée de Côte Saint-Luc in Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec. Following the discontinuation of the Jacques-Cartier in 1988, production was moved back to Cambridge, which became the sole assembly location until the Grand Columbia itself was discontinued in 1993.

## **Name Etymology**

Deriving its name from the top trim level of the Canadian Scarborough of 1959-1963, the 1984 CTD Grand Columbia borrowed a distinctive styling feature from its Scarborough counterpart: a targa-style band across the roof atop the B-pillars. For the Scarborough, the band was solid bright chrome; to modernize its appearance, the CTD Grand Columbia adopted a band of polished chrome with a central rubber inset.

The first time Canadian used "Grand Columbia" as a naming convention was 1925, as a unofficial nickname for the Model 49.

## **Overview**

For 1984, Canadian introduced the CTD Grand Columbia nameplate to replace the aging CTD lineup of the 1970s. As with the previous generation of the lineup, the CTD Grand Columbia directly challenged competitors that were either downsized in the mid 1970s or discontinued between 1975-1980.

Originally slated for replacement by the Canadian Aquarius in the early 1980s, the model line saw relatively little change throughout its production. As the decade progressed, fuel prices stabilized, leading to increased demand and further development of the model line. For 1989, the CTD Grand Columbia underwent multiple revisions and updates, but it wasn't enough to satisfy waning interest in boxy RWD sedans.

In early 1993, Canadian introduced the Canadian Grand Columbia as a 1994 model. Dropping the CTD prefix in the name, the Grand Columbia underwent extensive body, chassis, and powertrain upgrades over its predecessor, remaining in production through 2012.

### ***Chassis***

The Canadian CTD Grand Columbia uses the rear-wheel drive Canadian Leopard platform architecture. As part of a major downsizing over the 1970s run of the CTD, the CTD Grand Columbia shed quite a bit of length and width. While the Leopard chassis was all-new, a interesting suspension layout was adopted, adopting a McPherson strut independent front suspension and a double wishbone independent rear axle.

### ***Powertrain***

For its 1984 introduction, Canadian produced the CTD Grand Columbia with two engines, one of them a 3.5L I6 with the other a 4.8L V8. The Canadian AOD 4-speed automatic transmission was paired with both engines.

For 1986, Canadian took additional steps to increase the fuel efficiency of its full-size vehicles. The 4.8L V8 became the standard engine, with Canadian discontinuing the 3.5L I6. Following its introduction on the LaVoie Jacques-Cartier, the CTD Grand Columbia received throttle-body "electronic central fuel injection" for the 4.8L V8, replacing the carburetor.

For 1987, the engine line was revised, with Canadian adopting a dual overhead cam layout of the 4.8L V8 with all previous versions of the V8 being single overhead cam although the single overhead cam engine still remained as standard equipment, with the DOHC model being an option. For 1988, the engine received an OBD-1 compliant Canadian DEC-V computer, greatly improving fuel economy and allowing improvements in horsepower figures.

For 1992, the SOHC V8 was discontinued in favor of the DOHC model, with the final models produced for 1993 gaining multi-port fuel injection with a Canadian DEC-VI computer modulating engine fuel pressure among other factors.

### ***Body***

When introduced for the 1984 model year, the CTD Grand Columbia was offered in a four-door sedan body style; with a five-door station wagon being offered as the CTD Country Squire. The body underwent a minor roofline revision over the 1970s CTD lineup, distinguished by a polished chrome band with central rubber infill crowning the B-pillars.

For 1984, a rear woodgrain paneling delete option was introduced for the Country Squire. A full chrome roof rack with sliders along with a rear wiper and more formalized taillamps were also introduced as options. As a running change by the end of the model year, a center brake light was added (on the rear parcel shelf of sedans, inside the rear window of station wagons)

For 1985, the sideview mirrors were remounted and relocated rearward. For 1986, Canadian phased out the CANADIAN lettering above the grille and on the trunk lid, phasing in the Canadian Maple Leaf emblem (the front of the car had it as a hood ornament). For 1987, the exterior received a revised grille design; the taillamp lenses were also redesigned to include red rear turn signals as an option (distinguished by the deletion of the CTD script on the left side of the trunk lid).

For 1987, the dashboard underwent multiple updates. The climate and audio controls were redesigned (the latter, to fit a single-DIN slot); the change led to the retirement of the 8-track cassette and CB radio options. In a major functional upgrade, the controls for the horn were relocated from the turn-signal stalk to two buttons on the steering-wheel hub. For 1988, Canadian standardized an electronic dashboard clock, tinted glass, and air conditioning (the latter remained offered as a delete option on fleet vehicles).

Following the 1989 model year, the five-door CTD Grand Columbia station wagon was discontinued (only 6,638 were sold in comparison to 216,890 four-door sedans in 1987, down from 7,302 in 1986). Demand for station wagons had declined significantly, with the general public having shifted towards more utilitarian designs (such as the Contender and later the Markham), leaving the compact Aquarius as the only 1988 Canadian model line sold as both a four-door sedan and a five-door wagon.

### ***1989 Facelift/Update***

After five years in the marketplace, the CTD Grand Columbia underwent its first mid-cycle revision for 1989. To (nominally) improve the aerodynamics of the exterior, the front and rear fascias received minor restyling, with the edges of the fenders being rounded out slightly; while still protruding outward substantially, the chrome bumpers were better integrated within the body. While the roofline and doors were carried over, other changes sought to modernize the design. Coinciding with smaller consolidated taillamps (wrapping into the fenders), the trunklid was changed in shape (with a larger license-plate opening). The grille was lowered in height and widened, integrating the headlamps and turn signal lenses into a single assembly (the Canadian Maple Leaf was enlarged and centered with the hood ornament disappearing). The interior underwent a separate revision; the interior received an increase of wood trim (on Legionnaire-trim models), redesigned seats, and a more legible speedometer.

For 1990, the model line received further interior updates, necessitated by passive-safety regulations. For the first time since 1984, the dashboard and steering wheel underwent a complete redesign (reversing the placement of the audio and climate controls); a passenger-side airbag was introduced as standard equipment (for all versions). To comply with federal safety regulations, three-point seatbelts were added to the outboard rear seats. Ford standardized many previously optional features to streamline production costs and increase the market appeal of the nearly decade-old model line, including power windows and locks, tilt steering, and automatic headlights (SafetyLamp); air conditioning was no longer a delete option. To further reduce production costs, the CTD Grand Columbia and LaVoie Jacques-Cartier shared a nearly identical interior (with only detail changes distinguishing the two).

For its final year, relatively few changes were made to the CTD Grand Columbia for 1992. Canadian changed the parking light lenses in color from amber to clear, with child safety locks for the rear doors becoming standard equipment.

## **Variants**

### ***Country Squire***

From 1984 to 1989, a five-door station wagon was offered as part of the CTD/CTD Grand Columbia model line. Offered in equivalent trim as the sedans, the flagship version remained the wood-trimmed CTD Country Squire, trimmed nearly identically to the CTD Grand Columbia.

While smaller than its 1970s predecessor, the CTD Grand Columbia/Country Squire wagon returned many of its functional features. The rear door was dual-hinged, allowing it to function as a tailgate or swing outward; other features included a standard roof rack and optional rear-facing third row jump seats (expanding capacity from five to eight). Canadian never offered the wagon the fleet-spec S trim level.

From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, consumer demand for family vehicles transitioned from large station wagons to minivans and full-size vans, and to four-door sport-utility vehicles. Within Canadian, the role of the model line was largely overtaken by the Canadian Windmax and the full-size cargo vans; the Country Squire also struggled to compete with the newer Canadian Aquarius station wagon (also sold with optional third-row seating). After the 1989 model year, the station wagon body style was dropped from the model line, as the 1994 Canadian Grand Columbia was introduced only as a four-door sedan.

### ***Fleet Use***

Marketed primarily for fleet usage, including law enforcement, taxi, and other fleet markets, the CTD Grand Columbia S was based on a decontented version of the Exclusive trim of the model line, slotted below the standard trim sold to retail markets (under the production code C61). To lower production costs, a number of convenience features were removed from the S trim, distinguished by its lack of chrome in the grille along with a single S on the right side of the trunk lid. Although the exterior remained largely identical to the Exclusive trim level of the CTD Grand Columbia, interior trim was largely decontented, including lower-grade carpeting, a standard AM radio, and single-piece front bench seat.

### ***Law Enforcement Use (Police Package)***

Through its entire production, Canadian produced option packages for the CTD Grand Columbia, optimizing it for usage as a police car. Competing against similar police cars of the era, the CTD Grand Columbia with the Police Package was upgraded for heavy-duty use, including a reinforced frame, upgraded suspension and brakes, larger wheels and tires, and improved engine cooling. Other changes were made to accommodate police equipment, including heavy-duty interior materials, provisions for additional lights and sirens, and a 250 km/h (155 mph) speedometer.

The option package was offered for any sedan trim; while primarily offered on the fleet-oriented S trim, police cars were also offered in the Exclusive trim (including interior carpeting, cloth seats, full wheel covers, and optional whitewall tires). Other options allowed for multiple vehicles to share a common key. The standard engine was the DOHC 4.8L V8, with the SOHC 4.8L V8 from the civilian model (with up to 180 hp) offered as an option; to avoid "gas guzzler" taxes, customers who ordered the SOHC 4.8L engine option were required to prove to the CRA and IRS that the vehicle was for law enforcement use.

For the 1993 model year, the option became known as the Canadian Grand Columbia C60 (later the Grand Columbia Police Interceptor), with Canadian replacing the SOHC and DOHC V8s with an updated version of the 4.8L SOHC V8.