Ford LTD II
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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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: Venezuela. Ford manufactured the LTD II in Venezuela badged as the Fairlane and Fairlane 500. All three body styles were available.