Ford does not build many cars like the Ford LTD: a 4-door hardtop / 4-door sedan (1967–1968) / 2-door coupe / 2-door convertible / 4-door station wagon. with 289 cuin Ford Windsor engine#289, built from 1965 in the decade that gave the world the pony car and the mid-engined supercar.
Where it came from
The Ford LTD (pronounced ell-TEE-dee) is a range of automobiles manufactured by Ford for the 1965 to 1986 model years. Introduced as the highest trim level of the full-size Ford model range (then the Ford Galaxie 500), the LTD moved the Ford range upmarket, offering options and features previously reserved for Mercury and Lincoln vehicles. For much of its production life, the LTD competed against the Chevrolet Caprice (atop the Chevrolet Impala); the Mercury Marquis served as its divisional counterpart from 1967 until 1986. For its first three generations, the LTD served as the largest Ford vehicle in North America. Initially debuting as two-door and four-door hardtop sedans, the LTD range at various times would also include two-door and four-door pillared sedans, a two-door convertible, and a five-door station wagon (in woodgrain trim, as the LTD Country Squire).
In South America, Ford manufactured the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 into the 1980s using the Ford LTD nameplate. From 1977 to 1979, the full-size LTD was joined by the intermediate-segment Ford LTD II (replacing the Ford Torino/Gran Torino range). For 1979, the LTD was downsized; while remaining a full-size car, it became externally smaller than the LTD II. For 1983, the LTD became a mid-size car as it replaced the Ford Granada, with the previous full-size car renamed the Ford LTD Crown Victoria (renamed Ford Crown Victoria for 1992). For 1986, the mid-size LTD was replaced by the Ford Taurus as Ford expanded its use of front-wheel drive vehicles, with both lines sold for 1986.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 289 cuin Ford Windsor engine#289; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 119 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Ford's history is not in doubt: the Ford LTD Crown Victoria (for full-size LTD) / Ford Taurus (for mid-size LTD) followed it; it was built at Louisville, Kentucky. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Silvia, the Plymouth Barracuda, the Alfa Romeo Spider. Nearby in the Ford catalogue sit the Ford 021C and the Ford Escort.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Ford LTD has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.