Ford LTD
The Ford LTD is a car model name that has been used by the Ford Motor Company both in North America and Australia.
The origins of the name are obscure. Many believe it to be just a contraction of Limited, but Ford Australia is said to claim it means Lincoln Type Design. Still others claim it means Lincoln-Thunderbird Division, but Ford never had such a division and the LTD was neither a Lincoln nor a Thunderbird.
North America
A luxury range of large cars wore the LTD badge from 1966 to 1991 in the United States. The LTD name debuted as a high-line option package on the Galaxie 500, but became a separate model for 1967. The Ford Galaxie name continued for the lower levels. In 1974, the LTD name took over completely. The LTD often shared its grille and trim pieces with the Galaxie XL sport coupe and the Country Squire station wagon. An even more upmarket model with Lincoln-like hidden headlights and fender skirts was marketed as the LTD Landau for 1975-78. During this period, the model was also sold in Mexico.
In 1977, the name was split and used on two different car lines. The full-size LTD continued, but a rebodied version of the Ford Torino was sold as the LTD II. Both offered coupe, sedan, and wagon body styles. This arrangement continued until the standard LTD was downsized onto the Ford Panther platform in 1979.
In the early years of this body, two grille designs existed--a lower-line one with single square headlights and a more premium design with duals. The single-light design was most commonly seen on police cars, a market which this LTD and its successors came to dominate. In 1980, the top model became the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, easily identified by a targa-like chrome band across the roof, usually paired with a landau vinyl roof. The LTD nameplate was then moved to a mid-size car based on the Ford Fox platform. This car continued in sedan and wagon form through 1987, overlapping slightly with the Ford Taurus, which essentially replaced it. The final LTD Crown Victoria coupes were produced for 1987, and sedans and wagons only continued through 1991. When the car was reskinned for 1992, only a sedan was produced as simply the Ford Crown Victoria.
Australia
In Australia, the LTD name adorned a luxurious, long-wheelbase version of the Ford Falcon from 1971 and is favoured by government officials there. After numerous incarnations, it remains in production.
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