click image for full-sized splendor
(first posted 2/17/2014. It makes a nice follow-up to the previous post) I was perusing the Cohort which is brimming with amazing new finds, but when I ran into this shot by Eric Clem, I just had to grab it and share it immediately. What a composition; and of one of my favorite cars, no less. Enjoy!
Update: Robert Swartz also shot this car a few years earlier, and left a side view in the comments. Truly magnificent, although it’s lacking the benefits of several more years of PNW winters.
Now I know why I passed on that 1972 LTD; this is the car that was meant for me.
Is that a MkV?
Ummmmmm wow, is that continental kit even centered on the rear?
Could you still get a nylon tricot interior?
Didn’t they call that “panty cloth”!?
I think the “panty cloth” had sprouted fuzz by then (velour).
Oh, that is bad. Shortly after I got my Town Car, I saw an identical Ivory Parchment Cartier in the hospital parking lot. It had gold side moldings, gold bumper moldings, ugly aftermarket chrome wheels and the world’s least convincing continental kit–with a fake wire wheel cover on it. If there was actually a spare in that fiberglass shell, it would have had to have been no larger than 13″. It looked as bad as this LTD–if not worse. My mother was in the car at the time and jokingly asked if I was going to customize my car like that. Of course she knew I would do so no more than I would set the car on fire!
I think continental kits are a great way to make a car ugly. They almost always look tacked on–and tacky–on most any car built after 1948. On Fifties cars they look lousy–with the possible exception of the ’56 T-Bird. Only the faux spare tire bump on Continental Marks II through VIII, the 1982-87 Continental sedan and 1964-66 Imperials look good to me.
Ford added the Continental kit in ’56 due to customer complaints about limited trunk room in the ’55s. But the weight of the CK hanging off the rear end severely impacted the ride and handling of the car. 1957 saw a larger trunk, but no more CK.
This is the only continental kit that ever looked good. Maybe the name of the car is partly the reason, although I’ve seen some bad kits on Continentals
My bad, this one too
+1
That’s no “faux spare tire bump” on the Continental Mark II – the tire really is stored where the bulge in the trunk lid suggests.
That would have to be the stupidest possible spare tyre placement! Guess you were supposed to send the limo ahead with your luggage.
Yeah, I don’t know how that wouldn’t bother just about everybody, at least anyone who wanted to carry some luggage.
It appears to have a fake convertible top too! I’d love to see the rest of this car, to better inventory its tackiness.
Look at all that moss! That’s a Pacific Northwest car, alright. They could have stuck just about any other license plate on it, and I’d still know that this car has spent most of its life west of the the Cascades. The plate suits the car pretty well, by the way. “ACX” is the sort of sound you make when you’re starting to vomit. Since Washington State switched to these 7-digit plates beginning with “A” there are a lot of cars with what I would call accidental vanity plates. The one that would suit car best of all would probably be “AGH1111.” You know, AGH!!!!
And I think Dan’s right about that Continental Kit. It’s not centered properly. I was about to comment on how a poorly-centered Continental Kit might affect handling, but… These big Fords were wallowing beasts even when new, and this car probably has a symphony of suspension and tire issues. Perhaps the off-center spare cancels out some other problem.
The best “accidental vanity” plates have to be the Massachusetts “12A B34” format plates. When the last two digits are “00”, you get some pretty funny ones…
“BOO”, “DOO”, “LOO”, “MOO”, “POO”, “ZOO”, etc. Yes, I have seen many of them on the road!
I have a Florida plate in my collection: HZM 00N with the same two-zeros effect.
I had 1963 Falcon with the plate 632-LUV. Simply random.
looks like it has a custom paintjob too. The shopping cart adds a certain seediness to this photo.
Found this MkV recently. Looks like the same colour unless surface rust comes in metallic. (I think I just answered my own question above)
if you enlarge the picture, it has stripes
I see what you mean. I thought I was looking at dripping rust. Cheers
The shopping cart likely gets more use than the car its in far better condition.
As does the inverted trash can and toppled wheelbarrow.
Is that paint or is it some sort of applique’…perhaps vinyl? A custom, one-off paint job with that much detail and repetition would require hours of taping or a squadron of master pin-stripers.
I don’t even wanna think about how the sheetmetal under that padded roof must look.
I think the moss is the only thing holding the rear glass in.
Zombie moss. Strong stuff, usually grown hydroponically.
I find the patina of the paint matches the appearance of the copper contact of an ink jet toner cartridge, extremely well. Including the simulated ink jet toner streaks on the trunk lid.
The subject car is decidedly terrible – tacked on crap on a clapped out car. But, don’t hold it against one of the top selling platforms of all time. My dad bought the ’76 version at the ancient age of 41, along with his 36 year old wife, to provide their family some space. The GM Bs were a few years away and these were among the more competent and comfortable family cars of the time.
I read the linked rant on the 2-door roof and offer a few things to keep in mind:
*GM had a lot of success with its Colonnade cars, the industry felt the public wanted alternative rooflines, and this was a fairly low cost way for Ford to update a body whose fate was sealed for the long term.
*It pushed the cars toward the roll over standards that were thought to be coming.
*I thought the Ford coupe window treatment was a bit odd at the time and personally missed the traditional 2 door hardtop, but this roof worked and Ford sold a bunch of them. They actually repeated the theme on the ’77 – ’79 Thunderbird and it sold in huge numbers.
*It’s not like the foreign brands were doing us many favors at the time. One of my favorites – the painted window frame followed by the B pillar, followed by an unframed window, which as a bonus has pins through it for a swing out window for a backseat suited to toddlers and dogs, followed by another pillar, followed by another window, that also appears to swing out – for the luggage in the hatch? It may be cheap looking but it sure is ugly. Or dopey. Or something.
I’ll take the Ford over this ’76 Datsun…..
The 1975 – 1978 Ford as Lee and Henry II intended……
My wife owned one of these the turds. Had we a dog, it would have died.
Never take my rants too seriously 😉
Dave, I believe you are in the US South. These Fords wouldn’t have had the rust issues they were notorious for in other regions. The ’73 through ’78 LTD, along with the whole Ford lineup, had to be amongst the worst rusters in the automotive spectrum. At least since the 1950s. As soon as the downsized ’79s showed up, the mid 70s versions, virtually disappeared overnight. At least where I live. If anything, these probably really helped sell the new GM B bodies.
Cold and salt country in Omaha, NE. The ’76 Ford outperformed the car it directly replaced – a ’68 Impala in long term issues in all ways – reliability, rust protection, interior integrity – the brocade in the Impala was shot after 8 years, the Ford looked almost like new inside. Bits fell off the Impala doors, the Ford like new. The Chevy had rust behind all wheels, the Ford had a hidden rust problem behind the side load gas door and that was about it. For rust, the Ford out performed the GMs that came before it, and the GM’s outperformed the Ford after it. There seemed to be a curve where most cars got progressively better.
Our neighborhood was littered with these big Fords, the dealer was 11 blocks away, and one of the few in the area. They seemed to hold up well, and magically turned into GM B bodies in the late ’70s.
Most of my personal experience was Chevy and Olds before and after our Ford. The Ford was weaker in handling, but was strong in quiet and smooth ride.
For a very short period I had a ’67 Galaxie. Turned out is was full of frame rot – like I had never seen. It was such a pretty two-door hardtop that I sold it with full disclosure for more money than I had paid.
The GM B body products after our Ford were in all ways better then the Ford during the ’77 – ’79 years. The ’80 – ’84 GM B cars had problems with engines, transmissions, electronics. We migrated to Panthers, then a mix of Mopar and Fords. Mostly back to Ford at present.
for those times when a Sunbeam Rapier looks just too good.
The Datsun had potential, if they had blacked out the window frame and bodycolored/omitted the plastic over the C pillar.
I know this car! Spotted it about 6 years ago while walking around Capitol Hill with my then-girlfriend. Didn’t look much better then…
Totally correct! The car sits in a driveway on Capitol Hill. The neighborhood is full of hipsters so it is a fertile hunting ground of classic cars. I found this car on a three mile walk along with 7-8 other interesting cars. For those wondering where to find a selection of the Chrysler cloud cars, this is the place.
Touché on the hipster thing being a fertile hunting ground.
Here’s the shot I took in March of 2008 – forgot how extensive that faux convertible top was! Capitol Hill really is a CC mecca.
I’m glad you got this shot. I didn’t feel like walking in their yard would be such a great deal. I kept looking for a chained pit bull. I’ve seen this car for a few years always jammed in to the driveway as far as it can go. My guess is the car doesn’t run since I haven’t seen it cruising around.
I painted this car back in 1996 it was a centerfold in Lowrider magazine
And it was beautiful!
When I moved from upstate NY (where they mine the road salt) to Seattle in 1980, I lived in Capitol Hill. My introduction to the great Pacific Northwest, and its CCs. I still have a clear memory of a perfect Nash Airflyte cruising down 15th. Couldn’t believe my eyes.
that’s a whole lot of sexy right there
I remember the wheel covers below, being especially heavy, and robust. Giving the false impression, this was a durable car.
During his younger days (till about 1980, when I was 3) my father would go pick up hubcaps at accident scenes after the cops had cleaned up (hubcaps tended to pop off) and along the street when they would simply fly off and drivers didn’t stop to get them. He had a full set of LTD wheel covers like the ones above and when his boss gave him an old Ford F150 pickup to drive as his company vehicle Dad couldn’t stand the dog dishes that it came with.
On went the LTD hubcaps that were stored in the old shed on my parents property. Actually made an early 80s F150 look pretty snazzy.
These were notorious for coming off. I remember seeing many LTDs missing hub caps. And seeing these along roads.
I don’t think people knew how to install them. They were very rigid, with no flex. And heavy. So, they were very unforgiving if you used the back of your closed hand to install them.
The Thunderbirds used them too. So, they were everywhere. Perhaps amongst the most durable parts on a Ford of that era.
Those are actually pretty light wheelcovers. The problem lies in the design of the four (yes four) retainer clips that hold them onto the wheel. I’ve collected hubcaps since I was four and this particular cover was by far the most common one in my collection.
At most, I had three of one kind — at that time I had eight of these. My collection was 100% roadside finds. Those days are over, sadly.
Mileage may vary. The major flying wheel cover problems I’ve seen were a ’67 Impala where my friend tried to fit ’68 Plymouth covers. Like a Hawaii 5-0 episode, we lost a couple in the first short drive. Our ’78 Caprice had after market rims with snow tires that would throw the plastic center sport covers off. A set of GM rims solved it.
Those plastic sport covers GM did on many cars were the only major problem I recall. They were prone to cracking compared to metal covers, and when cracked they had a hard time staying on.
The ’71-’76 Bird used a similar, but not same cover. The cover you posted was on big Fords from ’75 and well into the Panther era. Not sure why Ford did that, it was like these became a base cover that would not go away, just slowly faded. Mercury had a different wheel cover that they used forever during the same period.
Runs the vomit spectrum from A to Yuuuurkkkkkkkkkk.
Hope you’ve had your tetanus shot…
I like the continental kit. I like these cars. I had 2 and they were extremely well made and reliable and parts were cheap. Very comfortable. A few cheap mods to the engine and you got good gas milage and power. What’s not to like. The landau 460 version was a beautiful comfortable joy of a car. Mine lasted 34 years.
Awwwwww…yeah.
Be careful, there is an alarm on the property.
As if the decrepit, hard water stained LTD wasn’t enough to keep me from setting foot on the property.
who knew that the man behind “piggly wiggly” invented the shopping trolley.
The conjunction of the nasty-looking, weathered car, the shopping cart, and the alarm sign really make this photo.
The rear was bad enough, but that side shot, I can’t unsee that!
Holy Cow that thing has a spotlight on it…
I like the side shot. No crazy little windows. : )
Someone saved the “crazy little windows” for this Mustang
Wow; I’m speechless; and that doesn’t happen often!
‘Life is random and meaningless… And so are our windows’
– robadr
That is the rare Mustang Brougham d’Lusso. Lido was all set to introduce it–complete with crushed, pillowed velour and Cartier clock, when HFII got back from a trip to Italy and cancelled it on the spot.
The one and only Mark Mustang survived, but its wire wheel covers, wide whitewall tires and crushed velour were removed and replaced with stock Mustang parts. It was then sold off, thus giving Ford deniabilty of ever having built it. “Oh no, that’s just some tacky aftermarket opera window.” Ironically just two years later, in late 1973, the 1974 Mustang II Ghia used a very similar interior treatment to the 1971 prototype–but with no oval opera window in evidence.
Also ironically, the oval “Continental” opera window that first appeared on the cancelled Mustang Brougham d’Lusso was later recycled for the 1972-76 Continental Mark IV!
I’m sure there was also the very rare Broughstang package available. Sadly it sold about as well as its Mustham predecessor.
Do you pronounce the ‘h’ in Mustham?
I kind of like it…maybe as a Lincoln Mark 0.5?
Muzz’m, Must’m.
Help Scott, I cannot comport myself at dinner parties till I know the pronunciation.
Oh, definitely must-ham, because Ford were hamming it up with the alleged Broughstang package which transferred the stallion into an even-toed ungulate. You’ll now be able to be comfortably comported at dinner parties! 😉
Good thing ol’ HenryII put his foot down, who knows what the Mustang might have looked like if Lido got his way
All that destruction work and no wire wheelcovers?!
You know, now that I see the profile of this LTD, my attitude towards it has changed considerably. The owner is having fun with 70s land barges.
It’s a 70s parody, and quite funny to look at. I hope he has “Outta Space” by Billy Preston in the eight track.
The paint job on this thing shows that psychotropics don’t always have the desired effect.
This reminds me of a Lincoln Mark IV I’ve seen with full ‘Gambler’ themed airbrushing featuring movie stars, singers etc on metallic gold paintwork, air suspension and 20″ gold wires not like the little lowrider/hopper wheels on this one. Another difference is you could eat your dinner off any surface of that car.
How you boys like my Big Dipper ??
This car was named the dazzler out of new mexico painted by rob vanderslice i dont know how it ended in washington it was a lowrider magazine center spread
This is the center spread
The 100% shag interior really pulls the whole look together. But am I looking at a Boa Constrictor seatbelt? That’s going too far.
I can smell the mold from here…
LTD? Or LSD?
Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Oh, my. Somehow I missed this the first time around. Clearly someone was nostalgic for both the ’66 Thunderbird, with its cave-like back seat, and the ’55 Thunderbird, with a continental kit. As for the execution, well, the less said, the better.
“The horror, the horror!” 🙂
Looked up Rob Vanderslice on google images and here are the results, not my cup of tea but artistic none the less
https://www.google.com/search?q=vanderslice+paint&hl=en&sxsrf=ALeKk02ygvfBRiuHXz6VfBltKQQHtK1EEw:1582644510723&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJ2veegu3nAhWCoFsKHbwdDsMQ_AUoAnoECAoQBA&biw=1311&bih=642
OH THE HUMANITY!! Why do that to a rather attractive (in stock form)Ford LTD.
Ain’t that the dazzler if it is I know the guy who built it he know lives in Belen NM it was in low rider magazine and orllies lowrider magazine