The automotive brougham is an American construct. And although the Great Brougham Epoch is officially over, that’s not to say that they aren’t still available. This 2014 Brougham at your local dealer hits most of the key notes, except maybe the vinyl roof, which not all Broughams had even back in the day. It’s big, long and has four doors; there’s the big, flashy, vertical chrome grille; bright flashy wheels; two tone brown paint; a big V8; and most of all, that all-American swagger. Even plenty of fake wood on the inside, if not crushed velour. Close enough…Surely you recognize a 2104 Brougham when you see one?
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My thoughts.
Agreed. My ’12 F-150 Lariat Supercrew isn’t quite as flashy as above. After owning it for a few days and marveling at how quiet and smooth it is, I felt like I was driving the spiritual successor to the ’65 Continental. Being black and having a tonneau cover, which gives it a very sedan like appearance, adds to the effect.
It’s way too much car for many applications. We use it almost like a special occasion vehicle – pulling the boat with the family on board, and yes, hauling clients around for work.
I’d argue the Expedition, Suburban, Escalade and a few others fall into the modern brougham class.
2104 Brougham? I suspect it will literally ‘float on clouds’!
Yep, that’s it, today’s luxury barge. If your tastes run a little more wild and rugged, or at least you want people to think so, there’s…
RAPTOR
“Muscle Car” of the future. People will bitch about how much gas they guzzled and how they didn’t turn worth a damn, but hey, how about that acceleration!
They’ll go on about skipping across the the great outdoors @ 70mph….
There was that fun factor
It’s true, trucks have taken over most of the market space occupied by big sedans. An even better example would be the Lincoln Mark LT. You can still go to a Lincoln dealer and get an enormous, body on frame, leather lined, V8 powered, chrome bedazzled vehicle…it’s just going to have a little bed on the back.
I am fairly certain the LT was discontinued in the US as of about five years ago. Mexico Lincoln dealers still carry them but not up here.
Yup, according to Wikipedia it was dropped after 2008 in the US.
You can still get the Navigator, though, which has all the other attributes except the bed.
I realized that right after I posted. The wiki brief was confusing initially. Also I saw a couple of them recently so they were on my mind.
But it still holds, especially if you include the Navigator, Escalade, Tahoe, etc.
The Platinum trim level on the F-Series is the undisputed successor to the Mark LT, and I’ve seen plenty of them around. Seems people would rather buy a super-fancy Ford pickup than be laughed at for driving a Lincoln pickup. Still, it’s exactly the same model sold in Mexico, except with a rather awkward baleen-whale grille.
To my eyes, that is just so grossly tasteless I find it challenging to believe there is a realistic market for it or its non Brougham siblings.
This example is tasteless and costs about as much as I paid for my first house in 1998. Yes, Ford is offering up a huge truck that is arguably overkill.
Not all F-250’s are this garish and there is a distinct market for the F-250, mainly to fleets. This is the “everything except a butt-wiper” edition. The upside of these is that they can pull a heck of a large trailer. The local Ford dealer will usually have a fraction of the inventory in this top-level trim.
I could be accused of being guilty to falling victim, but this one is a half-ton F-150 and not purchased new. It has been surprisingly handy to have despite all appearances, acting as tree-puller, snow plow (just this week), and has pulled a sizable trailer quite a few times.
The other day Yahoo had an article stating the F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the US for 37 years straight.
The size of the ’90’s era Ford trucks is much preferable to these.
These $60,000 ‘work trucks’ only get used for real work when they are about 5 years old and get bought for 30 cents on the dollar. Way too often I see these pulling silly little trailers full of junk because the owners don’t want to scratch the bed of their new truck.
Yep missed a great photo of just that a Ram dually diesel pulling a 6×4 trailer to the dump hillarious
I saw a black one used as a bridal car at a country wedding last year. In Australia!
What? The butt-wiper option isn’t available any more? Cancel my oder!
Hold your horses, there’s a bidet on the option list now. It’s mounted way in the back of the cab. I see the rear windows have privacy-glass, so no harm done to the passers-by.
In all fairness we are comparing an F-150 to the much larger F-250. I agree this thing is massive over the top, but it’s not your average daily driver like the F-150
Thank you. For my purposes the F-150 is much more practical than the F-250.
Here in flyover country, there are plenty of guys who use an F-250 or other 3/4 truck as a DD. It’s not usually the top-of-the-line model, but still.
I was thinking the same when reading all the Broughaminess yesterday. Thanks to Cafe and other things the brougham sedan of yesterday has been replaced by the high end Pickup or SUV. Just instead of the word Brougham being used it is replaced by some 3 letter designation which usually includes the letter S and/or L somewhere. This also includes cars. Just like Buick and a few others used another word such as Limited in the 70’s and 80’s to designate there top drawer model a few manufacturers do deviate from the norm.
Wonder if the percentage of “Brougham” Pickups and SUV’s sold last year is close to the same percentage of what the old Brougham Sedans were selling in there day in comparision to the market. The sad part is with the systems today a modern 82 Olds 98 Regency Brougham with an up to date drivetrain would probably get at least 5 MPG better than a GMC SLT Crew Cab does now and you would have a trunk and a slightly better ride.
The true fancy brougham-y trucks say things like “King Ranch”, “Denali”, and “1794” (Toyota’s fancy package). Baseball glove leather interior anyone?
You do get a proper Brougham in the traditional US mould from Chevrolet of all people just peel the cop crap out of a Holden Caprice and spec it originally
The Caprice doesn’t have most of the features from the list the other day though eg vinyl roof, pillow-top upholstery, opera lamps etc. I’m not sure it even comes with fake wood inside.
These may be the mega-brougham. Although not a MINI, there is also a mini-brougham:
http://www.fiatusa.com/en/500/gucci/
Put a ridgid tonneau cover on the bed of these and you really do have a sedan in the old BOF mould.
When Car & Driver tested the latest Ram with coil spring air suspension crew cab and hard cover they concluded: “This is what American cats would be like if unit body construction had never been invented.”
Yet GM introduced unibody mass production in 1939 at Vauxhall in the UK, the US is a long way behind.
Well, gents, I have had a change of heart. You see, I have really been hankering for one of these. For some time I have been wanting a side business and have decided to start mowing yards this spring.
Naturally, I need something to pull all my push mowers and weed eaters. Simply nothing else will suffice other than an F-250 like this.
Of course, I didn’t go for the King Ranch. Phooey on that – I went for the Platinum Edition.
It also has:
8′ bed
dual alternators – just in case
9900 lb GVW
heated seats for those chilly days like earlier this week and for Mrs. Jason who is cold on the hottest day of the year
A moonroof so I can save fuel by not running the a/c in the summer.
Diesel engine – is there any other way to go?
Sadly, while there is no longer the butt-wiper option, I did opt for the electronic option that while I don’t know what the heck it is, it sure sounded good. It was only $1200 or so.
Sticker price? Only $68,090 as per the Ford website’s build your own section.
Ford always comes down from their sticker price, so I should be able to walk out the door for about $55k. No sweat.
Of course, I’m also getting a tattoo of Elmer Fudd on my back, a nipple ring, and am growing a killer goatee.
@Jason; that very set up is here, in W CO. But our guy uses a dually. Lawn mowers are also very heavy these days….
That’s a very smart guy. With all that tongue weight from the trailer, he is spreading it out over four tires instead of two, so he is truly extending his tire life.
You can learn a lot from others.
What-a butt-wiper option is not available? I’m shocked! Allen Mulalley had better get the
R & D people at Ford working on this pronto!
I would agree. The over-chromed, carpeted, slushboxed, 20″ wheeled luxo trucks are a far cry from the ‘real’ pickups from back in the day. I cut my teeth on an ’84 Dodge Power Ram. Single cab, granny gear 4 speed, rubber floor mats, manual lockout hubs, xfer case shifter in the floor, bench seat, hell the thing doesn’t even have a headliner! My dad still owns it.
My own truck is a ’05 Rumble Bee. only a 2wd but power everything, 40/20/40 seats and a slushbox are a bit of a medium compared to the ‘new broughams’ of now. I love that truck, as its more or less a hybrid of muscle car and pickup. But if I could get the same basic attributes in a newer shortbed/single cab Ram 1500 or Jeep pickup Id be all over it. We’re getting fatter, lazier and less enthusiast oriented. Our choice in vehicles is reflecting that.
Paul is right and wrong. The Great Brougham Epoch (GBE) is over when it comes to automobiles, but when it comes to light trucks, I believe we’re still in the middle of it.
Maybe somewhere in 1977 or so, if we were to compare it to the previous GBE…
An acquaintance of mine landed a boss IT job, it was a HUGE pay increase for him. One of the first things he did was to buy himself a Ford Eco-boast Harley Ranch Lariat XLT PDQ STP WTF King Platinum F150*. It was so strange to see this guy roll up in this 20 foot long white pickup truck after having seen him driving around in his beat up old VW Jetta. Just the kind of suburban assault vehicle you need while traversing the traffic circles of Grand Rapid’s finest subdivisions.
Maybe I’m a little jealous, I’ll admit to that. I’ve been working in my field for decades, but it’s become a dying field and taking all of us with it as it goes under. I’d love to be able to make a big score like that and finally get that new car or new roof or European vacation without having to re-mortgage the frickin’ house or sell a kidney…
But it was so weird to see the transformation of this guy. It was the old days when you went to work with a guy at the factory or the docks, and then on weekends he would turn into Rhinestone Cowboy or Mr Saturday Night Fever…
*In my fit of pique, I may have added a few extra letters to the actual name of the truck. If you can imagine the truck at the top of the post in white, that’s what it looks like.
Well, you’re certainly not the only one who frequents this website who is running on one kidney, if we’re speaking figuratively about finances.
It’s always interesting to watch what someone does when he or she gets a sudden cash flow increase. Some people pay off their mortgages, some turn into Suburban Cowboys… Money does reveal one’s aspirations and fantasies, for better or worse…
’99 F250 4wd PowerStroke (7.3)… It’s pretty cushy compared to my old ’69 F100, but on the other hand, you can’t pull a stock trailer with a Prius… (or a Beetle Convertible).
Exactly. The right tool for the right job.
That’s the way I like them, as an honest “downscaled” class 8 truck/tractor with a proper diesel engine.
US-pickups here are often used as an alternative to Japanese diesel off-roaders and SUVs, mostly Land Cruisers these days. That is: to pull heavy trailers. If you equip the whole rig (tower and trailer) with air brakes you may pull trailers weighing around 17,500 lbs. Plus of course a heavy-duty coupling.
Something like this Dodge Ram diesel with a low-bed trailer for construction equipment.
(Source picture: http://www.marktnet.nl/auto-onderdelen/aanhangers/dodge-ram-pickup-2500-cummins-diesel-veldhuizen-be-combi-9765565.htm)
Where is that? When I was in Switzerland I saw several Dodge diesels used for commerce work; such as inter city cargo hauling, set up like a small semi truck.
The Netherlands. All US-brands are here, and these trucks are certainly not a rarity. I’ve got no numbers available, but I think Dodge (Ram) is the most popular, and I see the Toyota Tundra quite often. Grey import, all of them.
Diesels and V8 gasolines, an LPG-system is pretty much standard equipment on the gasolines. LPG is much cheaper per liter than gasoline and the mileage is about the same. Most LPG-systems come from Impco.
Here’s an example of a well-known importer here, they also install the aftermarket LPG-systems and they service the trucks.
http://www.pickuptrucks.nl/
Also nice, the rig of my favorite Mopar specialist and shop. Trailer pulled by a Dodge Ram, of course.
Photo: Meindert
Source: http://buzzybeeforum.nl/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=5786&start=225
Saw a Foton pickup truck recently in black its on the cohort Chinese made but with cummins badges so it cant be all bad
New truck Ed? Does that mean you retired the black F-150 that replaced Old Blue?
it should be amusing to note that the Powerstroke diesel in the pictured truck puts out as much torque (800 lb-ft) as 3 to 4 “Brougham” V8s from the Malaise Era combined.
These things have more power than a lot of class 8 trucks did not that long ago. I learned on trucks powered by 6-71 Jimmys, which made maybe 600 ft lbs and 200-odd hp on a good day. They weren’t fast but they got the job done. Today’s diesel pickups are just absurd. I keep hoping someone will offer a diesel in a heavy pickup that’s optimized for reasonable power and excellent fuel economy like the original B series Cummins in the ’80s. Most consumers probably wouldn’t be interested but I’ll bet fleet sales would make it worthwhile.
can you still hear?
I very quickly discovered the value of good hearing protection. Last year I drove a late ’70s Louisville with an 8V-71 in it a couple hundred km to help a buddy move all his equipment. If you ever need an object lesson in just how far heavy trucks have come in one generation that’ll do it.
That’s what strikes me too: the HUGE displacement of the diesel engines in such relatively small trucks.
You see this ? It’s powered by a 3.0 liter 4 cylinder diesel engine. Then again….I’m in a flat country…
That’s interesting, its a little 3/5 sized 5 axle tractor trailer.
The fun part is you can drive this with a “car + trailer” driver’s license.
The BE driver’s license. B is for cars and E is for a (decent) trailer towed by a car. I don’t know how these regulations are in other Euro countries.
The tractor is an Iveco Daily. (Fiat Group)
“That’s what strikes me too: the HUGE displacement of the diesel engines in such relatively small trucks.”
competition generally turns into an arms race.
Yep, just like the hp-race between Scania and Volvo. Way over 700 hp these days, from 16 liter engines. (V8 in the Scanias and an inline 6 in the Volvos)
I guess that In a few years from now the guys here haul flowers to Germany in 1,000 hp Swedish monster trucks. In the seventies their dads drove all the way from the Netherlands to the Middle-East in a 280 hp DAF tractor + semi trailer.
Well the Ford territory went that way they installed a PSA 2.7L V6 twinturbo diesel 700nm of twist, previously they had a turbo Falcon engine and were advertised as being able to blow the doors off a Porsche but the diesel is faster, same engine Jaguar used, and they supercharged their V8 gas motor to make it quicker. Ford US has access to that motor but are too terrified to install it in anything in case its found not to be American, but it would make a great pickup motor.
Maybe they could get away with it I mean you guys think the Fusion is American, eh.
No way Bryce, 700 Nm from a factory 2.7 liter diesel. More like 400 or so.
Besides, it’s a V6 engine for cars, not for trucks.
Ford has an excellent 3.2 liter 5 cylinder diesel for commercial vehicles. It has been in the Transit and Ranger for years.
The diesel Tezza has 440Nm and 140kW. Petrol is 391Nm and 195kW. Diesel does 8.2l/100km, petrol does 10.6.
I remember thinking that when they first put the 302 in the Explorer, complete with chrome script badging as a “Limited,” the Taurus revolution was being undone and the 70s were coming back. Those things had a sloppy chassis even with the six. And hey, still rides too hard for you? Just underinflate the tires! Ugh.
When the Territory was released here in NZ Explorers became impossible to sell with good reason, the Territory is an excellent CUV but Mr one Ford has picked the wrong one again.
yeah, boo hiss at picking a global platform instead of one designed around right-hand-drive only.
couldn’t agree more. Americans didn’t turn against big cars, the government did. Within the next few years though, the government will be going against the trucks and we will see what happened to the big cars happen to trucks. I’m hoping for a public backlash when there is nowhere else to go but who knows what will happen.
As the US govt coffers empty out you’ll see the universally applied and successful method of downsizing the fleet fuel tax will rise.
The grill and Ford emblem on the pictured truck are not big enough. I can still see a little bit of the headlamps, although the hood has been well hidden. If driven directly into the sun, It will probably blind oncoming drivers. I wonder if it has fur and a continental kit on the tailgate.
Continental kit optional
A friend of mine got the King Ranch F-150 recently – I got to drive it last weekend for a bit. While I prefer small to medium size vehicles, it sure was a sweet ride. It serves his purpose as a construction-related architect and project manager perfectly.
Down the road a few years when I retire and get a few acres out in the country, I plan to get a well used, well kept base model pickup. Not sure what I’d use it for except to look like I’m from the country….
King Ranch Super Duty or Ram Laramie… today’s broughams. While I enjoy my dad’s King Ranch F350, I’d rather have a few real 60s-80s Broughams with change left over for the same price.