1972 Ford LTD

Description

This 1972 Ford LTD convertible is close to the end of the line for Ford's full-sized luxury ragtops, but they certainly didn't hold back. It's the ideal size for grabbing some friends or your family and heading out on a road trip, and with a burly 429 cubic inch V8 under the hood, it'll go anywhere with effortless ease.

Sure the Mustangs get all the attention, but looking at the proportions of this big LTD, you can see that the designers knew a thing or two about making big cars, too. You don't see many of these around, so painting it bright red to get it noticed was probably not necessary but sure works well. The paint looks great, and it still shines up brilliantly and looks great glistening in the sunlight, making this an ideal fair-weather cruiser. It was obviously very well maintained, as the sheetmetal is straight, the gaps are good, and there are few of the usual nicks and dings that cars seem to collect over the years. Nobody was using this as a daily driver and parking it at the grocery store, it was always treated as something special. Detailing is pure 1970s, with plenty of heavy chrome accents, although the grille is a work of art with varying textures and shapes that makes this look like a far more expensive car.

While most red cars got bright white interiors, the red upholstery in this one just looks better. Like the rest of the car, it's in excellent shape with wide bench seats fore and aft for six passenger comfort, and when I say six passengers, I mean six where nobody will complain about the accommodations. The carpets are surely newer and look awesome, with door panels that wear their faux burled walnut appliques to give the impression of luxury inside. Ford's two-tier instrument panel puts all the gauges up high and the secondary controls down low, but the effect is very clean and driver-oriented, particularly for 1972. Somewhere along the line the original radio was replaced with an AM/FM/cassette unit, but otherwise the interior appears to be completely stock and as-delivered, which really is a refreshing change these days. The car is equipped with factory A/C that might need some tinkering to get operational again, although this is a convertible, after all, so you may not even miss it. The white convertible top is power-actuated and features a glass rear window, and the trunk is downright massive.

Ford's torquey and smooth 429 cubic inch V8 provides plenty of power for the big ragtop, and it is the car's original, numbers-matching powerplant. Crisply detailed in Ford Blue, it's quite stock, which means effortless torque at any speed and the kind of quiet power that defined luxury in the '70s. It starts easily and idles smoothly, and with the silky smooth C6 3-speed automatic transmission behind it, the feel is really luxurious. The suspension isn't made for handling, of course, but nothing floats along like a '70s luxury car, and if you like solid original cars, the chassis will not disappoint. The original 15-inch wheels are fitted with stock wheel covers and newer 225/75/15 whitewall radials.

These are relatively rare cars today, and finding one that's not only this well preserved, but that also carries its original 429 offers a great opportunity. Call today!