Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford LTD

Growing up in the 1990s produced, for me, a huge love for big, American sedans; I saw them everywhere, in various stages of use. Taxis, police and fire chief cars, criminal/getaway cars in crimes, and just being used as daily drivers. Among the favorite of the line of big boats to choose from was Ford's LTD line. I grew up watching this namesake be the car of choice for law enforcement and criminals alike. To me, knowing about the Ford LTD is not only a choice, but as an American, you're obligated to know about such a car. I would say that the LTD has almost as much of a name-recognition status as the Ford Model T.













This generation of LTD was launched (I think) in 1973, and stayed with the Ford lineup until 1978; the following year, it was replaced with the new bodystyle which would be the typical movie car of the 1980s, and well into the 1990s; this bodystyle, however, was a popular movie and TV show extra. Appearing often in shows like CHiPs, and even in "The Dukes of Hazzard", this generation never really became quite the star-car its newer namesake did. Because of that, and limited collector appeal, this generation is rather hard to come by. These days, 1973-1978 cars are favorites for demolition derbiers, stoners, and people who simply want a cheap, old car to get them around in their day-to-day commute, running errands, going to schools, and whatever else the day's journey may have planned.
This rather worn-out example was doing the latter fairly well; Ive tried to track down this car for about a year or so, and I finally found it parked on a lonely side street. In all it's beater glory, this big Ford sadly is a lot worse-off than it initially appears. Upon first contact, It really doesn't look all that bad--or at least not at first glance. Up close, though, is where the trouble begins. Aside from the minor paint chips, and lack of hubcaps, this LTD looks like a typical beater, right? It does, but as one moves closer to the front, signs of a major collision rear their ugly head. Since this car does not have crumple zones, its front impact was spread out even across the front end and bumper, effectively (and quite possibly) culminating in severe frame damage. The body, aside from both front fenders) looks relatively straight, but the amount of structural damage likely is fairly high.
I feel sorry for this car not only because its own of very few of this generation of LTD that still lives, but its an example that likely does not live up to what the LTD original stood for-- Lincoln nice at a Ford price. Or maybe that was the Mercury Marquis. At any rate, this poor car definitely needs some love, but unfortunately, the damage its already suffered makes the idea of a restoration seem not only implausible but worthless to boot.