OK Ford fans, here you go, this 1970 LTD two-door hardtop is a real looker! And, it’s in fabulous condition too. The seller refers to it as a “great boulevard cruiser” and I’d have to agree with that sentiment. When I look at what Ford manufactures today, it elicits a “meh”, but back in ’70, as with so many of the then-auto participants, you could go this route or select a Torino GT midsize, a Mustang in various flavors, or an outsized Thunderbird if the whole “personal luxury coupe” was your thing. Even the uber-popular F-150 was sized right back then not having delved into today’s Gigantor proportions. OK, no point in foaming off about the past, let’s enjoy it, however, by giving this lovely LTD the once over. It can be found in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is available, here on craigslist for $17,500.
Ford offered both an LTD and an LTD Brougham (bro-gum’ as some like to say) in ’70. I’m not sure what the difference between the two is though Ford’s marketing brochure illudes to the Brougham’s interior wood trim, courtesy lights, front seat center armrest, electric clock, and badging. Beneath the LTD siblings were the XL, Galaxie 500, Custom 500, and finally, the plain ole Custom. These two-door LTDs were popular with Ford knocking out just shy of 100K units. In the great 1970 domestic production race, Ford came in first place with over 2M copies, besting arch-nemesis Chevrolet by a half million vehicles.
Lacking a center armrest makes me assume that this is a standard LTD. The front seat has been reupholstered in what looks like the correct pattern but incorrect material and the dash pad is claimed to be a replacement. Beyond that, it’s a standard full-size car environment, not dissimilar to that of a Chevy Caprice or Plymouth Fury III/recently discontinued VIP – in other words, spacious and functional.
The driver’s side wrap-around dash was a welcomed difference from the usual flat and very wide slab of a feature found in most fullsizers of the era. Note the under-dash engine gauges, a wise addition to a model that relied solely on warning lights to alert the driver to engine room malign activity.
There’s no lack of power here as this LTD features a 360 gross HP, 429 CI V8 engine channeling its grunt via a C6, three-speed automatic transmission. The seller mentions, “RUNS STRONG AND SHIFTS NICELY” and I imagine that this LTD’s 4200 lbs. doesn’t create much of an obstacle for the big 385 series engine.
It’s not said if the exterior is a repaint but if it’s not, it has managed to keep up appearances over its 44-year lifespan. The black vinyl top, which I understand was not standard equipment on the LTD or Brougham trim level, is in remarkable condition. The aftermarket wheels, which vaguely remind me of American Racing’s Vector, are an appropriate enhancement though I’m not much on white letter tires on a full-size ride like this.
Final thoughts? I like this LTD a lot. As muscle and pony cars have priced themselves into stratospheric absurdity, full-size models from the Big Three make a nice alternative. You get the same mechanical features, wrapped in an attractive package, you just get a bit more of the whole thing. Let’s talk price, at $17,500 what do you think, priced right or not quite?
Whoever had it reupholstered in blue in that cloth was either colorblind or got a screaming deal on the fabric. Judging by the lower passenger dash it appears to have been a green interior originally, though they could’ve done it in black.
While you’re at it, turning the lettering to the inside will help it substantially as well.
And I’m sure someone will say “Yep, ‘cuda had a really cherry wonna these exactly for $1750 15 years ago!”
Though this is a little high for what I’d hope to pay for it, IMO it’s worth the asking price as it sits and it’d be in my driveway in a heartbeat give the right circumstances.
Sweet machine!
You and Bob summed it up nicely Nevada. 👌 2.80 gear ⚙️ std issue from the Ford factory. 3.25 optional. What a highway cruiser this is. I’d make the interior black. And add some black steel wheels w dog dish caps. And plenty of room up front for the cb radio 📻
Agreed on oh so nice and 2.8 gear. Had that in my ’67 Ford Custom, 1st car (police car model bought in ’77) that would loaf on the hwy back and forth to college, EKU, from Louisville.
This is a nice one!: Nice underhood and body – weaker interior from poor owner choices.
I going to say the love of a big Ford with the big block is a simple one – just drive one.
I would pay the ask if the underside and all history looked good. It looks the lower mileage.
Really like that straight body.
Lose those Wheels.
I agree, nice car. I too am not sure about the tire/wheel package, but at least it is not something completely out-of-place like wide whitewalls. Maybe that upholstery started as black and has a little blue fade to it. And yes, good collector cars of any flavor aren’t cheap anymore.
Before we completely bash the current manufacturers and their offerings, let’s thank Ford for their decision to keep the V8-powered, manual transmission, rear-wheel-drive Mustang available. This month marks 60 years of continuous Mustang production.
This LTD would make a nice cruiser.
I’ll 3rd that it grabbed me out of my seat ! I’m looking at it on the small screen (phone ) so whats obvious on a computer is less obvious to me so rely on you guys . Overall it’s a nice looking car & given the prices I’ve seen for lesser to me less worthy cars it’s in the ballpark price wise.
Ft. Lauderdale is my old stomping grounds and though “The Strip” isn’t what it was in this car’s heyday, it would still be a fun cruise.
Oh, yes I think the price is reasonable.
The few people out on foot now would not even see you, since they would all be looking down at their phones. When i last checked out my old cruising strip on a perfect summer evening, i saw absolutely NO ONE outside hanging out, let alone anybody cruising.
I go there every so often as I only live about 100 miles away. The A1A strip from Las Olas north still has a bit of it’s vibe. However, I agree that this car might not get noticed much. High end exotics and muscle cars that idle like NASCAR get the attention. An old school but kind of vanilla coupe like this wouldn’t be on too many people’s radar.
I’d still enjoy the ride though.
Dad had one just like this but in anti establishment green. No clue what was under the hood (I was bout 6 when he traded in on another mustang ) one of my favorites from my child hood.
Not a ford guy but a very nice car
3.60 gears with an overdrive would really make this a fun driver!
I had a ’70 XL conv in grabber blue, white top, blue vinyl buckets & console. Had the 429 also. Hidden headlights too, 52k miles, ex cond., closer to mint. Bought it in ’03 for $1300 at an estate auction, 8 mos later when didn’t want to leave outside the garage, got $7k for it on Ebay. It went to New Hampshire.
My guess is this is definitely a repaint. Looking at the dash, I’m guessing Medium Ivy Green Metallic was the original color. Also, I happen to LOVE the wheels and tires on this thing.
I concur with darasdad completely. I believe it is a repaint and I personally love the rims and raised lettering on the tires. I have always been a FoMoCo guy but I have leaned towards the Mercury badge most of my 60 years. I have owned 6 LTDs 3 of them 4 doors and 3 of the 2 doors. I had a 1971 convertible, red with black top and interior. They all had 351 engines though. I have always loved these cars especially with the hideaway lights. Beautiful car, glad it was just to the north and survived Hurricane Andrew. I lived in Hollywood FL when Andrew hit… Scary stuff.
I guess non-ethanol premium gas with an octane booster would be a must-do for that engine to run smoothly. It was probably designed for 100+ octane gas.
With tetraethyl lead in the go juice, to boot! 1970 was the first model year that the engines were required to be compatible with low-lead or no-lead gasoline, so at least a valve job to replace the valve guides and seats with hardened examples was already done for you. The requirement for new cars to run only on unleaded fuel would have to wait for the 1975 model year, in September, 1974. The anti-smog rules really hadn’t started to bite yet, but things would start to get nasty in the 1972 model year, and by 1975, most domestic engines were mere shadows of their former uncontrolled selves, with fraction of their horsepower ratings of the glory days (before 1970), as they stumbled, hesitated and Dieseled their way along under EGR systems, Air Injection Reactor (A.I.R.) systems, “lean burn” technology, and “anti-tamper” carburetor mixture screws.
Salvation from these “Dark Ages” wouldn’t come until the advent of electronic engine controls, such as electronic ignition, electronic fuel injection, and “lambda sensor” electronic feedback control, to measure exhaust emissions both before and after the catalytic converter became standard equipment to manage exhaust emissions. That transformation wouldn’t be fully completed until the early 1990’s.
Sweet. I agree about the interior color choices, but that can be remedied as time and money permit. The only way it would be better would be if it were an XL convertible! The XL badge was reserved for mid-level coupes and convertibles. AFAIK, Custom 500 and Customs were only available in four-door trim, but if anyone knows differently, please let me know.
“Ford offered both an LTD and an LTD Brougham (bro-gum’ as some like to say) in ’70.”
I’m not aware of anyone that pronounced it that way. The “G” is silent.
It’s a joke…sheesh.
JO
It’s a very good looking car. If the condition of the car matches up with the looks, it would be a good value IMO, though I’d want a personal look. If I was in the market right now, I’d take a look at it.
Very nice car that I think is rightfully priced, given the 2 doors and that 429. These were notorious for rusting quickly and seeing one in this condition is a breath of fresh air. Only negative about these is that the radio is to the LEFT of the steering wheel for some reason! Nice cruiser that’ll make a great Q-ship without those raised letter tires.
Could be worse – if the HVAC controls were also to the left of the driver like on some other cars back then. Still can’t believe that the camaro 2nd gens’ HVAC controls are to the left, & 2nd gen firebirds’ are to the right of the driver.