Sometimes a classic car will appear, and it can prove challenging to decide what path you might follow were you to find it parked in your garage. Such is the case with this 1967 Ford LTD Hardtop. It presents well for its age, wearing its original paint. However, it has a few cosmetic shortcomings. That leaves its next owner with the choice of performing a restoration or leaving well enough alone. That decision may come soon, with the LTD listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Woodland Hills, California, and the owner has set its sale price at $18,500. A big thank you goes to Barn Finder T.J. for using a well-tuned radar to spot this beauty for us.
Initial impressions of this LTD remain positive. It wears its original Wimbledon White paint with a contrasting Black vinyl top. The paint continues to hold a respectable shine, although it has accumulated a significant collection of small chips and marks after more than five decades. None of these are particularly bad, suggesting the buyer could leave the car untouched. There is a “however” attached to that statement. The LTD lived its early days in California before finding its way to the State of Washington. It spent years in that location before heading back to California earlier this year. It isn’t clear what weather extremes it may have endured or whether it involved exposure to snow and salt. There is evidence of rust developing in the lower rear quarter panels, suggesting that an in-person inspection could be a wise move. There are also signs of potential paint touch-ups in front of the rear wheel arch and the lower door corner on the driver’s side. Otherwise, the panels are straight, the chrome looks good, and the tinted glass has no glaring faults. The seller added American Racing Torq Thrust wheels, but if they aren’t to the buyer’s taste, sourcing a set of factory wheels and hubcaps should not prove a problem.
At 3,984lbs, the 1967 LTD was a long way from being classed as a lightweight. Therefore, it needed something pretty special under the hood if performance was going to be respectable. Buyers could equip their new toy with a 289ci V8 producing 200hp, but those cars took 18.3 seconds to wander down the ¼ mile before winding their way to 108mph. The original owner of this LTD wanted more, so they ticked the box beside the Z-Code 390ci motor. It brought 315hp to the table and, when coupled to a three-speed automatic transmission, slashed the ¼-mile ET to 16.2 seconds and rocketed the top speed to 126mph. The original owner also elected to equip this Ford with power steering and power drum brakes. The car is numbers-matching, although it sports some cosmetic enhancements and a new Edelbrock carburetor. Frustratingly, the seller supplies no information on how the LTD runs or drives, so potential buyers need to hope they are approachable enough to answer a few questions.
The frustration continues when we examine this Ford’s interior. The supplied photos are found wanting, but there are a few things we can determine. It wears Black vinyl trim, and while the state of the split-bench front seat is unclear, the back looks flawless. The dash appears to be in good order, and the same seems true of the pad and door trims. The wheel wears a wrap, but I can’t spot any other aftermarket additions. The buyer won’t be drowning in optional extras, but air conditioning and an AM radio with the optional rear speaker rate as nice touches.
Whether you like the aftermarket wheels or not, there’s no denying this 1967 LTD possesses a genuine presence. If the buyer performed a cosmetic restoration, it would turn heads, but it still has that ability untouched. Part of me feels that returning it to its former glory would be the right course of action. However, leaving it untouched and wearing its survivor badge proudly is also attractive. This is one of those occasions where I would struggle to choose. It will be fascinating to read your comments because I feel there’s a fair chance that opinions will be split pretty evenly. Of course, you might feel so strongly that you cannot resist parking this classic in your driveway. If you do, I’m sure we’d all like to know what your final decision is.
This is very rare to see and I have a new appreciation for the design!
BF, you have posted consistently extraordinary cars this month. Over the last year I have only visited BAT a few times because I’m more interested in interesting than I am overpaying.
They are only original once.
Ford was really on their styling game with the 60’s to ’72 full-size cars, especially the coupes and convertibles. The ’70 with the hidden headlights and wrap around dash is my favorite but all of them are visually appealing.
Fords of this era did not have split bench seats. CL lister may be mistaking the split back which tilts forward to allow rear seat access. No a/c compressor. Would like to see validation for the claim of “Heavy Duty Suspension”. Time in California and Washington mentioned, but Oregon plates?
Tax evasion.I also wonder what else people like this
would lie about.
I like them original all this car needs is the stock wheels installed . 390 was a good choice in supplying the power to this great looking car,and I would have the tailpipes exist where they did originally
Those wheels are a mistake on an LTD. Easily remedied.
If the car spent much of its life in OR or WA, the only way it would be rusty is if it sat outside and was a leaker, or if it was parked at the Coast. We don’t use salt in the PNW since we seldom have snow (except for the last couple of days–latest ever recorded here!!!).
I like the green flames in first picture.
I don’t generally care for Fords with a few exceptions like the GT-40. My 2nd and 3rd cars were Fords. But I would buy and drive this LTD and love every day with it.