(first posted 4/18/2018) The Curbside Classic Effect was in full effect last week. Just as I was putting the finishing touches to the XA coupe piece, another Ford coupe landed on my phone. I play a regular game of cellphone spotto pingpong convened by fellow CContributor jim, who passed these on from Rolla Matt. It’s a Ford Landau – rare enough, but my first with this front clip.
I wrote this gold example up a few years ago. It belongs to the mother of Gillian Macpherson, and Gillian chimed in to tell us a bit about the car. Her father bought this for her mother new in 1975, and she continues to drive it today. It seems from some of the other comments, as well as conversations I’ve had within the area, that she’s still driving it and is a bit of a legend amongst us admirers. Gillian tells us she’s ‘waaay more than 70’, but beyond that a gentleman never asks.
Since then, I’ve sighted a few more of the 1385 built at the time; the above example a little while back.
This is the only time I’ve been able to catch one in profile, and that flank looks even more voluminous than the already voluminous donor Hardtop body, thanks to the smaller rear side window. This one’s sitting on 12-slotters, a standard upgrade for models of this ilk and the fatties at the rear are a tuff touch.
John H left this white one in the comments of the last story, not in great condition but with the desirability and values for the tudors peaking at the moment, probably already refreshed.
This one approached me from far enough that I could pull out the phone for posterity. It too seems to be wearing 12 slotters, although with the accompanying hubcaps that one occasionally sees. Also visible, but barely, is an XB GT Hardtop grille just ahead of the rear wheels. Not OEM for the Landau.
Its lovely green on green is more apparent with the sun behind us.
Ok, now for a brief summation of the Landau history to explain today’s feature car. The Landau was based on the super-premium P5 LTD, which replaced the US-sourced Galaxie LTD over here in 1973.
The XB Hardtop lent its body to the Landau using a P5 LTD front clip. The rear side windows were re-shaped and the resulting graft work hidden under a vinyl roof.
In 1976, the P6 LTD got an overhaul. Though based on the P5, every panel but roof and doors were replaced with much squarer contours.
Ford Australia prepared a Landau proposal based on the P6 back in 1973. This seems to have included the front clip of the P6, although the trim along the lower flanks never made it onto the LTD. At the rear, the light units from the P6 were to replace the strip unit from the P5. Ultimately they decided to can the super-premium two door altogether.
So are we looking at a long lost prototype? Front says yep.
Rear says nope. I prefer this treatment anyway.
It’s an each-to-their-own proposition. I wouldn’t be doing this to a Landau, but then again I’d be in an XA Superbird if I was going to go the Ford Hardtop route. The owner of this hood-snorting beast has something unique, and to their own personal tastes. And fantastic to see on the road. Thanks to Rolla Matt for this spotto.
Further Reading
To be honest the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw that was this image
I like the 4 doors. LTD love that name. the p6 front looks like a monte carlo and also cordoba. anyone know what LTD stands for? the coupes look like a homologation of torino , mustang, montego and couger. And someting out of Mad Max!!
My Dad used to say that LTD stood for “Long Term Debt.”
A bit tongue in cheek, but also a reference to the relatively high acquisition price for a car branded at the lower end of the automotive hierarchy.
I believe that the Ford Australia version of LTD stood for “Lincoln Type Design”, although it was not referred to as such, it only appeared in some obscure document.
Too right Eddie. A Landau appeared in ‘The Road Warrior’
What a beautiful car, specially in that sober green, it looks like a big Torino made by Mercury. Would LTD mean “Limited”?
Splendid shots and nice overview, Don.
Agree with Eddie – the featured car gives me a Torino-meets-Cordoba vibe. A Tordoba fastback.
Torino and Cordoba was the first things I thought of too. I did not, however, think of the Tordoba name. Perfect! Unless Corino? The best parts of a Torino and a Cordoba together would be a heckuva car. But the worst parts – I don’t even want to think about it. A car that rusts to powder in 4 years and never starts in wet weather. 🙂
Love the alternate universe posts from our friends “down under!”
From a US perspective, those are some really cool looking Forcurys and Fordobas! 😉
A perfect prize for those who think a Ford Elite isn’t distinctive enough.
It looks like a Ford Torino and a Cordoba had a love child
With the 4-dr LTD standing by doing its imitation of an AMC Matador.
I can’t get enough of these; this vintage of the Australian Fords are endlessly fascinating. I always think I’m going to wake up and say, “wow, I dreamed about the strangest Fords!”
What’s the wheelbase of these 2 doors? The P5 and P6 sedans had 121″, which made them the largest cars ever built on the “Falcon platform”. I really need to update that with all of the Australian cars.
The 2 door shared the 111″ wheelbase with the 4 door, which were the same as the US spec 66-70 Falcons. I’m surprised about that huge 121″ wheelbase, that’s bigger than 117″ wb of the 70-71 Torino, which I had previously thought was the biggest of the chassis.
I reckon the car is surprised at the length. Look at the back door and wheelarch. It resembles a pair of trousers on a hormone-struck teen – they reached the shoes only last week.
For the same reason, the roof on the LTD sedan has it’s midriff stretch marks covered demurely by vinyl.
A Mercedes 450 SEL it was not, even if the ads suggested the clients for such also bought LTD’s. Rather, it was for successful bookies and politicians, folks with a bit of stretching and shading about them themselves. It was an el cheapo Fairlane limo job, with leather, plastiwood and eyelashes (and the Fairlane an inexpensive Falcon stretch). Must’ve been decent profit in them for Ford Aus. After all, it was a looong, slightly wider 1960 Falcon at heart. A helluva disguise, I’ve got to admit.
Didn’t the 1969-78 Ford Custom 500/Galaxie/LTD got a 121″ wheelbase as well? And it’s very close to the 121½ ” wheelbase of the 1971-76 full-size Chevrolet coupe and sedan (wagons was 125″ wheelbase).
Yes, but those weren’t on the unibody Falcon platform. Those were traditional BOF cars.
The 121″ LTD was effectively a double-stretch of the Falcon platform. The base car (sedan and hardtop) was 111″, then there was the 116″ WB that was shared by the Fairlane sedan (with the addition behind the rear doors, attached), wagon, ute and panel van.
The LTD had additional 5″ stuck in the rear door.
Ah! Well, that makes my comment above a bit silly, now don’t you? Yes, thank you too, john.
I never knew the LTD doors were longer. I thought only that gap grew. New glasses are still on order.
Mind, it remains a cheap stretch, because the door they bothered to make longer kept the curve for a wheelarch that wasn’t there.
I can only presume that if there’d been an ultraluxe LTD-TD, the ole Falcon door would’ve eventually become longer than the factory in which it was made, with workers on the aft end in the rain.
And still without it reaching the wheelarch.
The longer LTD rear doors look to me like the curve under the window was not intended to follow the wheel arch. They stretched the curve. The curve just sweeps from front to rear. Have another look. There isn’t a kick up at the rear to go over a wheel arch like on some cars. They did not just add a straight piece in. Its a completely different stamping so no need to do a cheap stretch on a falcon door. The vinyl roof was partly there I believe as they changed the rear window to a smaller one to that of the Fairlane. Plus vinyl roofs were very common on all models at the time.
LTD stands for limited.
What I’m remembering from the ’60s is that LTD didn’t stand for anything at all. I think it was a topic of some discussion even then, but I don’t have any documentation at hand. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time a car maker just made up a name out of nearly whole cloth that sounded good and evoked positive images.
I have read somewhere that it may have stood for Lincoln Type Design.
The word back then was that “LTD” was meant to suggest “Limited” but not step on the owner of the trademarked name, Buick.
I’ve also heard Luxury Trim Decor but in either case I buy the “Limited” but-Buick-owns-that-name story most.
Lincoln is an unknown brand outside the US.
Lincoln Type Design was adapted by Ford of Austrailia at the time the Ford LTD was introduced there for 1973. Lincoln Type Design was mentioned in the Australian LTD brochure.
When the Galaxie 500 LTD was introduced in the US for 1965, there was never any official explaination for what LTD stood for. It was just assumed it stood for Limited as it is a common abbreviation for that word.
Luxury Trim Decor is invalid and only speculated. There is no Ford documentation nor brochure that uses this exact term to describe a luxury trim package.
I like it more than the landau nose by a fair margin, normally I love covered headlights but the execution with the odd body color sections on the doors, and the odd mix of grill designs just looks weird and cluttered. This actually reminds me of a better executed Matador – a Monte Carlo like nose on a fastback body.
Since the front end of the P6 so closely resembles a well known Chrysler product, I can’t help but point out that the Landau roof is the exact execution of the 72 Dodge Charger SE, using quarter glass block offs to “formalize” the rakish fastback roofline.
Great call Matt. I never thought of it like that, but it really is similar to the Charger SE with trunk chopped off.
I’d say the rear quarter panels are even bigger/wider than the Charger – which is saying something!
Don, please tell me you spoke to Gillian McPherson’s mum? I wasn’t a commenter in 2014, and never saw the 2015 addition by the daughter. I too had seen this Landau not long before your post, being conducted sedately – from somewhere under the dash, it seemed – through Hawthorn.
One of my favourite automotive sights is an old car piloted by the original owner, particularly when the car is not restored but wearing signs, like its occupant, of having lived. It doesn’t much matter to me what the car is, though a glamorous oddball like the Landau does add interest. Especially when there’s suspicion the pilot here may be just as interesting as her faithful car.
I wanted to know the story the second I saw the two move serenely by. A mobile tale begging to be read.
I spoke to her on a few occasions to compliment and ask about the car and she was always patient and polite. Usually seen around Camberwell and Hawthorn suburbs in Melbourne (I know exactly where photo 2 was taken) but haven’t spotted the Landau for a while.
I never took up Gillian’s offer, but thought I might bump into her around the way. Like Wolfie, I haven’t spotted it in a while too.
Bugger.
Another interesting post, Don. I’d never known of a proposal to continue the Landau beyond the original model, though the side trim of the mockup seems to integrate the design better than the original Landau, which looked awkward from some (most?) angles.
I don’t like that air cleaner sticking through the hood though, certainly not on a luxury car.
Nice finds Don, I think the decaying one in southern Adelaide was shot around 12 years ago now.
I think that the P6 front looks too ‘heavy’ on a Landau, likewise the ZH Fairlane front that I remember seeing on a convertible conversion.
There are a few hot-rodded versions around, seeing one with the original wheel covers is rare.
I’ve seen the P6 front on a wagon but never a Landau… and I’ve never even seen a Landau, either! Great finds… these just go to show how different tastes can be between markets. The US was infested with personal luxury coupes at this time and we developed one and it promptly flopped. That being said, these look awkward. Good details on the wrong body, and this is coming from somebody who loves the XA-XC coupes.
I much prefer the original covered headlight front on the Landau. Also prefer the styling of the P5 LTD to the P6, which was too gauche and screams mid to late 1970s car design, which was not a good time for styling….
Great find Don, I love the XA-C Falcs and their derivatives; the Landau is one of the most interesting versions. The first one I’d seen for a while sold here on Trade Me at the start of April for NZ$68,600 (as below). Quite a bargain really considering what the non-Landau coupes are usually advertised for.
I like both P5 and P6 sedan shapes, but the blocky P6 front clip doesn’t quite work with the swoopy and flowing coupe body – it makes it look rather short and stunted. Decreasing the rear-side window’s size adds to the stuntedness, but that aspect was partially disguised by the chrome vinyl roof trim running along the C-pillar base.
Speaking of the roof, I could be mistaken Don, but it looks like the vinyl roof has been removed from the grey feature Landau?
I’ve seen a few Landaus online with the vinyl removed, but they’ve also lost the chrome trim that circumnavigates the edge of the vinyl. If the vinyl is gone from this one you’ve photographed, it’ll be the first I think I’ve seen that retains the chrome trim.
An unusual choice, but as a fan of superfluous chrome trim, it’s a choice that I quite like.
I think it still has the vinyl roof. Apart from the ‘join’ strip the colour looks different above and below.
With the big headlights, Rolls style grille and vinyl roof these look like Aussie pimpmobiles, lacking only wire wheels and a Borsalino topped “gentleman of leisure”
😭…about 36yrs ago i purchased a 73 Landau with a P6 front. Blue in color Black interor (parachute). I was the 3rd owner and had the car about 15yrs. It had vic rego personalised plates DG464.
DG were the original owners intials and he was allegedly a friend of Alan Moffat. Besides the P6 front it had original bathust globes off of an XC Cobra as well as a cobra fibreglass bootspoiler. Front springs and sway bars were fat green i think with an orange stripe couldn’t get a proper wheel alignment // \\ …
The matching No.motor was a “D”block and it had a 4ma crank. Also, attached to its Holley was an aluminium Torino Cobra Jet Shaker sticking through the bonnet.. I had to rebuild motor.. So… 30thou,TQ30cam, balanced, arp rod bolts, pete jack timing gears, HV oil pump.. FMX i replaced with a C10 and 3000rpm histall..the 9inch 2.75 centre was replaced with 3.90 LSD.. 6 leaf springs were put in with bottom 2 reversed and on top.. wonder i shes stll out there..
The two door Landau was always rare Ford AU vinyl tops hide seams where they stretched sedans into the P6 a mate of mine repowered his P6 with a 460 from a Lincoln but removed the tatty vinyl top and the seams in the roof kept cracking from the extra torque paint would no stay in those areas, at the time none of those 70s Fords were worth anything so another shell for his powertrain wouldnt have been hard to find if needed they were just old cars.
Seems like an awful lot of the DNA of the ’70-’71 Torino got into this one (’70 Torino Brougham attached):
The Australian team in Detroit looked at the Torino sedan but it was 20″ too long by compared to where the Australian 1972 Falcon sedan finished (186″). I think the story goes that after the sedans were (mostly) done one of the designers did some sketches on the trip to or from the USA, which turned into what you
Other than the fussy grille on the original design and the ugly Cordoba-esque second version, I like it… as Paul says it really was an alternative world down there.
I was always super-fascinated by the Leyland P-76, sort of a US car as imagined by the Brits, even down to the Buick/Rover V8 in some versions. Designed to hold a 55 gal drum in the trunk for those trips into the Outback! I’d love to have one, you’d never see another in a million years in this country.
The difference between the height of car rooftops:
https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Landgreen2.jpg
50 years ago and today is startling. Is the average grown population that much taller today, or does convenience of entry/egress play a role in why ordinary sedans and wagons are taller now?