CC Outtake: Ford LTD Crown Victoria – The Endangered Box Panther

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This is a car that has been featured here at CC numerous times, in one variation or another. And one that I’m know not to be a fan of. So why did I stop and shoot it and post it? Because the march of time cannot be stopped, and genuine daily-driver beater box Panthers are becoming genuinely scarce. Even here in Curbsidelandia, the number is dwindling drastically. So let’s celebrate this one before they’re all gone. Or should we celebrate that they’re almost all gone?

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Those of you that have been around for a while will know me as a non-fan of these cars. Well, yes; I thought they were a rather feeble imitation of the very well-designed ’77 GM B-Body, and I even did a whole comparison of their respective design strengths and weaknesses here. That didn’t make a few folks happy, as my arguments were pretty convincing, apparently. But that was then, and today, as these start to slip on to the endangered species list, let’s celebrate this survivor. Yes; I’m in a very good mood…but not good enough to wrack my brain as to just what exact year this one is. The grilles on them differed slightly, but having never been able to look at that tacky thing (oops; there I go) closely, I can’t tell the difference.

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Ah yes, that ugly steering wheel that graced so many of the fine family of Ford cars. Don’t ask, but I found it to be particularly unpleasant to look at, and I was forced to for the two years that I owned a 1983 T-Bird Turbo Coupe. It doesn’t look so bad in a boxy car like this, but it was sooo wrong in the sleek T-Bird. In its defense, the seat fabric that Ford used in these was undoubtedly better than what Chevy used in its Caprice, which was rather thinner. A win for the Ford! But let’s just not talk about the herky-jerky AOD transmission. Or the weak-chested 302 that was inevitably under the hood. The less said, the better.

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No; let’s keep it positive.

More:

CC Design Shoot-Out: 1977 Chevrolet B-Body vs 1979 Ford LTD – The Boxing Match

CC: 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria – If It’s Good Enough For Ben Matlock