Ford made a big deal of continuing the great American tradition of selling full-framed, rear-drive luxury cars after GM axed all but its Chevy Caprice and Cadillac Brougham sedans during the latter half of the 1980s. Maintaining bragging rights for two-door versions of these cars was apparently less of a priority, however; the slow-selling Grand Marquis and LTD Crown Victoria two door sedans (or “Coupes,” if you prefer) were cut after 1987, making this cream puff, spotted by Nifty43, quite rare even when new.
With only two doors and vented quarterlights (an optional extra Ford seemed to love), it was a very traditional car for its time. Call it a Paleoconservative coupe, if you will; it likely resented having to wear a center high-mount stop light after 1986 and was happy to retire two years later. After all, the only excess lights appropriate for an LTD were the cornering lamps as seen here, a perfect compliment to the standard semi landau roof. The indignities of the side marker lights were already enough–that sort of vulgarity was meant for smaller cars, since a coupe of this stature was never at risk of being being invisible in the first place.
Or, perhaps it was. By 1987, the big Ford two-door’s final year on the market, only about 5,500 were sold (versus over a 100,000 sedans). The decision to keep the car around as a compliment to the “aero” Thunderbird is understandable, but as that smaller coupe’s popularity soared while the big two-door was increasingly ignored, having two offerings in the personal luxury vein became redundant.
If anything, the ability of the very modern T-bird to also attract traditional customers highlighted the skill of Ford’s product planning in the early to mid ’80s. It also emphasized the folly in making that car’s MN12 successor so much larger. Personal luxury was more about intimacy with a hint of sportiness, not the exclusion for its own sake implied by restricting rear seat access in a very large car.
It’s ironic that the two-door was axed so soon after the LTD because the LTD Crown Victoria, since the “Crown Victoria” name had come from a two-door version of the big Ford to begin with. Nevertheless, with the days of mainstream two-door luxury cars nearing an end, Ford couldn’t in good conscience continue production of its big “coupe.” GM would also cease building its full-size front-drive H-body based coupes in due course. The rarity of such cars after the mid 1980s makes us appreciative that the owner of this beige example kept his in such good shape.
Related:
CC Outtake: Mercury Grand Marquis Two-Door – Almost As Rare As A Spotted Panther
It’s was a good idea for Ford to bring back the front vent windows, strange then GM and Chrysler hadn’t stepped on this opportunity. Besides the full-size Ford and Mercury and the Fox-bodies (Fairmont/Zephyr, 1981-82 Granada/Cougar, 1983-87 “small” LTD/Marquis). They was also available for the 1980-85 Escort/Lynx.
Here a screenshot then I taken from a vintage promo video of the 1983 Escort who was posted on TestDriveJunkie. http://testdrivejunkie.com/1983-ford-escort-vs-competition-manufacturer-promo/
One more screenshot from the same video, this time featuring the 1983 Ford Escot wagon with front vent windows.
When I delivered pizzas 5-6 years ago, 2 of my customers had these coupes. They were “twins” except for one having wire wheel covers while the other had the finned/turbine wheels. Both were owned by little old ladies and I wanted the nicer of the 2 but suspected the owner was nowhere close to giving it up, so I made a standing bid on the other. I never got either one as they were traded suddenly for smaller cars.
I came close 3 years ago to buying a triple black Grand Marquis coupe. The fact that the seller lived in a really bad part of town was a huge turn-off.
I could just never bring myself to like the slab-sided Fords of that era. Their cardboard-box squareness with flat stamped panels everywhere seemed less like styling than a cynical choice to produce the car as cheaply as possible. The LTD’s were not as bad as the Fairmonts but they were bad enough. Combine that [lack of] styling with the tiny wheels and tires of the time and you got a sort of crate-on-casters look. Finally, you had pollution- priority-carburator low horsepower engines that couldn’t pull the car out of a wet paper bag – when you could get them to start which was unlikely below 35 degrees. Add the cheap plastic interiors, and customers ran off to GM dealers by the thousands
Now take a look at that Thunderbird Aero Coupe. It was everything the old LTD was not. I wa actually excited when it appeared. Ford was taking car design seriously again and they were suddenly back in the game in a big way.
Ford’s early 1980’s carbed engines weren’t very good. However, in the Panther’s these were replaced with the 302 with CFI in 1983 and later with the MPFI in 1986. The MPFI 302, although only made 150 hp, was a good engine and probably would out drag a LG4 305 Chevy.
The CPI 5.0L may have actually been worse than the last carbureted 5.0L’s.
The CFI was a very reliable set up. The only 2 real problems. It was a 9v system, instead of 5v so starting it with a really really dead battery could sometimes be a problem. However if the voltage dropped that low during cranking the starter was likely to not stay engaged. The other was that they allowed the O2 sensor too much control so ocassionally you could get a problem where it would learn to enrich it so much that it would try to run so rich in closed loop that it would foul the plugs, but that was pretty rare. The VV carb was much worse.
I drove a 1988 Mustang GT (with the fuel injected 5.0) for 7 years and over 90,000 miles with no problems at all. For that matter the carbureted 5.0 in my ’84 Mustang GT performed well; smooth power delivery without any stumbles or hesitation. If I could go back and keep one car that I’ve owned thru the years it would be the ’88 Mustang.
Well the 84 GT had a good old Holley 4bbl carb, a special version of the aftermarket Holley 4bbl carbs, not the Variable Venturi that the last of the carbed Panthers had. The 88 GT was equipped with port fuel injection not the Central Fuel injection used on the Panthers and certain years of the Mustang 5.0 when backed by an AT.
For what ever reason Ford subjected the 302 to many different fuel systems in a very short period of time. In 1982 for example the lesser Panthers had the Variable Venturi carb while the Lincolns and non GT mustangs had CFI and the GT Mustangs and pickups had the old school Motorcraft 2150 carb.
Following in short order they went to batch fire port EFI, SEFI (Sequential) with a speed density algorithm to determine fueling and finally the Mass Air Flow SEFI version that was the Mustang GT’s claim to fame. The Mass Air system allowed the computer to automatically compensate for wholesale changes in the engine’s airflow characteristics. Six distinctly different systems in less than a decade.
We saw a lot of driveability issues with CPI 5.0L’s. There were not all that common, MPFI was a lot better.
The CFI engine was very common powering every civilian Panther and most of the Fox bodies for many years, both the 5.0 and 3.8 and I rarely saw driveablity issues on them. I do agree that the multi port system is better than CFI but that doesn’t mean that the CFI was bad and it was certainly less problematic than the VV carb.
I notice from rereading my previous comment from last night that I left out the Holley 4bbl so the 302/5.0 had 7 different fuel systems in less than a decade.
That would be an interesting race. The 1986-91 Ford port injected 302 made 150 Hp and 270 torque. The 305 4BBL made 165/245 for 1986 and 170/255 thereafter. The Caprice carried a std 2.56 rear gear and the Ford had a 2.73 with 3.27 optional with dual exhausts and that dual exhaust engine had 160 Hp and 280 torque. The Caprice’s top rear ratio available for civvies was a 2.73. My buddy had a 1987 Caprice coupe with the 170 Hp 305 and optional 2.73 rear gears tied to a limited slip rear end and that car had pretty brisk performance. It sure seemed quicker than any basic CV 150 HP 302 I drove at the time.
My money would go on the dual exhaust 302 however.
These were such dumpy looking coupes compared to the comparable Caprice or for that matter, any B body coupe. If anything, the coupe perfectly captures the ill proportioning and unresolved design issues that plagued the first generation Panthers. It just doesn’t look right.
When I think of this car, I always think of the apartment complex I grew up in, and this one kindly gentleman in particular, named Frank. The apartment building was brimming with retirees, and during the warmer months, they’d all come out and congregate on the rows of benches adjacent to the playground. Most of the elderly just kept to themselves, but Frank would always come over, say hello and make small talk with us and our parents or whoever was tasked with monitoring us. We always knew when Frank had arrived, as he had a rather slick 85 Thunderbird that he kept until the fall of 1987, when it was replaced by one of these unfortunate specimens, in a dark slate metallic. Apparently, Frank always drove big coupes, so I would surmise he must have been offered a screaming deal on a leftover Crown Victoria coupe that was no doubt rotting on a dealer’s lot after the 88s had arrived. Frank loved the Thunderbird, and I can’t think of another reason why he would have bought the Crown Vic coupe.
The Crown Vic turned out to be Frank’s last car. About a year later my family moved away, and a short time later I heard from my grandpa that Frank had died, just collapsed while out shopping. I recall feeling rather sad hearing this news, as he was only about 70, hardly old by any stretch of the imagination.
I think the problem with the square Panthers is the same as with the Mark VI — trying to shrink the previous-generation styling onto a smaller platform without losing one iota of its Bordinat Baroqueness. It doesn’t fit right; like a kid playing dress-up with one of Dad’s old suits.
While I agree that these don’t work as well in coupe form as did, say, a C-body Coupe Deville, I don’t think it’s a bad look at all. The Mark VI was the extreme case of this same phenomenon, sharing the platform but with even more extreme “shrinkage” oddities.
A well kept secret.Thanks for another car I’d never heard of though in 1986 the Lincoln Mk VII & & Mustang were the only American Ford products that interested me.
Anymore info on the black and white Crown Victoria?It’s gorgeous,I’d take one over a Chevy or Mopar anyday
Gem, the black/white one is a 1955 model and this body style was also available in the nearly identical 1956 model year.
It was the top-of-the-line Ford those years. The vast majority were two-toned, with such colors as pink and purple being available with a contrasting color. All were V8 powered with a choice of manual or automatic transmission.
Ford used various elements of these, especially the chrome basket handle, on several cars over the next few decades.
Thanks Jason
What I like about these cars (2 door) is that they retain some of the ’70s look with their landau roof and opera windows, something neither the Caprice nor that era Thunderbird had. I would not at all mind driving a 2 door LTD of that vintage, if it were reliable. When it comes to personal luxury coupes, I very much prefer the formal look to the “aero” look. This one reminds me very much of the mid ’70s 2 door Granada, only bigger. IMO, the aero look is what created all the zillions of lookalike jellybean cars. I recently had an opportunity to study the design of a late model Honda Civic coupe in a parking lot. That thing is UGLY. Or more accurately, it has a total lack of any kind of style whatsoever. Nothing but a shapeless blob.
Find an MFPI example (’86 or ’87 in these coupes) and reliable is the name of the game. The carbed ones aren’t all bad, but as I understand it the early 80’s Ford VV carbs weren’t so hot. An aftermarket carb might be a logical enhancement.
Great to see your always competent and intriguing writing here on cc again Perry
Thank you! I was never gone, but I needed a break; luckily, writing about cars is like riding a bike for me.
I;m glad to see your name in the byline Perry. Your writing has been missed.
i once debated whether to buy one of these in this color.
I passed one of these in traffic the other week. It’s interesting what constitutes ‘full sized’ these days compared to years gone by. The Crown Vic looked shrunken and diminutive next to the SUVs that are in every driveway in my neighborhood.
GM continued to use rear-wheel drive into the 90s for the Chevrolet Caprice, the Buick Roadmaster, and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. Call me old-school, but I like the 1991-95 Chevy Caprice. It’s the best looking of the rear-wheel drive GMs.
While I appreciate the rarity of these, I think the Caprice Coupe of the era is a vastly nicer looking car, with an interesting roof treatment and clean, less-slab sided lines. It even integrates the side marker light better. Pretty rare too, and I think (?) they discontinued it the exact same year due to slow sales.
+1
’80s GM B-Bodies look pretty sharp in retrospect.
Yes, 1987 was the last year for the Caprice 2-door as well. I agree with other comments, the Caprice was far nice looking. The 1987 looked especially sharp with the new composite headlights,
Those do have a really nice look. I’ve never actually seen one in the wild, though, and was surprised to learn they were actually factory–for some reason I had been under the impression that ’86 was the last year for the coupes and that the “87” models I’d seen photos of were header panel transplants onto older cars, like the Coupe Devilles that can occasionally be seen with composite-lamp noses from ’90-’92 Broughams.
the large 2 door caprices and crown vics were all snatched up by gang bangers and wannabes. They were very popular with that crowd, and still are. Especially the Caprice 2door. When those ran out they snatched up all the T-birds. Then when those ran out they started snatching up PT Cruiser convertibles.
Somehow gangbanger and PT Cruiser convertible don’t mesh in my mind…
Mine either. But that’s what I see, unless I am not interpreting what I see accurately.
My best friend had this exact car in gold with tan interior in 1987 last year form with flush headlights. It was a very good looking car and he loved it to death until some ass side swiped him in the Winter basically ruining the car. That car ran flawlessly and was pretty quick for the time. It also had the worth while F-41 suspension and larger 225 tires which made this car corner and ride so much better at higher speeds. he is currently looking for another but finding one of these today is not easy and when you do they want 8-10 grand for a nice one!
I’d like to see one sans vinyl roof, though I’ve heard the process of removing one includes scraping, cutting, cursing, slicing, dicing, and more cursing.
I always wondered who would buy a two-door fullsize like the Crown Vic, Grand Marquis or Caprice Coupe? Older guys who preferred the full-size coupes they drove in the sixties?
The Caprice 2-door Coupe is certainly one of my favourites, but depending on the year and with the right options and colours sometimes a Grand Marquis could look pretty sharp too.
I always prefer to drive two-door as big as possible at a reasonable price. Styling wise, and comfort. The side effect is it poses big negative to free riders in college except those very desperate ones, a handy guarantee to privacy.
Here’s the ultimate car by your criteria then:
Imperial parade car
The biggest 2 door 2 seater ever made(extremely rare)
Nice to see a well taken care of CC still on the road. Looks like he still parks it far away from the door dinger crowd.
In Fairfax CA, fondly known as “Mayberry on acid”.
I bought a 1987 Caprice Landau new and it was a great car…owned it for 13 years and 170k miles. Had the wire wheels and full loaded with the equalizer stereo. I was 25 at the time and thought it looked “sporty” yet luxurious at the same time. Wish something like that or the Crown was still available today…meaning new of course.
Wow. I remember how modern-looking the Thunderbird was when it came out. It’s unbelievable that this baroque monstrosity spent five long years on the same showroom floor as the T-Bird, and two years alongside the Taurus.
The ’83 T-Bird still looks good.
The first time I saw one of these 2 door LTDs in the early 80’s, I thought Ford had improved the styling of the Granada.
I refer to these cars as 2door sedans, not coupes. I will never understand the attraction to vinyl roofs, hood ornaments, and opera windows. What I consider the ideal 2door sedan was never made, that I know of.
Start with something midsize like a 70s Ford Granada sans hood ornament
get rid of the vinyl roof and the opera window…no side window needed for rear seat passengers
reduce size of rear window…like a limousine rear window
lengthen the hood and shorten the trunk
move the front axles as close to the front bumper as physically possible
install a 300six motor and a 5speed stick shift(wide ratio non-overdrive)
motor should be tuned for maximum low end torque
limited slip rear end with very low numerical ratio…say 2.65:1
enlarge the wheel wells to take 15″ rims with tall pickup truck tires.
reduce ground clearance by changing chassis geometry, not the spring height.
give the back window a little more slope like a semi-fastback.
I this this car come pretty close to meeting all of the requirements you’ve listed:
That is interesting.
I would call that an excellent starting point. One thing I do not like is a center console. I prefer bench seats even with a stick shift.
So add a bench seat to that car, and some taller sidewall tires, and give it a low RPM torque motor and chrome bumpers and you are pretty much there.
BMW used to offer a six cylinder turbo diesel in the three series, with over 400 lbs-feet of torque. That should take care of your torque requirement. You are on your own with the bench seat and chrome bumper.
Wow, that’s extremely specific… wish I knew how to use Photoshop!
Unfortunately, I do know how to use MS-PAINT (poorly), so here is my take on your DREAM CAR. The only thing I couldn’t incorporate are “pickup truck tires” but the tires on the Granada are probably already 75-series. Squint when you look at it so you can’t see the obvious cuts & pastes!
I LIKE IT!!
Ya know what it kinda looks like? A Jaguar XJS. Maybe a little bit AMX.
The trunk is still too long though.
If I remember correctly, the Granda had 14″ rims. I prefer 15″ rims with 85 series truck tires. Very large diameter tires with tall sidewalls and about 10″ wide tread. They won’t fit in 99% of all cars of that era. They did fit in my old ’69 Newport though.
I just can’t stop looking at it. That is a nice looking car.
right now I am updating my list of all time favorite cars to include:
Jaguar XJS
AMC AMX
Nice, glad you like it! The XJS similarity is on purpose, that’s the closest thing I could think of to what you were describing.
The no-rear window thing is kinda weird to me, but I totally get the love for straight sixes. You could actually get an XJS with a 5-speed (and inline six) during its later years. Not a torque monster, but still powerful – and one of very few non-BMWs available with that combo.
I’ll bet you’re a fan of this too.
Of these Panther platform two door coupes, the 1980-81 Lincoln Continental town coupes were the most attractive, however short-lived.
I would have to disagree. I think the ’79 Lincoln Mark V is slightly better looking than both the 80 Town Coupe and the 80 Mark VI.
Look what I found. I wonder if the opera window delete was a factory option on this year Town Coupe or if this was a do-it-yourself?
When my grandfather traded his ’68 fleetwood in on a ’77(?) Town Car he got one without the opera window or the vinyl roof. It was the only one I ever saw like that.
Slightly? The Mark V is a *lot* better looking in my opinion. It has the right proportions for a big coupe, which didn’t take well to shrinking onto the Panther platform for the Mark VI.
I’m pretty sure that one you posted is a custom job–that’s a *huge* blank panel! He must have interesting visibility problems… Though in actuality I’m really trying to figure out what it is exactly. It has the fender vents and angled tail panel like the Mark VI, but I’m pretty sure that’s the Town Coupe roofline. A hybrid of sorts?
The opera window delete was an option, if something of an uncommon one, on the cars with the oval opera windows in the C-pillar like the Marks V and VI and the 70’s Town Cars. These ’80-’81 Town Coupes, with their rectangular windows (I don’t even know if that’s really an opera window, or more a quarter window encircled by vinyl) were only available with.
The old T-birds had a huge blank panel as an option. I believe the Mark series was just a fancied up T-bird.
At that time, you’re right. The Mark series diverged from the Thunderbird in 1977 – the Mark V stayed on the big platform while the T-bird moved down to a Torino-derived platform shared with the LTD II and the Ranchero. Both were downsized for ’80; the Mark VI moved to the Panther platform with the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car while the T-bird moved down again to the Fox platform shared with the Fairmont. When the Mark VII moved to the Fox platform in ’83, they were reunited as platform-mates.
There’s a beautiful 2 DR town couple (81 I think) with 3K miles for sale in southern california. Seller won’t budge from his 15k asking price, so I moved on. Beautiful car though – I agree I like the coupe best. Large 2 doors just seem to fade away after the 70s.
I am in Fountain Hills, AZ and have been for a few weeks. Full of old, retired white people – and their cars.
Twice on my daily bicycle rides I’ve seen a Crown Vic coupe like this – all black with, of all things, fender skirts. The driver looks like a crochety, confirmed bachelor; he’s probably 80 or 85 now. I bet he bought the car new. The other old men his age are in newer Camrys and Avalons and Buicks with their wives but this guy probably never had a wife. What wife would deign to ride in one of these?
Both times the car was being driven and I couldn’t get a photo in time but I’ll keep my eyes open and camera handy for this car.
The kind of wife you’re lucky to find! Mine, while I consider myself extremely lucky in all other regards, unfortunately does not share my interest in obscure old cars. Can’t win ’em all…:-)
Nice find; the coupes are certainly rare. Though there is a very nice green coupe from the first couple years of the model that lives in my neighborhood, and parks on the street (which has sadly led to a couple of scars). However it’s the rarer LTD model from before the Crown Victoria suffix was attached. I see it almost daily, and I think I even know where the owner works, but I’ve not caught up with him or her yet. I’m interested to know if they’re an afficionado of older American iron, or if it was just the right price at the right time. (And if that’s the case, I may have to make them an offer to keep it from being run into the ground!)
I guess it all depends on where you are, these are everywhere like fleas on a dog, a two door GM is much more rare out here. PLEASE come take these wretched boxy things away……ok I feel better. There do seem to have been a lot of these around here for a long time. Probably all gone now or I stopped looking for them. CC or not I’m not a fan.
Barnaby Jones drove one in the final season (1980).
My friend’s father bought a red 2 door 1980 CV behind the local Ford dealer with a burned up knocking 302 for a song. He swapped in a cop spec 351 2BBL he had laying around and treated it to a dual exhaust and put some sharp after market wheel on it. It sold for 5 grand in Hershey PA at the car corral and made a cool 4k for his trouble.
I think the 2-toned silver and dark grey version from the brochure picture is a great looking car. I love the turbine wheels and 2-tone paint; it gives it a real classy look. I truly feel that manufacturers may have held on to the 2-door models because of the success of the Coupe deVille from years past, hoping that a resurgence in coupe sales may happen. Coupe deVilles had always outsold the sedans throughout the 70’s, but every year the coupe numbers began to shrink more and more as people realized how much more convenient a 4-door actually was. The tooling already existed for these cars from their 1979 introduction so Ford probably figured it was worth keeping them around for a while, even though they hardly sold.
It also emphasized the folly in making that car’s MN12 successor so much larger.
Umm other than the wheelbase I’m not seeing what’s “so much larger”
1983 Tbird:
Wheelbase: 104.0″
Overall Length: 197.6″
Overall Width: 71.1″
Overall Height: 53.4″
1989 Tbird:
Wheelbase – 113″
Overall Length – 198.7″
Overall Width – 72.7″
Overall Height – 52.7″
It’s not because MN12 is larger, it’s because Fox-body is too small. Wheelbase 104 is even tiny comparing to a Dodge Aspen coupe ( which itself looks tiny ) and the width is so limited, when applying in Continental, the front has only two bench seats. Anyway, it starts from Fairmont, quite a small car among older sedans from that period.