Ford LTD II

When Ford reorganized its passenger-car lineup for 1977, the short-lived Ford LTD II took over the role previously held by the Torino/Gran Torino twins. Despite its name, the LTD II had no mechanical relation to the full-size Ford LTD; it was entirely a mid-size platform strategy meant to answer rivals in the intermediate class.

The LTD II was issued in the most popular American formats of the era: a two-door hardtop/”pillared” coupe, a conventional four-door sedan, and a full-size station wagon. Underneath the marketing shuffle, the four-door sheet metal and chassis were pressed back into duty as the final Ford Ranchero, available in coupe-utility form for buyers who wanted car comfort with pickup utility.

At 1,981 mm in overall width, the LTD II sat comfortably within the mid-size footprint set by Ford’s competitors of the late 1970s. Under the hood, powertrains carried over largely from the Torino era, reflecting the model’s primary mission as a value-oriented stop-gap before smaller front-drive Fords arrived.

Sales of the LTD II ran from 1977 to 1979 only; Ford exited the rear-drive mid-size market soon after, shifting buyers to the new Fairmont and later the aerodynamically styled LTD (Fox platform). The brief three-year tenure makes the LTD II a transitional model—neither as collectible as earlier Torinos nor as common as the Falcons and Fairmonts that followed.