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Ford LtdThe Ford LTD is a car model name that has been used by the Ford Motor Company both in North America and Australia. The origins of the name are obscure. Some believe it to be just a contraction of Limited, but Ford Australia is said to claim it means Lincoln Type Design. Others claim it means Lincoln-Thunderbird Division: at one point, Ford had Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Edsel and Thunderbird marques, and marketers may have concocted the "Division". Another alternative explanation is Luxury Trim Decor. North America A luxury range of large cars wore the LTD badge from 1965 to 1991 in the United States. The LTD name debuted as a high-line option package on the Galaxie 500, but became a separate model for 1967. The Ford Galaxie name continued for the lower levels. In 1974, the LTD name took over completely. The LTD often shared its grille and trim pieces with the Galaxie XL sport coupe and the Country Squire station wagon. An even more upmarket model with Lincoln-like hidden headlights and fender skirts was marketed as the LTD Landau for 1975-78. During this period, the model was also sold in Mexico. In 1977, the name was split and used on two different car lines. The full-size LTD continued, but a rebodied version of the Ford Torino was sold as the LTD II. Both offered coupe, sedan, and wagon body styles. This arrangement continued until the standard LTD was downsized onto the Ford Panther platform in 1979. In the early years of this body, two grille designs existed: a lower-line one with single square headlights and a more premium design with duals. The single-light design was most commonly seen on police cars, a market which this LTD and its successors came to dominate. In 1980, the top model became the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, easily identified by a targa-like chrome band across the roof, usually paired with a landau vinyl roof. The LTD nameplate was then moved to a mid-size car based on the Ford Fox platform. This car continued in sedan and wagon form through 1987, overlapping slightly with the Ford Taurus, which essentially replaced it. The LTD was a very successful product, being the third-best selling car in the United States in 1983 and 1984. The final LTD Crown Victoria coupes were produced for 1987, and sedans and wagons only continued through 1991. When the car was reskinned for 1992, only a sedan was produced as simply the Ford Crown Victoria. Australia Australia, the LTD name adorned a luxurious, long-wheelbase version of the Ford Falcon from 1971 and is favoured by government officials there. There is a related downmarket model called the Fairlane. Originally, the LTD was offered as a luxury sedan and a vinyl-roofed hardtop coup called the LTD Landau, based on the Falcon Hardtop Coup. (Unlike the US version, the Australian Landau was never offered as a sedan.) Both models were notable for their concealed headlamps, which would be revealed when their vacuum-operated grille sections were activated. The technology was similar to that found on an option offered on an earlier Ford Thunderbird. A facelift in 1976 saw an even more flamboyant grille with four round headlamps, apeing Rolls-Royces and other luxury models. The Landau was dropped. In 1980, a squared-off LTD was launched, based on the XD series Ford Falcon of the time. The third generation LTDs came on stream for the 1989 model year, based on the EA26 series Falcon. Currently, the fourth generation LTD, built on the EA169 platform, is Ford Australia's top model and is exported to New Zealand and in small numbers to Coleman Milne of the UK. It received its first major facelift in 2002, as part of the 'BA' series updates, though it began sharing its tail lights with the lesser Falcon. Unlike some lesser Fords, the Fairlane and LTD were never assembled in New Zealand. External link LTD
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