1973 Ford LTD at Josefuv Dul Car Show, Liberecky kraj, Bohemia(CZ), 2015

This car was one of the easier ones to date at the Josefuv dul show, as it had spotting features distinct to 1973, namely the 5-m.p.h. bumpers combined with the older pre-1974 grille. It wasn't entirely clear how stock it was, as it appeared to have aftermarket dual exhausts. It was restored to look stock, at least. Given the Cold War, these Fords were never exported to Czechoslovakia (or Europe generally), so it's clear that, in spite of its Czech registration, this one would have been imported later. They were very popular in the United States, and have often been preserved, so they can't be said to be rare, although they are desirable, to be sure.

In general, American cars predating 1975 are much more popular than those built after, largely due to much lower performance between 1975 and 1993 or so, as well as much lower build quality in those years. There also is the perception that pre-1975 American cars look better, although that's entirely subjective. I prefer them myself, having said that.

Built between 1965 and 1986 as a full-size sedan (with the exception of the 1983-1986 models, which are mid-size), the LTD was never really intended as a performance car, although it did see extensive use in police departments, and were occassionally raced. The LTD name lived on from 1986 to 1991 as the LTD Crown Victoria, which had already split off from the regular in LTD in 1983, using the platform of the 1979-82 LTD. The 1973 LTD could be had with a number of engines, all of them OHV V-8's. The most powerful engine, the 460cid C-code with the 4-barrel carburetor, could put out about 260 net horsepower, and could give the LTD 0-60 m.p.h. times in the 8 second range, with a top speed of around 133 m.p.h. (214 km/h). Most LTD's had the smaller and less powerful 351cid "Cleveland" or the 302cid "Windsor," which was famous for being used in the Mustang and the GT40, albeit at higher horsepower ratings. As I've already said, I have no idea which engine was in this LTD, if it was even stock. In all, there were 7 different models of V-8 offered between 1968 and 1978, most of them with variants within the model. To this can be added the detail that pre-1975 engines could run on leaded gasoline (petrol) while engines built from 1975 onward had to be unleaded-only due to the introduction of catalytic converters (often called "catalyzers" outside of the United States).

The transmissions in 1968-82 LTD's were more predictable, being one of three models of 3-speed automatic. A 1973 LTD could have been equipped with either the FMX model, which was based on the original 2-speed Ford-O-Matic from 1951, the newer C4, introduced in 1964, or the even newer C6, introduced in 1966. The C6 was generally used for the higher-powered engines, as it was the heavy-duty model, while the C4 eventually came with overdrive, being more common from 1981 onward. Some LTD's also had 3 or 4-speed manual "Toploader" transmissions, but it has to be assumed that these were race cars, as full-size American sedans of the 1960's and 1970's were almost always automatic.

Finally, there is the detail of body styles. Ford have long offered more than one body style for the same model of car, as have many American (and foreign) companies. The LTD was usually offered as a 4-door sedan, but 2-door sedans, 2-door convertibles, and even 4-door wagons were offered (sometimes given fake wooden paneling and branded as the LTD Country Squire). This 1973 LTD was a 2-door with the distinctive 1970's-style "opera windows" over the back deck.