The seller of today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe LTD describes it as a “four-door Mustang GT” and that’s pretty much what it is. You’ll have to decide if its price makes it a four-door deal as well.
Red Green offered to the ages this sage snippet of wisdom: “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.” Words to live by, I’m sure you will agree.
Yesterday’s 1975 BMW R90/6 was undeniably handsome and while not running, it probably could be brought back to life by someone who was at least modestly handy. Those facts helped its price win a huge 83% Nice Price win.
That bike had two wheels, while today’s candidate has four doors. Coincidence? I think not. That portal count isn’t that big a deal until you note that it’s essentially a four-door Mustang GT. That’s because this 1985 Ford LTD 5.0 was bequeathed a bunch of hot Mustang hardware before it left the factory.
What made that all possible was the the shared DNA that the ‘80s LTD and Mustang possessed. Both are Fox body platform mates, and that means that much of what fits one will fit the other, and that includes the 165-horsepower EFI-equipped H.O. 302 which was what all the cool kids at Ford had back then.
The Fox platform was in fact originally intended to house a V8. The front suspension is a Macpherson strut arrangement but it keeps its coil springs separate, mounted in the A-arm down below rather than the standard practice of up top, circling the strut. That allows for plenty of elbow room in the engine bay up above. Nice work, Ford.
Of course, it’s hard to say that when Ford introduced the Fox under the plebeian Fairmont and slighter high-zootier Mercury Zephyr if the company had a clue just how many cars would eventually spin off of the platform.
The LTD was an evolution of that founding Fairmont, sharing the windshield, doors, and pretty much everything under the skin with it. The impetus for the 5.0-powered LX edition is said to have come from Bob Bondurant who was using Mustangs for his driving school, but needed a four passenger car for demo rides. Bondurant went to then-Ford Pres Don Peterson - he himself a graduate of the driving school - and asked for a “four-door Mustang.”
Peterson liked the idea so much that the Bondurant one-off LTD became the production LTD LX 5.0. The only difference between the track car and the one offered for the street was that Bob’s car came with a five-speed stick, and the ones that made it to the dealers could only be had with Ford’s 4-speed AOD automatic. Shizzle McBizzle!
This one, in burgundy over grey, is a two-owner car and rocks four-lug Mustang GT turbines. The bodywork seems clean in the few pics provided - hey LTD seller dude, more pics of the car, and less of the oil change receipts in the future, m’kay? For you kids; yes, those flat up and down things in the grille just above the bumper are the headlights. The LTD came about before composite lights were legal here, so old school rectangular units it is.
Inside, things get a little funkier as the driver’s seat comes with a chunk taken out of its modest side bolster. The seller says he has factory seat covers (huh?) which are mint. Hopefully that description refers to their condition and not their color.
There’s 139,000 miles on the clock and new tires under the arches. Koni shocks and larger sway bars, plus aftermarket camber plates mean giving the suspension a once over before purchase to make sure there’s nothing M.Mouse about the install. The ad says the car runs and drives excellent, and to be honest, there’s not a lot that can go wrong with these.
All this - including that autotragic transmission - could be had for $2,300. Yep, that’s less than yesterday’s BMW motorcycle and this one’s even running. Plus, it’s a four-door Mustang GT!
What’s your take on this LTD for that kind of cash? Deal? Or, is this a four-door Mustang that’s only worthy of a three-digit price?
You decide!
Los Angeles Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Nap Kinface for the hookup!
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