We had a look at this beautiful Impala in New Orleans on Monday, and now we're going to take a look at an LTD survivor of the mean streets of Brooklyn. WannabeWannabe has sent in some great photos and description for our enjoyment, so make the jump and take a look...
Here's what WannabeWannabe has to say: By 1971, Ford expanded its LTD line to more than just nicely-appointed sedans to include coupes and convertibles, too, in both regular and Brougham trim levels. Despite this car's wonderful broughaminess, the convertibles only came in the regular trim level. From the opposite side of the street, it's clear that Ford was a true-believer in the longer, lower, wider look popularized by GM's Harley Earl in the 50s. But commend Ford for the quality control needed to get the rear character line to extend evenly into the huge, heavy door: a pure example of the peak of pre-malaise swagger.
The rear end has a vaguely Thunderbird-y air about it. If only it also had sequential turn signals. Because this is Brooklyn, afterall, getting pictures straight on of the front and rear ends is virtually impossible. Perhaps the most fitting aspect is that the LTD is sandwiched between a Honda Accord and a Volkswagen Passat. I can only dream of the days when the block was filled end to end with enormous, luxurious all-American boats.
The rear 3/4 shot gives you a look at what almost 40 years of living in New York will do to a car. All in all, though, I'd say this car has fared pretty well. Maybe it lived its early life in a dryer, less salty climate that had fewer people who parallel park by feel. At least it has a new top.
I really hope that under that almost Pontiac-y beak lies a barely-muffled 429, but more likely it's the standard 351, which could theoretically still be enough. No, it'll never be enough. Did I hear someone say cammer?
Only the finest white sheepskins for the interior, and of course, the obligatory fuzzy dice. That tells me the owner is almost certainly older than the car. Maybe he (she? wouldn't that be great!) bought it new. I do like the addition of dice on the door locks, as long as we're going with the dice-as-representative-of-an-entire-era theme.
Finally, I really hope that the ill-fitting hood is a purposeful modification to let the air out of the engine bay to keep the front end from getting light on the late-night high speed runs on the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, for you left coasters), but who am I kidding, the BQE is never empty and even the (rusty?) soft springs are no match for the potholes.
And, of course, we can't talk about Brooklyn without talking about these guys: