The square-jawed styling of today’s Nice Price or No Dice LTD stands in stark contrast to the slippery lines of the Taurus that will prowl Ford showrooms just 4 years down the road. With fewer than 6,900 miles on the clock, this LTD isn’t just old-school, it is a time capsule. Let’s have a look at what that may be price.
Within the Nineteen Eighties, the fast-food chain Wendy’s ran a funny TV ad promoting their “real” chicken sandwich over the processed you-don’t-know-what-you’re-eating chicken of the competition, using the catchy phrase, “parts is parts.”
Within the automotive world, having the suitable parts—or, at the least, real parts—plays just as essential a job as within the food biz. The 1965 Honda S600 roadster that got here our way yesterday was touted as a project; nevertheless, most of you considered it a more appropriate parts automobile for a less daunting restoration candidate. That impression was somewhat spoiled by the automobile’s not insubstantial $5,900 asking price, a fact reflected within the overwhelming 85% ‘No Dice’ loss that dollar amount endured.
Plain Jane
Parsimony is never aspirational, however it is anticipated in broad-based applications and when pennies demand to be pinched. This is very true in institutional operations, where pooled funds must cover basic needs and efforts, leaving anything more to feel unduly extravagant. That is why, save for the enduring edifices of our homes of governance, most of our social structures and services are inclined to be fairly bare bones. There’s just something egalitarian about one-ply toilet paper.
Today’s 1982 Ford LTD suits into that mold of purposeful but prudent, and appears as if it was just pulled from the parking garage of some public service motor pool. Wearing basic black over a “Midnight Blue” cloth and vinyl upholstered interior, this LTD is as no-nonsense as is mechanically possible. In keeping with the Marti report provided by the offering dealer, the one options on the automobile are the 302 CID V8, full wheel covers, and air-con. Shoot, it’s even limited to only an AM radio, and all 4 windows are hand-cranked.
That recent automobile smell
While it could be a no-frills option, this Panther-platform Ford presents that parsimony in almost as-new condition. A clean title automobile with no apparent baggage or at-hand issues, this LTD shows a mere 6,875 miles on its odometer. It is also emblematic of its era. This model 12 months had the dignity of being the primary for fuel injection to be offered on an LTD. That was limited to the mid-range 302, although, befitting its low cost seats outfitting, that appears to not have been optioned on this automobile. With its Motorcraft 7200 two-barrel carb, this 12 months’s 5.0 made a modest 132 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque.
Also recent this 12 months was the usual fitting of the four-speed Automatic Overdrive across the board. That is noted on this automobile by the badges fitted to the front fenders. This can be the primary 12 months Ford selected to make use of the Blue Oval badge on an LTD; in previous years, it used FORD lettering.
It belongs in a museum
The vendor describes this LTD as “A TOTAL TIME CAPSULE THAT STILL LOOKS NEW,” and claims that it “DRIVES EXCELLENT.” The outline is backed up by the photos. This Ford really looks prefer it just rolled off the assembly line at Ford’s Oakville, Ontario plant. The one evidence of age and use is a few minor abrading of the silver paint on the LTD logo molded into the suitable tail lamp and a little bit of surface rust underneath. All the things else looks almost brand-spanking recent.
In keeping with the Marti report, this Ford was first sold in May 1982 (its construct was only one month earlier) through a Ford dealer in Michigan. What happened to it within the intervening years, or the way it now presents in Dorian Gray-esque fashion, goes unexplained. The more immediate query is what’s there to be done with a automobile of this caliber (meaning modestly-equipped and arguably common) in the current day. Buying it and driving it in an effort to make up for lost time seems shameful, but alternatively, it isn’t exactly something you’d stick in a museum despite this section’s title. What would you do?
Big bucks?
Before you answer that, allow us to consider this fabulously fastidious Ford’s formidable $15,000 asking price. That very same amount would buy you ten meals at René Redzepi’s upcoming NOMA restaurant in Los Angeles, after which era you’d probably need to beg off fancy food for a 12 months or more. For $15K, this Ford offers a way more perplexing proposition than an obscenely expensive attempt at grand guignol gluttony. What are we to make of it?
How do you discover this Ford and that $15,000 asking price? Does that feel fair given the automobile’s modest yet surprising presentation? Or is that out of line for an institutional effort?
You choose!
Flint, Michigan, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Mark McIntosh for the hookup!
Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Contact me at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to incorporate your commenter handle.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
