On paper, these full- or "family-sized" convertibles like this 1972 Ford LTD made sense. Sort of. They eluded glamour and have an elan the fixed-roof cars they're based on lack while being as practical (or not). Ah, just imagine the quality family time, the whole gang blissfully basking in mother nature's glory while the bourgeois eat their hearts out. Acknowledge them with a simple wave. For kicks and giggles, blow a kiss or two. Nothing beats a leisurely drive in a convertible on a nice day. Preferably early morning or late afternoon and early evenings. Remind me to tell you about the time I got sun stroke driving my wife's 2004 Mitsubishi Eclpse Spyder GTS from Cleveland, Ohio to Toronto.
In reality, top up or down, these cars made no sense. They're noisy, they shudder, they moan, groan, squeak and creak and, because they're easily broken into, can be an insurance liability based on where you live. Oh, and manufacturers charged a premium for them because they were expensive to build. Not surprisingly, they didn't sell well and in the early to mid 1970s, one by one, the Big Three and a Half discontinued selling them. Ford dropped out of the game after 1972.
Rumored government regulations banning convertibles because they were said to be unsafe in roll-over accidents fueled the demise of these cars as well. Truth was, while said federal guidelines never came to prohibit convertibles, what did them in was they sold poorly. In fairness, they didn't flip over with any more frequency than their fixed room brethren. When they did flip over, well. You know.
Convertibles had been part of manufacturer's lineups going back to the earliest days of the automobile. Back in the "olden days", lowering a convertible top was an efficient way to ventilate the cabin. With the advent of air conditioning in the 1950's and 1960's, the practical side of convertibles became less important.
Due to their complexity, convertibles were expensive to build and manufacturers, naturally, passed that onto buyers. The added complexity involved either removal of the fixed roof, which was a major part of the car's structure or a different body was crafted altogether. Either way, additional heavy bracing was added as reinforcement. Because of their sheer bulk, full-size convertibles like our LTD here needed a considerable amount of bracing. Forces being forces and stressors being stressors, seemed no amount of additional buttressing was enough to eliminate "the shimmies" these cars are famous for. Shimmies they were famous for even if they had a fixed roof as well.
Our '72 here is part of Ford's new-for-1969 full-size cars they updated for 1971. That 1971 reboot included an even more pronounced front-end than the 1969 and 1970 models referred to by many as the "Bunkie Beak" in deference to Bunkie Knudsen. In February of 1968, Henry Ford II hired Knudsen away from General Motors' Pontiac division to run his company. At Pontiac, Knudsen was famous for insisting on a front end with a prow or beak ala the 1969 Grand Prix. Knudsen lasted on 19-months in the job.
Frankly, this car's front-end resemblance to Pontiac's is only obvious after being literally pointed out; what's less discussed is how much it resembles an Edsel's "urinal" front end.
I've always been fairly ambivalent towards these big Fords which seemed to be everywhere when I was a kid. If anything, their styling was obviously influenced heavily by General Motors; I can't say it's an improvement over anything GM sold at the time. In fairness, it's not an awful looking car in my opinion.
Where these cars really come up short of General Motors' makes and models is in their ride and handling. Squishy, mushy, disconnected, unresponsive and boggish, the new-for-1971 Ford 400-cu. in. V-8, one of the first "smog motors" incidentally, didn't do these cars any favors at the drag strip either. As if anyone bought a Ford LTD to go as quickly from stoplight-to-stoplight as possible. These cars also get dinged for clumsy, non-sensical dashboard ergonomics too.
This car has just 62,000-miles on it and appears to be in generally good condition. I don't think brown is its best color, it only adds to the dreariness of the all-black, all vinyl\plastic interior although I like the contrast of the tan top. Might be the camera angle but it does have a sporty, rakishness to it I appreciate. The Ford "Magnum" rims are to die for; someone had the good sense or taste not to fussy the appearance of this car with raised white-letter tires.
Asking price is $12,950 which for an early '70's full-size convertible in what appears to be solid shape, seems like a bargain. If you're into this sort of thing, go get it at
1972 Ford LTD Convertible 400 – Best Stop Auto Sales. Best Stop Auto Sales appears to be a consignment shop and that could make negotiating somewhat challenging since the back and forth could be a cumbersome process. Frankly, the closer this can be bought to $10,000 the better. Out the door for $12,000 I'd think someone did quite quite well.
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