1977 Ford LTD II Brougham: Luscious in Light Jade
Some cars, to folks of a certain age who remember them, disappear off the radar: Datsun B210s, Ford Elites, Chevrolet Monzas, Plymouth Caravelles. But once in a while, one will pop up, and I’ll instantly flash back to a certain era. The Ford LTD II is one of those cars—for me, at least.
The LTD II only lasted three model years, so you can be easily forgiven even if you were around in the late ’70s when they first appeared. But beneath the skin, it was essentially a 1972–76 Ford Torino.
After the muscle-car era dimmed, then disappeared in the early ’70s, the next wave was personal luxury. And myriad personal luxury cars came onto the scene. Some of the more memorable ones were the Chevy Monte Carlo, Thunderbird, and Chrysler Cordoba. And Broughamage ran rampant.
So much so that even more pedestrian midsize family cars got a dose, even the sedans and wagons. The LTD II was one of those. Though there had been a Gran Torino Brougham from 1973 to’ 76, the somewhat swoopy, Coke-bottle styling of the Torino was becoming a bit passe by the late ’70s and a reskin was in order.
Ford could have easily continued to call it the Torino, with fancier versions being dubbed Gran Torino and Gran Torino Brougham, but for whatever reason, the company decided to call it the LTD II, a “junior” version of the full-sized and perennial Ford LTD.
The sheetmetal was smoother and more squared off, losing the flared quarter-panel line that began at the rear side window and concave stamping just below it.
Compared to the outgoing Gran Torino (’73 model shown for comparison), fenders front and rear were more bladed, and trendy opera windows were now available on the sedan as well as the coupe (on the Torino, only two-door cars could get the opera window, and only on the flossier models).
The initial 1977 LTD II was pretty much the same size and shape as the 1976 Gran Torino—for obvious reasons. Sedans had a 118-inch wheelbase, while coupes had a 114-inch stretch. Economy-minded S, mid-range LTD II, and top-trim LTD II Brougham models were offered. Coupe, sedan, and station wagon body styles were offered—the latter including a wood-sided Squire version, naturally.
The Brougham coupe had a base price of $5121, and the Brougham sedan started at $5206. Neither was particularly popular, with 20,979 coupes and 18,851 sedans coming off the line. That was likely due to personal luxury-coupe fever, and the all-new 1977 Thunderbird being essentially an LTD II but with a unique basket-handle roofline with inset B-pillar opera window, hidden headlights, and full-width taillamps.
The Thunderbird alone accounted for nearly 320,000 sales in 1977, easily eclipsing the entire LTD II line despite three trim levels and three different body styles. Such were the times. Modern SUV and crossover-loving car owners today likely would be surprised that two-door personal luxury coupes were so astoundingly popular back then. But they were!
But I remember the LTD II well because my mom’s parents, Fred and Mae Stamp, had a triple dark jade LTD II Brougham sedan as their last car. I loved that car. I loved the color. I remember riding in it even though Grandma Mae passed away—far too young—in 1983, when I was only three years old.
So I always loved the LTD II and always will. You truly don’t see them very often, though I did see this one last summer at the must-see Maple City Cruise Night in Monmouth, Illinois.
It was the first one I’d seen in quite some time. It seems like the only LTD IIs you see today are either coupes like these with the Sports Appearance Package, or the Ranchero-based models.
As for our featured Brougham, resplendent in Light Jade Glow and Dark Jade Metallic, with matching Jade interior, I spotted on Facebook Marketplace back in May. Other than the rusty rear bumper and a bit of deterioration in interior trim components, it looked quite nice and was on offer in Milwaukee for $5900. The text itself was short and sweet: “Vehicle runs smooth and looks great. Some rust underneath and a bit of damage on the interior back parcel shelf. Come check out this beauty for yourself.”
The all new compact Ford Fairmont in 1978, combined with the also brand-new A-body Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Classic, made the LTD II look very big for a midsize car very quickly. The wagon only lasted to 1977, because the ’78 Fairmont wagon essentially replaced it. After the 1979 Panther chassis big Fords and Mercurys appeared in showrooms in autumn 1978, the LTD II was looking very old hat, and production ended. But I’ll always love them for the one Fred and Mae had. That car, along with my Grandpa Bob Klockau’s ’77 Mark V and Grandma Ruby’s ’77 T-Bird, cemented my love for ’70s FoMoCo luxury!
