Full-size Ford
While best known for its production as a four-door sedan, the model lineage supported a wide range of body configurations, including coupes, hard tops, convertibles, station wagons, and retractable hardtops.
Alongside with its status as the physically largest sedan offered by Ford in North America, nearly the entire line shared a common design lineage, including a rear-wheel drive layout and body-on-frame construction (excepting the final Ford Taurus), a V8 engine was offered for nearly all generations.
At the time of its 2012 model-year discontinuation, the Ford Crown Victoria was the final mass-produced sedan offered with a separate frame.
At the time, each manufacturer offered nearly the same range of body styles for each of their vehicle brands (e.g., Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln).
To augment their brand lineups, automakers began to market their vehicle lines in multiple nameplates, distinguished by exterior and interior trim.
Along with comparable sedans from AMC, Chrysler, and General Motors, the model line saw heavy use by police forces that desired robust body-on-frame construction, rear-wheel drive traction, and V8 engine power.
Following the 1996 demise of the General Motors B platform (AMC ended production of large rear-wheel drive sedans in 1978, with Chrysler following suit in 1981), Ford held a virtual monopoly on police vehicles sold in North America into the 2010s.
The Model A introduced Ford buyers to conventional driver controls; it now had pedals for the brakes, throttle, and clutch, as well as a separate gearshift.
As buyer tastes began to change in the late 1930s, certain body styles were pruned from the lineup; 1939 was the last year for the fur-door phaeton and for single-seat coupes and convertibles (and their rumble seats).
The dashboard was redesigned (to feature recessed controls) in 1938, hydraulic brakes were added in 1939, and sealed-beam headlights were introduced a year later.
Ford entered the youth market in 1951 with a new Victoria pillarless hardtop-convertible, a direct competitor to the Chevrolet Bel Air.
The Lifeguard option package, introduced in 1956, featured front and rear seat belts, a padded dashboard, and redesigned door latches.
The Ranchero, introduced in 1957, was the first coupe utility pickup sold in North America, antedating the Chevrolet El Camino by two years.
While sharing the 119-inch wheelbase of the previous generation, Ford redesigned the frame and suspension in an effort to upgrade ride and handling.
Adopting many of the convenience features available on a Lincoln or Mercury, the Ford LTD was introduced before or alongside sedans such as the Chevrolet Caprice and Dodge Monaco.
Alongside traditional differences between grilles and trim, Ford designers began to further distinguish each full-sized model range from each other.
To accommodate federal regulations, the front fascia was fitted with large 5 mph bumpers (rear versions were added for 1974).
While Lincoln-Mercury retained hardtop rooflines, Ford added thick B-pillars and fixed rear quarter windows to its two-door coupes.
Four-door sedans and station wagons became "pillared hardtops"; while still using frameless door glass, the roofline was reinforced with thin metal B-pillars.
As the 1970s progressed, Ford gradually consolidated its full-sized range under the LTD nameplate (which included the Country Squire station wagon).
After 1974, the Galaxie was discontinued (along with the Country Sedan station wagon); the Custom 500 was largely relegated to fleet and police sales.
[4][5] Necessitated by the implementation of American federal fuel economy standards (CAFE), Ford introduced an all-new full-sized line for 1979.
In line with General Motors, Ford underwent downsizing, losing 15 inches of length and 800 pounds of curb weight; the 1979 LTD received smaller exterior dimensions than the midsized LTD II.
As fuel prices stabilized and demand for full-sized cars remained, Ford made the decision to continue to produce the Panther platform alongside the Taurus.
The LTD Crown Victoria (and the Country Squire) became the sole full-sized cars, while the LTD nameplate took over for a facelifted version of the slow-selling Granada sedan.
As part of a substantial upgrade of the Panther chassis, the Crown Victoria adopted a ground-up redesign of the exterior (influenced by the first-generation Taurus).
Following a short run of 2012 production destined entirely for export to Saudi Arabia, the final Ford Crown Victoria was produced on September 15, 2011.
Produced solely as a four-door sedan, the Five Hundred (drawing its name from the Galaxie 500) was sold alongside the Ford Freestyle; while marketed as a crossover SUV, the Freestyle functionally served as the closest successor to the Country Squire station wagon; for the first time since 1991, Ford offered full-sized vehicles in multiple body styles.
In another change, the rebranded Taurus effectively replaced the Crown Victoria, as Ford ended retail sale of the latter model line.
At the end of the 2010s, Ford shifted vehicle production in North America away from sedans to light trucks, largely withdrawing from the full-sized segment in worldwide markets.
