cars Jim Brennan UDMan pic..

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to learn something new while doing so. Performance was seriously lacking during the first half of the 1980’s. With emphasis placed on ever more stringent environmental regulations on top of growing concerns about fuel economy, there seemed to be no place to turn if you wanted an affordable, fast, and fun car. That was all starting to change after 1982, when Ford dropped their 5.0L HO V8 under the hood of the then 4-year-old Mustang. Finally, a new car with that old V8 soundtrack, and it seemed like utopia during the dark days of the “Malaise” era. But something else was on the horizon at Ford. It took a requirement from the Bob Bondurant Racing School of High Performance Driving, and a couple of engineering mules, to produce an invisible performance car. Let’s take a look at a 4-door Mustang, the Ford LTD LX.

The new-for-1983 Ford LTD II was basically a stretched 4-door Mustang (in reality, a rebodied Fairmont) and it had the room for the 5.0 V8. But that engine had not yet been offered for the public–Ford’s line-up at the time included the Pinto-derived 2 Litre 4-cylinder, the 200 cu. in. inline 6, and the top-of-the-line V6. But that soon changed, due in large part to Bob Bondurant’s Racing School. Bob was using Mustangs for teaching students but also needed a bigger four-passenger car for demonstration rides. The story has been told that Don Peterson, who was then Ford Motor Company’s President, was a graduate of the famed driving school, as was Edsel Ford, Red Poling (then Executive Vice President NA), and other Ford executives. So a prototype was created using stock Mustang componentry, equipped with an HO version of the 5.0L V8, mated to a 5-speed stick. Both Peterson and Bondurant were impressed with this car, and soon, Ford’s engineers were given the task of putting together the combination of four doors, handling, braking, acceleration, and road feel using current production parts.

Ford noted the success of the “European Tuned” sports sedan market by both GM and Chrysler at that time with the Pontiac 6000 STE, and the Dodge 600 ES. Ford was eager to get into that market, and so with a March 1983 deadline, the new V8-equipped sports sedan had a price target of $11,000, and would have the bragging rights that come with a throaty V8 rumble and rear-wheel drive. The car would be offered both as a Ford (LTD LX) and a Mercury (Marquis LTS).

According to Motor Trend Magazine (which tested both the Bondurant 5-speed car and the production LTD LX back to back), 0-60 time for the 165HP four-door Mustang was clocked at 9.09 seconds. On the drag strip, it ran the quarter-mile in 16.64 seconds, with a speed of almost 82 MPH. By comparison, the Bondurant 5-speed car took only 7.5 seconds from 0 to 60, and did the quarter mile in under 16 seconds at 89 MPH. Remember, these were very competitive times for 1984.

So, you would think when Ford installed its 165hp, CFI 5.0-liter HO engine and Mustang GT suspension bits into the starchy LTD, blacked out the trim, and made it available to the public at large, that it would have stood up and gotten noticed: a proper rear-drive sports sedan to counteract the import onslaught at last. But, alas, it disappeared, even when sitting on the showroom floor. The biggest beef most had was the mandatory AOD four-speed automatic transmission; serious gear-bangers wanted a five-speed. Still, complaints were minimal and the LX got positive press out of the Detroit buff books. Ford also ponied up for a healthy print ad campaign to back it.

But for all that, it was still a blip on the performance enthusiast’s radar screen: in 18 months of production, just 3,260 LTD LXs rolled out of Dearborn. The LX ceased production when the Taurus came rolling out, and the model was quickly forgotten, rising up as a cult car in certain circles.

CarDomain Members Rides

The idea to do an Obscure Article on the LTD LX came primarily from Scott Chamberlain. He is a member of the CarDomain community, and wait’ll you see his ride page. His car has been featured in a number of publications like Hot Rod, and Hemmings Muscle Machines. Take a look and leave a comment for Scott.

Here’s Andrew from Toronto. Not only does he have a sharp LTD LX, but he also owns a super rare Marcury Marquis LTS, which is the companion car to the LX. What a rare and unusual piece of history.

There are at least 14 other LTD LX’s within the CarDomain community, and you can browse them here.

There you have it. A four-door, V8-powered Mustang from the 80’s with a cult-like following. Is this one of those rather obscure muscle cars that belongs in the Parking Lot, or is it just another pretender that should be turned away? I’m sure the debate will be hot and heavy on this one.