Good morning! Today we’re taking another look at Ford’s venerable Fox platform, in two of its less-often-seen flavors. One is exciting but ailing, and the other is dull but intact. Because of this juxtaposition of the two cars’ conditions, I am once again going to offer you a “Both” option in the voting – but only for a specific scenario. I’ll explain in a minute.
As soon as my wife was finished proofreading Friday‘s date-night showdown, she had only four words to say: “Well, the Pontiac, obviously.” I like to think of myself as a wise man, at least enough so to know when I should listen. With that in mind, I cast my vote for GM’s attempt at a sports sedan.
Which makes me wonder: Did any of the rest of you ask your potential passengers what they thought? The little Mazda ran away with the win, as I would expect if it were just us shopping for ourselves. It would certainly be my choice of the four. But for a date-night scenario, especially a first date? It might be better to keep your gearhead freak flag furled.
Moving on: Platform-sharing is a time-honored way for automakers to save money, and every automaker does it. Design one chassis, and alter the bodywork and powertrain as needed for the application. Chrysler made a meal out of this approach in the ’80s with the K platform, but Ford’s Fox platform might have underpinned more radically different cars. Time-honored nameplates like Mustang and Thunderbird rode on the Fox, but so did the relentlessly normcore Fairmont and the gentleman’s GT Lincoln Mark VII.
Forty years after the fact, this design-sharing across a whole line of automobiles has a side effect: it turns an entire manufacturer’s output from the whole decade into a big pile of Tinkertoys. Everything fits everything, and you can mix and match to your heart’s content. With that interchangeability in mind, take a look at these two.
1986 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.3-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Grosse Pointe, MI
Odometer reading: 100,000 miles
Operational status: Runs great, not drivable due to rusted brake line
For most of its existence, the Mercury Cougar just followed along behind whatever Ford vehicle it was based on, starting with the Mustang, then the Elite and LTD II, and then the Thunderbird. For all that time, the XR-7 badge was applied to the fanciest or highest-performance Cougar. In the ’80s, Ford’s top-of-the-line Thunderbird was the Turbo Coupe, with a 2.3 liter turbocharged four, quite often paired with a five-speed manual, and the Cougar XR-7 followed suit.
The XR-7’s version of the turbocharged 2.3 didn’t have an intercooler, like the Mustang SVO did. Instead, it’s the same 155 horsepower engine available in the Ford Sierra-based Merkur XR4Ti, which would have been for sale alongside it at Lincoln-Mercury dealers. At least, the one in the showroom was; this one has an upgraded turbocharger, an intercooler, and some other upgrades to boost power up to SVO levels, and possibly beyond.
It runs well, and was daily-driven until recently, but a rear brake line has let go due to rust, so it is not currently drivable. Brake lines are not generally difficult items to replace, but this is a Michigan car, and the fact that a brake line rusted through does not bode well for the rest of the underside of the car. It’s a little crispy around the edges of the rear wheel wells and quarters, and I fear this may be the tip of a very rotten iceberg.
It’s also banged-up outside, and pretty grubby inside. You could clean it up, certainly, and the rust may not be as bad as I fear, but I have another idea I’d like to run by you.
1983 Ford LTD – $3,450
Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Fishers, IN
Odometer reading: 135,000 miles
Operational status: Doesn’t explicitly say, but my guess is that it runs and drives
At the other end of the Fox-body spectrum, we find the new-for-1983 downsized Ford LTD. This car replaced both the Fox-platform Granada and the Panther-platform LTD, though the LTD Crown Victoria stayed on the Panther chassis for decades afterwards, of course. This new, smaller LTD was most often seen with a 3.8 liter V6 under the hood, which this one has, but it was also available with a naturally-aspirated 2.3 liter four and, theoretically, a four-speed manual. You can probably already see where I’m going with all this.
The old Essex V6 still had a carburetor in 1983, and only managed 112 horsepower, some of which made it to the rear wheels via an AOD automatic transmission. This one is claimed to be in good condition, and comes with maintenance records, but they don’t expressly say that it runs and drives. I think we can safely assume so, but we can also assume that after 135,000 miles, its acceleration probably rivals plate tectonics.
It is, however, quite a lot cleaner both inside and out than the Cougar is. It looks like an FBI undercover car, but a well-kept FBI undercover car. You could use this as a movie prop. It does have some “light hail damage,” according to the ad, but the “two tone French vanilla and tan” paint does a good job of hiding it.
Ford actually did make a couple of higher-performance versions of this LTD: one called the LTD LX, with a high-output 302 V8, a limited-slip rear axle, and some suspension tweaks; and a police package, which was probably much of the same. One thing Ford never did offer, however, was an LTD with the turbocharged 2.3 liter four and a five-speed manual.
So now it’s time for you to choose. If either of these cars strikes your fancy as it sits, then by all means vote for it. But if you have come to the same conclusion that I have – that the LTD would make a fun sleeper with the XR-7 engine, transmission, and suspension parts – then vote for “both” and clear out some garage space to start swapping parts.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Take your crap out of the car and close the hood before you start taking pictures!
That LTD for the win. There’s a guy in Milwaukee area that has 2 LTDs in that same color. Both with single turbo LS / 4L80 budget swaps. Fast cars. You can see them here: https://www.youtube.com/@MKEUnderground
I don’t want either, but if forced to choose I’ll take the LTD since it is $50 cheaper. That isn’t a lot of money, but it will buy enough cheap whiskey to allow me to temporarily forget I spent $3,450 on an ’83 LTD that only seemed like a good idea when compared to an undriveable ’86 Cougar.
Its only $3,450 internet dollars if that makes you feel better.
Even in fake internet money 3,450 US dollars is far more than I would spend on this car.
I might consider offering 3,450 Liberian dollars worth of fake internet money, but I’d have to think about it first.
I still prefer it over the Cougar, though. I’m not sure I would even offer 3,450 Vietnamese dong for that car.
Cougar with a 5 speed? I’m in!
Too bad the XR-7 doesn’t look as nice as the front. A friend of mine had a T-bird Turbo Coupe of that era and it was surprisingly quick.
Give me the LTD. It’s perfect for my cosplay fantasy of being a woefully underpaid nightime cardboard box warehouse security guard.
Are you secretly Seymour Skinner?
I wish! He drives a fancy IMPORT! How cool is that?
I can only aspire to guard the box factory. As it is I’m the night guard at the box warehouse where even less goes on. A cat fight would the highlight of the month. So the LTD fits right in.
My maternal grandfather had a 1985 LTD with the Essex V6, red exterior and red interior. When I was a kid, my mom didn’t drive and my dad had to commute out to the suburbs. Since my grandparents lived 15 minutes away, they were always around. During the summer, I would climb into that LTD and my grandpa and I would go to the Crafty Beaver lumberyard so he could get supplies for his projects. Every Tuesday, they would go to the bakery and drop off donuts at our house. I would get so excited when I hopped off the school bus and that LTD was parked in front of our house. When I was a little older, my grandpa would take me to get my weekly allergy shots and feed me an Arby’s junior roast beef sandwich (he always thought I was too skinny). I was 10 years old when he died in 1995. My folks inherited that LTD which my dad drove so my mom could confront the responsibility of driving in our 1994 Saturn SW2.
The car was not perfect. It was slow and the transmission didn’t care to upshift on its own when cold. While my grandpa took good care of the car, he never bothered to get the rear window regulators replaced. The front marker light was duct-taped because of an errant softball in the church parking lot. The rear suspension sagged from too many overloaded vacations up to Minnesota. The red interior had some weird mismatches on the upholstery where my grandma would rub her excess lipstick. Since my grandpa was colorblind, she figured he never noticed. My folks finally traded it for another Saturn in 1998. As mediocre as the LTD was, I still think of my grandfather on the rare times I still see one on the road.
So yes, I voted for the LTD.
It sounds like your memories with your grandparents and that LTD are similar to mine, except that it was a 1990 Caprice Classic. I have so many good memories with them that involve that beautiful blue monster, including road trips on a plush back seat that was like a mobile couch and singing along to old Kenny Rogers songs on the tape deck.
Wow, that was a heartwarming story, thanks for sharing it . ❤
Sleeper time!
As bland as it is, the Fox-body LTD just worked on so many levels. I’d drop in a 347 stroker, murder out the paint and trim, and throw a set of badass rims on it.
I’m with the LTD sleeper-builders. Fix it up and raid the Fox-body performance parts bin for a sweet sleeper. (Yes, the same could be done with the Mercury, but I’ve never come to terms with the rear window/backlight styling. Ever.)
That LTD is calling out. It looks so vanilla. Perfect for a heart transplant to spice things up. Some cars are best left as vanilla. This isn’t one.
The XR-7 is in Grosse Point! That area is so rich they can afford to buy a new car every week if they wanted. It may be rusty, but it definitely was maintained.
Taking a chance on the Cougar.
That LTD is screaming to be made into a true sleeper-mobile.
In any case, you’ll end up with a rolling testament of Ford’s design turpitude. Or two.
Big nope.
Or maybe design turditude?
Yes, I mean, how hard could it be to design a non-ugly car? Even GM was normally far better at looks, even at that time (I just mention looks, not quality or engineering).
French vanilla
lattesleeper, please!I like the idea of a manual trans & hotter engine swap into the LTD, but at this point there are much better options than dealing with removing the engine from that mercury for it – Some form of 302 or 5.0 V8, or maybe the 2.0 or 2.3L ecoboost from a hot Focus or modern Ranger. So, just the LTD I guess
I wouldn’t expect much from that Pinto motor, turbo or not.
Esslinger Engineering would like a word with you about Lima Engines…
I had my fill of those. Absolute bloody junk. When rocker arms won’t stay on, we have a problem.
Came here to say this. A 5.0 is a better swap for that LTD than the turbo 4. And as much as I like this generation of T-Bird/Cougar, it looks rough … and while it may have been regularly maintained once upon a time, this particular one looks as though it’s done its share of doughnuts in the parking lot at Grosse Pointe South High School.
We’ll take the slanty-nose Fairmont.
Rust is irrelevant, because I am going to find out just how much abuse that 2.3L will take and then drop a V8 in and take it to the drag strip, the cage will hold it together.
Manual for the win. Motors can be improved, swapping to a manual is way more of a PIA. Is it a decent tranny??
Well, now you’ve done it, gone and scraped a hole through the bottom of that barrel. In the future, do what GIs do to deal with barrels of shit: douse them in kerosine and light ‘em up. Which is what I’d do with both of these cars.
I’ve shared this before, but a guy in my hometown growing up in the early 90s had a gray/blue LTD (like this one) and put ALL the goodies from a wrecked Turbo Coupe in it, including the wheels. It was a sleeper and 100% badass for the time. I’m going with both so I can attempt to re-live that badassery!
He also had a Zephyr coupe with a 460, but that’s a different discussion altogether.
LTD.
That Cougar has the POTENTIAL to be a hoot. But it has the LIKELIHOOD of being a crusty nightmare.
The LTD is a runner and has sleeper possibilities. Cruise to the local strip with three of your buddies, giggling like idiots. Lay down a hot pass with everybody aboard, then REALLY light it up with just a pilot. THAT sounds like serious fun!
Plus it has AC!
“Both” is the answer. If, that is, you can scrape the corrosion off the Cougar parts you want to swap in.
On the other hand, a 5.0/5-speed would rock the LTD, too. Don’t know what Pick-Your-Part charges these days, but it might be less than the tab for the XR-7.
I’m in your camp. Had this exact LTD last year of high school and first 2 years of college (well, mine had power windows and grey/blue interior). I suspect a 302/347 swap would be cheaper and easier as well but like the thought of the both option.
I’d be tempted to swap in the Cougar dash and console too – this Cougar body once shared the LTD dash so I bet it bolts right in. I guess SEM still makes vinyl/plastic dye?
The 83/84 Tbird dash isn’t quite the same as the LTD, but I’m pretty sure it’d bolt in.
I had a high school teacher with a nearly identical LTD LX with the 302. He loved the sleeper aspect of it, even though most of the kids at the school made fun of him for the bland vehicle since he taught history AND shop class. What few kids realized was that the teacher took a lot of effort to hide the highly modified 347 that was actually under the hood. Still, it was a sweet engine enveloped by a not so sweet car, so I’m going with the turbo Cougar.
Box top fox!
The Mercury has just been messed with too much, and unless they’ve replaced the glass transmission with a T5 to handle what looks like upgraded power, you’re gonna have a bad day.
So, boxtop fox and an engine swap from whatever.
I voted both but after looking closer at these both are showing some rust and being from the Midwest like me you know they are hiding
more issues underneath so I am not sure I would want either. But either would be cool to turn into sleepers since they are some pretty boring uneventful looks cars especially the LTD.