Former Movie Star? 1991 Ford LTD Crown Victoria
For most of the 1980s and beyond, the Ford LTD Crown Victoria was the flagship of the Ford lineup. Along with the Mercury Grand Marquis, these were throwback vehicles in that they were large automobiles still using rear-wheel drive and V8 engines. And they were still in demand as Ford sold nearly two million copies of the Crown Vic from 1980 to 1991, including quite a few used by police entities. The seller has owned this 1991 edition for 15 years and it’s in good condition overall, with things like the vinyl top needing attention.
The Crown Victoria name was first used on a fancy Fairlane coupe in the mid-1950s. Once the name was resurrected, it dominated Ford’s assembly lines throughout the 1980s. A 5.0-liter V8 was employed to propel these machines, though at 150 hp SAE net, it was more for cruising than brisk acceleration. Fleet markets found the cars quite desirable, especially for police work where they used the base “S” model rather than the more luxurious LX like the seller’s car. Buyers were resistant to letting the RWD cars go as more than 91,000 sedans alone were produced in 1991, the last year for the Panther platform.
This Ford’s recent history is interesting in that it was acquired in 2009 to be used as a background car on a movie set in Washington, DC. The seller owns several cars like this from the 1970s to the 1990s when the need arises for an automobile from this era. It hasn’t been used much of late and is the reason the car should move on to someone who will drive it more. The car has an estimated 72,000 miles and is said to run well but needs a few things.
The tires are at least a decade old, so they should be replaced. The vinyl top is cracking, so it’s time for that to get renewed. And there is an airbag sensor in the steering wheel that may work when it shouldn’t, so the seller is throwing in a spare steering wheel as you’ll have to pull the wheel to replace that anyway. The paint on this Ford is more than presentable, but the clearcoat has seen better days in some places.
Located in Columbia, Maryland, this “Vicky” is available here on Barn Finds Classifieds for a reasonable $2,900. The seller has provided a thorough discussion of his/her wares and has also included links to a variety of videos, which are: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4, and Video 5. These Crown Victorias are known for their reliability, and you still see them out on the roads more than 30 years later.
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Comments
Ford nailed the lines on these years of the Crown Victoria. Love that front end. The cop car versions were still available w the 351 i believe.
351 optional for the police package but oddly had a 2 barrel carb instead of fuel injection, if I recall correctly.
The story I remember behind that was that the 351 with a 2-bbl had been EPA certified for use in pickup trucks, so it was relatively easy to get a public-service exemption from the EPA to be able to put that setup in police cars.
Sadly, that 2 barrel was a variable venturi unit. It didn’t work well. I hear many stories how the manufacturers got epa exemptions for law enforcement vehicles. It didn’t happen. If that were the case then Ford would have used the 4 barrel holley setup that was on the HO 351 pickups in 1986
Pretty sure the performance of the VV 2bbl was very close to the 4 bbl H.O., while the fuel economy was much better. That was still a consideration with most LEAs at the time. I think the truth may be in-between.
Aside from the car’s condition, nothing special about its recent history. Anyone who owns an older vehicle can register with sites that maintain databases from which they draw from in regions where movies are being shot. My oldest son’s car got included in a movie last year and he ended up being an extra as well.
My second son got a call last week asking if he and his car can make a shoot at the end of this month. No real money in it, they do it just for fun.
I bought a 90 CV at the Nebraska State Surplus auction in 1997. I was working nights back then and after I got off work that saturday morning my girlfriend at the time gave me a ride to the auction and they had 3 90’s sitting side by side and I was able to start it and try the tranny a little and everything seemed fine with the car but I remember thinking the air cleaner looked a little odd but in my tired state things did not click. It wasn’t until after I got it home and looked at it closer the next day I realized it was not a 302 with FI but a 351W with a carb. Turns out that Ford did not have a FI unit that would clear the hood. That was a great car and well worth the $1700 that I paid for it
1991 was NOT the last year for the panther platform. 2011 was.
1991 was not the last year for the Panther platform. Add another 20 years to that.
It would have taken the author of the article maybe 20 seconds to verify his statement. Why do people make up stuff?
An offspring of the Ford Model T for longevity’s sake.
Looks good on the inside. Vinyl roof on our ’79 Landau did the same thing. Ours had the 302VV engine. When set up properly was a real runner and regularly returned 20 mpg or better.
Calling the GALYS.
GALYS members are here! See my comment. Come on other members weigh anchor here to comment. This Definitely IS a LAND YACHT! 👍
Good to hear from you today!
And the same to you Nelson! 👍. Check out my rant on the 64 custom 880 for a laugh! 😉 Now I’m On to VERSAILLES (actually a Dr, Appt.) In MY LANDYACHTIAN Town Car. 👋
Among my numerous upscale vehicles, My 89 Crown Victoria LX (with formal roof and plush velvet interior) easily held its own with my RWD Fifth Avenues, Grand Marquis, Fleetwood Broughams, and TOWN CARS. This Crown Vic looks like a good restoration project. Too much for me, but Someone PLEASE save this former star and put the Crown back on this Victoria. With apologies to Norma Desmond 🎵 with some work 🎶 It can RETURN again 🎵 as the GREATEST STAR of ALL . Sorry 😞 I just get carried away for ALL you Wonderful People Out There in the Dark! 😎 🏰 🤣
My parents had one of these for years before moving into a conversion van to fit the growing family. It was a white 91 base with regular hubcaps and an AM/FM radio. Always remember messing with the hood ornament
This is a bit similar to my 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis — though I don’t have to worry about air bags. Mine has 382,000 miles, so I can attest to longevity and reliability. The Mercury version is a bit fancier; but under the skin, they are the same car. My vinyl roof is just now beginning to have one little crack like the many this Crown Vicky has. The issues I have had are connected with power windows, power door-locks, and windshield wiper arms, not to mention the intermittent cruise-control. And this car works HARD to get up a long hill at turnpike speed. The driver’s seat belt no longer reliably rewinds into its holder. Other than that, the AM/FM/cassette radio is as numb as a box of rocks on A.M. (typical for most cars after about 1960 — the days of travelling 500 miles during the day with the same A.M. station go back to when car radios had tubes). The FM tuner is entirely inadequate for the crowded band of to-day: adjacent channels bleed-over in spits and spurts (a Blaupunkt, this is NOT). Cassette performance is fine. No problems with heat, and I’ve never had to touch the original 1988 air conditioning (it will FREEZE you on a sultry day). And the interior has held up VERY well — even the driver’s seat. You couldn’t ask for more comfort on a long trip (of which I take many). The faux wood dashboard looks as good as the day that this Mercury left the showroom. A car such as this is not worth restoring, because the market simply isn’t there to support that degree of investment. Buy it. Give it whatever it needs to make it entirely roadworthy, then use it and maintain it as a daily driver for YEARS, with no break-downs. Beautifully styled, these cars have a “classic” presence which newer ones utterly lack, and they seem to last forever — right through winter driving. Mine is not a rust-bucket — even here in the snowy/icy Adirondacks with loads of road-salt. I see folks with cars six-years-old, who have budget-busting repairs and break-downs on the highway. Sure, they do much better than my 22 m.p.g. — but at least, when I set out to GO someplace, I GET there!
This is a bit similar to my 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis — though I don’t have to worry about air bags. Mine has 382,000 miles, so I can attest to longevity and reliability. The Mercury version is a bit fancier; but under the skin, they are the same car. My vinyl roof is just now beginning to have one little crack like the many this Crown Vicky has. The issues I have had are connected with power windows, power door-locks, and windshield wiper arms, not to mention the intermittent cruise-control. And this car works HARD to get up a long hill at turnpike speed. Other than that, the AM/FM/cassette radio is as numb as a box of rocks on A.M. (typical for most cars after about 1960 — the days of travelling 500 miles during the day with the same A.M. station go back to when car radios had tubes). The FM tuner is entirely inadequate for the crowded band of to-day: adjacent channels bleed-over in spits,and spurts (a Blaupunkt, this is NOT). Cassette performance is fine. No problems with heat, and I’ve never had to touch the original 1988 air conditioning (it will FREEZE you on a sultry day). And the interior has held up VERY well — even the driver’s seat. You couldn’t ask for more comfort on a long trip (of which I take many). The faux wood dashboard looks as good as the day the car left the showroom. A car such as this is not worth restoring, because the market simply isn’t there to support that degree of investment. Buy it. Give it whatever it needs to make it entirely roadworthy, then use it and maintain it as a daily driver for YEARS, with no break-downs. Beautifully styled, these cars have a “classic” presence which newer ones utterly lack, and they seem to last forever — right through winter driving. Mine is not a rust-bucket — even here in the snowy/icy Adirondacks with loads of road-salt. I see folks with cars six-years-old, who have budget-busting repairs and brsak-downs on the highway. Sure, they do much better than my 22 m.p.g. — but at least, when I set out to GO someplace, I GET there!