One-Owner Wedding Present: 1970 Ford LTD
What a story this 1970 Ford LTD two-door hardtop has to tell. Or rather, its one and only owner has an incredible story to tell about this car. It was a surprise wedding present and they have owned it since it was new. It’s listed here on eBay in Boca Raton, Florida and they have a buy-it-now price of $8,500 listed.
Our cousins had a similar year Ford LTD but it was a red four-door sedan. It was such a beautiful car, I still remember that grille with the hidden headlights and the black vinyl roof over that bright red four-door body. Gorgeous. I think this Three Putt Green is perfect for a 1970 car and according to the seller, the original owner, this paint is all original. There is one small rust spot that we don’t see in the photos, just behind the driver’s side rear wheel.
The second-generation Ford LTD was made from 1969 to 1978. The hidden headlights went away in 1971 along with a mild restyling but according to the seller, these vacuum headlight doors work perfectly. This car was her wedding present from her recently-departed husband. The story goes that her late husband-to-be bought this car fifty-two years ago and hid it at his sister’s house until their wedding day when it showed up outside the church where they were getting married.
It’s amazing that the exterior and paint are all original and it sounds like the interior is, too. The front seat reportedly has some wear and there are a few tears on the dash which we don’t get a close-up view of, but the headliner looks great and the back seat looks like new. They even include a couple of underside photos.
The engine, as you can see, is Ford’s 390 cubic-inch V8 which with its two-barrel carburetor had a healthy 265 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. It runs great and has four new tires and a fresh oil change. Are there any fans or past or present owners of the early second-generation hidden-headlight Ford LTDs out there?
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Comments
Ford nailed the front end on this one. The hidden headlights really define the look. Really nice car for the asking price. I’m sure this car won’t last long in this market. My aunt had a red 70 LTD convertible and she was always proud to state it had the 429 4V option. She really loved that car but unfortunately the road salt of western PA loved it more:(
Interesting back story. You can feel the sentiment in the seller’s write-up. Nice cruiser for not much money.
It looks like a really good buy for that money. A sensibly-priced classic car, finally!
I contacted the owner; she sent a requested picture of the left quarter panel rust issue.
Still a neat car.
Surprised an LTD doesn’t have power brakes!
I noticed that, too! You would think it would have been standard. Perhaps someone stole the booster.
Nice looking car. That looks like it was well taken care of. My uncle had a re and black one. It was a 4 door hard top. I remeber the radio was on the far laft of the dash. For a right handed person. It was awkard adjust the radio driving. . This is a reasonably priced car and it runs.
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a stronger case for “buy it, and leave it exactly as it is!” I mean, how many cars have a history like this?
Power brakes, a 4bbl carb, and a quiet dual exhaust system would go a long way toward making this an even sweeter ride.
That’s a nice car and Boca is not that far away from me. I don’t think it would fit in my garage.
Your in Florida,put up a carport!
Seems the exhaust system needs some repair/ replacement . With four drums its ok, that there is no power assistance.
Nice one, Scotty. So it’s green with a blue interior? I remember reading that one of the big three’s earliest computer in the ’60s had code it in to flag orders for blue / green cars for review before they would build them. Anyway we had one of these in the mid-’70s, a red convertible, hidden headlights, black top and a black vinyl interior that left permanent grille marks on my legs. We were riding in it with the top down when the radio announced that Elvis Presley had died, which was rather like learning a giant asteroid had slammed into Earth. My Mom hated driving it across NW Pennsylvania’s many steel-frame bridges with metal grate decking because it wandered like a lost puppy and made it look like she was taking up both lanes. Once I was riding shotgun and the nine-foot long door flew open as we went around a corner. I saw highlights of my young life coming to an end. Thanks to seat belts, no harm done. Nice write-up and thanks for the memories!
OK just for laughs – I found a picture of me on the left and my brother.
Todd is already very happy sitting in a great car, little brother is happy too…with a healthy drink. Super nice photo! 👍
I’m always a little relieved when I see cars worth owning are priced fairly. What a great way for someone to enjoy the hobby without breaking the bank. Good luck to the new owner
Brings back bittersweet memories. My dad’s second new car was a 4 door ’69 LTD with a 390 and not much else (didn’t spring for air until the next car, even though we were in FL). He was nice enough to let me drive his brand new car at the tender age of 13, up and down the driveway. Once day a friend rode by on his Honda CT70 and I turned to wave while backing up. Corrected wrong and scraped the baby blue door and fender on the fence post. Very thankful he let me live to tell the story.
That car looks exactly like the one Dad had in the early seventies. Exact same green , Dad’s did have a red pin stripe and red trim on those exact same wheel covers. Would love to buy it. Pretty sure my wife would kill me
Maybe its me but the back end looks like a different color from the door back .Still a nice car.
I had a biege four door with a 350 and three on the tree. It looked like an unmarked cop car. I used to chase down guys in corvette and tail them. Great car.
Why did he put a GM engine in it?
Ford never had a 350!
To me this seems to be very competitively priced. Nice cruiser for someone. As a little kid my folks bought a new 72 galaxie 500 4 door. Excellent car over the years. Someone will get a good deal on this
pretty car for a gift . 390! manual brakes?
Beautiful. Drive. Enjoy. No stupid EcoBoost please or Blow Master exhaust.
scam….4 relists…now a 5th has backed out….buyer beware…..
I was the sixth. The Vin plate was inside the ashtray
Something about the ebay listing seemed a little too slick for some old lady selling her wedding present…..