Evans pays tribute to the last of the traditional American sedans, which has finally gone out of production after more than three decades.
It has been a long time coming, but on August 31, 2011, the very last Panther Platform Ford Crown Victoria, rolled off the assembly line at the St Thomas, Ontario facility. The plant has now been shuttered and never again will we witness the likes of these full – size body – on – frame sedans as the last ones take shape on conveyors and edge towards final assembly, destined for customers across North America and beyond.
In anticipation of this day, law enforcement agencies and indeed some taxi companies had been stocking up on orders, ensuring that while production might have ended, the venerable Crown Vic will remain a common sight on North American streets for a number of years still to come.
In fact, as a result of this surge in demand, Fords planned replacement, the Taurus – based Police Interceptor, wont hit the ground running in full force until around 2013. And this probably isnt coincidence. Currently; reception remains rather lukewarm; many officers citing this cars unibody construction, front – drive based architecture, lack of rear headroom and inherent complexity as not being suited for police use. Itll be interesting to see how it fares against renewed police car competition from CM and Dodge.
Nonetheless, having reached the end or not, with a production run spanning 32 years, the Panther Platforms duration is the longest of any single passenger car chassis in North America.
Back in 1979, when it was first launched, the New American Road Car, was some 15 inches shorter overall than its predecessor and rode a 7 inch shorter wheelbase. Yet it boasted better passenger room, outward visibility and improved fuel economy, thanks to weighing around 500lb less than its 1978 counterpart. Standard small – block 302cu in and optional 351 cu in V8s in lieu of thirsty big – blocks didnt hurt either. Initially launched as the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis, Lincoln derivatives arrived for 1980 in the shape of the new Town Car, Town Coupe, and Mark VI.
Although sales got off to a fairly slow start – the 79 LTD barely nudging ahead of Oldsmobiles big Delta 88/Regency 98 in terms of volume – the Panther Platform cars soon proved to be a steady source of profit for Ford and its dealer network, despite offering fewer model choices and options as time went on. By 1985, despite looking increasingly antiquated, both the Ford and Mercury versions remained strong sellers, the former selling almost 200,000 units alone that year, while consistently ranking among the most profitable vehicles in Ford Motor Company inventory.
Thanks to smaller dimensions than their outsized predecessors, and decent performance and durability in police form, the Panther Platform Crown Vic and the Grand Marquis, proved to be increasingly popular for police work; proving a worthy alternative to the likes of Chevrolet and Chrysler. When the Vics only remaining rival, the Chevy Caprice, was given a significant makeover for the 1991 model year, including controversial Bathtubs styling, Ford followed suit with an updated model for 1992. It was sleek and contemporary, though far less polarising than the Chevy. Under the skin, it retained a version of the same body – on – frame construction but featured a new engine, in this case, Fords 4.6 litre single overhead cam V8 and updated suspension. Only offered as a four – door sedan and now simply called Crown Victoria, it was this iteration of Fords full – size offering that would become the undisputed king of the police car market.
Chevy pulled the plug on its rear – drive biggies for the 1996 model year, essentially handing the market over to Ford. By 2000, nearly every major law enforcement agency and many large city cab companies were exclusively running Crown Vies. The cars were attractively priced, easy to service and parts were plentiful.
The body – on – frame architecture also meant that these cars could much more easily be repaired after sustaining damage, when many unibody cars would simply have been written off; in fact some agencies, employed in – house frame alignment machines specifically designed for repairing Crown Vies.
Yet as successful as it proved with fleets and livery companies in its latter years; lack of change and largely prosaic engineering meant that the Panther Platform didnt prove a hit with civilian customers; thus despite adopting a new frame; steering and suspension for 2003, retail demand continued to plummet. The short – lived Grand Marquis – based Mercury Marauder attracted fewer than 11,000 customers in 2003-04; while by the time Civilian Crown Victorias were discontinued in 2007, retail orders made up just 5% of total production.
Nonetheless, now that the Crown Victoria has been discontinued, its likely that in addition to fleets, more than a few civilian folks will mourn its passing. While it may not ever be as revered as much as a Mustang or Camaro, theres no denying that in its own way, the Ford Crown Victoria is a bonafide future classic. This car and its derivatives are true icons, the last examples of a distinctly American breed of motorcar.