LTD FE
| Purchase Price | Sales Price | Year Purchased | Year Sold | Years Held |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,950 | $1,250 | 2001 | 2006 | 5 |
I bought my FE LTD in 2001 after I had saved enough money to purchase her – I named her Drew. LTDs were built on the longer wagon platform, giving more room in the back seat, a bigger boot and an extra C pillar window in the back seat.
The LTD had large rectangular headlights and a chrome vertical bar (Rolls Royce) grille and power came from the 4.1 litre inline 6 producing 121kw
*These images have been upscaled by AI as I only had tiny low-res versions on hand
The FE provided a premium, plush, and spacious environment, acting as the flagship luxury sedan for Ford Australia.
It prioritized passenger comfort with velour electric seating, high-pile carpeting and extensive luxury amenities such as central locking, four-speaker audio, and rear headrests – as well as cigarette lighters on every door!!
Favourite Memories
Cruising in the Land Barge
One of my favourite things to do was to cruise in the LTD.
It was such an awesome car out on the open road; it was big, it was comfortable and it was the ultimate cruiser. I’d spend many a weekend cruising up and down the M1 from the Gold Coast back to Brisbane.
The car had been nicely lowered by the previous owner and with a wash and polish, certainly looked the goods. I always had ‘boy racers’ pull up next to me and sit there every time I went for a drive.
Random other memories (good and bad)
Timing retarded
Towards the end of my time owning Drew, fuel consumption went from bad to worse – something like 17 litres/100km.
I had already had the motor rebuilt so everything was fresh and new and this high fuel consumption didn’t make sense. I found a mechanic on the North side of Brisbane who was a friend of a friend. Given that there are quite a few ‘cowboy’ mechanics on the Gold Coast, having a recommendation was a great start to getting to the bottom of my fuel problem.
I dropped Drew off early in the morning for a service and tune-up. I got a phone call from the mechanic a couple of hours later and his first question was, “How is your fuel consumption?” I told him it was awful and asked why did he ask. Apparently the timing was so far retarded he was amazed that the car even started.
I picked Drew up later that day and couldn’t believe the difference that proper timing could have. She had power to burn and given the size and weight was quite quick off the mark. She wouldn’t win any 1/4-mile drags but the difference was more than noticeable.
Seeing Drew after I sold her on GC
I actually saw Drew a couple of months after I sold her to the car yard in trade for my 1997 EL Fairmont. I’d gone for a cruise down the coast and was on Brisbane Road at Arundel when I saw an FE LTD parked on the side of the road.
On second glance, I noticed the 384 ETT number plate and recognised it as my old car. I was on a dual road and had nowhere to turn around until the next set of lights – I was going to go back and talk to the owner and give them some history about the car.
I finally got turned around at the lights but by the time I got back to where I saw Drew, they were gone, so I never got the chance.
Never saw her again after that… 🥹
* All stats on this page from https://www.automobile-catalog.com
Identification Data
Ford LTD 4.1-Litre EFi (FE) (aut. 3 speed) as offered for the year 1986 since mid-year 1986 in Australia
Production/sales period of cars with this particular specs:
mid-year 1986 – June 1988
Country of origin: AUS Australia
Make: Ford (Australia)
Model: LTD 2nd generation (FC-FD-FE-series)
Submodel: LTD FE-series 1984-1988
Class: full-size luxury / luxury car
Body style: sedan
Doors: 4
Traction: RWD (rear-wheel drive)
Basic dimensions
Length: 5014 mm / 197.4 in
Width: 1868 mm / 73.5 in
Height: 1397 mm / 55 in
Wheelbase: 2957 mm / 116.4 in
Fuel capacity: 80 liter / 21.2 U.S. gal / 17.6 imp. gal
Drag coefficient: estimated by a-c: 0.45
Weights
Curb weight estimated: 1565 kg / 3450 lbs
Engine Specifications
Engine manufacturer: Ford 4.1-Litre
Engine type: spark-ignition 4-stroke
Fuel type: gasoline (petrol)
Fuel system: gasoline indirect injection
Charge system: naturally aspirated
Valves per cylinder: 2
Additional features: Bosch LE2-Jetronic
Cylinders alignment: Line 6
Displacement: 4089 cm3 / 249.5 cui
Horsepower net: 121.5 kW / 165 PS / 163 hp (DIN)
Torque net: 325 Nm / 240 ft-lb / 3000
Car power to weight ratio net: 77.6 watt/kg / 35.2 watt/lb
Car weight to power ratio net: 12.9 kg/kW / 9.5 kg/PS / 21.2 lbs/hp
Transmission specifications
Gearbox transmission type: Borg Warner BW 35 automatic
Number of gears: 3