Ford Landau: A Falcon/LTD mash-up sales flop | Drive Flashback

The Landau hardtop was one half of Ford Australia’s luxury double act alongside the LTD. Together they were called ‘Australia’s most distinguished motorcars’.

Original story by Tony Davis published in Drive on 18 September, 1998.

The late ’60s and early ’70s saw many bold attempts by local car makers to reinvent everyday family sedans as exotic luxury items. Ford had been the most successful with its Fairlane series, Chrysler the least so with its naffly named Chrysler by Chrysler.

Even less successful than the Chrysler by Chrysler sedan, however, was that model’s hardtop variant. How Ford later found itself in the same ditch with the Landau is hard to explain.

Some Ford sources said the US Thunderbird was the inspiration for the Landau Hardtop, but the reality was that Ford was trying to get a bit more value out of a new front-end it had created for a different model called LTD.

This came about when Ford Australia decided to further stretch the Fairlane, an already stretched version of the Falcon. The giant US-built Galaxie LTD was becoming too expensive and a local replacement was needed. The Aussie LTD – spruiked as “the most luxurious car ever built in Australia” – was launched in 1973.

Having produced the two-door Landau as a companion to the LTD, Ford presented them as “Australia’s most distinguished motorcars” – a meaningless expression only outdone by the term “personal coupe” applied to the Landau.

Like the LTD, the Landau used mainly Falcon mechanical components and was crammed with almost every accessory Ford could grab from the parts shelf.

It had a 5.8-litre V8, plus electric windows (operated by long, round-headed oh-so-’70s chrome buttons), air-conditioning, automatic transmission, press-button radio, huge domed wheel trims and novelty concealed headlamps set flush into a wide and weighty grille. Perhaps the most notable feature was all-round disc brakes, a first for a mainstream Australian car.

The body comprised the LTD’s front panels with the Falcon Hardtop’s rear. In the hope of justifying the huge ask of $6950, there was also a fake-timber instrument panel, ultra-plush seat trim, a vinyl roof and a carpeted boot.

Among other foibles, the Landau’s vacuum-operated headlight hoods were unreliable and expensive to repair, the electrics were problematic, the tarty trim deteriorated quickly and the roof in particular was susceptible to rust.

The term “personal coupe” may have referred to the lack of rear leg-room, or perhaps to the selfishness of having such a car during the early 1970s fuel crisis.

The general penchant for big two-doors was sliding away even before the Landau had been released; this trend soon would spell the end of the Charger and Monaro, too.

In early 1976 the Landau disappeared from new car lists. In its last days it had carried a price tag of $11,000. It was said you could virtually halve its value by driving it out of the car yard.

So, what happened next?

It’s fair to say the Landau hardtop was always going to be a hard sell. A luxury “personal coupe” with a high price tag was only ever going to find a small cohort of buyers. And so it proved, with Ford Australia producing, between 1973 and the end of its run in 1976, just 1385 of the Falcon hardtop-derived two-door aimed at the top end of town.

Which is a shame, as contemporary reviews praised the Landau’s effortless drivetrain and supremely comfortable and quiet ride. Wheels magazine wrote of the Landau at the time that “Handling is easy with power everything and it's a simple car to drive. Roadholding with the big rubber is also excellent…”

Certainly, the Landau has the distinction of being the first truly luxury coupe built in Australia for Australians. But it seems Australians weren’t ready for it. Or perhaps, simply couldn’t afford its lofty price tag.

That’s worked in the favour of collectors today, the Landau’s low production volume helping to push up prices well into six figures… if you can find one.

Have you ever owned a Ford Landau? Do you own one now? Share your stories in the comments below?

The post Ford Landau: A Falcon/LTD mash-up sales flop | Drive Flashback appeared first on Drive.

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