Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: Ford

Here's the promised rear view of the 1973 Ford LTD, showing the dual exhausts. As I've said elsewhere, I'm more than 90% certain these are aftermarket, firstly because they're stainless steel (a great idea, but not one that Ford had adopted in 1973), and secondly becuse their tips protrude to a degree that OEM Ford exhausts generally didn't. Still, they did improve the sound of the Ford, to be sure. The Tatra 603 seen out of frame on the left also had a similar mod, with similar results, although the exhausts were much less visible. There is a big difference between the needs of a 2.5L V-8 and a V-8 that's 5.0L (the smallest possible engine that this LTD could have had), so the Tatra's exhausts were so small that they're hard to see in my photos. In hindsight, I should have taken photos from much closer, but I didn't think of it at the time.

I wasn't originally going to post this photo, but I changed my mind when I realized it gives a much better representation of what the 1973 Ford LTD looks like. Here you can see the distinctive "opera windows" over the back deck, behind the back seat. Most of the car, as I've said before, looks stock, with the exception (I think) of the fake wire wheel hubcaps and the dual exhausts (which protruded from the rear in a way that OEM ones wouldn't). I'll post a rear view next.

This car was one of the easier ones to date at the Josefuv dul show, as it had spotting features distinct to 1973, namely the 5-m.p.h. bumpers combined with the older pre-1974 grille. It wasn't entirely clear how stock it was, as it appeared to have aftermarket dual exhausts. It was restored to look stock, at least. Given the Cold War, these Fords were never exported to Czechoslovakia (or Europe generally), so it's clear that, in spite of its Czech registration, this one would have been imported later. They were very popular in the United States, and have often been preserved, so they can't be said to be rare, although they are desirable, to be sure. In general, American cars predating 1975 are much more popular than those built after, largely due to much lower performance between 1975 and 1993 or so, as well as much lower build quality in those years. There also is the perception that pre-1975 American cars look better, although that's entirely subjective. I prefer them myself, having said that. Built between 1965 and 1986 as a full-size sedan (with the exception of the 1983-1986 models, which are mid-size), the LTD was never really intended as a performance car, although it did see extensive use in police departments, and were occassionally raced. The LTD name lived on from 1986 to 1991 as the LTD Crown Victoria, which had already split off from the regular in LTD in 1983, using the platform of the 1979-82 LTD. The 1973 LTD could be had with a number of engines, all of them OHV V-8's. The most powerful engine, the 460cid C-code with the 4-barrel carburetor, could put out about 260 net horsepower, and could give the LTD 0-60 m.p.h. times in the 8 second range, with a top speed of around 133 m.p.h. (214 km/h). Most LTD's had the smaller and less powerful 351cid "Cleveland" or the 302cid "Windsor," which was famous for being used in the Mustang and the GT40, albeit at higher horsepower ratings. As I've already said, I have no idea which engine was in this LTD, if it was even stock. In all, there were 7 different models of V-8 offered between 1968 and 1978, most of them with variants within the model. To this can be added the detail that pre-1975 engines could run on leaded gasoline (petrol) while engines built from 1975 onward had to be unleaded-only due to the introduction of catalytic converters (often called "catalyzers" outside of the United States). The transmissions in 1968-82 LTD's were more predictable, being one of three models of 3-speed automatic. A 1973 LTD could have been equipped with either the FMX model, which was based on the original 2-speed Ford-O-Matic from 1951, the newer C4, introduced in 1964, or the even newer C6, introduced in 1966. The C6 was generally used for the higher-powered engines, as it was the heavy-duty model, while the C4 eventually came with overdrive, being more common from 1981 onward. Some LTD's also had 3 or 4-speed manual "Toploader" transmissions, but it has to be assumed that these were race cars, as full-size American sedans of the 1960's and 1970's were almost always automatic. Finally, there is the detail of body styles. Ford have long offered more than one body style for the same model of car, as have many American (and foreign) companies. The LTD was usually offered as a 4-door sedan, but 2-door sedans, 2-door convertibles, and even 4-door wagons were offered (sometimes given fake wooden paneling and branded as the LTD Country Squire). This 1973 LTD was a 2-door with the distinctive 1970's-style "opera windows" over the back deck.

During my 2015 visit to Central New York, I saw this Ford Model T woodie wagon numerous times, but I have very little idea of its history. This website seems to be about it: www.modeltcentral.com/1920s-ford-model-t-depot-hack.html However, I can't be sure, as the Model T on that website lacks a lot of this one's distinct custom features, like the cowbells hanging from the suspension. The spare tire also doesn't match the photo on the website. It occurs to me that they may have been part of the same fleet of taxis serving the Poughkeepsie railroad station. This was, in fact, the original purpose of all station wagons, hence the name. They became popular family transportation much later. The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan maintains a small fleet of these woodies so that visitors can ride in Ford's most famous and revolutionary product (the Mustang, after all, did not originate personal motoring).

Across from the Narodni technicky muzeum (National Technical Museum) near Letenske Namesti and Letna, is the Národní zemědělské muzeum, or National Agricultural Museum, which has a large tractor collection, among other things. This Fordson from the late 1920's or early 1930's is displayed on one of two plinths adjoining the front steps. The other plinth also has a tractor on it, although I'm not familiar with the model.