[Editor's note: Today, at 12:25 pm, the very last Panther-platform Crown Victoria rolled off the line at St. Thomas Assembly Plant. Ryan Paradis, a.k.a. "86er," has the honor of eulogizing the beloved beast in his first-ever contribution to TTAC]
It has become beyond trite by this point to say that, with the end of the Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Town Car, an era comes to an end. And yet it is thus: the last of the body-on-frame, rear wheel drive and eight cylinder engine passenger cars, once a species unique to North America, have now reached the end of an 80 year span that commenced with the advent of the 1932 Ford V-8.
Having transported generations of Americans through some of the nation’s finest decades, full-size cars like the Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Town Car are now an anomaly. While large V8-powered sedans made a comeback in the 21st century, the Ford Panther chassis was one of the very few full-size, rear-drive sedans that never left. And today we bid it farewell.
Tagged as BOF, crown victoria, Heritage, History, In Defense Of, panther, panther love, RWD, Town Car
Recent Comments
oldyak - Very entertaining! A person really needs a sense of humor about the world we live in. Spot on!
krhodes1 - It’s all relative. To someone making millions a year, a $500K car is no different than someone making $100K a year buying a 3-series....
28-Cars-Later - If I was ever in such a financial position, I would buy it to impress… myself. But I agree its an garish accessory not meant to be a...
wumpus - “In the Netherlands you pay sales tax according to the NEDC measured CO2 emission” WTF...
Mrb00st - It’s a magnificent auto/sculpture, it is, but I just can’t bring myself to care. Perhaps a little more than I can about the latest...
Lie2me - The fact that anybody would actually expect a critical review of a car like this is ludicrous. Should the writer have worked his way down a...
28-Cars-Later - I had similar thoughts about the front facia.
28-Cars-Later - Dis isn’t a war. It’s a moider!
Nick - ‘He posited that business was on a rush to the bottom to cut costs for manufacturing and that China and the Asians would be the beneficiaries.’...
Alexdi - Lovely review, I thought. It conveyed the spirit of the car. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more detail on why this car costs what it does....