Cars - Ford Crown Victoria

Home > Listing Index > Cars > Ford Crown Victoria

	Cars - Ford Crown Victoria

The Ford Crown Victoria is a fullsize car produced by the Ford Motor Company in the 1950s, and then again in the 1970s. While the Crown Victoria only has mediocre sales to the general public, the Crown Victoria is very popular among fleets, with its twin, the Mercury Grand Marquis being the exact opposite. The Grand Marquis is almost never used by fleets other than rental car companies, while it is very popular among the general public. While it shares components with the Lincoln Town Car, it shares almost no exterior sheetmetal or interior parts.

Description

The Ford Crown Victoria is a fullsize sedan manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. The Crown Victoria, or "Crown Vic" as it is often referred, represents the top-of-the-line sedan in the Ford lineup. Much like its predecessor, the Ford LTD, the Ford Crown Victoria is also commonly used as a taxi cab, fleet vehicle and police car, a segment in which Crown Victorias make up the vast majority of vehicles used.

The Crown Victoria is manufactured in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, rides on the 1979-vintage Ford Panther platform and utilizes the universal 4.6 L SOHC SEFI V8. As of 2005, prices range from US$25,000 for the base model to $32,000 for the high-end LX Sport trim.

1955

The first "Crown Victoria" appeared in 1955; it was a 2-door 6-seater hardtop coupe, part of the Ford Fairlane range, that differed from the regular Victoria model (named after a type of carriage) by having a stainless steel band that 'crowned' the roofline, passing right over the car, as an extension of the B-pillar line. The model was produced in 1955 and 1956.

1980

In 1980, Ford brought back the name on a deluxe version of the LTD fullsize car line on the Ford Panther platform. It replaced the previous year's LTD Landau model, and used a stainless steel band over the roof at the B-pillar to evoke the 1950s model.

1992-1997

In 1992, along with dropping the LTD designation, the sedan body (production of the station wagon having ceased in 1991) was completely redesigned to the round, six-window shape (which shared many details with its contemporary, the newly refreshed 1992 Taurus), and there was a new 4.6 L modular engine. There was a further facelift in 1998 and chassis modifications for 2003.

1998-2002

In 1998, the Crown Victoria's exterior styling, rear suspension, and ignition system were updated. The 1998-2002 "Crown Vics" have a revised 4-link rear suspension with a Watts linkage. The general road handling manners have improved, but towing capacity has been reduced. The Crown Victoria also uses a coil-on-plug ignition design rather than traditional spark plug wires. This design, already being used on the 1996-1999 Ford Taurus SHO 3.4L V8 engine, was later implemented on other users of the Modular V8, including the 1999-up Mustang GT, and many F/E-series trucks. The Crown Victoria also features a 114.7" wheelbase.

Change of Canadian availability

In Canada, 1999 was the last year the Crown Victoria was individually available to civilians from Ford dealerships. Since 2000, the Crown Victoria has only been available in Canada as a Police Interceptor for law enforcement, or as a taxi or Special Service Vehicle for commercial fleets. The civilian Crown Victoria is only available when ordered as a fleet directly from Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited and is not available through Ford dealerships. Civilians can, however, purchase used 2000 & up civilian Crown Victorias that are available at dealerships every so often, or used Police Interceptors or Special Service Vehicles from various auctions. The Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, which also use the Ford Panther platform, however, are still available at Ford & Lincoln dealerships in Canada.

2003-present

In 2003, the chassis was again redone with hydroformed steel. The front and rear suspension was also completely overhauled. New inverted monotube shocks are now used (replacing the old twin-tube shocks that had been around since the 1960s). In the front, new aluminum control arms, and rack and pinion steering (replacing the recirculating ball units) have been implemented. The rear suspension was redone for durability in police-duty applications and the rear shocks were moved outboard of the frame rails for better handling and ease of maintenance. As a result, the road-handling manners of the Panther platform cars have improved significantly. The engine output increased due to the addition of a knock sensor for more aggressive timing.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Ford Crown Victoria ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Ford Crown Victoria; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.