‘TRIPLE BLACK’ FORD STARRED IN A MOVIE
The car: 1972 Ford LTD convertible The owners: John and Liz Challinor,
Milton
The story: Our 1972 Ford LTD was one of the last big convertibles built by the Ford Motor Co. There were only 4,234 copies made.
The car is triple black (the paint, convertible top and interior), six metres long, and likely one of the better examples left in Canada or the United States. It is fully loaded, including air conditioning, and features the rare 429 cubic inch engine with four-barrel carburetor.
When we bought the car sight unseen in 2005, out of the hills of Tennessee, we knew it was unusual because of its production data.
The car was in original condition when it arrived in Canada. Its previous owner had clearly enjoyed the big convertible but had not made any attempt to restore it — surprising, given its pedigree.
Over the past decade, the body has been repainted, the engine has been rebuilt and the top, interior and most of the bright work has been replaced. Some of the parts now on the car were new-old-stock found through eBay in the United States.
But most of the original pieces had to be re-chromed, re-plated or repainted because the car simply wasn’t popular and replacement parts are no longer available.
This car also has the desirable 429-4V 8-cylinder engine and is fully documented by historian Kevin Marti. This car is one of 40 builtblack LTD 429 convertibles, 1 of 10 with the black roof and the only one built with the trailer package in 1972.”
The car’s pedigree was enhanced in 2008 when it was one of the automobiles featured in the Hollywood movie Flash of Genius, the true story of college professor and parttime inventor, Robert Kearns (1928 - 2005).
His invention of the intermittent windshield wiper was copied by numerous automobile manufacturers in the 1960s, including the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corp.
The car is easy to drive, smooth at superhighway speeds and powerful, complemented by the subtle, rumbly exhaust note that emanates from its dual pipe system.
Show us your candy: Got a cool custom or vintage car? Email wheels@thestar.ca and be sure to use “Eye Candy” in the subject line.