Ford Elite
Encyclopedia
The Ford Elite was an automobile
produced by the Ford Motor Company
for the North America
n market from 1974 to 1976. The Elite was based on the Ford Torino
, and was a two-door coupe
intended to be, in the words of Ford's advertising, a "mid-size car
in the Thunderbird tradition"—a more affordable personal luxury car
than the Thunderbird
, intended to compete with such cars as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo
and the Chrysler Cordoba
. It was essentially the concurrent Mercury Cougar
XR-7 with a mild front end restyle.
In the 1974 model year
, the Elite was considered a sub-model of the Torino; although advertised separately, the side script said "Gran Torino Elite" and the car would be titled and registered as a Gran Torino. In 1975 and 1976 (with "Elite" side script) ,the Elite was fully its own model. In all three years, the car sold well.
The Elite name was dropped after 1976 because the Ford range was being restructured and downsized. The Thunderbird was dramatically reduced in size and price for 1977, moving to the LTD II
platform that replaced the Torino. In effect, the Elite continued under the more-recognized Thunderbird name, with the larger car being discontinued.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
produced by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
for the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n market from 1974 to 1976. The Elite was based on the Ford Torino
Ford Torino
The Ford Torino is an intermediate automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. The car was named after the city of Turin , which is considered the Detroit of Italy...
, and was a two-door coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
intended to be, in the words of Ford's advertising, a "mid-size car
Mid-size car
A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
in the Thunderbird tradition"—a more affordable personal luxury car
Personal luxury car
A personal luxury car is a highly styled, luxury vehicle with an emphasis on image over practicality. Accenting the comfort and satisfaction of its owner and driver above all else, the personal luxury car sometimes sacrifices passenger capacity, cargo room, and fuel economy in favor of style and...
than the Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
, intended to compete with such cars as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
and the Chrysler Cordoba
Chrysler Cordoba
The Chrysler Cordoba was an intermediate personal luxury coupe sold by Chrysler Corporation in North America from 1975-1983. It was the company's first model produced specifically for the personal luxury market and the first Chrysler-branded vehicle that was less than full-size.-History:In the...
. It was essentially the concurrent Mercury Cougar
Mercury Cougar
The Mercury Cougar is an automobile which was sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division from 1967 to 2002. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades. As is common with Mercury vehicles, the Cougar...
XR-7 with a mild front end restyle.
In the 1974 model year
Model year
The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
, the Elite was considered a sub-model of the Torino; although advertised separately, the side script said "Gran Torino Elite" and the car would be titled and registered as a Gran Torino. In 1975 and 1976 (with "Elite" side script) ,the Elite was fully its own model. In all three years, the car sold well.
The Elite name was dropped after 1976 because the Ford range was being restructured and downsized. The Thunderbird was dramatically reduced in size and price for 1977, moving to the LTD II
Ford LTD II
The Ford LTD II was a mid-size car built by the Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 for the North American market. It was based on the Ford Torino, which it replaced, and used the same platform as the concurrent Ford Thunderbird, which was downsized and dramatically reduced in price for 1977...
platform that replaced the Torino. In effect, the Elite continued under the more-recognized Thunderbird name, with the larger car being discontinued.
Standard equipment
As standard, the Elite came with:- 351W 351M V8 engineV8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
of 351 CID (5.8 L) - 3-speed automatic transmissionAutomatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
- Power brakes (front disc brakeDisc brakeThe disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
s, rear drum brakeDrum brakeA drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against a rotating drum-shaped part called a brake drum....
s). - Power steering
- Cloth bench seats
- Vinyl roofVinyl roofVinyl roof refers to a vinyl covering for an automobile's top. This covering was originally designed to give the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof, but eventually it evolved into a styling statement in its own right. Vinyl roofs were most popular in the American market, and...
with twin opera windows, Landau (partial) vinyl top for 1976 model year. - Protective padded body side moldings
Options
Among the options that could be specified on the Elite were:- 400M V8 engineV8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
of 402 CID (6.6 L) - 460Ford 385 engineThe Ford 385 engine family was the Ford Motor Company's final big block V8 engine design, replacing the Ford MEL engine and gradually superseding the Ford FE engine family...
V8 engineV8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
of 460 CID (7.5 L) - Power glass moonroof
- Power steel sunroofSunroofAn automotive sunroof is a fixed or operable opening in an automobile roof which allows light and/or fresh air to enter the passenger compartment. Sunroofs may be manually operated or motor driven, and are available in many shapes, sizes and styles...
- Air conditioning with standard manual control or optional Automatic Temperature Control
- Metallic Glow paint
- Cruise (speed) control
- Gauge package with tachometer, oil pressure gauge, coolant temperature gauge, and ammeter gauge
- Fuel Sentry Vacuum Gauge - monitors intake manifold vacuum to give an indication of how hard the engine is working, and thus economy (not available with gauge package).
- Fuel Monitor Warning Light - as above, but an on/off light instead of a gauge.
- Bucket seats and center console (1976 only).