Ford Panther platform
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The Panther platform is Ford Motor Company's full-size, rear-wheel drive sedan automobile platform. It uses traditional body-on-frame construction. It was introduced in 1978 for the 1979 model year. During trying periods for Ford it was scheduled for cancellation on several occasions, as early as 1985, but its appeal to some customers endures, and the Panther platform is still in production as of 2006.
The first Panthers were the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis. Both were available in coupe, wagon, and sedan bodies. In 1981, the Lincoln Town Car was introduced on the Panther platform. While Lincoln coupes based on the Panther platform lasted only two years, Ford and Mercury coupes lasted until 1987, and wagons were manufactured until 1991. After that, only full-size four-door sedans were produced.
The Panther platform is currently produced at Ford's Wixom Assembly and St. Thomas Assembly plants in Canada. However, the closure of the former plant in 2007 will likely spell the end for the Lincoln Town Car, as Ford has announced that it will not move production of that vehicle to St. Thomas.
Vehicles that have used the Panther platform include:
- Lincoln Continental Mark VI (1980–1983)
- Ford Crown Victoria (1992–Present)
- Ford LTD (1979–1982)
- Ford LTD Crown Victoria (1983–1991)
- Mercury Grand Marquis (1983–Present)
- Mercury Marauder (2003–2004)
- Mercury Marquis (1979–1982)
- Lincoln Town Car (1981–Present)
- The Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale concept of 1995 also used a modified Panther platform.
2008
DaimlerChrysler and General Motors have begun moving back toward rear wheel drive for their premium models, whereas Ford never changed its Panther-based models. While there is no real evidence and conflicting reports on the future of the Panther platform, Ford is rumored to be considering replacing the Panther platform with a derivative of the Australian Ford Falcon in 2008. This would be the replacement for the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis, while the Town Car would be replaced with an all-wheel drive sedan based on the Ford D3 platform.External links
References
See also
Current Ford platforms:- B3 - subcompact FWD (ex: Mazda2)
- C1 - compact FWD (ex: Mazda3)
- CD2 - small SUV FWD/AWD (ex: Ford Escape)
- CD3 - mid-size FWD/AWD (ex: Mazda6)
- EUCD - mid-size FWD/AWD (ex: Volvo S80)
- D2C - sports RWD (ex: Ford Mustang)
- P2/P3 - full-size pickup (ex: Ford F-Series)
- U2/U3 - mid-size SUV (ex: Ford Explorer)
- T1 - full-size SUV (ex: Ford Expedition)
- V2 - minivan (ex: Ford Freestar)
- VN - full-size van (ex: Ford Econoline)
- D3 - full-size FWD/AWD (ex: Volvo S60)
- DEW98 - mid-size RWD (ex: Jaguar S-Type)
- Panther - full-size RWD (ex: Ford Crown Victoria)
- VH - sports RWD (ex: Aston Martin DB9)
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