1975 Ford Landau

A muscle car. . . with dignified grace. A 'blokes' car. . . as well as a family hauler. At the time of its release in 1973, the Landau was a totally new concept - at least for the Australian market.

For the past decade, the Thunderbird had been selling like hot cakes in the USA - as a "personal luxury" coupe. No doubt, Ford's then Managing Director, the American Bill Bourke, thought the same concept could work here.
Ford designers already had plans for a larger four-door version of the Fairlane (which eventually became the LTD), but there was little belief among the local Blue Oval talent that a luxury two door was what Aussie buyers wanted. Ultimately, both projects got the green light, the Landau largely through Bourke's influence.
As such, a lot of his Thunderbird ideas went into the new model, even aping the T-Bird's "personal luxury coupe" label in its advertising.

Using an XA coupe body as the base, with the new LTD front end and taillight trim, the Landau crammed in virtually every luxury, high-spec feature you could think of: fully adjustable front bucket seats; rear bucket seats; cut pile carpeting throughout - even in the boot; power windows; air conditioning / heater / demister; tinted glass; full gauge package; walnut-applique dash trim; interior lights aplenty; wood grain steering wheel. . . the list goes on and on, and that's just for the interior. Even 'regular' items were given an upmarket slant. You didn't get a cigarette lighter in the Landau, you got a cigar lighter. No map pockets in the back of the front seats, instead you got business paper pockets!
It wasn't all just 'flash', though. The Landau & LTD debuted the first all-wheel disc brakes on an Aussie production Ford, not a bad thing when you needed to rein in the 351ci 5.8lt V8.

A SelectShift 3 speed auto was standard fitment, as was power steering and a 9" LSD rear end.
All that luxury came at a price, though. At $6,900 new, the Landau was more than double the cost of even a fully optioned-up Falcon.
While that price was no doubt a factor in its ultimate failure in the marketplace (it was dropped after three years), the predictions by Ford's Aussie contingent ultimately proved to be correct. The public just didn't want a luxury 2-door, at least not in the numbers Bourke and the Ford bean counters wanted.
With only 1,400 built over those three years, Landaus are a pretty rare sight these days, so to see one this good and this original is a bonus.
I must confess I've always had a bit of a 'thing' for the Landau. It looks great, it's got a decent amount of poke and it's 'different'. Sure you could get a neat XB coupe, SLR 5000 Torana or even a HQ Monaro - but you'd be just like thousands of others.

The Landau is exclusive - not in a 'snooty' way, it's just more of an individual choice.
As I've been keeping an eye on Landaus that pass though the pages of Just World Cars, I can appreciate the condition of our feature car. Totally original, this Cosmic Blue '75 model is one of the best I've seen. A log book history, low 85,000 kms total, top condition padded vinyl roof, fully-working hide-away headlights and virtually faultless paint & trim make a welcome change from some examples I've seen.

Inside, our feature car carries cream leather upholstery and an AM/FM cassette stereo, the only two options available when new. The interior, like the exterior, is hard to fault. The air con has been recently regassed and features the Rolls-Royce style console controls.
With Aussie musclecars moving beyond the reach of most of us, the Landau represents an affordable alternative - at least for now.
'Cruiser with class' is a good definition for the Landau. Take a closer look or test drive and you may think 'mine' is a better one!
Mike Ryan

WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW MUCH
Model: Ford Landau
Year: 1975
Dealer: Aust. Muscle Car Sales
Sydney, NSW (consignment sales accepted from all over Australia)
Ph: (02) 9967 0220

Price: $24,900 ono
0-100 kph: Around 9 seconds
Best point: Looks good on the outside, feels good on the inside
Worst point: Not as collectable as a GT Falcon 2-door. . . yet
Recommendation: Enjoy the ride!
Trivia: Look closely in the opening sequence of the classic Aussie film, Mad Max 2, and you'll spot a Landau. Heavily modified to suit the film's post-apocalypse landscape, the Landau is wrecked trying to take on Max's 'Last of the V8 Interceptors'.