Downsizing was the big story in the Motor City in the late 1970s, and Ford gave the LTD the full treatment for 1979, lopping off 15 inches and 600 lbs.

When General Motors downsized its entire fleet of full-sized cars for 1977, the Ford Motor Company capitalized, promoting the Ford LTD as the one true big car still on the market. (See Hugh Downs deliver the ’77 LTD sales pitch here.) At the same time, Ford repackaged its mid-sized Torino as the LTD II to appeal to the growing number of buyers for smaller full-size cars. Ford had its bases covered, or so it would appear.

But behind the scenes, Ford was already at work downsizing the LTD in response to stiffer government fuel economy standards and shifting market trends, just like everyone else. And on July 31, 1978, production was under way on a new and smaller LTD—-15 inches shorter and 600 lbs lighter than the previous generation, as the wheelbase shrank from 121 inches to 114.3 inches. The formal introduction to the public came on October 6.

The LTD downsizing was accomplished in much the same manner as in the GM program: Eliminate dead space, shrink every dimension except in the cabin, and substitute lightweight aluminum and plastic components wherever possible. Body-on-frame construction was continued on the new Panther platform, as it was called, with conventional short/long-arm independent suspension at the front, a four-link live-axle setup at the rear, and coil springs all around. An optional Handling Suspension package boosted the spring rates by 30 percent to raise the ride frequency and added front and rear stabilizer bars to increase roll stiffness.

In the pursuit of lighter weight and improving Ford’s corporate average fuel economy (CAFE), Ford’s big 400 cubic-inch and 460 cubic-inch V8s were no longer on the menu. Now the only available engines were a 302 CID V8 (129 hp) and two 351 CID V8s (142 or 151 hp). Notably, there were no six-cylinder choices, and the V8s were paired with Ford’s trusty three-speed automatic transmissions. The LTD’s previously giant 24-gallon fuel tank was pared down to 19 gallons, saving around 40 lbs. And while we might never see it in the boxy, Fairmont-like styling, some 270 hours were invested in wind-tunnel testing, all in the interest of reducing fuel consumption.

The two distinct LTD trim levels for ’79 were easy to differentiate. The base model  featured two rectangular sealed-beam headlamps up front, while the LTD Landau was blessed with quad headlamps. (Hidden headlamps were eliminated to save weight.) Body styles in both were limited to three: a formal coupe with small, fixed rear quarter glass, a four-door sedan, and a four-door wagon. Naturally, the deluxe wagon was badged as a Country Squire and decorated with faux wood trim.

Having served its purpose, the Torino-based LTD II, which was actually quite heavier and larger than the new LTD, was discontinued in early 1979. Traditional big-car buyers accepted the slimmer and trimmer LTD, as sales remained fairly level and production topped the 350,000 mark in the first downsizing year. In 1980, the LTD Landau was rechristened the Crown Victoria, and it eventually became a Ford legacy. The Crown Vic and Panther platform remained in production all the way through 2011.