It’s 1973 – a half century ago – and Ford is launching a bold new luxury car line: the P4/P5 Landau and LTD. It’s a more ‘Australianised’ entry into the sector. We’re talking of a time when the locally-assembled Galaxie was being retired.
The inclusion of the Landau was perhaps the biggest surprise. It was done at the insistence of legendary Ford exec Bill Bourke, who had moved from Australia to an international post by the time the car was released.
In the excellent reference book, Ford Australia – The Cars and the People Who Built Them, authors Michele Cook and Douglas Wallace wrote:
“Bourke’s influence had prevailed. He had always hankered after a luxury two-door, with the XB/ZG range he got it. Ford went upmarket again with
