Ford Crown Victoria
First generation, car produced in 1992
Car produced in 1993-94
Car manufactured 1995-1997
Second generation, produced from 1998 to 2011
Ford Crown Victoria (Russian: “Ford Crown Victoria”, “Crown Vic”)- American six-seat full-size rear-wheel drive sedan with a frame chassis, produced over the years at the St. Thomas Assembly in Talbotville, Ontario, Canada.
Ford Crown Victoria and built on the same platform "Panther" The Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car were the last of the traditional American full-size sedans, which flourished in the sixties and first half of the seventies of the 20th century. The rest of the North American full-size cars these days, although formally considered to be in the same class as the Panther platform models, are actually significantly inferior to them in external dimensions and are very different from them structurally; in particular, until recently, almost all of them had front-wheel drive, most are equipped with six-cylinder engines, and none of them have a frame separate from the body.
In the 2005 model year, Ford decided to gradually replace the outdated Crown Victoria with a modern front-wheel drive Ford Five Hundred (Ford 500), which is formally considered full-size and has approximately the same interior volume with significantly more compact external dimensions. However, the new model sold poorly: for example, in January 2007, 5,424 Crown Victorias were sold, but only 3,526 of the 500 model. Therefore, as of the 2008 model year, it was renamed the Ford Taurus, as its technical predecessors were called, and, while continuing to be considered a full-size, stood a step lower than the Crown Victoria.
Since the 2008 model year in the United States, due to significantly decreased sales, the Crown Victoria has ceased to be supplied to regular Ford dealerships that sell cars to “civilian” buyers. At the same time, sales of better equipped, but technically similar models offered under the Mercury and Lincoln brands remained at a fairly high level for their class.
In addition, vehicles of this model equip the fleets of a significant part of American taxi companies; however, in previous years up to 95% of sales came from them.
Police Interceptor in a characteristic color, with “fangs” on the bumper (Push Bumper) and “police” wheels with chrome caps.
Thanks to a body-on-frame design no longer used by other manufacturers, which makes the vehicle more durable and easier to repair after serious collisions, structural strength, size and excellent safety, the Ford Crown Victoria is very popular with police departments in the United States and Canada. The model for the police has a reinforced design, an engine boosted at the cost of some reduction in efficiency and environmental performance, a number of external differences and an independent designation - Ford Police Interceptor.
In addition, the model was until recently sold in the Middle East (mainly Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), where American-made full-size sedans are traditionally very popular.
The last car of this model was released on September 14, 2011. The Tolbettville plant that produced this model was closed.
Name
Original 1955 Ford Crown Victoria.
The Ford Crown Victoria owes its name to the trim option that was briefly offered in the mid-fifties (in both model years). (trim line) two-door Ford cars, also designated Crown Victoria and was distinguished by a slightly lowered roof with a “crown” - a wide shiny molding around the gutters, as well as a massive chrome trim on the B-pillar that encircles the roof.
The first independent model with this name - the 1983 Ford LTD Crown Victoria - had a similar roof design with a molding surrounding it.
Subsequently, this design was abolished, but the name stuck and is still used in the designation of the model.
Design
Ford Crown Victoria
Total information
Characteristics
Mass-dimensional
On the market
The Ford Crown Victoria was designed to build on decades of experience developing and mass-producing traditional American full-size cars. He is the heir to twelve post-war generations of Ford cars of this class.
The main strength of the vehicle is a supporting frame of a peripheral type with an increased distance between the side members in the middle part. It is located under the body along almost its entire length; the body is attached to it at sixteen points using bolts through thick rubber gaskets, which reduce the level of vibrations in the cabin. Suspension and steering units, an engine and a gearbox are attached to the frame. Since 2003, the manufacturing technology of the frame has been changed, which began to be made by stamping with elastic media (“hydroforming”), which made it possible to reduce weight and increase strength.
The engine of all Crown Victorias is a V-shaped eight with a displacement of 4.6 liters (4601 cm³, 280 cubic inches). This is a relatively simple and low-powered power unit with 16 valves (2 per cylinder), an OHC valve mechanism (one camshaft in each cylinder head) and distributed fuel injection. Early modifications developed 193 hp; the one used today has, according to the manufacturer, a power of 220 hp. The police modification develops 250 hp.
The engine is quite sensitive to the quality of the oil and the frequency of its replacement, but with regular maintenance it is very durable. The manufacturer recommends using “Regular” fuel with an octane number of 87; in Russia, AI-92 fuel best corresponds to it. Its consumption is approximately comparable to European models with engines of similar displacement, with the exception that the latter usually use fuel with an octane rating of at least 95. In 2003, a knock sensor was added to the fuel equipment control system.
The choice of transmissions is represented by a single option - the Ford AODE (Automatic-OverDrive-Electronics) automatic transmission, four-speed with an overdrive fourth gear (overdrive) and electronic control. This box was developed in the late seventies based on a set of gears from an even earlier three-speed Ford FMX transmission (in production since 1968), which did not have an overdrive gear. Like the engine, the gearbox is characterized by high survivability and durability with timely maintenance. The operating mode selector is located on the steering column, as on most American cars produced before the nineties.
The suspension is a classic combination of an independent front suspension with double transverse A-arms and coil springs, which has anti-dive geometry, and a dependent spring rear suspension. Since 1998, the rear four-link suspension has been redesigned and received a Watt mechanism. Since 2003, the rear suspension has been modernized again, receiving vertically mounted mono-tube shock absorbers instead of the previous double-tube ones with mountings on the inside of the frame. The front suspension was also revised this year, featuring aluminum lower control arms.
Disc brakes on all wheels and a powerful vacuum booster are offered as standard equipment. ABS and traction control are available as options.
Until 2003, the steering was a deeply conservative “screw-ball nut” type unit with a built-in hydraulic booster (like on the ZIL-130 truck). Since 2003, a more precise rack and pinion steering mechanism with progressive hydraulic booster has been introduced.
The car's interior is decorated in a traditional American style - it has two solid sofas (the front one consists of two independently adjustable halves; separate front seats are available as an option) with armrests designed to seat up to six people, a flat instrument panel without a process in the middle (“beard”).
Even in the basic configuration, the car has a fairly large set of additional equipment, including electric windows on all doors, air conditioning, tinted windows, remote control of the trunk lid and gas tank flap, electrically adjustable driver's seat, audio system with four speakers, and so on.
First generation (1992-97)
1992-94
By the fall of the 1991 calendar year 1992, which began in the fall of 1991, a full-size car was created on the basis of the frame of the previously produced Ford LTD Crown Victoria model with a completely new body, stylistically based on the successful mid-size Ford Taurus model, with a rounded shape that was modern for that time and good aerodynamics. In addition, there is a new 4.6-liter engine (the) 4.6 L Modular.
Since the spring of 1992, a new TS (Touring Sedan) package with a diluted exhaust was also offered, with which the engine developed 210 hp. versus standard 193, wider tires, two-tone paint, original wheel design and suspension tuned for active driving, structurally close to police modifications.
1993-94
Due to mixed reactions from buyers and the press to the Ford Taurus-style front panel without a grille, in the 1993 model year the car received a chrome grille and decorative moldings above the headlights and between the taillights. The TS trim level was no longer offered, but a set of “Handling and Performance” Package options became available with similar TS technical differences from the base model.
1995-97
Restyling followed in 1995. There were new headlights, a radiator grille, and taillights. The interior has a new instrument panel with a digital speedometer instead of an analogue one.
Since 1996, two trim levels have been available: base and LX. Two front airbags and a single key for the doors and ignition are standard, as is a built-in radio antenna instead of a retractable one, a heated rear window and tinted windows.
Options included the Handling and Performance package, ABS and traction control. Automatic climate control and a JBL audio system are now available on the LX.
In 1997, the model underwent minimal changes, the main one being an increase in steering sensitivity.
Second generation (1998-2011)
Ford is unveiling official details of their new Interceptor Police vehicle, which will be used by US police forces from late 2011 when production of the Ford Crown Victoria ends. The company also announced that the sedan will be accompanied by all services.
A white unmarked sedan that comes around the corner leaves no doubt about the identity of its driver. Police! I was tricked! With a practiced, inconspicuous movement, I throw the bag of white powder onto the ground and take on the casual air of a tourist admiring the early Sunday morning views of an abandoned factory.
Growling with its engine, blinding with the light of its headlights, the giant stops in front of me. That's how it got there! It’s stupid to run - 1,840 kg of strong American steel, 5,385 mm long and almost two meters wide, will easily leave me with a bloody cake on the asphalt. Nothing will happen to Pharaoh. He can easily replace the bumper and fender (the police warehouse is full of this stuff) on his mastodon, saying that he hit a dog.
Turn off the headlights! Why doesn't he come out? What is this, a new method of psychological influence? Tired of squinting, I walk in from the side, trying to understand who I’m dealing with. The slicked body is a sign of the second generation of frame sedans, which appeared in 1998, but the exact breed is difficult to determine. You can't tell from the profile whether it's Mercury, Lincoln or Ford. The doors of all three are interchangeable. One thing is for sure: the version is not a simple one - only the top models had an “intercom” on the door. Maybe the Town Car driver just got lost?
Hope goes out along with the extinguished headlights. This is the Crown Victoria LX. Lincoln does not have unpainted side mirrors. Still the police. Finally, the hope for a happy ending is buried by a tall Latino with a shotgun at the ready. Grinning maliciously, he throws me onto the hood, the handcuffs click behind me, and the dropped goods return to their place. With a roar from the V8, the white Ford, with the hunter at the wheel and the crumpled prey in the back seat, speeds away.
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Inside
It’s not a bad idea to evaluate the interior with your hands cuffed behind your back. The concept of spaciousness in the back seat immediately takes on a different meaning. The Crown Victoria, thanks to its almost three-meter base, has complete order with this. There is plenty of space both up and down. An ideal taxi or carrier of scoundrels, about three of which can fit here without any problems. A couple more can be loaded into the trunk with a volume of almost 600 liters.
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I look with envy at the front sofa, where a well-fed guardian of order is lounging imposingly. It's easy to host a donut-eating party for three - the wide double armrest easily converts into additional seating. It’s not royal, like on the main wide chairs with a bunch of electrical adjustments, and there is no headrest, but the third one is not superfluous here. The Crown Victoria rightfully held the title of a full-fledged six-seat sedan, the last of its kind.
Trunk volume
Signs of the top-end LX version are everywhere. The seats are covered in beige oak leather. You won’t find such luxuries in patrol cars or taxis - what if a passenger decides to spill his DNA on the upholstery? The rectangular front panel has no design. It is just a haven for large buttons and displays that provide comfort and convenience to passengers. The climate control blows, the electric drives hum, coffee splashes in the cup holder, and the optional electronic instrument cluster flickers with large green calculator symbols. I would go to the police - let them teach me!
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In move
The Crown Victoria makes me shake my head respectfully as soon as I push the automatic's poker into Drive. After all, the first thing I hear is the click of the central lock. God, how brilliant and simple. Not at a speed of 5 or 10 km/h, like the Europeans (if such an option is provided at all), but immediately as soon as the driver is ready to start driving. Not a single fidgety human baby will fall out on the move.
Smoothly rocking on a long-stroke suspension, our ship with a blue oval on its bow slowly floats along the broken asphalt. The quality of the road can be judged solely by the view from the window. The huge glass area provides excellent visibility. First of all, the heavy (at least 10 kg) and endless hood, behind which there is another ten centimeters of bumper, invisible to the eye, but always ready to ram.
The Crown Victoria has several reasons to prevent passengers from feeling the road's imperfections. Wide-profile 16-inch tires come into play first. Then it’s up to the suspension: at the front there is an independent one on double wishbones, at the rear there is a durable rigid axle on springs, with anti-roll bars. Archaic, but cheap, reliable and practical, as befits a dreadnought. The remaining road information is taken over by a powerful frame, to which the body is attached using special rubber dampers.
Rocking and heeling in corners, the sedan creeps along the road no worse than premium limousines with full air suspension. And there is silence inside! My fortress protects me and protects me from extraneous sounds with sound insulation. You won’t be able to wait for the clock to tick – electronic displays don’t make a sound, but they glare mercilessly. On a sunny day, instead of tidy, you see impenetrable blackness.
The large 4.6-liter V8 is not shy about its modest output of 213 hp. With. Has the right to. The low-speed engine, with 386 Nm, pulls well from the very bottom and allows you to idle in top gear. The four-speed automatic transmission is politely leisurely, but acceleration is measured only by sensations: Ford reaches the first hundred in about eight seconds. Not bad for a frame giant weighing 1,840 kg, not thinking about any racing.
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I completely agree with the taxi drivers and police officers who began to defend their beloved mastodon as soon as Ford hinted at removing the Crown Victoria from production. Roomy, comfortable, unpretentious and tenacious, like the Terminator - people need such cars.
Ford Crown Victoria
Claimed fuel consumption per 100 km
And it's not about the American mentality. The big Ford was revered not only at home, but also in the Middle East, where the Crown Victoria, unlike the USA, was officially available to retail customers until it was discontinued. But people need them, but the global auto industry, alas, does not... The last surviving frame dinosaur, tired of fighting with environmentalists, downsizing and global trends, simply left. Defeated? Formally, yes. But he remained the hero of countless films and TV series. No hybrids with electric cars will ever replace it.
Purchase history
For a lover of American police paraphernalia, the choice of a dream car is limited to several models: Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge. Vitaly always dreamed of a Crown Victoria. But there are no more than 10 such cars in Russia, especially in a restyled body, despite the fact that sales in the States amounted to hundreds of thousands. Switching to the search for the Chevrolet Caprice, which is more common in our latitudes, Vitaly made useful contacts in clubs for Yankee car lovers.
It was there, at one of the gatherings of adherents of the “Fuck Fuel Economy” religion, that he met a girl, Natalya, who, as it turned out, had owned two Ford Crown Victorias of different generations for several years. Vitaly especially liked the restyled 1998 sedan, which in his youth served as the car of American police detectives. Both cars were cared for and cherished, but selling was out of the question. As time passed, friendly relations grew into friendship. One day, Vitaly, who is fond of airsoft, persuaded Natalya to take part in a thematic photo shoot that imitated the harsh everyday life of the Los Angeles police. On an English-language forum, tough American cops for a long time could not believe that these photos were taken in Russia - all the details of clothing and equipment were conveyed so believably. The white Crown Victoria played an important role in that performance.
It is not surprising that when Natalia had a need for an all-wheel drive SUV, the first person she offered to buy her favorite was Vitaly. He gave himself a white Crown Victoria with a mileage of 343,000 km for his birthday, paying 350,000 rubles for the gift.
Repair
Nobody hid the fact that the car needed to be put in order. The first item on the list of necessary work was to overhaul the automatic transmission - the torque converter was acting up, the gearbox was kicking during shifts. There were a lot of small things, including repairing power windows and replacing light bulbs in the dash. The starter was acting up, trying to substitute its owner from time to time, but after a few months the problem was fixed by replacing it with an analogue from the previous Crown Victoria. Vitaly also repaired the generator and installed a new radiator. The latter, in all external and internal signs, did not change from the factory and gave up only after eighteen years of operation. The total investment amounted to about 100,000 rubles.
The body was welded and repainted by previous owners, so it is in satisfactory condition. Barely noticeable traces of rust on the sills and fenders have only just appeared. Vitaly is upset by the color. The shade was chosen correctly; the Crown Victoria came off the production line in a white color scheme, but white mother-of-pearl does not suit the proletarian Ford at all.
Exploitation
"Manage dream!" – for Vitaly this phrase means “Drive a Crown Victoria”. In a year he has already traveled 21,000 km. The car is ideal for long journeys. There are no problems with maintenance: some of the parts - such as various sensors and other small things - are unified with other Ford models presented on our market.
Parts made to order from the USA arrive within a week. As usual, the price is greatly influenced by weight - that’s why Vitaly still hasn’t acquired the coveted stamped 16-inch wheels that come as standard for the restyled Crown Victoria. The same “ruble for transportation” equates the price of inexpensive basic wheels to the cost of good alloy wheels of the same diameter. Ford Fairlane with a plexiglass roof. Almost 30 years later, the full-size, rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame Ford LTD Crown Victoria entered the market. Its successor received a new aerodynamic exterior design, and the uncontested sedan body was now simply called Crown Victoria. The first generation of the model, together with its closest relatives under the Mercury and Lincoln brands, remained in production until 1997.
Pictured: Ford LTD Crown Victoria "1983–87 In 1998, the second generation Crown Victoria was released, built on the previous Panther platform. Familiar technology was hidden under the completely updated body. The frame, suspension design (independent on double wishbones at the front, dependent at the rear with a continuous beam rear axle) and engine (V 8 4.6 Modular series - 215 hp, 366 Nm) paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission remained without changes.
In the photo: Ford Crown Victoria "1998–2011 Crown Victoria was regularly modernized, increasing engine power and improving equipment. So, 2003 brought a large-scale update. These included a new frame design, modified steering, anti-roll bar for the rear suspension, and the abandonment of the steering-wheel-mounted gearbox selector, but... despite the seriousness of the changes, the frame sedan was doomed.
Sales to private individuals ended in 2007. Subsequently, the full-size sedan was manufactured exclusively for the needs of taxi companies, rental offices and police officers, who received a special version with a forced engine and reinforced suspension.
In the photo: Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptor "2001–2011 Six years ago, on September 15, 2011, the last Crown Victoria was manufactured, the inside of which was covered with the autographs of assembly line workers, thereby putting an end to the history of American serial full-size frame sedans.
Production of the first generation Ford Crown Victoria, which replaced the model, began at a plant in Canada in 1991. It was a classic American full-size sedan: frame design, huge dimensions (body length 5.4 meters), rear-wheel drive, V8 engine.
The Crown Victoria was based on a modernized platform of its predecessor - with improved suspensions, disc brakes on all wheels and ABS. Under the hood was a 4.6-liter eight-cylinder petrol engine, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. The model's closest competitor in the American market was the sedan, and the car was also exported to some countries in the Middle East.
Production of the first generation cars ended in 1997.
2nd generation, 1997–2011
The second generation sedan debuted at the end of 1997. The Ford Crown Victoria has changed in appearance, but its design remains the same; both the 4.6-liter V8 engine and the four-speed automatic transmission remain in place. A similar model was also produced under the brand name.
In the 2000s, the demand for the model was low, and in 2007 the Crown Victoria was no longer offered to private clients of dealerships. The production of cars for corporate customers continued; the model, for example, was very often used as a police car and taxi.
"Damage" with Arnold Schwarzenegger"Damage" with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Even those who have never seen a Ford Crown Victoria in person probably know it from Hollywood films: it appeared on screen thousands of times and took part in hundreds of chases - in a word, it has become familiar.
But for ordinary American police officers, the Crown Victoria has become a legend not for its high-profile film career, but for its reliability, convenience and professional suitability: the 4.6-liter V 8 engine (on versions of the P 71 Police Interceptor it produces about 250 hp) allows you to confidently drive pursuit, and the strong body on frame can push even a heavy truck off the road. In addition, police P 71 sedans differ from civilian ones in their reinforced suspension and brakes, since they are loaded with fairly heavy equipment and are operated almost all the time at full load. A mesh between the front and rear seats was easily built into the spacious body; up to four well-fed law enforcement violators could be pushed onto the passenger sofa.
At one time, only the poor design of the fuel tank, which could ignite in an accident, especially if there was an impact, caused complaints, but after a series of complaints the manufacturer began to install additional protection on the tanks.
Since last year, Crown Victorias have been actively replaced in American police departments by more modern cars, because the last P 71 rolled off the assembly line in 2011. The Nevada State Police is one of the last to part ways with the legendary Fords, as reported by KSNV NBC Las Vegas. They are usually replaced by Ford Police Interceptor Utility sedans and crossovers, but they have not yet earned the cult status of the Crown Victoria P 71.
Check out our gallery. These are just some of the popular films in which the Ford Crown Victoria was featured. In total, his film roles number hundreds...
In Russia, many people know and remember the Ford Crown Victoria sedans: these cars once served in the traffic police, but in the USA there are many more of them and some examples are still on duty with the law! Alas, they don’t have long to drive with special signals.
- In the spring, Ford introduced another police car called - it is based on a hybrid version of the Fusion model.
- You can find out what the most formidable police officers on the planet drive from.
Photo : commons.wikimedia.org, picssr.com, imcdb.org
