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The Ford Elite was an automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 produced by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an United States multinational corporation and the world's List of automobile manufacturers#World Motor Vehicle Production by Manufacturer based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group....
 for the North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
n market from 1974 to 1976. The Elite was based on the Ford Torino
Ford Torino

The Ford Torino is an mid-size car car produced bythe Ford Motor Company for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was initially an upscale version of the intermediate sized Ford Fairlane, which Ford produced between 1962 and 1970....
, and was a two-door coupe
Coupé

A coup? or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time. Coup?s are often hardtopped sports cars or sporty variants of sedan body styles, with doors commonly reduced from 4 to 2, and a Close-coupled sedan interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating ....
 intended to be, in the words of Ford's advertising, a "mid-size car
Mid-size car

A mid-size car is the North American and Australian term for an automobile with a size between that of a Compact car and a full-size car. In Europe, cars of a similar size are often referred to as large family cars, or executive cars....
 in the Thunderbird tradition"—a more affordable personal luxury car
Personal luxury car

A personal luxury car is a marketing term used to describe highly styled, luxury vehicle intended for the comfort and satisfaction of its owner/driver, sacrificing passenger space, cargo capacity, and other practical concerns for the sake of style....
 than the Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird

The Thunderbird, often abbreviated as T-Bird, was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1955 through 2005 — through thirteen generations and various body types....
, intended to compete with such cars as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made automobile. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1970 model year , it has gone through six generations as of 2007....
 and the Chrysler Cordoba
Chrysler Cordoba

Chrysler Cordoba was the name of an intermediate personal luxury car coupe sold by Chrysler Corporation in North America from 1975 to 1983. It was the company's first model produced specifically for the personal luxury market and the first Chrysler-branded vehicle that was less than full-size....
.






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Ford Elite
The Ford Elite was an automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 produced by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an United States multinational corporation and the world's List of automobile manufacturers#World Motor Vehicle Production by Manufacturer based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group....
 for the North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
n market from 1974 to 1976. The Elite was based on the Ford Torino
Ford Torino

The Ford Torino is an mid-size car car produced bythe Ford Motor Company for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was initially an upscale version of the intermediate sized Ford Fairlane, which Ford produced between 1962 and 1970....
, and was a two-door coupe
Coupé

A coup? or coupe is a closed car body style, the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time. Coup?s are often hardtopped sports cars or sporty variants of sedan body styles, with doors commonly reduced from 4 to 2, and a Close-coupled sedan interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating ....
 intended to be, in the words of Ford's advertising, a "mid-size car
Mid-size car

A mid-size car is the North American and Australian term for an automobile with a size between that of a Compact car and a full-size car. In Europe, cars of a similar size are often referred to as large family cars, or executive cars....
 in the Thunderbird tradition"—a more affordable personal luxury car
Personal luxury car

A personal luxury car is a marketing term used to describe highly styled, luxury vehicle intended for the comfort and satisfaction of its owner/driver, sacrificing passenger space, cargo capacity, and other practical concerns for the sake of style....
 than the Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird

The Thunderbird, often abbreviated as T-Bird, was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1955 through 2005 — through thirteen generations and various body types....
, intended to compete with such cars as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made automobile. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1970 model year , it has gone through six generations as of 2007....
 and the Chrysler Cordoba
Chrysler Cordoba

Chrysler Cordoba was the name of an intermediate personal luxury car coupe sold by Chrysler Corporation in North America from 1975 to 1983. It was the company's first model produced specifically for the personal luxury market and the first Chrysler-branded vehicle that was less than full-size....
. It was essentially the concurrent Mercury Cougar
Mercury Cougar

The Mercury Cougar was an automobile sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades....
 XR-7 with a mild front end restyle.

In the 1974 model year
Model year

The model year of a product is a number used in North America to describe approximately when a product was produced.The model year and the actual calendar year of production do not always coincide....
, the Elite was considered a sub-model of the Torino; although advertised separately, the side script said "Gran Torino Elite" and the car would be titled and registered as a Gran Torino. In 1975 and 1976 (with "Elite" side script) ,the Elite was fully its own model. In all three years, the car sold well.

The Elite name was dropped after 1976 because the Ford range was being restructured and downsized. The Thunderbird was dramatically reduced in size and price for 1977, moving to the old Torino platform, while the Torino itself was replaced by the LTD II
Ford LTD II

The Ford LTD II was a mid-size car built by the Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 for the North American market. It was based on the Ford Torino, which it replaced, and used the same platform as the concurrent Ford Thunderbird, which was downsized and dramatically reduced in price for 1977 to occupy the market position of the 1974-76...
. In effect, the Elite continued under the more-recognized Thunderbird name, with the larger car being discontinued.

Standard equipment


As standard, the Elite came with:
  • 351W
    Ford Windsor engine

    The Windsor engine is a 90-degree small-block V8 from Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in 1962, replacing the old Ford Y-block engine. Though not all of the engines in this family were produced at the Windsor, Ontario engine plant , the name stuck....
     351M
    Ford 335 engine

    The Ford 335 internal combustion engine family were a group of small-block V8 V8 engines built by the Ford Motor Company between 1970 and 1982. The significance of the Numerals '335' designated to this series of Small block Ford V8 engines is relatively unknown....
     V8 engine
    V8 engine

    A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinder s mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
     of 351 CID (5.8 L)
  • 3-speed automatic transmission
    Automatic transmission

    An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manual transmission....
  • Power brakes (front disc brake
    Disc brake

    The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel. A brake disc , usually made of cast iron or ceramic composites , is connected to the wheel and/or the axle....
    s, rear drum brake
    Drum brake

    A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of Brake shoe or Brake pad that press against the Brake lining of a rotating drum....
    s).
  • Power steering
  • Cloth bench seats
  • Vinyl roof
    Vinyl roof

    Vinyl roof refers to a vinyl covering for an automobile's top. This covering was originally designed to give the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof, but eventually it evolved into a styling statement in its own right....
     with twin opera windows, Landau (partial) vinyl top for 1976 model year.
  • Protective padded body side moldings


Options

Among the options that could be specified on the Elite were:
  • 400M
    Ford 335 engine

    The Ford 335 internal combustion engine family were a group of small-block V8 V8 engines built by the Ford Motor Company between 1970 and 1982. The significance of the Numerals '335' designated to this series of Small block Ford V8 engines is relatively unknown....
     V8 engine
    V8 engine

    A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinder s mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
     of 402 CID (6.6 L)
  • 460
    Ford 385 engine

    The Ford 385 engine family was the United States Ford Motor Company's final big block V8 internal combustion engine design, replacing the Ford MEL engine and gradually superseding the Ford FE engine family....
     V8 engine
    V8 engine

    A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinder s mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
     of 460 CID (7.5 L)
  • Power glass moonroof
  • Power steel sunroof
    Sunroof

    An automotive sunroof is a fixed or operable opening in an automobile roof which allows light and/or fresh air to enter the passenger compartment....
  • Air conditioning with standard manual control or optional Automatic Temperature Control
  • Metallic Glow paint
  • Cruise (speed) control
  • Gauge package with tachometer, oil pressure gauge, coolant temperature gauge, and ammeter gauge
  • Fuel Sentry Vacuum Gauge - monitors intake manifold vacuum to give an indication of how hard the engine is working, and thus economy (not available with gauge package).
  • Fuel Monitor Warning Light - as above, but an on/off light instead of a gauge.
  • Bucket seats and center console (1976 only).