https://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/d/1974-ford-ltd-country-wagon/6566820811.html Once again, terrible pics. Is it really that difficult?
This is another of those crazy optioned cars we see all the time. This was clearly a top O the line wagon with that "Luxury Group" interior that was new for '74 that you see touted in that famous car ad we see a lot... Offering traditional sedan buyers the luxurious trappings in a wagon previously only available on a sedan.. And somebody ordered all that... Two tone seats, deep pile carpeting, cruise control complete with the special steering wheel that has the gold laurel sprigs crossed in the center..... And they special ordered CRANK DOWN WINDOWS... Why....!? With all those other features... Don't tell me "one less thing to go wrong.." Lol. It is so funny to think how you could really personalize a car back then... Compared to how it is today. Limited exterior colors and trims and a lot of manufacturers ONLY offer black or gray interiors. It really feels like everyone is driving the same car these days.
I have power windows in 2 out of 3 of our Escort wagons and they were standard equipment in our Taurus. It's no longer even considered a luxury option. Back then, however, many people -- especially buyers of the low priced 3 -- considered it extravagant. Henry Ford would turn in his grave at the thought of power windows in a Ford car. And they did think that when the mechanism failed, it was a major pain (it's happened to me, and it was). It is true that the car manufacturers offered most of the options separately that they also grouped together in their option packages, so, for the most part, you could buy just the ones you wanted. This sometimes made for a bewildering number of choices. How nice of them to have simplified things for us by reducing most of the choices to just take it all or leave it all. Very refreshing to see someone put an aftermarket stereo in a car without butchering the dash. It would be no trouble at all to put a stock unit back in, if you so desired. A bit rough, perhaps, but priced appropriately (maybe even something of a bargain)