Ford Ranchero-The First American Utility Vehicle

In 1957 Ford came out with a vehicle they called the Ranchero and was described a coupe utility vehicle. Although the "ute" as they were called was introduced in Australia in 1934, the American version was the first factory postwar vehicle of its kind. It was an immediate hit with the people as well as the media.

The first generation Ranchero was built from 1957 to 1959. Although it was designed to function like a pickup the cab and the cargo bed were one piece. The platform for the Ranchero was the new full sized one for the Custom sedan and the 2 door Ranch Wagon station wagon. It was basically a Courier pickup but with a one piece cab and cargo area. Although it was built on the automobile assembly line it was sold as truck.

The Ranchero came in two trim levels with the standard basic one being marketed to pickup truck buyers. The Custom had most of the options available on the Fairlane models. These included stainless side mouldings and two tone paint. Because the Ranchero filled the niche of having the utility of a light pickup with the handling and ride comfort of a car it was well received by the public.

Engines for the Ranchero included every one available for Ford cars from a 6 cylinder all the way up to the 352 cu. in.

"Thunderbird Special"

The 1958 Ranchero was almost identical to the 1957 except for dual headlights and some different front end sheet metal. The 1959 model was built on the 118" wheelbase of the sedan which gave it a longer bed. The trim would be the top line level would be the same as the new Galaxie 500. This was the last year of the Ranchero growing larger.

Generation 2 1960-1965

In 1960 the Ranchero became a compact as it was based on Ford's Falcon. Because of the Volkswagen and Renault's popularity the Big 3 auto makers decided build a line of compact cars. This along with the economic downturn in the late 1950 made Ford believe the public wanted a more practical, economical vehicle that was smaller and lighter than a pickup. They were right as the Ranchero sold well.

They gave this Ranchero the name of "Falcon Ranchero". It came standard with the straight 6 cylinder with 144 cu. in. In 1961 they offered a slightly larger 6 cylinder with 170 cu. in. and in 1963 the 260 cu. in. was an option. The transmission choices were the 2 speed Ford-O-Matic and 3 speed automatic C4 Cruise-O-Matic as well as the 3 speed manual.

In 1964 the Ranchero became a little larger but used the same body style for both 1964 and 1965. The big news for 1965 was the 289 cu. in. V-8 replaced the 260 and they got an alternator to replace the generator.

Generation 3 1966-1967

The 1966 Ranchero was a one year model using the Falcon front end sheet metal on a Falcon/Fairlane modified station wagon platform. The engine choices were basically the same as 1965 but with a 4 barrel carb 289 cu. in. Transmissions were the 3 speed C4 automatic or the 3 speed manual.

1967 didn't see too much change in the body except for Fairlane front end and trim. They used the post 1966 Falcon/Fairlane chassis. The big news for this year was that the Ranchero had thrown their hat into the muscle car arena.

Along with the previous engine choices you could now get a 390 cu. in. with 315 HP along with the new C6 heavy duty 3 speed transmission. This was also a big year for new models as they now had the Ranchero 500, 500/XL and the GT.

Generation 4 1968-1969

In 1968 Ford brought out the new Torino and the Ranchero followed along and became the largest model since the 1959 full sized model. The new Ranchero got the Torino interior which was all new along with the horizontal grill and quad headlights. There was 2 other trim levels offered besides the standard. These were the Ranchero 500 with the Galaxie 500 trim and the GT with the Torino GT trim. Engine sizes ranged from a 250 cu. in I-6, through the 289 cu. in. to the 390 cu. in. and finally the mighty 428 cu. in. Cobra Jet engine with a reported 335 HP.

In 1969 the main changes were in the engine compartment as the 289 cu. in. was phased out and replaced by the 302 cu. in. 2 new engine choices were also available, along with the bigger options, the 351 Windsor and 351 Cleveland. A new automatic transmission called the FMX was also along with the C6.

The Ranchero Rio Grande was offered in 1969 on special order. It was basically a GT with "Grabber" colors of "Wimbleton White, "Poppy Red" or "Calypso Coral". It had a special blacked out hood with scoop, side stripes, bed rails, a vinyl top and special wheel centers. The data plate said "SPECIAL PERFORMANCE VEHICLE" no matter which engine and a blank space where the trim code would be, which is how they can be identified. There may have been around 900 of them built. Needless to say they are very rare.

Generation 5 1970-1971

In 1970 Ford completely changed the styling of the Ranchero. The boxy body style was done away with and the Ranchero got finally got the coke bottle styling that cars were getting. They even got a 4th option called the Ranchero Squire. It had a woodgrain applique like the ones on the Country Squire station wagon.

Like in years past all Torino options could be ordered on the Ranchero, including the anew Ram-Air 429 Corbra Jet or the Super Cobra Jet engines, with a "shaker" hood scoop from the Mustang. The scoop was mounted directly to the carburetor and shook when the engine was idling hence the name "shaker". An oversize scoop hood was available also.

Generation 6 1972-1976

The Ranchero went through radical changes in 1972 with the sleek look of the 1971 being replaced by a larger and heavier one. The 1973 model had a redesigned front end to meet the new front impact standards. There were still the 3 models and the engine size were basically the same. A 400 cu. in. engine was now available in 1972 and a 460 cu. in. was introduced in 1974 and was used through 1976. A 4 speed was available on the Cobra Jet GT models. Because of lower compression ratios to meet emission standards the horsepower was way down, which spelled the end of the muscle car era.

Generation 7 1977-1979

The Torino was phased out in 1977 and the Ranchero needed a platform so they used the Thunderbirds. They still had the 3 models which could be ordered with every option available on the cars. Although the engines had up to 400 cu. in. the horsepower was not worth mentioning. In 1979 production of the Ranchero stopped. They build a very luxurious commemorative model called a "1979 ½ and that was the end of the Ranchero.

Because of the government increasing their restrictions and with cars getting smaller the requirements on a car based pickup made the manufacturing a less and less attractive proposition. In the mean time light trucks had to meet less strict rules for emissions and fuel mileage. Ford could see where the market was headed and realized small trucks would be the future. They started with the Mazda build Courier pickup which would be the sold while they were developing the new light pickup called the Ranger.

While I hated to see the end of the Ranchero the Ranger has proven to be a good replacement. I've owned two Rangers and sill drive the 2^nd one. I have been happy with both of them.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranchero

http://www.dearbornclassics.com/ranchero.html