How Ford Works

Key Takeaways

Founded in 1903 , Ford Motor Company skyrocket from obscurity to master the American auto industry in less than 12 years . The foundation of this unparalleled success was the earthly concern ’s first mass - acquire car : the cheap , round-eyed Model T , whose loveable quirkiness was matched only by that of its creator , caller founder Henry Ford .

Henry ’s decision to abandon his treasured " Tin Lizzie " after 19 years and a astonishing 15 - million cars – the last not very different from the first – fare almost too late , and his company lose a lot in money and grace during the long conversion to the belated new Model A.

Yet despite keen competitor from an aggressive Chevrolet and starter Plymouth , the Model A was a success , almost utterly time for the Great Depression that began soon after its 1928 unveiling . Ford built more than 1.1 million cars for 1930 – almost twice as many as Chevrolet and more than 14 meter as many as Plymouth .

The 1930 Ford Model A received a number of variety that seem minor now but were major at the meter . All models retained the " petty Lincoln " styling crafted by Henry ’s artistic son Edsel ( who was nominate Ford Motor Company president in 1919 ) , but the fenders were gloomy and wider , the hoodline was eminent , and untainted steel replaced nickel plate on the radiator and headlight shells .

enhance the lower look was a substitution to balloon tires on smaller 19 - in wheels ( supercede 21 - inchers ) . Running changes made during the good example year included a numerically high steering ratio for less effort at the rack , and calibration of vacuum cleaner - operated windscreen wipers that had antecedently been an extra - cost add-on .

As before , the Model A spanned a broad cooking stove of body types : coupe , sport coupe , roadsters , and cabriolets with or without rumble seat ; " Tudor " and " Fordor " sedans ; a amazingly self-respecting Town Sedan ; and a Sir Henry Wood - eubstance station wagon . Most could be had with Standard or DeLuxe clipping , the latter typically sport brighter semblance and jaunty Interior Department . cost straddle from just $ 435 for the canonical two - seat roadster to $ 660 for the Town Sedan .

There was also a very deluxe Town Car with canvas-­covered formal roof . Not many betray at $ 1200 – a mere 96 for the model year . make it in June was a $ 625 DeLuxe two - door phaeton , a jaunty five - seater with standard left - sidemount spare , chrome trunk stand , leather upholstery , and lower steering wheel and windscreen . Another novel panache , defer in the fall of 1930 , was the Victoria coupe gambol a aslant windshield , before long to be stock throughout Detroit .

Little visible change occurred for 1931 carry through a paint section atop the front of the radiator shell , which made identification easy . Chevrolet was still pushing hard , and Ford yielded the top spot in 1931 exemplary - twelvemonth book , though only by some 4100 gondola . Ford would n’t top Chevy again until 1934 despite score a coup with America ’s first low - price V-8.­

1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 Fords and Ford V-8

Henry Ford had once contemplated a radical X-8 engine for the long - overdue Model T transposition , but in the end settle for a more - ceremonious V-8 on which Ford engineers discreetly began body of work in 1930 . But it was delayed by the peculiar condition Henry inflict on his engineers , so the Model A appeared with only four - cylinder superpower as an interim cadence . Model A production end in fall 1931 , though sales continued through April 1932 .

Then came a revised four - cylinder auto , the Model B. Both this and the new 1932 V-8 Model 18 shared evolutionary styling , a 106.5 - inch wheelbase ( up three inches from the A ’s ) , and the same broad eubstance - style array . The self-aggrandising divergence , of course , was under the hoodlum . The V-8 was a tremendous bargain : received roadster , coupe , and phaeton all listed below $ 500 . Still , many buyers were leery , so Ford kept four - cylinder auto through 1934 .

Ford ’s first V-8 was that now - renowned shape - iron flathead that initially delivered 65 HP from 221 cubic inches . That compared with 40/50 horsepower from the 200.5 - Criminal Investigation Command Model A / B four . With a relatively sensational top pep pill of 78 mph , the zippy V-8 Ford make a storm of public interest , garnering over 50,000 overture orders . Millions flock to see it on its March 1932 unveiling .

The honest-to-goodness serviceman kept a close watch over the V-8 ’s development , badgering his engineers and telling them what to do . His perceive need for getting the engine to commercialize as soon as possible left insufficient metre for durability testing , so troubles rise early on . Cylinder - head cracks and excessive fossil oil burning were the most common , but some locomotive engine mount worked loose and ignition problems cropped up . Though Ford replaced piston by the thousands to ease possessor worries , the engine difficulty hurt sale . But they ’d be clear up soon enough , and the V-8 became known as a dependable powerplant that could stand considerable " heating up . " red-hot rodders loved it .

Ford looked more flowing for 1933 , reflecting Detroit ’s swing to streamlining . Edsel Ford had been an important force in Dearborn invention for some metre , and his tasteful new ' 33 Ford was universally spat . The hood now extended back to the windshield , fenders were " skirted " and dipped low in front , penetrating quoin were rounded off , and rear - hinged doors appear on closed models . assist all this was a wheelbase lengthened to 112 inches ( where it would remain through 1940 ) and a wheel diam shrunk to 17 . V-8 enduringness kept better , and the frame was completely redesigned . With V-8 product at full forcefulness , Ford ’s model - year mass jump by 100,000 railcar – telling for difficult 1933 , but not enough to baffle Chevrolet . Still , the rapid Ford V-8 was pull in a horde of fans . Among them was no less than John Dillinger , who wrote Henry to praise the Cartesian product – an unsolicited recommendation from Public Enemy Number One .

Appearance became smoother still on 1934 ’s 40A line . The V-8 itself got a new carburetor and manifold that increased advertised horsepower to 85 – some claim actual power was 90 . By now , most of its early trouble were just sorry memories . The four - cylinder railway locomotive was emit its last . The Standard two - rider coupe still deal for little more than $ 500 , while the DeLuxe Fordor cost only $ 615 . Safety field glass was new ­featured on closed model .

1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 Fords

The Ford station Wain , introduced as a 1929 Model A , had a body make of birch rod or maple supplied by the Mingel Company of Kentucky ; assembly was by Murray and Briggs in Detroit . Starting in 1935 , Ford progress these bodies itself in a plant at Iron Mountain on Michigan ’s Upper Peninsula , an idealistic fix because of nearby hardwood forest that minimized transportation costs .

A fuller look marked the 1935 Model 48 Fords , with smaller windows and a more prominently Vee’d grille than 1933 - 34 . Also new was an integral trunk for sedan . It added a bulky " bustle , " but erased the increasingly previous - fashioned external trunk single-foot and spare tire . A new camshaft and good crankcase ventilation further enhanced the resilient V-8 , and the frame and rear axle were beefed up .

Retained from Model T times was an super simple suspension : just a solid axle on a transverse leaf outpouring front and rearward , an archaic setup that would n’t be abandoned for another 13 years . This and the purpose of mechanically skillful brakes through 1939 leave Ford clearly behind the times , but old Henry believed round-eyed was better , and he was nothing if not stubborn . Still , he did give in to blade bike , which supersede traditional wire after 1935 .

Ford made only minor styling changes for 1936 , but they were good unity . The most obvious were a longer , more - pointed hood and a more sharply Vee’d grille to twin . Industry design trends order concealing some previously exposed part , so saddle horn now hoot from behind petty covered hole astride the grille . simulation option were still legion , but Standard and DeLuxe were now discrete serial , with the latter listing twice as many body styles ( seven to 14 ) .

oblation flesh out for ' 37 with the addition of a pocket-sized - gauge 136 - cid V-8 , originally devise for the European market to take reward of tax laws based on displacement . In America it came to be call the " V-8/60 , " as it acquire that much horse - baron . But though it made for cheaper new Model 74 Fords in a class of mostly gamy car prices , it did n’t trade about as well as expected . Buyers evidently preferred higher execution over low-down retail price . Economy was supposed to be a solid point , but really was n’t . With this maturation , the conversant 221 flathead became know as the " V-8/85 . " For 1937 it benefited from improved cooling via relocated water pump , plus larger insert bearings , and novel cast - metal Walter Piston . It again powered Standards and DeLuxes now doom Model 78 . V-8/60s were Standard - trim only .

Responding to GM ’s 1936 " Turret - Top " bodies , Ford adopt all - sword building for 1937 closed model , belatedly discarding the fabric roof inset of sometime . But this was easily overshadowed by crisp new body with headlamps nestled firmly in the fender and a prow - type grillwork write of ok horizontal bars ( stretched rearward at the top ) . This and a lightheaded overall look made the ' 37 Ford one of the prettiest railcar of the decade . President Franklin D. Roosevelt like it enough to buy a transmutable sedan chair for use at his Warm Springs , Georgia , retirement . In a year of confutable styling throughout the industry , Ford was a standout – proof that streamlining did n’t inevitably mean an death to distinctive , centre - pleasing automobiles .

The 1938 channel ushered in " two - tier styling " for 60 - bhp 82A and 85 - bhp 81A series . Where Standards used slightly alter 1937 bodies , DeLuxes gambol a different , new looking at . The romantic buggy was history , and the equally old - fashioned tourer ( a throwback to touring - car days ) was in its final season .

Both body styles had long since lose whatever party favour they once had , but Ford was far behind its competition in realizing this fact ( Plymouth ’s last buggy and touring car appeared in 1932 , Chevrolet ’s in ' 35 ) . Closed rumble - prat types were also in their last twelvemonth . With sales agreement still slow , the V-8/60 line was reduced to just a coupe , Fordor , and Tudor . Styling for all models was a variation on 1937 themes , announced by more - bulbous face .

DeLuxes were again fully restyled for 1939 , carry a lower Vee’d erect - barroom wicket and clean front buffer with integral headlamps . As in recent years , this styling was created by E.T. " Bob " Gregorie under Edsel Ford ’s guidance .

By contrast , that year ’s Ford Standards looked like warmed - over ' 38 DeLuxes . The transformable sedan chair made a final curtain call , again in the DeLuxe lineage . Prices rose slightly , now covering a $ 599-$921 spread . Mechanical changes included intimate engine enhancement inspired by the new Mercury and hydraulic instead of mechanical pasture brake . Old Henry had in the end given in on the latter point – three eld after Chevrolet and 11 years behind Plymouth . But Ford still could n’t match their independent front hiatus , and would n’t until 1949 .

1940, 1941, 1942 Fords

Gregorie made Fords even prettier for 1940 – so much so that the DeLuxes in exceptional have long been in demand collectibles . Sealed - beam of light headlamps arrived , as elsewhere in Detroit , ­neatly housed in more upright fender nacelles .

The buffer themselves were attractively kink to complement body contours ; rearward fender skirts , long a popular accessory , imparted an even sleeker look . Standards carried a ' 39 DeLuxe - style perpendicular - bar grille . DeLuxes conduct a chromed horizontal - legal profession center department flanked by paint subgrilles in the " catwalk " area between nose and fender .

Nineteen - forty was the last class for the little - loved V-8/60 and the first for a Standard - trim Sir Henry Joseph Wood - soundbox Ford wagon . Yet despite a all-embracing model slate , pretty styling , and Mary Leontyne Price in the $ 620-$950 ambit , Ford trailed Chevy in model - class output signal by a solid 222,720 cars . Ford had been " USA-1 " for 1934 - 37 , then bow to Chevy by about 55,000 for receding - year ' 38 ( 410,200 to 465,000 - plus ) .

Some dealers had been let down in Edsel Ford ’s new Mercury , feeling a six - cylinder Ford would have been a better idea ( which was , in fact , the original conception ) . Edsel promise a six , then had to reckon with his father . But Henry approved it in one of those strange turnabouts for which he was infamous . Edsel went to study , and the young fifty - head six bowed for 1941 . With 226 Criminal Investigation Command and 90 HP , it had five more cubic inches than the V-8 and a like number of extra horsepower – a bit embarrassing .

The ' 41s were the big , flashiest , and sonorous Fords yet . Wheelbase stretched two column inch to 114 , bodysides inflate outward , and a stalwart inning contributed to an average 100 pounds of total curb weighting . Styling was evolutionary , with blanket , more - integrate front fenders ; a busy upright - bar grille with tall centre section flanked by low subgrilles ; larger rearward fenders ; and more - rakish coupe rooflines . The card ­expanded , too : low - priced Special , midrange DeLuxe , and new Super DeLuxe , all offered with either six or V-8 . price grade from $ 684 for the six - cylinder Special coupe to $ 1013 for the V-8 DeLuxe woody wagon – the first factory - built Ford to break the $ 1000 barrier .

But none of this did much for sales . While Ford ’s total volume meliorate to near 691,500 , it remained about two - thirds of Chevy ’s , which go up even more , to slightly over a million .

The 1942 Fords gained a downhearted , wider , upright - stripe radiator grille surmounted by rectangular parking lamp in the vestigial catwalks . The V-8 was pushed up to the same 90 HP as the six – likely by the solidus of a engineer ’s pen . If the V-8 had to cost more , Ford reasoned , it should have at least as much top executive , even if only on newspaper publisher . Specials were now sestet only , but the lineup was otherwise unchanged . terms were hiked about $ 100 throughout . Ford built just 43,000 railroad car from January 1 through February 2 , when the governing ended civilian output for the duration of World War II . At that point , Ford’s1942 model - class total was just shy of 160,500 cars , versus Chevy ’s one-quarter - million - summation .

Ford Sportsman, Henry Ford II Takes Over

A renowned pacifist during World War I , Henry Ford was in his late 70s when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7 , 1941 . But he realized that the Second World War was a very different situation , and had already geared his business firm to war production .

Ford Motor Company duly turned out a change of military vehicles including Jeeps ( with American Bantam and Willys - Overland ) , and its new mile - recollective plant in Willow Run , Michigan , near Detroit , farm a motley of bombers through 1945 .

Henry finally surrender control of his troupe – but not to Edsel , who died a broken man in 1943 at age 49 . Despite the end of the state of war , the senile mogul stubbornly continued to manage an increasingly troubled Ford Motor Company until his family take a firm stand he step down . That descend in 1945 , when he turn over the rein to grandson Henry Ford II , who would hold them for the next 33 days , most of them successful .

The nifty old Isle of Man himself passed on in 1947 . Unlike his grandfather , " HFII " consistently sought and encouraged talented managers . However , he just as ­consistently further their retreat – or enkindle them – when they reached a certain level of power . Though the Ford family no longer possess a majority of common stock , Ford is still very much a family operation .

Young Henry quickly returned Ford Motor Company to civilian product after V - J day . Ford Division was again the industry ’s loudness leader for model - year 1946 , but Chevrolet would be back to full amphetamine the following class and would persist " USA-1 " through 1948 .

Like most other makes , Ford returned to peacetime with restyled ' 42 gondola , though it bored its V-8 out to 239.4 cid for an extra 10 HP . Also , the low - price Special Sixes were extinguish , leaving six- and eight - cylinder DeLuxe and Super DeLuxe . And there was now a 2d V-8 convertible , a fresh variation on the standard point promise Sportsman .

uprise from Bob Gregorie ’s wartime sketches , the sport feature ashen ash and burnt sienna bring down over its doors , rear trunk panels , and pack of cards , as on the Chrysler Town & Country . This was an easy mode to give an one-time design unexampled charm , and it hike up floor traffic at Ford dealers . But a $ 500 price agiotage over the all - steel convertible circumscribed sales to just 1209 for ' 46 , 2250 for ' 47 , and just 28 for ' 48 ( the last actually reserialed ' 47s ) .

appearing modification for 1947 involved shuffle nameplate and lower - hop on round parking lights . No change at all fall out for ' 48 , but the six was rerated to 95 horsepower , up five . Postwar inflation had pushed up prices , the increases average out about $ 100 for 1947 .

But nothing really new was necessitate in the car - starved other - postwar market place , and Ford output exceed 429,000 units for 1947 . The total was only 248,000 the following year , but that only reflect an early end to 1948 yield . The reason was the first all - fresh postwar Fords that went on sale with great anticipation in June 1948 .

The 1949 Ford

Styling for these 1949 models was a militant operation , as Ford solicited ideas from freelancers as well as in - sign of the zodiac fashion designer . One outside team was headed by George Walker , who hired onetime GM and Raymond Loewy employee Richard Caleal to unite designers Joe Oros and Elwood Engel .

afterwards , Henry Ford II and other Ford White House gather at Walker ’s studio to view design proposals by Caleal , Ford styling oral sex E.T. " Bob " Gregorie , and Oros and Engel . The executives choose Caleal ’s figure , which go into production basically unaltered , except that his perpendicular taillights were made horizontal and bled into the rearward quarter .

Though the 1949 Ford was nowhere close as radical as the 1950 - 51 Studebaker , it sold in numbers Ford had n’t catch since 1930 : over 1.1 million for the extra - long model year . contemplate this and later accomplishment , Walker was cite excogitation chief for all of Ford Motor Company in 1955 .

The 1949 Ford was crucial to Dearborn ’s selection . Young Henry II was still scrambling to bring order to the organizational and financial chaos he inherited from his grandfather even as the company proceed losing money by the bucketful . But the ' 49 was the most - exchange Ford since the Model A , and was as much a collision .

Though wheelbase and engines were unaltered from the 1946 - 48 models , the ' 49 was three inches depleted , fractionally shorter , and usefully light . Even better , it had a modern ladder - type skeleton with Dearborn ’s first fully independent front suspension ( via coil spring and upper and lower A - arms ) , plus a modern rearward end with unresolved Hotchkiss drive ( replace torque - tube ) and parallel longitudinal folio give supporting the live axle . It all added up to a sprightly performer that could run ­circles around contender from Chevrolet and Plymouth . A ' 49 Ford could n’t quite reach 100 mph , but hopping up the flathead V-8 was still simple , gimcrack , and easy . Multiple carburetor , headers , dual exhausts , and other " hurrying portion " were as near as local auto storehouse .

Though Ford briefly considered retain it , the low - selling Sportsman was devolve for ' 49 and other offering regroup into Standard and Custom series . The former offered six and V-8 Tudor and Fordor , along with business and social club coupes . The better - trimmed V-8 - only Custom cancel the commercial enterprise coupe but added a convertible and a new two - doorway structural - wood station waggon ( supersede the previous four - doorway flair ) .

Mary Leontyne Price rose again for 1949 , the reach now $ 1333-$2119 . Over­drive was optional across the control board at $ 97 . Ford would n’t have its own machinelike transmission until 1951 , though it tried to get one earlier . Studebaker had develop an excellent automatic for 1950 in tie-up with Warner Gear . Ford wanted to buy it for its cars , but Studebaker refuse – much to its later regret .

The ' 49 Fords suffered handling and noise problems stemming from the rushed design programme . craftsmanship also suffered for the same reason , and a 24 - day auto worker ' strike in May 1948 did n’t help either . Even so , these were very desirable automobile – the first real evidence that Henry II was firmly in tutelage . Ably assisting him was the vernal " Whiz Kids " squad of executive and engineers he ’d recruited , include one Robert S. McNamara .

1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956 Fords

The degree was set for a smart comeback in the ' fifty . And indeed , by 1952 , Ford Motor Company had give-up the ghost a faltering Chrysler Corporation to regain the number - two spot in manufacturing business mass . The intellect ? Interesting cars that sell well .

Efforts for 1950 aimed at subdue the bugs from ' 49 . " 50 Ways New , 50 room Better , " blared the advert . And the 1950s were better : nasty and quieter in corners and rough - route aim alike . A new confection was the V-8 Crestliner , a special - edition Custom Tudor price $ 100-$200 above the standard clause . It was snazzy , with a cushioned canvas - cover top and wholesale direct contrast - color venire on the bodysides , but sale were only bonnie at 17,601 for 1950 and another 8703 for ' 51 . Crestliner ’s real determination was to counter Chevy ’s straight " hardtop - convertible , " the 1950 Bel Air .

Otherwise , the 1950 Fords were predictably much like the ' 49s , though a crown instead of Ford lettering above the " bullet " grille provided instant I.D. Mary Leontyne Price hold steady , running from $ 1333 for the DeLuxe business coupe to $ 2028 for the Squire . Though still without a hardtop and a amply automatic transmission system like Chevrolet , Ford trump 1930 ’s imposing model - year output , piss more than 1.2 million elevator car . But Chevrolet managed closely 1.5 - million , and would rest " USA-1 " through 1953 .

try greater competitiveness , Ford slightly downpriced its ' 51 manikin and go for an attractive facelift featuring a new grille with modest twin bullet train on a thick horizontal bar . The Custom Wain now hold Country Squire script , but would be the last true Ford woody . Ford ultimately offered a self - shift transmitting in Ford - O - Matic Drive – a three - speed robotlike to outdo Chevy ’s two - pep pill Powerglide .

However , only second and third gears worked mechanically ; a shift to low had to be made manually . A redesign dash give the interior a more upscale look . Also new for ' 51 was Ford ’s first hardtop coupe , the Custom V-8 Victoria . Though it , too , was a morsel late , the Vicky evidence no less pop than Chevy ’s Bel Air , selling some 110,000 that entry time of year . Ford ’s model - year volume declined by about 200,000 cars , but Chevy ’s fell a similar amount , speculate new government - ordered restriction on civilian product prompted by the Korean War .

Model - yr ' 52 introduced a clean , novel , square - rigged Ford with a one - spell windshield , simple grille , small pear-shaped tail - lamps , and an " air scoop " theme on the lower rear flanks . Only detail changes would happen to this canonic design through 1954 . Wheelbase crept up to 115 inches for a revise model slate that started with a cheap Mainline Tudor / Fordor , business coupe , and two - room access Ranch Wagon , follow by Customline saloon , night club coupe , and four - room access Country Sedan wagon . Topping the range was the V-8 Crestline group of Victoria hardtop , newly distinguish Sunliner convertible , and posh Country Squire four - door wagon .

These wagons , by the style , were Ford ’s first all - steel model ( the Squire switching from actual wood to Grant Wood - look decals ) . Assisting in their design was Gordon Buehrig , the famed designer of Classic - era Auburns , Cords , and Duesen­bergs who ’d also had a hand in the ' 51 Victoria . Doing more with less , Ford introduced a new 215.3 - cid overhead - valve six with 101 horsepower as criterion for Mainline / Customline . The flathead V-8 was tweak to 110 horsepower .

Dearborn observed its Golden Anniversary in 1953 , proclaim on Fords by special steering - roulette wheel - hub medallions . But aside from that and a few other cosmetic details , the ' 53s were essentially ' 52s with higher prices , now range from $ 1400-$2203 .

With the Korean conflict ended , Ford Division built 1.2 million cars to abut Chevrolet for the model class ( Chevy consoled itself with calendar - yr domination ) , but only by dumping cars on dealers in a production " blitz " so they could sell for " less than price . " Ironically , Chevrolet was n’t much affected by this onrush , but Studebaker , American Motors , and Kaiser - Willys were , because they could n’t afford to push aside as much . The Ford blitz is generally considered one of the key element in the independents ' mid-’50s decline .

The revered flathead V-8 was honorably sack out for 1954 in party favour of a new overhead - valve " Y - stop " V-8 ( so - called because of its head-on appearance in hybridization - section ) . With 130 horse­power , this was easy the year ’s hottest railway locomotive in the crushed - cost field . Together with orchis - joint front suspension , also newfangled , the Y - block greatly narrowed the engineering disruption between expensive and cheap machine . Its initial 239 cid was the same as flathead displacement , but the ohv had unlike " oversquare " cylinder dimensions . Compression was 7.2:1 in base trimming , but could be taken as gamey as 12:1 if require ( which it was n’t ) .

The rest of the ' 54 chronicle was essentially 1953 lay aside a larger , 223 - Criminal Investigation Command overhead - valve six with 115 bhp . There was also a novel novel hardtop forebode Skyliner , a Crestline Victoria with a transparent , light-green - tint Plexiglas roof insert over the front seat . This conception , suggested by Buehrig and realise by midland styling director L. David Ash , is a forerunner of today ’s moonroof . But it spue a strange light on the Department of the Interior , and heating system buildup was a major trouble . That and a price very with the Sunliner convertible ’s – $ 2164 – hold back ' 54 Skyliner sales to 13,344 . Only the Country Squire and Mainline business coupe fared worse .

Retaining the 1952 - 54 racing shell , the 1955 Ford was completely reskinned , emerging colourful if chromey , with a rakish look of apparent movement and a modestly wrap windscreen . Styling was handled by Franklin Q. Hershey , who also bewilder credit for that twelvemonth ’s new two - tush Thunderbird ( see freestanding entry ) . nightclub coupe were abandoned , beach wagon grouped in a separate series , and Crestline was renamed Fairlane ( after the Ford syndicate estate in Dearborn ) . With the " horsepower race " at full gallop , the 239 - cid V-8 was ousted for a 272 blowup , pack 162/182 horsepower as an option for all models . The received six gained five bhp to give birth 120 total .

Skyliner was also ousted for ' 55 , but Ford had another idea . This was the Fairlane Crown Victoria , a hardtop - style two - door sedan chair with a burnished alloy roof banding wrapped up and over from steeply angled B - Post . The " tiara " looked like a axial rotation bar , but add no morphological strength ; a Plexiglas insert rode ahead of it , as on Skyliner . A full sword - roof modeling was also offered for $ 70 less than the " bubble - topper " ; predictably , it sold much good : 33,000 - asset to just 1999 . The totals were 9209 and just 603 for ' 56 , after which the Crown Vic was dumped .

But Ford as a whole did splendidly in standard 1955 , shattering its postwar record book of 1953 by building almost 1.5 million cars . Still , the partition was done in by an all - new Chevy , which tallied better than 1.7 million . Volume for both makes declined in the industry ’s overall retreat for ' 56 , but Ford spend by fewer than 50,000 versus Chevy ’s loss of virtually 200,000 .

1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 Fords and Ford Skyliner

Ford ’s ' 56 product line featured the expected mild facelift , plus more - potent engines and two Modern models : a Customline Victoria and the partition ’s first four - door hardtop , the Fairlane Town Victoria .

Ford also began selling " Lifeguard Design " guard features , equipping all models with dished steering wheel , breakaway rearview mirror , and crashproof door locks ; padded dash and sunvisors cost $ 16 extra , factory - installed seatbelts $ 9 .

vendee responded early in the exemplar twelvemonth , but the rush to seat - belts overtaxed Ford ’s supplier , so only 20 percent of the ' 56s get them . Ford continued to emphasize base hit for a few more long time , but put more emphasis on public presentation . speak of which , the 272 V-8 delivered 173 horsepower as a ' 56 Mainline / Customline choice . A novel 312 - Criminal Investigation Command " Thunderbird " unit with 215/225 horsepower was ­optional across the control board , and a midrange 292 - Criminal Investigation Command V-8 offer 200 horsepower .

The 1957 Fords were all - new , offering a vast array of V-8s from a 190 - bhp 272 up to a 245 - bhp 312 . The 223 - Criminal Investigation Command six was stock for all but one model . There were now two wheelbase and no fewer than five serial publication : 116 inches for Station Wagon and Custom / Custom 300 sedans ( replacing Mainline / Custom­line ) , 118 column inch for Fairlane and the fresh line - top Fairlane 500 .

All were usable with six or V-8 top executive . Both Fairlane serial listed two- and four - door Victorias , plus flimsy - tower equivalents that look like hardtop with windows up . The glamourous droptop Sunliner was now a Fairlane 500 and come with the bag V-8 . hauler comprised plain and fancy Del Rio two - door Ranch Wagons , a dyad of four - room access Country Sedans , and the woods - look four - door Squire – Ford ’s high-priced ' 57 police wagon at $ 2684 .

Ford ’s ' 57 styling was peculiarly unsubdivided for the stop : a blunt face with clean , full - width rectangular grille ; tasteful side moldings ; and tiny tailfins . More importantly , it was new against Chevy ’s second nip and tuck in two years . Unfortunately , the Fords had some structural weakness ( in the main cap board ) and were prone to rust fungus , one reason you do n’t see that many today .

But though Plymouth arguably won the styling bet with its finned " Forward Look , " 1957 was a capital Ford yr . In fact , the division scored a satisfying winnings in model - year output signal with closely to 1.7 million car to Chevy ’s 1.5 million . Some statisticians also had Ford ahead in calendar - yr book for the first time since 1935 , though the last grievance testify Chevy forward by a mere 130 cars .

The Skyliner name come back in mid-1957 , but on a very unlike Ford : the world ’s first mass - produced retractable hardtop . An improver to the Fairlane 500 serial , it stemmed from engine room work done a few years before at Continental Division , which had considered , but did n’t produce , the 1956 Mark II as a " retrac . "

Ford sold 20,766 Skyliners for ' 57 , but demand fast tapered to 14,713 for ' 58 , then to 12,915 . The model was duly ax after 1959 , a victim of fresh division chief Bob McNamara ’s no - nonsense approach to products and winnings . Skyliner " retracs " became premier collectibles , and the retractable - hardtop concept made a comeback in the new millenary .

For 1958 , Ford countered all - new rider Chevys and modestly restyled Plymouth with a glittery facelift featuring quadriceps femoris headlamps and taillamps , a monolithic bumper / grille a la ' 58 Thunderbird , and more anodized aluminum trim . V-8 option expanded via two Modern " FE - serial " adult - blocks : a 332 offer 240/265 HP , and a 300 - bhp 352 . A deep national receding tailor Ford bulk to just under 988,000 cars . Chevrolet sold over 1.1 million , but spent much more money to do so .

Chevy then unveiled an all - raw line of products of radical " at-bat - fin " cars for 1959 . Ford replied with more - button-down styling that helped it shut the model - year disruption to less than 12,000 units . A major reskin of the introductory 1957 - 58 bodyshells work square lines ; uncomplicated side moldings ; a heavily sculptured " fly - quint " back panel ; and a grim , orthogonal grille filled with be adrift starlike ornaments .

All former models proceed , though now on the 118 - in wheelbase . make out midseason , a young Galaxie serial publication of two- and four - room access pillared and pillarless sedans bring forth high buyer interest and warm sales with their hearty but stylish Thunderbird - inspired wide - quartern rooflines . At the same time , the Sunliner convertible and Skyliner retractable profit Galaxie rearward - wing playscript ( but keep back Fairlane 500 ID at the rear ) .

V-8s were down to a 200 - bhp 292 , 225 - bhp 332 , and 300 - bhp 352 . Also carried over from ' 58 was Cruise - O - Matic , Ford ’s smooth raw three - upper robotic transmission system that prove a cut-rate sale plus against Chevrolet ’s Powerglide , if not Plymouth ’s antiphonal three - speed TorqueFlite .

For Ford Motor Company as a whole , 1959 seemed to excuse the strenuous efforts of Henry Ford II and board chairman Ernest R. Breech . take for granted control of a third - pace company in 1945 , they ’d turn over it into something approaching General Motors in less than 15 years .

Ford ’s course through the sixties closely duplicate that of rival Chevrolet . At X ’s conclusion , it was also selling only about 400,000 more gondola per class than in 1960 – despite expansion into authoritative unexampled markets : economic system compacts , intermediates , and sportier received - sizing models . Also like Chevy , Ford build these diverse type on comparatively few wheelbases . ( See separate entrance for the stories on the personal - luxury T - Bird and the new - for ' 65 Mustang " ponycar , " the two most - specialised Fords of this period . )

Lee Iacocca Takes the Drivers Seat

primal management changes occurred early on . Lee A. Iacocca took electric charge as Ford Division general manager in 1960 . George Walker left the following year and Eugene Bordinat became Dearborn ’s intention chieftain . Iacocca soon put an end to the mundane multitude - movers favored by Bob McNamara , and by 1970 Ford was offering some exciting cars .

Ford also go from " Chevy - follower " to " Chevy - drawing card " in the 1960s . Its compact Falcon far outsold the rival Corvair , its 1962 midsize Fairlane was two years ahead of Chevelle , and its phenomenally successful Mustang sent Chevrolet racing to the drawing board to amount up with the Camaro .

The best way to summarize Fords of the ' 60 is by sizing . The small was Falcon , which bowed for 1960 as one of the newfangled Big Three powder compact ( along with Corvair and Chrysler ’s Valiant ) . Wheelbase was a trim 109.5 inch through 1965 , then 110.9 ( 113 for wagons ) . Two- and four - room access sedans and four - door wagon were always offered , convertible security and hardtop coupe for 1963 - 65 . All had unit building .

To some , the pre-‘66 Falcons were the ultimate " throwaway " car : design to sell at a low cost – initially just under $ 2000 – and to be discard within five years ( some say one year ) . To others , though , Falcon was the Model A reborn : cheap but pollyannaish , simple but not unacceptably severe .

A schematic suspension and cast - smoothing iron six – mostly a 170 - cid unit of 101 horsepower – certainly looked sluggish next to Corvair engineering , but made for friendly , roomy short cars that turn on well and cede 20 - 25 mpg . Falcons were also easy serviced by " shadetree mechanics " who would n’t go near the complicated Chevy powder compact . Though gross revenue gradually declined due to competition from both at bottom and outside the division , Falcon was always profitable .

Falcon answer to the hot - sell Corvair Monza in the saltation of 1961 with the bucketful - seat Futura two - threshold . All Falcons were reskinned for 1964 - 65 with pointy front fenders and generally square , less - distinctive lines . The prime collector Falcon is the Futura Sprint , a moderately convertible and hardtop coupe offer from mid-1963 through 1965 .

These were useable with the racy " Challenger " small - cube V-8 from the midsize Fairlane – ab initio a 260 with 164 horsepower , then a 289 with about 200 HP for ' 65 . It was a fine engine , which help explain why its 302 evolution continued all the way into the 1990s . It totally transformed Falcon carrying into action without greatly affecting fuel consumption rate . Sprints offered special exterior I.D. , vinyl group bucketful seats , cabinet , and 6000 - rpm tachometer . When equipped with optional four - speed manual transmission , they were slap-up merriment to drive .

The 1966 Falcons were essentially shorter versions of that year ’s rebodied Fairlanes , with the same sort of well-endowed GM - like contours and farseeing - hood / short - deck proportions of Mustang . Falcon extend in this form through other 1970 . In 1967 , its last year before emission controls , the 289 packed 225 HP in " point 2 " tune with four - barrel carburetor , and made for some very firm Falcons , the sporty of which was the ­pillared Futura Sport Coupe .

The 289 was detuned to 195 H.P. for ' 68 , when the aforementioned 302 get as a raw option . This ran on even gas with a two - barrel carb and delivered 210 bhp ; with a four - barrel it made 230 horsepower on premium fuel , though emission considerations soon put an end to that version .

Mid-1970 brought the final Falcons : a blunt wagon and two sedans derived from the intermediate Torino ( which had evolved from the Fairlane ) . These could be powered by everything from a 155 - bhp 250 - cid six to a large - block 429 - cid V-8 with 360 - 370 HP . But the name had outlived its utility , and Ford had a new compact , the Maverick , so Falcon was charge to history .

1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 Fords and the Ford Fairlane

But unlike Chrysler , Ford retain full - size Customs and Galaxies – a wise move even though Fairlane trade more than 297,000 unit its first year and over 300,000 for ' 63 . help the cause were attractive terms in the $ 2100-$2800 range of mountains .

The Fairlane was pregnant for introduce Ford ’s brilliant humble - block V-8 , the groundwork for some of its hot ' 60 cars . bore out to 289 Criminal Investigation Command as a ' 63 option , it packed up to 271 HP – almost one horsepower per cubic inch . Powerful and smooth yet surprisingly economical , it was the determinate small V-8 .

tune versions in sports - racers like the Ford GT40 and Shelby Cobra disproved the old proverb about there being " no substitute for cubic inches . " In fact , the GT40 almost took the world GT Manufacturers Championship away from Ferrari in 1964 , its first full season . Still , it was the swelled - block Ford GTs that won the LeMans 24 - Hours , the world ’s most - prestigious sportsman car endurance raceway , two yr in a rowing , 1966 - 67 .

Initially , Fairlane offered two- and four - threshold sedans in base and sporty 500 trim , plus a bucket - seat 500 Sport Coupe . Four - room access Ranch and Squire wagons and a suspender of two - doorway hardtops were added for ' 63 . start with the ' 64s , Ford offered a growing assortment of handling and performance options , include stiff dangling and four - velocity gearbox .

Fairlane was completely rebodied for ' 66 on a 116 - inch wheelbase ( 113 for wagons ) acquire a aerodynamic , tailored looking at via curving side glass and flanks , stacked quad headlamp , and clean up vertical rear light .

Heading the line were the bucket - seat 500XL hardtop coupe and convertible in base and GT trim . Standard forty came with a 120 - bhp 200 - cid six , but most were ordered with ­optional 289 V-8s . GTs channel a braggart - block 390 making a virile 335 HP . That railway locomotive could be place on any Fairlane , and racers were quick to put it in stripped two - room access sedans , which bring in obedience for their private-enterprise art .

With no change in wheelbases , Fairlane got another body and styling change for 1968 . Joining the base and 500 lines was a newfangled Torino series , Ford ’s plushy intermediates yet . A 115 - bhp 200 - cid six was received for all but the Torino GT convertible , hardtop coupe , and raw fastback hardtop ( all duplicated in the 500 stock ) , which came with the 210 - bhp 302 - Criminal Investigation Command V-8 as well as bucketful - and - console DoI , pinstriping , and more perfor­mance option than a salesman could memorize .

Ford ’s ' 69 midsizers were ' 68 repeats save for new fastback and notchback Torino hardtops ring Cobra ( after Carroll Shelby ’s muscular Ford - power sports auto ) . These came with the 335 - bhp 428 V-8 that had first appeared in the " 19681/2 " Mercury Cyclone as the " Cobra Jet . " A $ 133 option was " Aries - Air , " a fiberglass hood Georgia home boy connecting to a special tune - cleaner meeting place with a valve that ducted incoming aviation at once into the carb . Four - f number manual gearbox , stiff suspension and racing - flair bonnet ignition lock were all banner .

One magazine was actually disappointed when its Cobra ran 0 - 60 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds and the one-fourth - nautical mile in 15 seconds at 98.3 miles per time of day ! But most everyone admit that of all the ' 69 " supercars " – Plymouth GTX , Dodge Charger R / T , Pontiac GTO , Chevelle 396 , and Buick GS 400 – the Torino Cobra was the miserly , best - built , and hushed .

Torino Cobras could be stiff racing auto . Ford discovered that the styling of the similitude Cyclone was slightly more aerodynamic , and thus usually lead the Mercurys in stock - railway car contests over 250 miles long . Nevertheless , a race - prepped Torino could accomplish about 190 miles per hour , and Lee Roy Yarborough drove one to win the ' 69 Daytona 500 .

Ford ’s braggart car of the 1960s were variously offered as Custom / Custom 500 , Fairlane / Fairlane 500 ( pre-‘62 ) , Galaxie/ Galaxie 500 , and station black Maria . Their " standard " wheelbase swell to 119 inches for 1960 , then became 121 after 1968 . These were heavy cars ( 3000 - 4000 pounds ) , and most were n’t rewarding to repulse except on an Interstate , but sure variations were surprisingly capable on winding roads .

Full-Size Fords

What we now call the full - sizing Fords began the tenner with all - new bodyshells that would die hard through 1964 . The ' 60s were much longer , low , wider , and sleeker than the boxy ' 59s , and even mime Chevy ’s batfins a petty , but they looked good with their chrome - inch beltlines and freehanded glass areas .

The Skyliner was gone , but there was a Modern sterilize - cap Starliner hardtop coupe with aerodynamic semifastback visibility . Though less democratic than square - roof wandflower , the Starliner was just the thing for NASCAR belt along by dint of its slipperier human body .

Starliner bowed out after 1961 , when standards were face­lifted via a full - width concave grille ( with ' 59 - manner cut-in ) and a return to round taillights capped by discerning blades . That year ’s top engine option was the new 390 - cid version of the FE - series big - mental block . This pack 300 stock H.P. , but was available , though on a very limited basis , as a high - compression " Interceptor " with 375 and 401 horsepower .

Chunkier , more-“important " styling mark the ' 62 standards , which reorganize into Galaxie / Galaxie 500 / Station Wagon line cross roughly the same models . Reflecting the buckets - and - console craze then sweeping Detroit were the midseason 500 XL Victoria hardtop coupe and Sunliner translatable .

The " 500 " brook for the 500 - mi NASCAR cannonball along the air division was bring home the bacon ( Ford acquire every 500 in ' 63 ) . " XL " purportedly stood for " Xtra Lively , " though the standard powertrain was " just " a 170 - bhp 292 V-8 and Cruise - O - Matic .

But choice could turn this sporty lump into a real flaming - schnorkel . Besides Borg - Warner four - focal ratio manual gearbox and 300- , 340- , 375- , and 401 - bhp 390s , there was a larger - caliber 406 big - block providing 385/405 H.P. . An even bigger bore for ' 63 produced a 427 - Criminal Investigation Command powerhouse with 410/425 horsepower . High prices – around $ 400 – made these engine relatively uncommon .

New lower - body sheetmetal give the 1963 " Super - Torque " Galaxies a cleaner , leaner look , declare by a simple concave grille . A twosome of cheap " 300 " sedans was added ( renamed Custom / Custom 500 for ' 64 ) , and there was more midyear excitement in a band of 500 and 500XL sports hardtops with thin - pillar " slantback " rooflines , a bit starchier than the old Starliner but again aimed properly at the gillyflower - railroad car ovals .

The last , but most - real , restyle on the with child 1960 body occurred for ' 64 , convey intemperately sculptured lower - consistency shroud - alloy , a complex lattice , and slantback rooflines for all closed models .

The entire Ford line won Motor Trend powder magazine ’s " Car of the Year " award , partly because of the division ’s ever - widening " Total Performance " political campaign . carrying into action was just what the big Fords had , with available diminished - block and big - cylinder block V-8s offering from 195 up to a rouse 425 H.P. . Even a relatively meek 390 XL could scale 0 - 60 mph in 9.3 sec ; a 427 cut back that to just over 7 second . The one major complaint was a marked tendency to nosedive in " terror " stops , aggravated by overboosted power pasture brake .

Ford had its dear NASCAR year ever in 1965 , winning 48 of 55 events , including 32 neat at one point . sumptuousness , however , got most of the showroom accent . All - new except for railway locomotive , the ' 65s were key by childlike , more - linear styling announced by stacked quadriceps femoris headlamps . Underneath was a stronger chassis with a totally new front abeyance evolve from NASCAR experience .

Ford Competes with Chevrolet

Arriving at midyear in 1965 were the poshest liberal Fords ever , the $ 3300 Galaxie 500 LTD hardtop coupe and sedan , claimed to be " quiet as a Rolls - Royce . " The time were indeed a - changin ' . With intermediates take over in competition , the big Fords no longer needed any sort of " carrying into action " prototype to stand sales .

The 1965 platform got a minor tinge up for ' 66 , and LTDs gain " 7 - Litre " companions powered by the Thunderbird ’s big 345 - bhp 428 engine . The follow year bring unexampled forbidden sheetmetal with more flowing channel and " faster " rooflines on hardtop coupes . LTD became a separate three - simulation serial , adding four - door sedan but lose the easy - selling 7 - Litre ­models . hide out - headlamp grillwork mark the ' 68 LTDs and Galaxie XLs as part of a lower - body restyle for all models .

A new bodyshell go far for ' 69 with a two - in prospicient wheelbase , a " tunneled backlight " for newly named " SportsRoof " fastbacks , and ventless door glass on hardtops and convertible . LTD sale continued spring up . Ford had build up nigh 139,000 of the ' 68s ; it built more than twice that number for ' 69 .

Ford kept step with Chevrolet in the ' 60s output race , and actually beat it for simulation old age 1961 and ' 66 . Ford would be number one again for 1970 and ' 71 at slightly over two - million elevator car to Chevy ’s 1.5/1.8 million . Ford enjoyed its first two-­million - car yr in 1965 , though that was a big year for all domesticated automakers .

Ford would n’t extend Chevy again until the late ' 80s , but it generally make out well in the ' 70s . Still , Dearborn was the last of the Big Three to abandon traditional full - size cars – and the first to suffer for it . In the wake of the OPEC oil embargo and the first energy crisis , Chrysler pushed compacts while GM went forward with plans to downsize its entire fleet . Ford stubbornly baulk the winds of change , promoting its aging big motorcar on the foundation of greater passenger space and the presumed refuge of their " road - hugging weight . " But the public did n’t corrupt this misanthropical personal line of credit – or as many of the motorcar .

In large touchstone , this denial reflected the personal horizon of chairwoman Henry Ford II , who decreed there would be no wholesale rush to humble car , no vast majuscule investment funds in unexampled technology . As a result , Ford greet 1980 a critical two to three twelvemonth behind GM in the fuel efficiency and " space " races – and at a critical sales disadvantage next to its domestic foes and a horde of fast - mount Nipponese makes . The house would recover , but not before make drastic product changes .

1970, 1971 Fords, Ford Pinto and Ford Torino

Leading the 1970 line were modestly facelifted full - size Fords with " poke - through " center grille section on LTDs and 40 , plus revamped rearward ends on all models . Four series were offered : Custom , Galaxie 500 , XL , and LTD . The sporty XLs were in their final yr . Luxury was further emphasized with a Modern LTD Brougham hardtop coupe , hardtop sedan , and four - door sedan .

Broughams also feature in the 1970 Torino agate line , which divvy up novel exterior panels " shaped by the malarkey " with a three - model Fairlane 500 series . Wheelbase grew an inch ; profiles were lower and five inch longer . The Torino Cobra render as Ford ’s " budget muscleman car " with stock 360/375 - bhp 429 V-8 . It was a blistering performing artist and its new hardtop physical structure with concave backlight was classifiable , but hot - car demand was fast - waning everywhere , and only 7675 were make for the mannequin yr .

Ford scored much higher 1970 sales with its new succinct Maverick , a semifastback two - door on a 103 - inch wheelbase . insert in former ' 69 , Maverick was much like the original Falcon in size , price , performance , and ease ; even its basic chassis and powertrain were the same . Arriving just below $ 2000 and back by an strong-growing but light - hearted ad cause , this importee - fighter grade an impressive 579,000 exemplary - class sales , contributing greatly to Ford ’s production ­victory over Chevy .

Bolstering Maverick ’s prayer for ' 71 was a notchback four - door on a 109.9 - column inch wheelbase ( almost the same as the original Falcon ’s ) , a sportier two - door called Grabber , and a newly optional 302 V-8 as an alternative to the 100 - bhp 170 six . With minor changes , Maverick would carry the division ’s compact sales effort through 1977 , which it did tolerably well , though its erstwhile - fashioned engineering calculate more and more so with time and the arrival of more - capable domesticated and strange competitors .

Of of course , there was lilliputian here to interest fancier . The Grabber looked snazzy but was pretty tame even with V-8 . And certain requisites like becoming official document and front - disc brakes were either late in coming ( the latter did n’t arrive until ' 76 ) or not available .

Maverick ’s last motion to the young person market was the Stallion , a 1976 trim software system similar to those offered on the Pinto and Mustang II . The Maverick outfit , which was strictly for two - door , included grim pigment accents , twin threshold mirrors , styled sword wheels , raised - white - letter tires , and exceptional badging . More popular was the Luxury Decor Option ( LDO ) , a 1973 package available for either body style through the close of the argument . It comprised elevate home appointments color - keyed to a special blusher scheme crowned by a matching vinyl top .

Ford ’s major 1971 announcement was the four - cylinder Pinto , a 2000 - pound sign , 94.2 - column inch - wheelbase subcompact with fastback styling in two - threshold and Runabout three - door hatchback door ­models . A direct reply to Chevrolet ’s Vega , also raw that twelvemonth , it was smaller , less technically venturesome , less accommodating , and its operation and fuel economy were nothing particular compare to that of many implication .

Yet Pinto usually outsold the difficulty - prone Vega as well as many overseas challenger . Offered with 98- and 122 - cid engines through 1973 , then 122- and 140 - Criminal Investigation Command fours , it was progressively dressed - up and civilized with squeamish trim and more convenience option . Three - threshold wagons arrived for 1972 , let in a woody - look Squire ( some called it " Country Squirt " ) . By 1976 , there was also a vernal " Cruising Wagon " with blanked - off side window and cute short rearward portholes . Still , Pinto remained primarily basic expatriation throughout its long 10 - year life sentence .

Though Pinto serve Ford well in a difficult period , it will ­forever be recollect as what one waggle called " the barbecue that seat four . " That touch to the dangerously vulnerable fuel cooler and makeweight - neck opening intent of 1971 - 76 saloon example implicated in a rash of highly publicise ( and fatal ) fires conform to rear - end collision .

unhappily , Ford stonewalled in a issue of lawsuits all the style to Union tourist court , which sternly sully its public epitome , even if Pinto sales did n’t seem to suffer much . What ­really put Pinto out to pasture after 1980 was not bad publicity but proportional want of variety – and the advent of a much better little Ford .

The midsize Torino examine exceptionally democratic in the other ' 70s , then settle from favor once fuel economy became a pressing consumer concern . The 14 - model 1971 batting order was basically a carryover of the premature year ’s . The Cobra fastback coupe persist the most - exciting of this bunch , though its received engine was downgraded to a 285 - bhp reading of the omnipresent 351 minuscule - block first seen for 1969 . High - power and big - inch engine began vanish at Ford and throughout Detroit in 1972 . By 1980 , only a gently tuned 351 remain as an option for full - size Fords .

Except for railway locomotive , the 1972 Torino was all - new – and a fully grown letdown . Like GM ’s post-1967 intermediate , modeling divided along two wheelbase : 114 - inch two - doorway hardtops and fastbacks ( include semisporty GT variants ) and 118 - in saloon and wagons . Body - on - frame construction appeared for the first prison term , and dimensions ballooned close to those of late-’60s Galaxies and LTDs .

Symbolic of most everything wrong with Detroit at the time , these Torinos were needlessly out - sized , heavy , and athirst , with circumscribed internal elbow room and waterlogged chassis . Ford render to make them fairly economic , then gave up and simply fitted a larger fuel armoured combat vehicle . After get just 13.5 mpg with a ' 76 , the motorcar editor in chief of Consumer Guide ® decide that " the more emptor learn about the Torino , the more reasons they will incur to opt for a Granada . "

as dark was the tarted - up Torino bowing at mid-1974 to answer Chevy ’s pop Monte Carlo . share a coupe bodyshell and fly the coop train with that twelvemonth ’s novel fat - guy Mercury Cougar , this Grand Torino Elite leaned to a great extent on " Thunderbird custom " with most every personal - luxury platitude of the period : overstuff velour inside , a satisfying " formal " grille , stand - up hood ornament , and a vinyl - covered rearward half - ceiling with dual " opera house " window . Initially priced at $ 4437 , the Elite did n’t trade as well as the Monte , though over 366,000 were built through 1976 . After that point , a downsize , downpriced T - bird rendered it spare .

The Ford Granada

Granada was a far more noetic proffer and one of Ford ’s good - time theme of this decennium . introduce during 1975 , it was conceptualize as just a slightly larger Maverick using the same chassis and drivetrains .

But when the fuel crunch ­boosted little - car sales , Ford decided to retain Maverick and establish its erstwhile successor as a more - princely compact half a step up in price . This explicate why the Granada appeared on the four - door Maverick ’s 109.9 - inch wheelbase .

Adroitly keyed to the changing marketplace , Granada blend American - trend luxury with the mock - Mercedes look then in style . Buyers wholeheartedly sanction , and Granada zoom from nowhere to become Ford Division ’s top - seller , outdistancing the full - sizers and conceited Torinos by wide margin . It was soon a conversant good deal on American roads . Not that it perform that well on those roads with its untidy cornering response and aroly - polyride on rough sections .

Nevertheless , Granada bridge a big marketplace gap at a crucial time , appealing to both compact buyers with upscale aspirations and enceinte - railcar owner now energy - conscious for the first time . offering through 1980 comprised six and V-8 four - door sedan and opera house - windowpane coupe in radix and plusher Ghia trim ( the last name to the far-famed Italian coachbuilder bought by Ford in 1970 ) .

There was also a gesture toward sport in the 1978 - 80 ESS – for " European Sports Sedan " – but it was only a gesture . Maverick ’s genuine heir bowed for 1978 with a name borrowed from Ford ’s Australian subsidiary : Fairmont . It was undoubtedly Dearborn ’s single most significant new product of the decade , although few know that outside the companionship . Why ? Because Fairmont ’s basic engineering would be the foundation for most Ford Motor Company car introduced through the mid-’80s , including a young - generation Mustang and T - Bird .

Billed as the first FoMoCo car designed with the help of data processor depth psychology , the Fairmont ( and its Zephyr twin at Mercury ) was a uncouth - sentiency motorcar and middling conventional . Though conceived around a traditional front - engine / rear - drive format , it was a magnanimous betterment over Maverick : clean - lined ; sensibly boxy for good interior space on a shorter 105.5 - inch wheelbase ; lighter and thus thrifty than many expected .

engine were intimate – ab initio the 140 - cid Pinto four , 200 - cid six , and 302 - Criminal Investigation Command V-8 – but there was a new all - curlicue suspension with modified MacPherson - strut front end geometry , which mounted the spiral outflow on lower A - sleeve . apart from better handling , this organization open up up more underhood space for leisurely servicing . A front stabiliser bar was received , as was rack - and - pinion direction , offer at extra toll with variable - proportion ability assist , a new item shared with several other Fords that year .

Ford LTD

The " Fox " programme that produced Fairmont was one of Ford ’s first projects initiated after the 1973 - 74 energy crisis , but it was n’t Dearborn ’s only attempt at downsizing . For 1977 , the old Torino was refurbish with cleaner exterior sheet metal and " badge - engineered " to pass as a raw - undulation grown car .

Called LTD II , it was only a fiddling lighter than before , and sales went nowhere . One reason was the concurrent reaching of a new downsized Thunderbird on this same platform . With much small prices than before and that magical name , the T - Bird swamped LTD II in sales .

Besides a new Fairmont - base Mustang , 1979 saw the fruition of the " Panther " plan projection in an LTD that was authentically downsized . Yet it was less successful than the Fairmont or Mustang – and that was queer . In size and implementation this minor LTD was fully a match for shriveled GM opponents , riding a 114.3 - inch wheelbase yet offering more claim passenger and trunk quad than the oversize 1973 - 78 cars . Styling was boxier and less ostentatious , and visibility and fuel economic system were better . So were drive and handling , thanks to a new all - whorl abeyance with more - precise four - legal profession - link location for the springy rear axle .

Coupes , sedan , and waggon in two trim point were offered . With all this , what Ford trumpeted as a " New American Road Car " should have scored even mellow output signal than the 357,000 enter for ' 79 . The new LTD thus trailed the big Oldsmobiles for 2d post in full - size of it cable car sales and melt far behind Chevrolet ’s Caprice / Impala .

Two factors seemed to be at work . One was GM ’s two - class lead in downsize . The other was a severe downswing in the home economy – abet by another fuel crisis – that began in the natural spring of ' 79 and put a fully grown fold in all fresh - auto sales .

The new LTD would enjoy a sales resurgence , but not before Ford and the U.S. motorcar diligence passed through three of their dim years ever . Those old age – 1980 - 82 – examine Ford Division outturn drop from 1.16 million gondola to just under 749,000 . But thanks to an economic recovery and an ever - changing line of ever - improving Fords , the section went back above the 1.1 - million mark – and would stay there through decennium ’s end . In the appendage , Ford overhauled Chevrolet , becoming " USA-1 " for 1988 .

Ford in the 1980s: Ford Escort Replaces Ford Pinto

A division mainstay throughout the ' LXXX was the subcompact Escort , the fresh front - drive 1981 replacement for Pinto . bill as the first in a forebode fleet of Ford " humanity cars , " it was ­jointly design by the business firm ’s U.S. , British , and German ramification under Project " Erika , " but the European version ended up sleeker and quicker than its American cousin .

The practical , low - price U.S. Escort set a fast sales tread with at least 320,000 copies in each of its first two years . loudness eased to under a quarter million for ' 85 , then retrovert to at least 363,000 each yr through decade ’s destruction . The peak was 1986 at over 430,000 .

Numerous refinement set Escort ’s evolution through 1990 . There were always three - door hatchbacks and four - door Wain , plus hatchback sedans after 1981 . All tantalize a 94.2 - in wheelbase and hire transverse - mounted four - cylinder engines – a fresh " CVH " single - overhead - River Cam design with hemispherical burning chamber – initially teamed with four - speed overdrive manual or three - speed automatic transaxles .

An optional five - speed manual fall along for 1983 . All - coil four - bicycle independent suspension persisted throughout , with MacPherson struts and small control arms fore , modified struts on trailing arms and blue control arm aft . Rack - and - pennon steering and front - disc / rear - barrel brakes completed the basic glasses .

Escort ’s original 1.6 - liter ( 98 - cid ) engine had just 69 horsepower , but by 1983 was up to 72/80 HP with two-­barrel carb or 88 H.P. in optional throttle - eubstance fuel - injected form . The last was standard for a young three - door GT model , which also come with five - pep pill , firm suspension , and black exterior clipping .

An optional 2.0 - liter ( 121 - cid ) 52 - bhp Rudolf Diesel four from Mazda arrived for 1984 – just in time for the get-go of a gas glut that quickly killed most all diesel need in the U.S. That railway locomotive duly go away after ' 87 . A more - exciting 1984 growth was a turbocharged 1.6 - cubic decimetre GT with 120 horsepower and a suitably uprated physique . It was fast and playfulness but primitive and not very quiet . A more - commodious , restyled dah was featured across the ancestry .

A mid-1985 upgrade brought a larger 1.9 - liter ( 113.5 Criminal Investigation Command ) " CVH " with 86 H.P. in carbureted form or 108 with option electronic port fuel injectant . The latter was freshly standard for GT , which gather its own asymmetric body - vividness grille , atomic number 13 wheels , bigger tires , rearward pillager , and rocking chair panel " skirts . " All Escorts were mildly facelifted with placid nose in the " aero " idiom pioneered by the ' 83 Thunderbird , marked by flush headlamp .

By 1987 , Escort ’s plethora of alphabet series had been sifted down to a stark three - doorway called Pony , loudness - selling GL ( all three body expressive style ) , and three - door GT . The fundament engine was handle to throttle - body injection and be active up to 90 horsepower .

Styling became smoother in mid-1988 : revamped rear quarters for sedans , a young grille and spoiler for GT , and minor cleanups elsewhere . GL was renamed LX , and the dash was restyled a 2d metre . As with previous midyear model revisions , this one carry into 1989 and then 1990 much without variety . Escort ’s mellow success was not match by an infelicitous clean coupe offshoot , the EXP .

raw for 1982 , it was Ford ’s first two - seater since the original Thunderbird , but its " frog - eye " styling was n’t in the same league . And though an Escort underneath , it be considerably more . Still , first - year sale were healthy at over 98,000 . But they plunged ominously to under 20,000 for 1983 .

The following year , EXP picked up the " bubbleback " crosshatch of its discontinued Mercury twin , the LN7 , as well as Escort ’s fresh dash and 120 - bhp turbo option . Sales recover to over 23,000 .

The little - changed ' 85s sold some 26,400 early into the calendar year , when Ford suspended output . The automobile then reemerged in mid-1986 as the Escort EXP , with a like new wealthy - headlight front , revamp dash , and 1.9 - cubic decimeter engines for two fashion model : 86 - bhp Luxury Coupe and 108 - bhp Sport Coupe .

Though nearly 31,000 were sold , EXP was still unequal to Nipponese two - seaters like the Honda CRX and Toyota MR2 . With base and sumptuousness coupe , EXP eased below 26,000 for ' 87 , then was abandoned in 1988 as a bad stakes , though this did free up meeting place - line space for regular Escorts .

Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Granada and Ford Fairmont

Another invariable of Ford ’s eighties fleet was the full - size 1979 - time of origin LTD , which continued beyond 1990 with just minor annual alterations to equipment , styling and engines .

The changes are gentle to chart : received four - speed overdrive machinelike contagion and 255 - cid V-8 , a novel uplevel serial reviving the Crown Victoria name ( 1980 ) ; no more 351 option ( 1982 ) ; stock 302 V-8 with gun - physical structure fuel injectant for all good example renamed LTD Crown Victoria ( 1983 ) ; consecutive multiport injectant for 150 horsepower ( versus 140 ) , premium LX series added ( 1986 ) ; two - door coupe cancel , " aero " front and rear styling for remaining four - door sedan and Country Squire wagon ( 1988 ) ; standard driver - side gentle wind bag , novel - style dash , and revise equipment ( 1990 ) .

Despite the class - to - year sameness , many buyers still craved big , Detroit - style luxury , and the fact that fewer such cars were uncommitted as gaseous state became cheaper again only worked in the Crown Vic ’s party favor . Though sales fluctuate , this telephone circuit was secure for an annual average of well over 118,000 – substantially more in some years . As of late as 1990 , Crown Vic did a healthy 74,000 . By that pointedness , though , the car themselves were sourced ­mainly from Canada .

While Fairmont keep carrying Ford ’s banner in the compact section , two derivatives served as the division ’s midsize warrior . First was a new 1981 Granada , essentially the two- and four - doorway Fairmont sedans with a solid eggcrate grille , bulkier sheetmetal , and somewhat plusher appointments . Fairmont wagons transport to this line for ' 82 . This Granada sold creditably : about 120,000 a year . Engines were the same as Fairmont ’s : received 2.3 - liter four , optional 200 - Criminal Investigation Command six , and " fuel crisis " 255 V-8 ( the last eliminated after ' 81 ) .

For 1983 , Granada was transformed into a " diminished " LTD – as opposed to the " fully grown " LTD Crown Victoria . This was also an uptown Fairmont , restyled with a splosh olfactory organ , airier " six - clean " greenhouse , and modestly lipped trunklid .

Along with that twelvemonth ’s new Thunderbird , it annunciate Ford ’s turn to " aero " styling . By 1984 , Granada engines were initially carry over along with a new 232 - Criminal Investigation Command V-6 . By 1985 , only the four , V-6 , and an optional 165 - bhp 302 V-8 were fielded , the last reserved for a semi - sporting LX saloon that sell just 3260 copies . Undoubtedly helped by icon rub - off from its big sister , the little LTD sold a band upright than Granada : nigh 156,000 for ' 83 and over 200,000 in 1984 and ' 85 – Ford ’s second - full - seller after Escort .

Fairmont , meantime , finish its run in 1983 after few interim changes from ' 78 . Two sedan chair , homely and fancy wagon , and a overbold " basket - handgrip - roof " coupe reviving the Futura name were offered through 1981 ( after which the coaster wagon became Granadas ) . locomotive engine were the common Fox assortment : 2.3 - liter four , 200 - cid straight six , and low - cylinder block V-8s ( 302 Criminal Investigation Command for 1978 - 79 , 255 cid for 1980 - 81 ) .

Sales tapered off along with the economic system , drop from the first - class high of nearly 461,000 to less than 81,000 by 1983 . Still , that was a fine showing in a roiled time period . The Fairmont had more than done its caper .

Ford Tempo and Ford Taurus

Filling Fairmont ’s place for 1984 was a new front - thrust concordat promise Tempo , a notchback four - door and coupelike two - door with " jellybean " styling on a 99.9 - column inch shape with suspension much like Escort ’s . Power came from a 2.3 - cubic decimetre four , only it was n’t the Pinto / Fairmont ohc " Lima " unit but a trend - down version of the old overhead - valve Falcon six , rated at 84 horsepower .

It did n’t mould that well , but Ford tried to make it better , fitting throttle - body injectant and adding a 100 - bhp " H.O. " ( eminent - outturn ) option for ' 85 . The latter somehow lost six HP by ' 87 , then returned to its original evaluation . Several trimming levels were offer , including comfortably - equipped Sport version with the more powerful engine and firm temporary removal . Escort ’s 2.0 - cubic decimetre diesel engine selection was listed through ' 86 , but generated few sale . The stock manual transaxle shifted from a four- to five - speed after ' 84 , with a three - speed automatic optional all years .

Tempo was treat to a mild flush - headlamp facelift for 1986 , when it also became one of the first low - priced cars to extend an optional driver - side air bag . The following year brought another interesting new option : all - wheel drive , a part - metre " shift key - on - the - fly " setup intended for maximal traction on slippery road , not ironical - pavement driving or off - roading .

For 1988 , Tempo four - doorway were reskinned to appear like junior versions of the new midsize Taurus , an effective " nip - and - tuck " operation . A new , rather Japanese - expect dash was share with unaltered coupe models . Offerings now comprised base GL and sporty GLS coupes and saloon , plus four - door all - bike drive and lavishness LX mannikin . Tempo then marked time for 1989 - 90 aside from monetary value / equipment shamble .

Despite matter-of-fact mechanicals and increasingly tough thickset challenger , Tempo prove another fast - selling Ford . It average 371,000 buyers in its first two seasons and another 280,000 for 1986 - 87 . gross revenue then turned powerfully upwards for 1988 - 89 , breaking the three - twenty-five percent - million mark for the two years combined . Dearborn designers and decision - manufacturer evidently had the inside track on what appealed to American buyers .

Yet , even they were likely surprised by the winner of Taurus , the front - ride 1986 renewal for the junior LTD in the all - of import midsize marketplace . Riding a 106 - column inch wheelbase , these four - door sedans and four - door wagons represented Ford ’s strong­est - ever claim to Detroit intention leadership : fresh , smooth , and cautiously detail , yet not lumpy like some other miserable - drag " aero " car . Dominating the spacious Interior was an patently European - inspired dashboard with some controls reasonably copy from the best of BMW , Mercedes - Benz , and Saab .

As expected , Taurus locomotive engine mounted transversally in a chassis with all - main abeyance . saloon used MacPherson struts and coil spring at each corner , supplemented at the rear by parallel control arms . Wagons eschewed rear struts for twin ascendance weapons system , a system of rules better able to make do with the wider range of load weights wagons run .

Initial engine selection set out with a 2.5 - liter 88 - bhp four , an magnified Tempo unit useable with received five - speed manual of arms or , from former ' 87 , optional four - speed overdrive automatic transaxles . Most Tauruses , though , were ordered with the new larboard - injected 3.0 - liter " Vulcan " V-6 , a 60 - degree overhead - valve excogitation rated at 140 bhp and team up with automatic only .

For 1988 , Ford added a reengineered rendering of its 90 - level 3.8 - liter V-6 as a new option . Horsepower here was also 140 , but the 3.8 ’s extra torque provided quicker quickening than the 3.0 . With its ultramodern styling , good carrying into action , and prices far low than those of certain covetedGerman sedan , Taurus charged up the sales chart like a bull in a china shop class . Ford trade over 236,000 of the ' 86s and intimately 375,000 for ' 87 – astounding for what was , after all , a very daring departure for a in-between - class American car .

But there were still those who wanted a Taurus with performance and mechanical stipulation as advanced as its styling . They bring one , and 1989 was commencement – or rather SHO time : a newfangled " Super High Output " 3.0 V-6 with overhead - cam piston chamber heads and four valve per cylinder ( alternatively of two ) , plus dual exhaust .

engineer with help from Yamaha , the SHO engine sour out 220 horsepower , good for seven second 0 - 60 miles per hour , harmonise to Ford ; Consumer Guide ® managed " only " 7.4 – still nifty blend in . The SHO come only in a sedan with standard antilock all - disc brake system , a handling package with larger antiroll bars , and 15 - column inch aluminium wheels wear high - speed 5 - rated tires . Lending added styling distinction were unique lower - torso extension and inboard front fog lamps . The Interior Department was special too , boasting multi - adjustable front bucket seats , sport cloth upholstery , inwardness console , and , to pit the high - winding locomotive , an 8000 - rev tachometer .

Nevertheless , the SHO was a very dull removal firm on the sales chart , mainly because there was no reflexive pick and the required Mazda - supply manual five - speed suffered balky , in high spirits - effort shift action . Production was thus stingy through 1990 : about 25,000 or so . But Taurus as a whole kept up its initial countercurrent - snort pace , besting 387,000 for ' 88 , 395,000 for ' 89 , and 333,000 for recession - plagued 1990 . Thoughtful annual upgrade helped . Among the most thoughtful : optional anti - lock brakes for sedans and a standard number one wood - side air bag for all 1990 model .

The 1989 Ford Probe

We should n’t will this decade without mention the Probe , which was new for 1989 . A sporty hatchback coupe based on Mazda ’s MX-6 , it was a high point for Dearborn ’s then 15 - year - old partnership with the Japanese auto maker . This had been such a success that Ford not only purchase a 25 - percent stakes in Mazda but decided to entrust it with all of Ford ’s own small - car development for North America . The Probe was the first yield of that decision .

The original Probe will ever be remember as the car that almost replaced the Mustang . Ford changed its name only at the last mo amid howls of protest from Mustang loyalist who ’d have no motortruck with a Nipponese purpose – and with ­"inferior " front drive at that .

The name itself came from Ford ’s exciting early-’80s series of aerodynamic concept cars , but evidence to have unexpectedly offensive intension . To farm the elevator car , Ford and Mazda set up a new factory in Flat Rock , Michigan , not far from historic River Rouge , as part of a joint speculation aptly named Auto Alliance . The plant life also plow out MX-6s and 626 sedan chair for Mazda ’s U.S. dealer .

With all this , the Probe is at good a " half - American " car despite all - Ford styling and handiness of the 3.0 - liter Taurus V-6 on midrange LX models for 1990 - 92 . ( The base GL used a 2.2 - liter Mazda four , the top - line GT a turbocharged variation ) . Probe was redesigned for ' 93 on a Modern - generation MX-6 political platform with 102.9 - inch wheelbase ( versus 99 ) , again with much more dramatic styling than its cousin . might was exclusively Mazda : a 2.0 - liter four for the base framework , a 2.5 V-6 for the sporty GT .

Probe was a seasonable Ford weapon system against sporty Nipponese compacts like Toyota Celica , Honda Prelude , Nissan 200SX – and Mazda MX-6 . Sales were good at first – more than 117,000 by 1990 – but then fell victim to a sharp-worded drop-off in sporty coupe demand . The 2d - generation Probe was the last , with yield ending in ' 97 .

Despite its ultimate death , Probe was as much a symbol as Taurus of Ford ’s inviolable ' 80s revivification , a phoenix - similar rebirth engineered by Donald E. Petersen ( chairman from 1980 , chairman after 1984 ) and his young , enthusiastic executive squad . From an automaker that was as penny-pinching to collapse as Chrysler was in 1980 , Dearborn remade itself into a trimming capacitor , more - responsive , and vastly more - effective outfit while field fast-growing Cartesian product that were usually right on target .

1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Ford Trucks

Ford was still the dwelling of " better melodic theme , " but by 1990 it was also home to some of America ’s most - popular and well-thought-of auto . The same was true of trucks – important generate the manna from heaven in light - truck requirement that began in the mid-’80s and carry on into the ' 90 and beyond . If anything , Ford was even more successful here than it was with cars . For object lesson , 1982 image the full - size F - Series pickup lead off a long reign as America ’s top - selling fomite of any kind .

Ford ’s Ranger ( a 1982 newcomer ) became sales big businessman of compact pickups . Dearborn also mark big in the burgeoning sport - utility field of battle with Explorer , the upscale 1991 four - door replacement for the two - threshold Ranger - base Bronco II . Ford did fumble with minivan , but not seriously . Though its new - for-‘86 rear - campaign Aerostar was fashion outpolled by Chrysler ’s front - driveway models , sales were consistent and high enough that Ford stayed the Aerostar ’s planned 1994 execution , letting the older minivan tend alongside the new front - drive Windstar .

By the mid-’90s , these truck successes added to the continuing popularity of Taurus and Escort to make Ford the sales loss leader in five fomite segment : full - size pickups ( F - Series ) , midsize car ( Taurus ) , sporty - utility vehicles ( Explorer ) , subcompact car car ( Escort ) , and compact pickup ( Ranger ) . More­over , Taurus took over as the country ’s top - selling car line in 1992 to end the Honda Accord ’s three - twelvemonth reign , though not without John Cash rebates and other sales incentives .

With all this , Ford Division persist " USA-1 " in the former ' 90s , selling well over a million cars a class and a like number of light trucks . Chevy did move about 40,000 more domesticated cars in ­calendar ' 91 , but that was the only time it excel Ford in these eld .

Two different Dearborn regimes presided over this remarkable sales agreement performance . First , Don Petersen handed over the chairman ’s gavel in 1990 to his one - sentence number - two , Harold A. " carmine " Poling ; at the same time , the chairwoman ’s job was reactivated after a two - year lapse for Phillip Benton , Jr. Both these men were Dearborn veterans , but they were merely a conversion team , for previous 1993 show in the worldly judicious Alex Trotman as both president and chairman .

As a veteran of Ford Europe , Trotman brought a more - international mind-set to the company ’s " Glass House " home office , which was before long populated by many of his European colleagues . One of their first labor was an ambitious corporate reorganization dub " Ford 2000 . " Announced in 1994 , this aimed to mobilize all of the firm ’s global resource to further ameliorate tone , shorten product development time , and achieve greater manufacturing efficiencies .

Ford Redesigns the Ford Escort

Though it would n’t be discernible on the road until middecade , Ford 2000 seemed a prudent plan in light of the auto industry ’s ever - increasing globalization . Meantime , Ford Division had redesign its bodyguard for the first time since the 1981 archetype .

go far in spring 1990 as an early-‘91 mannikin , it was another " world car , " though in the same way as Probe . Here , Ford applied " mini - Taurus " styling to the late adaptation of Mazda ’s modest , front - drive 323 / Protege to bring on a competent Japanese - style subcompact with much big gross revenue appeal against rival Toyotas , Hondas , and Nissans .

Initial dead body elan were the same as before . So was the basic " CVH " railway locomotive keep on for all Escorts save the sporty GT three - doorway . That one gain greatly from a Modern twincam , 1.8 - liter Mazda four with 16 valves and 127 snappy horses .

Though the CVH gained consecutive - larboard fuel shot and distributorless electronic ignition , it remained a gruff and noisy slogger with just 88 horsepower . At least it was cheap , and that compound with more efficient yield in Mexico as well as Michigan to make for very low list price : $ 7976 for the stark three - door Pony to more than $ 11 grand for the GT . A crisp four - door notchback bend for 1992 in mid - range LX clipping , and there was a sportsmanlike LX - E version with the GT ’s locomotive and firm suspension , plus rear disc brakes – a variety of pint - size Taurus SHO .

Only evolutionary changes would pass through 1996 , keep the admirable borrowing of a stock rider airbag for ' 95 supplementing the already included driver ’s simplicity . An optional fold - out child guard seat was also add that yr .

sale remain strong despite the yearly sameness . A clever unexampled " one damage " program helped . Begun in 1992 , this offered any of the four LX poser with several popular choice for just $ 10,899 with five - speed manual transmission or $ 11,631 with optional four - speed automatic .

Ford was copying the no - hassle price insurance of GM ’s Saturn subordinate , but it was nonetheless a timely counter to Chevy ’s Cavalier , which was doing the same thing – not to mention Nipponese modest cars that were rapidly move up the scale due to a strengthened yen .

unluckily , everyday escort could n’t couple many meaning - brand competitors for peppiness and refinement , so it ’s just as well that the freshened ' 97s get on sale in early 1996 .

Ford Redesigns the Ford Crown Victoria

Ford modernized two more of its cars for 1992 . First up was a alternate for something even sometime than the original Escort : the big , vintage ' 79 Crown Victoria .

arrive at saleroom in March 1991 , it was virtually all - newfangled despite retain the introductory hind end - drive " Panther " platform and wheelbase . There was raw styling , of course : suave and rounded in Dearborn ’s now - expected " aero " mold , but not " jellybean " chunky . A grilleless Taurus - eccentric face replaced the date stamp standup eggcrate .

Other passe stuff like vinyl radical roof covers , opera ignitor , and telegram - wheel covers was forget , too . So was the LTD name – but also the Crown Vic wagon , Ford having conclude that minivans and sport - public utility company vehicle had now mostly replaced traditional full - size wagons in vendee affections . That pull up stakes a four - door sedan with airy " six - tripping " roofline in nucleotide and uplevel LX trimness ; a sporty Touring Sedan was add together in the fall .

Like its 1990 makeover of the aged Lincoln Town Car , Ford pop off much further with this new Crown Victoria than was absolutely needed to satisfy the market . Where GM was content to only rebody its large cars , Ford overhauled the chassis , adding standard all - disk brakes with optional antilock control and making numerous tweaks to guidance , springs , daze , and suspension geometry . The result was surprisingly agile and antiphonal for a traditional full - size Detroiter and a huge advance over the honest-to-god Crown Vic . It was also a more - strong cock-a-hoop Ford with espousal of the 4.6 - liter overhead - Cam River V-8 first seen in the ' 91 Town Car .

The first penis of Dearborn ’s new " modular " engine family , it delivered 190 standard bhp or 210 with duple exhausts , a addition of 40 - 50 horse over the old pushrod 302 . The uprated locomotive was include in a Handling and Performance package that was standard for the Touring Sedan and optional on other fashion model .

As its name implied , this also delivered loyal damp and encompassing wheels wear down performance tires , as well as ABS and grip control . All models come in with a number one wood - side breeze handbag per Washington ’s insistency ; a rider - side control was also available .

All this plus starting prices in the low $ 20,000s lit a fire under Crown Victoria sales , which jumped past 152,000 for 1992 , the highest since ' 85 . Volume then declined to under 110,000 , but remained healthy through tenner ’s end .

Buyer requests prompt the add-on of conventional grille for ' 93 , when the Touring was dropped . The rider airbag became standard for ' 94 . The ' 95s got a meek facelift , " gullwing " taillights , revised climate controls and new standard rearward deicer , heat doorway mirror , a wireless antenna implant in the rear window , a " battery - recoverer " lineament , and displays for outside temperature and " Imperial gallon to empty . " Even with all these additions , base price was comfortably below $ 25,000 .

by the way , the Crown Vic became an " import " for a few days in the early ' 90s , build north of the border with a high level of Canadian cognitive content . The reason was CAFE , the Corporate Average Fuel Economy law that take effect with model - year ' 78 but had lately been loosen somewhat .

Still , the Crown Vic had fair thirst ( about 17 mpg metropolis , 25 highway , as rated by the Environmental Protection Agency ) and was thus a drainage on Ford ’s domesticated fleet - average saving . As an " import , " the Crown Vic counted in Ford ’s non - domesticated CAFE along with the tiny South Korean - build Festiva , whose really eminent fuel consumption rate more than offset the bad car ’s .

Later , Ford did n’t want such antic to comply with CAFE , so parts and proletariat were re - sourced to make the Crown Vic truly " American " again . Such is the fatuity sometimes wrought by well - meaning regulation .

1992 Redesigned Ford Taurus

Ford ’s other 1992 freshening involved the top - selling Taurus . With competitors pushing hard , the basic ' 86 pattern was now in pauperization of an update , so Ford spent a cool $ 650 million to give it one . Much of the money went toward things that did n’t show but made a good car even well , particularly in the expanse of noise , vibration , and harshness ( NVH ) .

Among these were a stiffer unibody structure , a suspension revise for a smooth drive with no harm to handling , more - responsive big businessman steering , extra sound - deadening in strategical places , locomotive alteration for improved drivability , and a more - precise solid - perch shift gene linkage for the dashing SHO . Ford also strike down the watery four - piston chamber locomotive , which please some buyers apart from rent - a - car companies .

deep down , the ' 92 Taurus presented a redesigned dah with subtle ergonomic refinements and space for a new optional rider airbag . out of doors was … a dashing hopes . Though every soundbox panel was new save the doors , the ' 92 was surd to tell at a glance from previous Tauruses – as critics loved to point out . But buyers did n’t seem to care .

As observe , Taurus take away over as America ’s most - popular railway car telephone line in ' 92 . Calendar - year gross revenue were smashing at over 397,000 , and model - class product was a record 368,000 . But that was only a overture to ' 93 , when model - year output surged to nearly 459,000 .

The ' 95 tally was almost as salutary : just over 410,000 . Like Escort , Taurus would n’t see another major change until late decade . The most - important interim development was standardizing the rider melodic line bag for ' 94 . An interesting ' 95 variation was the SE ( Sport Edition ) sedan , a kind of budget SHO deliver admixture steering wheel , rear raider , fun front can , and other extras for about $ 18 - 1000 with basis 3.0 - liter V-6 or just under $ 20,000 with the punchier 3.8 . Interestingly , the smaller " Vulcan " V-6 got some needed NVH improvements in cooking for the all - young second - propagation Taurus .

allow ’s not forget the 1992 - 95 SHO , which gained groovy visual distinction through more - aggressive styling front and rear , plus bolder cladding for the lower bodysides . In addition , Ford finally added a four - speed automatic to the SHO ’s option list for 1993 .

To maintain performance parity with the five - speed example , the 3.0 - liter Yamaha V-6 was enlarged for the shiftless SHO to near 3.2 liter ( 192 cid ) , grant a useful 20 spare Cypriot pound - feet of torque ( 220 in all ) , though no more horsepower . SHO pricing remain unco regular in these eld , but neither that nor the robotic was much avail to gross sales .

With base sticker straddle $ 25,000 , the top - line Taurus still faced competition from a host of unnerving foreign sports sedans and ordinarily suffered by equivalence . But though eclipse by those car for image – and at last by a V-8 successor for perfor­mance , the V-6 SHO was a rewarding number one wood ’s car with a pleasing blend of American and European characteristics .

Ford Contour Replaces Ford Tempo

stake value was definitely not a trait of the early ' 90s Tempo . soldier on with few plain differences from one yr to the next , Ford ’s front - drive concordat tended to get lose in the great gray mass of Detroit market - filler that you were more apt to rent on holiday than put in your driveway .

Yet for all its crushing obtuseness , Tempo remained a decent marketer , with stiff model - year production of well over 100,000 unit through swan - song ' 94 – and the ' 93s made a surprisal spurt to right than 238,000 . Tempo ’s only changes of note in this menstruum were loss of the AWD choice after 1991 ( when it was called " Four Wheel Drive " ) and the ' 92 addition of the 3.0 - cubic decimetre Taurus V-6 as received for top - line GLS models ( which then went by ) and an option elsewhere .

Base prices remain very attractive , rear no higher than the downcast $ 12,000s . While that betrayed an aging pattern long since paid for , it also aid Ford to keep moving this metal . Tempo ’s 1995 replacement stick out to be a far easier sell . Called Contour , it was another stab at a " earthly concern car , " born of " Ford 2000 " thinking as an Americanized version of the year - sure-enough European Mondeo .

But unlike the original compromise U.S. Escort , Contour was very close to its transatlantic cousin-german , having the same smooth , tightly drawn styling , plus an ultra - cockeyed social system and a sophisticated all - independent hiatus that contributed to crisp , taut manipulation . Even the Mondeo hyphen was little change for the States . alas , so was its cosy inside . Despite a wheelbase half - an - inch longer than Taurus ' , the Contour was frankly cramped in back , with slight underseat footroom and marginal genu , leg , and headroom .

Still , this was the closest America had yet come to an affordable European - stylus sport sedan chair . Critics raved . Road & Track foretell Contour " a giant step forward in the succinct sedan arena . " railcar and Driver term it " spectacularly satisfying . " Those finding of fact came from road tests of the top - line SE example and its 2.5 - liter " Duratec " V-6 .

A new all - Ford design optional on lesser Contours , this engine made 170 spirited horse – enough for Consumer Guide ® ’s five - upper car to charge from 0 to 60 mph in just 8.9 second base . GL and midlevel LX models do with another new engine : a 2.0 - l multivalve twincam four call " Zetec , " an outgrowth of Ford Europe ’s recently infix " Zeta " family of little , gamy - efficiency powerplants . In line with a fast - growing Detroit trend , both Contour engines could go 100,000 miles without a tune - up . And , of course of action , either could push back through an optional four - speed reflexive .

Ford spent a disk $ 6 billion to introduce Mondeo , Contour , and Mercury ’s companion ' 95 Mystique . That was doubly the expense of the original Taurus programme , but include the in high spirits monetary value of developing two brand - young engines , manufacturing facilities , and the common new - simulation tooling .

Even so , Ford had bet heavily on these cars ( dubbed " CDW127 " in the company ’s new internal codification , the letters denoting " World car " in the " C / cholecalciferol " size class ) , so it was vital they win .

Contour did bring home the bacon , but not as well as the car it replace . A minor recall slow up early deliveries , but the real problem was sticker shock . With buyers still flocking to well - outfit Nipponese cable car , Ford decided to ladle on all form of standard features ( including double dashboard airbags ) , but this only tug Contour quite a bit upmarket from Tempo , which had been comparatively cheap .

Many prospect thus balked and walked when Contour arrived at a lower limit of $ 13,300 , over $ 1000 more than a late load Tempo . Opt for an SE with desirable extras like ab and traction ascendance and you were well over $ 20,000 , which was Taurus money .

Ford had underestimated the price sensitivity of Contour ’s target market , as tell a miscalculation as that tight back buns . Ford tried to correct its mistakes for 1997 by adding a lower - price low-down - frills conformation and scooping out the front seatbacks and rear - prat cushion for a little more aft legroom . A modest reskin followed for ' 98 , when the two depressed - assembly line model were dropped and the LX and SE became better dollar note value through careful realigning of prices and standard feature film .

But nothing seemed to help , so Ford pull the chaw on Contour after 2000 . Sibling Mondeo cover , however , remaining quite popular in Europe – enough to be accorded a full redesign a few year later .

The Ford SVT Contour

Before the ending , Contour have a megadose of Euro - vogue operation , courtesy of Ford ’s Special Vehicle Team . SVT had been formed in the early 1990s as a semi - self-reliant part of the Dearborn organization , bear down with souping - up various vehicles for cut-rate sale through selected Ford dealers .

Having made its mark with hot Cobra Mustangs and speedy F-150 Lightning pickup , SVT was postulate to realise the Contour ’s full sportsman sedan chair potential for 1998 . Marketers doubtless hoped the new framework ’s image would boost sales for the rest of the line .

They did n’t get that , but enthusiast got a " stealth " driver ’s car that could go hunting for BMWs , even on twisty road . A reworked suspension with stiffer springs and shocks , gravid brakes , and 16 - inch roll inventory made tree agile and near inert – a revelation for a domestic front - drive sedan – yet ride was scarcely less supple than in mainstream Contours .

To complement the shape , the 2.5 Duratec V-6 have high contraction , deep - breathing exercises , and other measures to achieve 195 bhp ( later 200 ) , delivered through a mandatory myopic - throw five - upper manual gear case . ornamental alterations were elusive but sufficient for those in the know , and there were plenty of surplus niceties such as leather upholstery . The only options , in fact , were a power moonroof and CD instrumentalist .

Even so , the base price was surprisingly humbled at around $ 23,000 . A corresponding 3 - Series BMW or Mercedes - Benz C - Class cost thousands more , yet the SVT Contour was well their equal on a route path or a dragstrip , unravel 0 - 60 mph in about 7.5 minute in most road test .

Collectible Automobile magazine thought the SVT Contour so secure that it would one twenty-four hour period be a coveted relic . " No dubiety about it … Ford has in conclusion produced a genuine European summercater sedan right here in the U.S.A. ( Hear that , " Buy American " diehard ? ) "

Alas , many enthusiasts either did n’t consider their ears or opine the Blue Oval badge too ­ proletarian . In any pillowcase , production was more or less more limited than even SVT had planned : about 10,000 in 1998 - 99 , plus a smattering more in phaseout 2000 .

Ford was slightly wide-eyed of the mark with the erstwhile replacement for its sure-enough hand truck - like Aerostar minivan . Unlike Mercury ’s two - year - old Villager , which Ford built in Ohio to a Nissan intent , the new 1995 Windstar was Dearborn ’s own front - movement minivan , using a qualify Taurus program and drivetrains to furnish a similarly car - like drive feel . Ford also gave it standard seven - place seating on a 120.7 - inch wheelbase , more or less long than that of Chrysler ’s extended - distance Grand role model .

Overall , Windstar was eight inches longer than a Grand and most a foot longer than Villager . GL and LX price levels were offered in the $ 20,000-$24,000 range . Nice looks , high utility , and a full reach of rider - cable car prophylactic features netted intelligent sale .

Even so , Ford was only catching up , not advance the artwork , and Windstar was never a terror to the sales - leading Chrysler / Dodge / Plymouth minivans – not even after being lightly restyled as the 2005 Freestar .

1996 Ford Taurus

There was nothing half - hearted about the all - new 1996 Taurus . From nose to tail , top to bottom , it was an orgy of ovals on a tab - like form with concave blue bodysides – what one journalist termed a " pre - dent " feel .

Chairman Alex Trotman hoped another daring design would catch the public like the original Taurus had and rick the styling glare off from the new " cab - forward " Chrysler / Dodge models competing with Taurus . At one item , Trotman reportedly walked through the styling studio , expect around , and said to those present , " You ’re not scar me enough . "

regrettably for Ford , the result must have scared off some buyers , for Taurus promptly recede its standing as America ’s top - selling cable car line and would never get it back . One wag thought the ' 96 modelling so left over as to think , " If they could have made oval wheels work , they ’d have used them . "

There were ovals ­aplenty inside too , including a large one in the middle of the style with oddly curve array of look - alike pushbuttons for audio and climate subprogram . Neither critic nor many consumers were amused .

More ’s the pity , for the 1996 modelling represented a major improvement over retiring Tauruses in many ways . The value - orient GL sedan and paddy wagon got an updated Vulcan pushrod V-6 , while the decent lux were treat to a 3.0 - l version of the twincam Duratec V-6 with 200 bhp , consider by many buyers to be well worth its $ 500 agio .

go past the line was a new SHO with 235 bhp from a 3.4 - litre V-8 , another Ford - Yamaha collaboration . Wheelbase on all models added 2.5 inches , benefit rear leg room , as well as deal in concert with a revise hanging .

But sure competitor , notably the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry , now had a slight boundary in ride ­quality , a big one in build tone – and were fighting ferociously for Taurus ’s number - one sales spot . Worse , Mary Leontyne Price hikes of around $ 1000 chilled early demand , prompting the increase of a detrimmed price - leader G sedan during the ' 96 season .

Yet for all the contention , Taurus sale remained warm , in reality improving by some 11 percentage for 1996 over the anterior model year . Volume then carry at around 400,000 through 2000 . But Taurus still swear far more on fleet sales each class than its result Japanese - blade rivals , so Ford earned somewhat less on every sale and owners meet less at trade - in time .

Ford was more on mark with a redesign Escort that rang up more than 655,000 gross sales for example years 1997 - 98 and more than 100,000 each for ' 99 and 2000 . The previous Mazda Protege - based figure returned with a smooth novel wrapper and a 110 - bhp 2.0 - cubic decimetre single - Cam River Zetec four - cylinder , thus ousting the honest-to-goodness CVH railway locomotive at last . model comprised two sedans and a wagon at first , a unmarried saloon after 1999 . All aimed to cater nothing more than scotch yet stylish transportation at a down Mary Leontyne Price , which was all many people needed .

Pricing probably helped close many a sale . Even with a heavy alternative load , these Escorts rarely broke the $ 17,000 barrier , yet they were more refined and better built than former models , enough to resist comparison with some importation - firebrand rivals . But they were only a short - be bridge to the year 2000 and the debut of a far more challenging small Ford .

Despite its seeming lame - duck position , Escort kept trade well enough that Ford decided to keep it around longer than planned , offering a limited fleet saloon to nonretail customers for 2001 - 02 .

For those who missed Escort ’s gritty GT hatchback , Ford offered the new 1998 Escort ZX2 , a sporty coupe with a freestanding bole and Hector Hevodidbon - similar styling . Appearances notwithstanding , canonic computer architecture and underskin part were shared with other escort , while the locomotive was the same twincam Zetec come up in the al-Qaeda Contour . With 130 bhp and relatively low-pitched weight ( 2470 pound ) , the ZX2 was frisky , though no neck - snapper . signal its mission of woo new , cash - short enthusiasts , it initially came in " Cool " and better - equipped " Hot " edition .

Yet once again , Ford ’s aim was slightly off . Consumer Guide ® and others thought ZX2 a bit pricey for what it deliver : $ 12,580 stand for a ' 98 without air travel conditioning . And though Ford lop $ 1000 off the terms of a " Cool " model for ' 99 , CG repeated that " … ZX2 looks gaudy than it performs . "

This must have sounded all too familiar to Ford folks who call up the unlovely and unloved EXP . A alert $ 1495 SR package was add together for 2000 with an excess 13 horses , tune up suspension , four - wheel saucer brakes , alloy wheels , carrying into action tires and special seats , but it did nothing to trigger sales .

By 2002 , the ZX2 ( minus Escort badging ) was down to some 52,000 calendar - year orders , then slue below 25,500 , a piteous exhibit for the low- to midteens pricing . Ford stayed the form one more year , then abandoned the sporty - coupe market , which was tight shrinking anyway .

Ford Faces Tire Problems and Changes in Management

Despite its Cartesian product fumbles , Ford Motor Company seemed in great shape as the new century opened . incorporated profits strike a record $ 7.2 billion in 1999 as the stock securities industry and Modern - fomite requirement stayed strong in an unprecedented boom saving .

Ford Division remained " USA-1 , " owning five of the body politic ’s top-10 sellers , include the crowing F - Series getaway and midsize Explorer SUV . Both were full of life high - profit assets in a market gone mad for truck , and Dearborn consecrate them yearly improvements to protect their class - leading sales status . The Explorer , for exemplar , was redesigned for 1995 and contribute optional V-8 power the following year . Answering competitive sport utility vehicle challenges , Ford soon field the F-150 - free-base Expedition and , a minute later , the jumbo Excursion and compact Escape .

Dearborn was no less expansive in the sumptuosity field , pouring major money into new products and plants for Jaguar and Aston Martin , acquire in the 1980s , then adding Land Rover , another British icon , and well - regarded Volvo of Sweden . In 1999 these four makes were combined with Lincoln and Mercury into a Modern division , Premier Automotive Group ( PAG ) .

Nineteen ninety - nine also witnessed historical change in top Ford direction . Chairman Alex Trotman kip down , turn over the rein to 42 - yr - old William Clay Ford , Jr. , great - grandson of the caller father and nephew of the late Henry Ford II . At the same prison term , intemperately - charge Jacques Nasser was upgrade to president and principal executive officer after two twelvemonth as header of North American performance .

But suddenly it all turn sour . First , the economy unraveled as overpriced " technical school stocks " tanked , taking Wall Street and the economy down with them . Then , in 2000 , the cash - moo-cow Explorer and its original - equipment Firestone tires were implicate in rollover crashes link to almost 300 deaths and grudge of injuries . Nasser trade charges with Firestone officials in the medium and before Congressional investigator , then ponied up $ 3.5 billion to replace some 6.5 million tires .

But calendar month of damning promotional material clobbered Dearborn ’s image – and its stock price . So did a bowed stringed instrument of recalls and launch glitches involving the new Escape , 2001 Thunderbird , redesigned ' 02 Explorer , and the small Focus , Ford ’s latest endeavour at a " world cable car . " Other new models like the Lincoln LS and babe Jaguar S - Type did n’t trade as expected . Longtime Japanese affiliate Mazda was also in trouble , a further drain on corporate coffer .

And there was regretful . After incinerate through more than $ 15 billion in 1999 - 2000 , Ford lose a staggering $ 5.45 billion in 2001 and almost a billion more in ' 02 . Part of that came from having to match the costly zero - percent funding platform plant by GM to leap - set off a out grocery store after the September 11 terrorist attacks . Equally sinister , Ford ’s dear - full term domesticated merchandise line looked juiceless , and Jaguar was gushing red ink .

Many thing had obviously go wrong . Most pundits pick CEO Nasser . So did the Ford card , who sack " Jac " in October 2001 . A reluctant Bill Ford took command . Nasser had overreached .

Buying Volvo and Land Rover was dearly-won enough , but Nasser also splurged on wispy e - commerce ventures , a chain of auto repair shop in Britain , Norwegian - built electric railcar , even junkyards . " The design , theoretically , had promise , " said trade weekly Automotive News . " [ But the ] acerbic Nasser left out a couple of ingredients : building authentic vehicles , and keeping the flock glad . "

Some wondered whether Bill Ford could bend the company around , but he silenced many skeptics by run swiftly to put Ford ’s " Glass House " in order . From now on , he declared , Ford would build smashing cars and truck , catamenia . No more of Nasser ’s grand vision for a birthplace - to - weighty " transfer company . "

After shuffling central executives and drawing up a new organisational chart , Ford announced a recovery architectural plan that aimed to accomplish $ 7 billion in pretax profit by 2006 , principally through " leaner " manufacturing , " smarter " engineering , plant closures , worker layoffs , and supplier concessions . New theoretical account were supposed to help , in particular fresh cars , which Ford heralded by proclaiming 2004 as " The Year of the Car . " But recovery prove stubbornly elusive .

2006 Ford Sales Decline

By 2006 , Dearborn counted five square old age of decline cut-rate sale representing over a million unit lost – Detroit ’s spoiled functioning by far . market place share , which had been sliding for a full ten , was down to 17.4 pct , the lowest since 1927 , and seemed likely to go lower still .

The Economist in Britain detect that the ' 02 program " failed to anticipate resurrect competition from [ import brand ] and the impingement of soaring wellness - attention cost . " Ford was also being pressure by escalating raw materials price and – the heavy hit – a crisp drop in need for its most profitable SUVs , trigger off by a ear in gas prices during 2005 to over $ 3 a gallon in many places .

This " perfect storm " was also battering General Motors . Like Ford , GM still relied too much on motortruck sales and was essay to " shrink its way back to gainfulness " in the typeface of market change it had n’t foreseen . But more downsizing was n’t the reply .

Aside from enormous pension and health - care expenses , both company had to contend with " job banks " of laid - off workers who still drew most of their former salary , thanks to plush contract negotiated with management in flourishing days . And there was still the thorny trouble of weaning buyers off the costly purchase incentives they ’d been used to for years .

A last indignity for Ford was an hejira of gifted the great unwashed , a " mental capacity drainage " the fellowship could ill - afford in this novel crisis . Though not unexpected amid so much turmoil , the constant personnel shuffling only added to the percept that Ford – GM too – was channelise toward bankruptcy . As one example , Ford went through no fewer than four executives in five years in the position of president of North American surgery .

With all this , Ford was in a fight for its life . As The Economist noted : " Now the struggle is simply to make the car business profitable . This could be the last chance to pay back Ford this side of the bankruptcy motor hotel . " Defiantly , Ford articulate Chapter 11 was not an option and foretell a new restructuring effort in January 2006 .

Though light on many specifics , this " Way Forward " programme called for closing 14 North American plants by 2012 , thus wipe out some 30,000 line of work and cutting build capacity by more than a fourth .

Ford also promise novel vehicles that " the great unwashed will ­really desire . " To execute the plan , Ford installed Mark Fields , the architect of a late turnaround at Mazda , as Chief Executive of the Americas , with Anne Stevens as his chief operating officer . " We lose our way , " Fields admitted . " We lost contact with our customers , particularly our machine customers . " One result was that Chevrolet became America ’s top - sell nameplate in 2005 , eventually wrest the crown from Ford after 19 year .

Though increasingly occult by the like of Honda and Toyota , several Ford railcar did well in the other 2000s . Despite too many recall , the front - drive Focus was an incompetent winner , drawing more than 389,000 order in debut 2000 and around 300,000 each calendar year from 2001 to ' 04 .

This " big and tall " subcompact had a grownup job , being assign to fill the market place shoe of the Escort , ZX2 , and Contour . But Focus was a masterpiece of space utilization , declare oneself more rider and payload space than those earliest minuscule Fords , as well as most of its rival .

Initial engines were the proven 2.0 - liter Zetec fours – 110 - bhp single - cam and 130 - bhp twincam – but most everything else was appealingly different . Start with the " New Edge " styling , a parting talent from corporate excogitation foreman Jack Telnack . An avant - garde premix of curves and creese , New Edge did n’t work on every automobile , but it did here , lending a visual personality that coif Focus aside from every rival .

applied science was no less artful , peculiarly the all - independent break that drew rave reviews for bear both a fluent drive and course - lead handling . It was the kind of small car one anticipate from Europe . Sure enough , the Focus was modernise " over there " and make for to North America with minimum change for local production .

Ford Focus

Focus bowed with two - room access hatchback , four - door sedan , and four - door patrol wagon body manner , each aimed at a specific audience . The hatchback played both entry - level and sporty office , offering the widest scope of pick . The more conventionally style sedan chair and wagon emphasized value , practicality , consolation , even sumptuosity with the right pick . A hatchback four - doorway get together the mix for 2002 for even tolerant grocery store reportage .

To Ford ’s undoubted delight , the Focus was a critical success most everywhere , winning awards in Europe and the 2000 North American Car of the Year trophy . Consumer Guide ® gave its " Best Buy " endorsement to the 2001 - 04 manakin . The honor was rather remarkable count that Focus was fending off fresh import contest with only evolutionary changes , mainly a confusing parade of exemplar name and equipment shambling .

A noteworthy elision was the SVT Focus , arriving for 2002 as a two - doorway hatchback pitched toward the tight - grow " sport heavyset " market . A familiar four - door hatch was add together for ' 03 .

Like other SVT exploit , the " factory tuner " Focus deliver numerous rise at a surprisingly modest price , ab initio $ 17,480 . The twincam Zetec engine , for example , was sneak to 170 bhp via raw pistons , revised cylinder head , varying intake - valve timing , and new intake and exhaust manifold . Also on the menu were a compulsory new six - hurrying manual gearbox , steadfast abeyance with 17 - column inch wheels , and larger four - wheel record brakes .

Other Focuses offered BA , electronic traction control , and front side airbags at redundant monetary value , but these were standard for the SVT . So were unique front and rear fascias , side sill , and a rearward spoiler , all de rigueur for a " red-hot hatch . " Inside were exceptional SVT standard of measurement nontextual matter and two special gauge , leather / cloth seats with heavy front bolstering , aluminum foot pedal caps and transformation knob , and a leather - roll steering steering wheel .

Enthusiasts loved it , but the SVT Focus would n’t be around long , departing after 2004 . One reason was that Ford needed to refresh its small car to keep buyer involvement . The result was a refocus 2005 lineup with more orthodox styling within and out , plus more competitive " value " pricing .

The sportiest of the lot was a new ZX4 ST sedan , which was no SVT but had significance for its standard engine : a new 2.3 - liter twincam four - cylinder that scab Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle position ( PZEV ) under the ultratight emanation limits of California and four northeastern state .

Available for other Focus models in those five areas , the PZEV four was about as clean-living as a gasoline engine could be with existing engineering science – not far behind the gasolene / electric powertrains earning newspaper headline , grace , and winnings for Toyota and Honda .

Even better , a PZEV Focus be far less than a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid , was much unsubdivided and sluttish to maintain , and possess noticeably more low - remnant torque that better speedup , specially with automatic transmission . It was quite a coup , yet went all but unnoticed amid Dearborn ’s devolve fortune .

The self-aggrandizing Crown Victoria was all but inconspicuous long before the crisis get grasp , a relic of much happier times for Ford and all of Detroit . Taxi and law - enforcement fleets were its chief vendee as the C turned , sister Mercury Grand Marquis having take the lead in retail sale .

Still , Ford could yield to keep the " Vicky " around and even splurge for occasional alteration : a Grand Marquis - similar restyle for 1998 , standard horsepower bumped to 220 for 2002 , and a few new features along the way .

Calendar - year gross revenue were down to the high 70,000s by ' 02 , when Ford try lend a little youthfulness quinine water with an LX Sport modeling . This offered a nostalgic buckets - and - cabinet interior with floorshifter , a dual - exhaust V-8 pumped up to 235 bhp , and the firmer - handling suspension available for the momma - and - pop LX .

Extensive revisions occurred for 2003 , perhaps because that was Ford ’s centennial class . A redesigned frame , altered suspension geometry , and a switch from recirculating - ball to gouge - and - pinion guidance all drive to meliorate ride and handling , which they did – a small . No - cost antilock brakes were commendable , as was first - clip availableness of front side airbags except on the price - leading Standard .

Though stickers had inevitably surface over time , the Crown Vic still offered a circle of good old - fashioned American alloy for the money at around $ 24,000-$30,000 . But old - fashioned it was , and sales remain chase off toward oblivion , fall below 64,000 for calendar ' 05 .

Taurus , too , seemed increasingly passé as the new century progressed , the basic 1995 design being left to soldier on while the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry enticed buyers with three clean - sail makeovers . Such intense competition and a more intimate public made " raw or die " imperative even in the family machine field , yet Ford had staked its future more on new truck than newfangled cars .

Not that Taurus was whole neglected . A 2000 - framework restyle , much of it patterned on the less revolutionary Mercury Sable , aspire at wider public acceptance , as did a new , more exploiter - friendly dashboard . Airbags and seatbelt pretensioners were improved in line with growing purchaser demand for safety feature . ( Who could have imagined that back in 1956 ? ) But the interesting SHO was canceled for want of interest , and other Carlos changed scarcely at all over the next six season .

Given that , calendar - twelvemonth sales were remarkably good , pass in the crushed 100,000s through 2002 , then jumping past 200,000 in 2003 - 04 . Still , one suspects most of these cars went to fleets and skinflint consumer , and then only with intemperate " John Cash on the hood . "

Taurus was supposed to depart after 2005 , when just two varieties of sedan and wagon appeared as a transition to all - unexampled replacing . Yet such was the uncertainty in Dearborn that planners allowed Taurus to hang on through 2006 , slenderize to just a brace of sedan with the old pushrod V-6 .

2005 Ford Five Hundred and 2006 Ford Fusion Sedans

hope were in high spirits for the 2005 Five Hundred and ' 06 Fusion sedan . Bracketing the Taurus in size of it , Leontyne Price , and role , they represented an ending run around the job of competing promontory - on with the perennially popular Accord and Camry .

The Five Hundred could have substitute the Crown Victoria : over a groundwork shorter overall and some 500 pounds idle , yet no less spacious on a wheelbase just 1.8 column inch trimming capacitor . The arcanum was eminent - visibility styling with an overall tallness of 61.5 inch , up 3.2 inch on Crown Vic and 5.4 on Taurus .

Ford used this to elevate induct some four inches above that in most other cars . The tall body also furnish a more natural seating area posture front and rearward , plus vast torso space . Another talking detail was a new unibody incorporated chopine .

Known within Ford as D3 , it was designed in collaboration with Volvo to be very inviolable except in a clangor , when it would take in energy in a see , protective manner . Optional " inactive prophylactic " pluses were front torso side airbags , plus curtain side airbags that deploy from the roof above the side windows . Serving " alive safety gadget " were standard antilock four - steering wheel disc brakes and traction control .

Though classed as a magnanimous railway car by Consumer Guide ® , the EPA , and others , the Five Hundred arrived with a midsize - car railway locomotive : a modestly improved " Duratec 30 " twincam V-6 with 203 bhp . Drivelines were brand - new , however . Most front - parkway role model use a six - speed automatic – Ford ’s first – and there were all - wheel - drive versions with a " gearless " continuously varying automatic transmission ( CVT ) .

The AWD / CVT compounding was unique among kin cable car and thus somewhat wild , but many buyers take a liking to Five Hundreds so equipped for their all - weather grip and promise of dear fuel economy .

Mileage was at least healthy at 19 - 20 mpg , but top executive was lackluster despite respectable 0 - 60 - mph times of 7.5 - 8.0 seconds with either powertrain . A Modern 250 - bhp 3.5 - l V-6 was planned for 2007 to address the deficiency of zip .

Most all the above also applied to Freestyle , essentially a Five Hundred wagon commercialize as a " crossover " SUV in a market where " station wagon " rival " minivan " as a buss of death for sales agreement .

somewhat larger than Explorer , with lots of room , squeamish looks , pleasant drive personal manner , and militant $ 25,000-$30,000 pricing , the Freestyle should have deal like 25 - centime Starbucks latte . Instead , it do few than 85,300 ordering from launch through the end of 2005 .

That was so far below expectation that Ford briefly debate sink the Freestyle after just three model years . cool head prevailed , however , and the twenty - first - century Country Squire was give an indefinite abatement .

The Five Hundred fare better at more than 122,000 sales for the same flow , but that did n’t serve Ford ’s bottom line very much . Some critics blamed tepid vendee response on me - too styling , citing a close resemblance with the six - class - old Volks­wagen Passat . The similarity was easy to excuse . J Mays had come after Jack Telnack as Ford design foreman in 1997 , and Mays had helped work the Passat in his previous problem at VW / Audi .

There was no visual cribbing in the 2006 Fusion , the second prong of Ford ’s in style assault on the mellow - volume kinfolk railcar market . A effective affair , too , because this " new " midsize sedan was already intimate , amounting to a more or less expound Mazda 6 without the " rapid growth zoom " pretension .

Most everything hidden was the same or very standardized : adept all - autonomous interruption , standard four - wheel disc brakes , even engines : base 2.3 - liter four ( originated by Mazda ) and useable Duratec 3.0 V-6 . But it was n’t a stark copy . The Mazda , for model , offered both engine with manual and automatic transmissions , while V-6 fusion were limit to automatic .

The Ford also had more or less soft hanging tuning because it was n’t trying to be as clean as the Mazda . It also claimed more rearward - seat room , thanks to an additional 2.1 inches in wheelbase .

Styling , of course of study , was the most obvious difference , and many thought the Fusion was substantially looking . It was sure hard to miss with its bold three - bar grille , a signature tune fate for next Ford cars ( plus an former Five Hundred facelift ) and a obtuse nod to 1966 Galaxies .

Fusion bowed in S , SE , and top - line SEL version . The last were the dainty inside , with contemporary metallic element - look accents , tasteful " forte-piano black " panels or else of the common test - tube woodwind instrument , loose - read gauges , and commodious , coherent controls . Regardless of trim , Fusion showed the same good craft as the Five Hundred , the salutary ever from Ford and fully competitive with Accord and Camry .

Even materials were in effect than expected for the prices . The prices were ripe , running from just over $ 17,000 to near $ 22,000 before choice . Ford curb back on some standard features to make those number , charging extra for traction control , torso and curtain airbags , and antilock brake , but at least the charges were reasonable .

Though Fusion was just emerging as this Scripture was prepared , first reviews and early sales reports suggested Ford had number up with a winner . Car and Driver , for one , thought that with " stylish spirit , fine road manners , hard-nosed configuration , and aggressive pricing , the Fusion should make a potent impact in the mainstream - saloon section – and truly put Ford back in the car game . "

Dearborn must have rejoiced , because upscale Fusions with different styling and feature mixing would have the intimidating task of luring new buyers to Lincoln and Mercury , nameplate already given up for dead in many quarter .

2007 Ford Edge

Fusion ’s CD3 platform was the start distributor point for Ford ’s first mid - size of it crossing over SUV , the 2007 Edge . Though Dearborn was slow to insert this new fast - growing section , the Edge itself was well - clock , arrive just behind a larger , redesigned Toyota RAV4 and ahead of a young - contemporaries Honda CR - V.

border front those division favorites with bold styling on a 111.2 - column inch wheelbase , making it large than the Japanese - stigma duet and close in sizing to the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent .

Being late to game allowed Ford to find out the rules for winning it , so the Edge offered most everything competitor did and a few thing they did n’t . Prime among the latter was an Advance Trac antiskid scheme with Roll Stability Control , available with either front - roulette wheel driving or full - time all - wheel ride . Volvo had developed RSC for its XC90 SUV , and Ford tight adopted it for the truck - free-base Explorer and Expedition .

Basically , RSC employed various sensing element that supervise fomite attitude and would automatically activate the stableness system to keep a tip – within the jurisprudence of physics , of class . This was a definite sales plus , peculiarly for Ford after the Explorer rollover thrashing .

Like other Dearborn SUVs , car- and hand truck - based likewise , the Edge also offer optional front torso side airbags and curtain side airbags – what Ford called a " Safety Canopy . " Ford also mine Volvo ’s mystifying experience with base hit invention to design a unibody complex body part that was tight , hard , and solid . Antilock four - steering wheel disc brake system were standard .

Edge debuted with a single powerteam comprise Ford ’s new 250 - bhp 3.5 - liter V-6 and a six - speed automatic transmission . Interestingly , that gear case was design and built in conjunction with GM .

thing really were hard in Detroit . Ford also hop to gain a private-enterprise , er , edge with a versatile five - passenger seating package , a center console big enough for a laptop computer , and " lifestyle " pick such as a nag - in for digital music musician , rearward - seat DVD , and planet radio .

Still another class exclusive was a full - length , twin - panel " Vista Roof " with tilt / skid advancing discussion section measuring 2x2.5 metrical unit . With all this and more , the Edge seemed another hopeful sign that Dearborn would finally find its " Way Forward . "

2004, 2005, 2006 Ford GT

Saving the best for last bring us to the 2004 - 06 Ford GT . One of the most charismatic roadgoing sports cars ever build up , it was nothing less than a modern but faithful , street - sound reincarnation of Ford ’s fabled midengine GT40 endurance racer , four - time success of the arduous 24 Hours of LeMans ( 1966 - 69 ) , the ultimate " Total Performance " Ford .

Previewed as an engineering prototype at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit , the GT was developed for yield by a modest consecrate team . The goal was to have it ready in time for Ford Motor Company ’s huge June 2003 centennial gala in Dearborn .

The team had just 16 months but kept the date , and the first three yield example please the thousands in attending .

The GT get in with one major glitch : lower pause control arm that proved prostrate to crack because of faulty casting . Ford swallowed its superbia and recalled all 448 GTs build up in 2004 , the first full production year . The limb were replaced , and a new casting method devised .

The GT looked nearly identical to the GT40 , but was built on a base - longer wheelbase of 106.7 inches . satisfactory route - car passenger space was the rationale , but the cockpit was still backwash - car cozy for six - footnote . Overall length - width - height measured 182.8x76.9x44.3 column inch .

The GT40 had been make for its raffish 40 - column inch height , so that designation would have been technically incorrect here . But " GT44 " did n’t sound right , and another company had legal claim to " GT40 " and would n’t give it up , hence the simple GT cognomen .

Despite deal the same classic lines , the GT was better than the GT40 in many ways , thanks to 40 years of technical progress . Take aeromechanics . Because the canonic physical structure shape move like an turn back wing , the GT40 was infamous for being less - than - static at racing speed . Not so the GT , the result of several in effect modifications that were very grueling to blemish . Small front air " splitters " created downforce at the nozzle , while side splitters beneath the doors solve together with an enclosed bellypan to smooth airflow on the way to rear " venturi " going .

Both auto employ an Al space - build overlaid with aluminum panels , but the GT benefited from manufacturing techniques unknown in the 1960s . As a result , it was claimed to be 40 percent stiffer than Ferrari ’s formidable F360 Modena , a key rival , yet curb free weight was just under 3400 Irish punt , more than respectable for a fully coif road car .

Power by Ford was a must , so the GT received a boost version of Ford ’s all - aluminium 5.4 - liter V-8 . Unique twincam head with four valves per cylinder , dual fuel injector at each embrasure , and heavy fortified internals boosted output to idealistic spirit level : 550 bhp and 500 Irish punt - feet of torque .

Ford proudly take down that these numbers were comparable to those of 7.0 - litre racing GT40s . A twin - magnetic disk clutch and Ricardo six - focal ratio manual transaxle conveyed all the might to the rear wheel through a volute bound - slip differential . Braking was by monumental Brembo - brand four - rack discs of 14 inches across in front , 13.2 in back , all cross - drilled and clamped by four - piston monoblock calipers under antilock ascendency .

roll stemma was suitably beefy but not " sorry male child " outrageous , with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires wrap on 18x9 - inch cast - metal rim fore , 19x11.5s aft . Suspension was the same at each end , comprising upper A - weapons system , low L - shaped arms , roll - over monotube shocks , and thick antiroll bars .

Ford GT, a Bargain in Its Class

For all its airstream - car education and inheritance , the Ford GT was quite happy to dawdle along at townspeople speeds and could " soak up road imperfections with repose , " to quote Road & Track . The cockpit was well-heeled too , and handsomely appointed with racing - style seats , leather upholstery , and an impressive spread of gauge and toggle - type switches across the dashboard .

There were also unexpected conveniences including automatic climate control , power windows / locks / mirror , contestation steering roulette wheel , and keyless launching . Options were few : a flourishing 260 - watt McIntosh strait system , lightweight BBS forged wheels , painted brake calipers , and the traditional " LeMans " undress on the nose , cap , tail , and rock ‘n’ roll musician panels .

The only drawback to commuting in a GT were Thighmaster - high clutch movement and the very limited visibility associated with midships cars . Such humdrum matters were fast forgotten on the open road , and especially on the track .

speedup was predictably explosive , with distinctive 0 - 60 - mph multiplication of just under 4.0 seconds , 0 - 100 in less than 9.0 , bear quarter - stat mi in the low 12 - second area at over 120 miles per hour , and an estimated top speed of around 190 .

Handling was no less telling : wash - car sharp yet road - machine forgiving , with mild understeer changing to power - on oversteer whenever your right invertebrate foot commanded . Skidpad grip was world - category at near 1 g , and Road & Track ’s trial run car operate the slalom some 2 - mph faster than the much - acclaimed Ferrari Modena .

" It is about time that a U.S. automaker enters the supercar ranks , " R&T conclude . " take in out . America is roar back to the top . " And so it seemed . Several magazines both at home and afield drove the GT against Ferrari , Lamborghini , Aston Martin , and other pricey " exoticars , " and pick the Ford not only for its arresting abilities , but as the upright economic value .

Value in a supercar ? At just five Buck unsure of $ 150,000 before destination charge and Gas - Guzzler Tax ( triggered by low EPA ratings ) , the GT was the deal in its course . Not that many sold at list . After all , supply was limited – about 4000 worldwide max , enounce Ford – and demand for this thrilling machine was many times outstanding .

With gotta - be - first type brandish checkbooks and trader seeing potential windfalls , marketplace Price soared overnight , reaching a quarter - million or more by some accounts . There were even reports of owners blatantly " flipping " barely used GTs in pastime of a fat , fast profit .

But all this only bring to the mystique of a fabulous Ford that was go way too soon , shot down by " Way Forward " cuts along with the Wixom , Michigan , plant life that make the cars cautiously and largely by hand . Will we ever see its like again ? Well , the GT was the starting point for the striking Shelby GR-1 construct coupe of 2005 , so that ’s one theory .

First , though , Ford Motor Company must get back on its feet . Can it succeed ? While we ca n’t say for certain at this writing , we guess there ’s a good - than - even chance . Several plotted products have promise , specially the intercrossed - power interlingual rendition of the Fusion and other exemplar to follow up on the popularity of the 2005 Escape Hybrid , the first accelerator pedal / electric SUV from an American auto manufacturer .

Ford has staked its report – and thus its future – on innovation . For the sake of everyone in the company and all who get it on auto , we hope Ford will add up up with the " better estimate " it so urgently needs .

Frequently Asked Questions