1971 Ford Ranchero “The Hot Rod(someday!)”

The 1966 Ford Ranchero moved the coupe utility up from the compact Falcon to Ford's intermediate Fairlane, a larger car that increased the truck's size and broadened its engine options. The 1966 transition year used Falcon front sheet metal on the larger intermediate body, and for 1967 the Ranchero adopted full Fairlane styling and trim. When Ford redesigned the intermediate line for 1968 and introduced the Torino as the upscale top of the Fairlane family, the Ranchero followed, so the 1968-1971 trucks are Torino-based. The intermediate Ranchero offered inline-sixes alongside a wide V8 range: the 289 and 302 small-blocks, the 351, the FE-family 390, and, in the performance versions, the 428 Cobra Jet for 1968-1969 and the 429 Cobra Jet for 1970-1971. All horsepower in this generation is SAE gross, the higher pre-1972 standard. Trim levels broadened to include the Ranchero 500, the performance and appearance Ranchero GT, and, from 1970, the woodgrain Ranchero Squire. The 1970-1971 trucks wore a longer, more curved restyle. For 1972 the Ford Ranchero moved onto the larger Gran Torino platform, ending this generation.