1961 Ford Ranchero “THE MONEY PIT”

The 1960 Ford Ranchero moved the coupe utility from the full-size Ford onto Ford's new compact Falcon, shrinking the truck substantially and pairing it with economical inline-six engines. The Falcon Ranchero rode on the Falcon's 109.5-inch wheelbase and shared the compact's body and styling. The 1960 Ford Ranchero was inline-six only, starting with the 144-cubic-inch six; Ford added the larger 170 six for 1961 and the 200 six for 1964, all rated in SAE gross horsepower as was standard before 1972. A V8 returned to the Ranchero for 1963 with the 260 Windsor, and by 1965 the 289 Windsor V8 was available. The Falcon Ranchero grew larger and more sculpted for the 1964-1965 restyle as the Falcon line itself was reworked. This generation repositioned the Ranchero as an affordable, car-based work vehicle with a roughly 800-pound load rating, competing against the Chevrolet El Camino, which Chevrolet had launched for 1959 and then paused before reviving on its own intermediate. For 1966 the Ford Ranchero moved up to the intermediate Fairlane platform, ending the compact Falcon era.