1981 Ford F-100

The 1980-1983 Ford F-100 was the seventh generation of Ford's F-Series and the final US-market F-100. Collectors nickname it the "Bullnose" for its squared body and aerodynamic front-end updates. This Ford F-100 was the lighter of Ford's two half-tons, positioned below the F-150 that had been introduced for 1975. Its engines were the 300-cubic-inch inline-six as the standard engine through 1981, a 3.8-liter V6 that replaced it as the base F-100 engine for 1982, and the small-block 255-cubic-inch (1981-1982) and 302-cubic-inch Windsor V8s, all reported in SAE net horsepower. The 351 V8s of this era were reserved for the F-150 and heavier trucks. The 1980 redesign emphasized weight reduction and aerodynamics in response to fuel-economy pressure. By the early 1980s the F-150 had been steadily absorbing the F-100's customer base, and the regulatory and economic case for maintaining a separate lighter half-ton had weakened. Ford retired the F-100 name in the United States after the 1983 model year, leaving the F-150 as the F-Series half-ton. The 1980-1983 Ford F-100 was sold only with two-wheel drive and used Twin-I-Beam front suspension; four-wheel drive was reserved for the F-150 and heavier F-Series trucks.