Value Inside A Supercar

Founded in 1903, Ford Motor Company skyrocketed from obscurity to dominate the American auto industry in less than 12 years. The new LTD would enjoy a sales resurgence, but not before Ford and the U.S. With all the "horsepower race" at full gallop, the 239-cid V-8 was ousted for any 272 enlargement, packing 162/182 horsepower being an option for several models. Fairmont, meantime, finished its run in 1983 after few interim changes from '78. J Mays had succeeded Jack Telnack as Ford design chief in 1997, and Mays had helped shape the Passat in his previous job at VW/Audi. These wagons, by the real way, were Ford's first all-steel models (the Squire switching from real wood to wood-look decals). But there have been still those who wanted a Taurus with performance and mechanical specifications as sophisticated as its styling. This was also an uptown Fairmont, restyled with a sloped nose, airier "six-light" greenhouse, and lipped trunklid modestly. Engineering was believe it or not artful, especially the all-independent suspension that drew rave reviews for delivering both a smooth ride and class-leading handling. Despite sharing exactly the same classic lines, the GT was better than the GT40 in many ways, thanks to 40 years of technical progress. Millions flocked to view it on its March 1932 unveiling. Topping the line was a fresh SHO with 235 bhp from a 3.4-liter V-8, another Ford-Yamaha collaboration. A primary reply to Chevrolet's Vega, that year also new, it was smaller, less daring technically, less accommodating, and its own fuel and performance economy were nothing special in comparison to that of many imports. Also for the menu were a mandatory new six-speed manual gearbox, firm suspension with 17-inch wheels, and larger four-wheel disc brakes. The value-oriented GL wagon and sedan got an updated Vulcan pushrod V-6, while the nicer LXs were treated to some 3.0-liter version from the twincam Duratec V-6 with 200 bhp, considered by many buyers to become really worth its $500 premium. Calendar-year sales were to the high 70 down,000s by '02, when Ford tried adding just a little youth tonic with an LX Sport model. More popular was the blissful luxury Decor Option (LDO), a 1973 package designed for either body style through the finish of the line. The 1957 Fords were all-new, supplying a vast array of V-8s from the 190-bhp 272 up to a 245-bhp 312. The 223-cid six was standard for several but one model. The same was true of trucks -- important given the boom in light-truck demand that began in the mid-'80s and continued into the '90s and beyond. By 2002, the ZX2 (minus Escort badging) was right down to some 52,000 calendar-year orders, then slid below 25,500, an unhealthy showing for the low- to midteens pricing. Year Closed rumble-seat types were also within their last. Ford used this to elevate seating some four inches above that in most other cars. Although 1949 Ford was nowhere near as radical because the 1950-51 Studebaker, it bought from numbers Ford hadn't seen since 1930: over 1.year 1 million for the extra-long model. Ford Division remained "USA-1," owning five from the country's top-10 sellers, like the big F-Series pickup and midsize Explorer SUV. The 500 fared better at more than 122,000 sales for exactly the same period, but that didn't help Ford's bottom line quite definitely. Escort, Contour was very close to its transatlantic cousin, having the same smooth, drawn styling tightly, plus an ultra-stiff structure and a sophisticated all-independent suspension that contributed to crisp, taut handling. But Henry approved it in one of those strange turnabouts that he was infamous. The similarity was easy to explain. Working in his kitchen with clay modelers Joe John and Thompson Lutz, Caleal shaped his design.T. However when the fuel crunch ­boosted small-car sales, Ford decided to retain Maverick and launch its erstwhile successor being a more-luxurious compact half of a step up in cost. So were handling and ride, thanks to a new all-coil suspension with more-precise four-bar-link location at the live rear axle. Designed for other Focus models in those five areas, the PZEV four was about as clean as being a gasoline engine could be with existing technology -- not far behind the gasoline/electric powertrains earning headlines, goodwill, and profits for Honda and Toyota. Though wheelbase and engines were unchanged from your 1946-48 models, the '49 was three inches lower, shorter fractionally, and usefully lighter. The tiniest was Falcon, which bowed for 1960 as one of the new Big Three compacts (alongside Corvair and Chrysler's Valiant). Fusion's CD3 platform was the starting place for Ford's first mid-size crossover SUV, the 2007 Edge. Ford also began selling "Lifeguard Design" safety features, equipping all models with dished tyre, breakaway rearview mirror, and crashproof door locks; padded dash and sunvisors cost $16 extra, factory-installed seatbelts $9. Serving "active safety" were standard antilock four-wheel disc brakes and traction control. Ford held back on some standard features to make those numbers, charging extra for traction control, curtain and torso airbags, and antilock brakes, but at the very least the charges were reasonable. Styling was boxier and less pretentious, and visibility and fuel economy better were. Standards carried a '39 DeLuxe-style vertical-bar grille. Among them was a minimum of John Dillinger, who wrote Henry to praise the product -- an unsolicited testimonial from Public Enemy NUMBER 1. This explains why the Granada appeared over the four-door Maverick's 109.9-inch wheelbase. Still, the Crown Vic had fair thirst (about 17 mpg city, 25 highway, as rated by the Environmental Protection Agency) and was thus a drain on Ford's domestic fleet-average economy. To others, though, Falcon was the Model A reborn: cheap but cheerful, simple however, not unacceptably spartan. Over­drive was optional over the board at $97. For those who missed Escort's spunky GT hatchback, Ford offered the brand new 1998 Escort ZX2, a sporty coupe with a separate trunk and Taurus-like styling. This and also a lighter overall look made the '37 Ford one of the prettiest cars of the decade. Despite prosaic mechanicals and increasingly tough compact competition, Tempo proved another fast-selling Ford. A hatchback four-door joined the mix for 2002 for even broader market coverage. The base engine was treated to throttle-body injection and moved around 90 horsepower. Sure enough, the Focus was developed "over there" and brought to North America with reduced change for local production. The initial person in Dearborn's new "modular" engine family, it delivered 190 standard bhp or 210 with dual exhausts, a gain of 40-50 horses on the old pushrod 302. The uprated engine was included in a Handling and Performance package that has been standard for the Touring Sedan and optional on other models. The convertible sedan made your final bow, in the DeLuxe line again. Wagons eschewed rear struts for twin control arms, something better able to cope with the wider selection of load weights wagons carry. Buying Volvo and Land Rover enough was costly, but Nasser splurged on wispy e-commerce ventures also, a chain of auto repair shops in Britain, Norwegian-built electric cars, even junkyards. The 1942 Fords gained a lesser, wider, vertical-bar grille surmounted by rectangular parking lamps in the vestigial catwalks. Both Fairlane series listed two- and four-door Victorias, plus thin-pillar equivalents that looked like hardtops with windows up. Prices ranged from just $435 for the essential two-seat roadster to $660 for the Town Sedan. With base stickers straddling $25,000, the top-line Taurus still faced competition from a host of formidable foreign sports sedans and usually suffered by comparison. His perceived dependence on getting the engine to advertise as as you possibly can left insufficient time for durability testing soon, so troubles early surfaced. Though less popular than square-roof Galaxies, the Starliner was just the plain thing for NASCAR racing by dint of its slipperier shape. And there was worse. Aside from enormous pension and health-care expenses, both companies needed to contend with "job banks" of laid-off workers who still drew the majority of their former pay, because of lush contracts negotiated with management in palmy days. The flathead V-8 was tweaked to 110 horsepower. Ford's '69 midsizers were '68 repeats save for new fastback and notchback Torino hardtops called Cobra (after Carroll Shelby's muscular Ford-powered sports cars). In the wake from the OPEC oil embargo and the first energy crisis, Chrysler pushed compacts while GM went with plans to downsize its entire fleet forward. Initial engine choices began with a 2.5-liter 88-bhp four, an enlarged Tempo unit available with standard five-speed manual or, from late '87, optional four-speed overdrive automatic transaxles. But it cast a strange light on the inside, and heat buildup was a problem. A fascinating '95 variation was the SE (Sport Edition) sedan, a kind of budget SHO delivering alloy wheels, rear spoiler, sport front seats, and other extras for approximately $18-grand with base 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 preparation for that all-new second-generation Taurus. The original Probe will undoubtedly be remembered because the car that almost replaced the Mustang ever. A comparable 3-Series Mercedes-Benz or BMW C-Class cost thousands more, the SVT Contour was their equal on a road course or perhaps a dragstrip easily, running 0-60 mph in about 7.5 seconds in most road tests. The latter somehow lost six horsepower by '87, returned to its original rating then. The standard six gained five bhp to deliver 120 total. Inside, the '92 Taurus presented a redesigned dash with subtle ergonomic refinements and space for any newly optional passenger airbag. Multiple carburetors, headers, dual exhausts, and other "speed parts" were as close as local auto stores. The executives selected Caleal's design, which went into production unchanged basically, except that his vertical taillights were made horizontal and bled into the rear quarter. Ford modernized two more of its cars for 1992. First up was an upgraded for something even more than the initial Escort: the best, vintage '79 Crown Victoria. Specials were sixes only now, however the lineup was unchanged otherwise. A fresh 312-cid "Thunderbird" unit with 215/225 horsepower was ­optional over the board, and a midrange 292-cid V-8 offered 200 horsepower. Initially, Fairlane offered two- and four-door sedans in base and sportier 500 trim, and also a bucket-seat 500 Sport Coupe. A more-exciting 1984 development was a turbocharged 1.6-liter GT with 120 horsepower and a suitably uprated chassis. This must have sounded all too familiar to Ford folks who remembered the unloved and unlovely EXP. Sales remained strong despite the yearly sameness. Outside was…a disappointment. Though every physical body panel was new save the doors, the '92 was hard to inform at a glance from previous Tauruses -- as critics loved to point out. The passenger airbag became standard for '94. Two factors seemed to be at the job. A crisp four-door notchback bowed for 1992 in mid-range LX trim, and there was a sporty LX-E version with all the GT's engine and firm suspension, plus rear disc brakes -- some sort of pint-size Taurus SHO. Meantime, Ford Division had redesigned its Escort for the first time since the 1981 original. So Even, the base price was amazingly low at around $23,000. Two sedans, plain and fancy wagons, and a smart "basket-handle-roof" coupe reviving the Futura name were offered through 1981 (after which the wagons became Granadas). If anything, Ford was even more successful here than it had been with cars. It was a familiar sight on American roads soon. Maverick's true successor bowed for 1978 with a name borrowed from Ford's Australian subsidiary: Fairmont. Styling was evolutionary, with wider, more-integrated front fenders; a busy vertical-bar grille with tall center section flanked by low subgrilles; larger rear fenders; and more-rakish coupe rooflines. It was an excellent engine, which helps explain why its 302 evolution continued all the real way into the 1990s. It completely transformed Falcon performance without affecting mileage greatly. It all added up to sprightly performer that could run ­circles around rivals from Plymouth and Chevrolet. Still, Ford could afford to keep the "Vicky" around and also splurge for occasional changes: a Grand Marquis-like restyle for 1998, standard horsepower bumped to 220 for 2002, and a few new features along the way. The '49 Fords suffered handling and noise problems stemming in the rushed design program. Critics raved. Road & Track called Contour "a giant step forward in the compact sedan arena." Car and Driver termed it "stunningly satisfying." Those verdicts originated from road tests of the top-line SE model and its 2.5-liter "Duratec" V-6. Compression was 7.2:1 in base trim, but could possibly be taken as high as 12:1 if required (which it wasn't). Neither critics nor many consumers were amused. Though still without a hardtop and a completely automatic transmission like Chevrolet, Ford bested 1930's imposing model-year output, making a lot more than 1.2 million cars. Rack-and-pinion steering and front-disc/rear-drum brakes completed the essential specs. Volume eased to under 25 % million for '85, then returned to at the very least 363,000 each year through decade's end. Performance was the actual big Fords had just, with available small-block and big-block V-8s offering from 195 up to rousing 425 horsepower. Helping all this was a wheelbase lengthened to 112 inches (where it would remain through 1940) as well as a wheel diameter shrunk to 17. V-8 durability kept improving, and the frame was completely redesigned. With all the Korean conflict ended, Ford Division built 1.2 million cars to edge Chevrolet at the model year (Chevy consoled itself with calendar-year supremacy), but only by dumping cars on dealers inside a production "blitz" so that they could sell for "less than cost." Ironically, Chevrolet wasn't much suffering from this onslaught, but Studebaker, American Motors, and Kaiser-Willys were, because they couldn't afford to discount as much. Not it performed that well on those roads with its untidy cornering response along with a roly-poly ride on rough sections. A more-convenient, restyled dash was featured across the line. The cockpit was comfortable too, and handsomely appointed with racing-style seats, leather upholstery, and an impressive spread of gauges and toggle-type switches over the dashboard. Power originated from a 2.3-liter four, only it wasn't the Pinto/Fairmont ohc "Lima" unit but a cut-down version of the old overhead-valve Falcon six, rated at 84 horsepower. Edge debuted with an individual powerteam comprising Ford's new 250-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 as well as a six-speed automatic transmission. Prices ranged from $684 for that six-cylinder Special coupe to $1013 for the V-8 DeLuxe woody wagon -- the first factory-built Ford to break the $1000 barrier. Appearance alterations for 1947 involved shuffled nameplates and lower-mounted round parking lights. Doing more with less, Ford introduced a fresh 215.3-cid overhead-valve six with 101 horsepower as standard for Mainline/Customline. The Skyliner was gone, but there was a new fixed-roof Starliner hardtop coupe with sleek semifastback profile. Focus bowed with two-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and four-door wagon body styles, each aimed at a specific audience. Another class exclusive was a full-length Still, twin-panel "Vista Roof" with tilt/sliding forward section measuring 2x2.5 feet. Undoubtedly helped by image rub-off from its big sister, the little LTD sold much better than Granada: nearly 156,000 for '83 and over 200,000 in 1984 and '85 -- Ford's second-best-seller after Escort. Tempo was treated to some mild flush-headlamp facelift for 1986, when it also became one of the first low-priced cars to offer an optional driver-side air bag. Prices held steady, running from $1333 for that DeLuxe business coupe to $2028 for your Squire. Only detail changes would occur to this basic design through 1954. Wheelbase crept up to 115 inches to get a revised model slate that started with an inexpensive Mainline Tudor/Fordor, business coupe, and two-door Ranch Wagon, followed by Customline sedans, club coupe, and four-door Country Sedan wagon. Though light on many specifics, this "Way Forward" plan called for closing 14 UNITED STATES plants by 2012, thus erasing some 30,000 jobs and cutting build capacity by greater than a fourth. There was no visual cribbing within the 2006 Fusion, the next prong of Ford's latest assault within the high-volume family car market. Torino Cobras could possibly be potent racing machines. Reflecting the buckets-and-console craze then sweeping Detroit were the midseason 500 XL Victoria hardtop Sunliner and coupe convertible. Ford's other 1992 freshening involved the top-selling Taurus. Better Even, a PZEV Focus cost less when compared to a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid far, was much simpler and easier to maintain, and possessed more low-end torque that improved acceleration noticeably, with automatic transmission especially. Suspension was exactly the same at each final end, comprising upper A-arms, lower L-shaped arms, coil-over monotube shocks, and thick antiroll bars. Keyed to the changing market Adroitly, Granada blended American-style luxury using the mock-Mercedes look in vogue then. Being an "import," the Crown Vic counted in Ford's non-domestic CAFE combined with the tiny South Korean-built Festiva, whose really high mileage a lot more than offset the big car's. There was nothing half-hearted about the all-new 1996 Taurus. DeLuxes were again restyled for 1939 fully, bearing a lesser Vee'd vertical-bar grille and clean front fenders with integral headlamps. To Ford's undoubted delight, the Focus was a critical success everywhere most, the entire year trophy winning awards in Europe and the 2000 UNITED STATES Car of. The four-cylinder engine was breathing its last. Ford wanted to buy it because of its cars, but Studebaker refused -- much to its later regret. Besides Borg-Warner four-speed manual gearbox and 300-, 340-, 375-, and 401-bhp 390s, there was a larger-bore 406 big-block providing 385/405 horsepower. This packed 300 standard horsepower, but was available, though on an extremely limited basis, being a high-compression "Interceptor" with 375 and 401 horsepower. Sales were good at first -- a lot more than 117,000 by 1990 -- but fell victim to some sharp drop in sporty coupe demand then. Contour did succeed, but not along with the car it replaced. Chevy then unveiled an all-new type of radical "bat-fin" cars for 1959. Ford replied with more-conservative styling that helped it close the model-year gap to significantly less than 12,000 units. Ably assisting him was the youthful "Whiz Kids" team of executives and engineers he'd recruited, including one Robert S. McNamara. A complete steel-roof model was also offered for $70 less than the "bubble-topper"; predictably, it sold much better: 33,000-plus to 1999 just. The totals were 9209 and 603 for '56 just, and the Crown Vic was dumped. From nose to tail, top to bottom, it had been an orgy of ovals on a lozenge-like form with concave lower bodysides -- what one journalist termed a "pre-dented" look. This "big and tall" subcompact had a big job, being assigned to fill the market shoes of the Escort, ZX2, and Contour. For 1983, Granada was transformed into a "small" LTD -- instead of the "big" LTD Crown Victoria. All were available with six or V-8 charged power. Appearances notwithstanding, basic architecture and underskin components were shared with other Escorts, while the engine was the same twincam Zetec within the base Contour. V-8 choices expanded via two new "FE-series" big-blocks: a 332 offering 240/265 horsepower, as well as a 300-bhp 352. A deep national recession cut Ford volume to slightly below 988,000 cars. A companion four-door hatch was added for '03. Unlike Mercury's two-year-old Villager, which Ford built-in Ohio to a Nissan design, the brand new 1995 Windstar was Dearborn's own front-drive minivan, utilizing a modified Taurus platform and drivetrains to furnish a similarly car-like driving feel. As a veteran of Ford Europe, Trotman brought a more-international outlook to the company's "Glass House" headquarters, which was populated by a lot of his European colleagues soon. Skyliner was also ousted for '55, but Ford had another basic idea. Ford Motor Company duly turned out a number of military vehicles including Jeeps (with American Bantam and Willys-Overland), and its new mile-long plant in Willow Run, Michigan, near Detroit, produced a variety of bombers through 1945. Regardless of the end from the war, the doddering mogul stubbornly continued to control an increasingly troubled Ford Motor Company until his family insisted he step down. With all of this, Ford Division remained "USA-1" in the first '90s, a year along with a like amount of light trucks selling more than a million cars. Engineered with help from Yamaha, the SHO engine turned out 220 horsepower, good for seven seconds 0-60 mph, according to Ford; Consumer Guide® managed "only" 7.4 -- great going still. Only evolutionary changes would occur through 1996, save the admirable adoption of a typical passenger airbag for '95 supplementing the already included driver's restraint. The Ford also had somewhat softer suspension tuning because it wasn't attempting to be as sporty as the Mazda. Like other SVT efforts, the "factory tuner" Focus delivered numerous upgrades at a surprisingly modest price, initially $17,480. That was so far below expectations that Ford briefly considered dropping the Freestyle after just three model years. Needlessly to say, Taurus engines mounted transversely inside a chassis with all-independent suspension. So was the basic "CVH" engine retained for several Escorts save the sporty GT three-door. Even better, it had today's ladder-type frame with Dearborn's first fully independent front suspension (via coil springs and upper and lower A-arms), and also a modern tail with open Hotchkiss drive (replacing torque-tube) and parallel longitudinal leaf springs supporting the live axle. But a $500 price premium on the all-steel convertible limited sales to just 1209 for '46, 2250 for '47, and 28 for '48 (the final actually reserialed '47s). The reason was the first all-new postwar Fords that went on sale with great anticipation in June 1948. One outside team was headed by George Walker, who hired onetime Raymond and GM Loewy employee Richard Caleal to become listed on designers Joe Oros and Elwood Engel. Wheelbase stretched two inches to 114, bodysides outward ballooned, plus a stouter frame contributed to the average 100 pounds of added curb weight. Prime among the latter was an Advance Trac antiskid system with Roll Stability Control, available with either front-wheel drive or full-time all-wheel drive. The 1938 line ushered in "two-tier styling" for 60-bhp 82A and 85-bhp 81A series. The final, but most-substantial, restyle for the big 1960 body occurred for '64, bringing heavily sculptured lower-body sheet-metal, a complex grille, and slantback rooflines for all closed models. Saving the best for last brings us to the 2004-06 Ford GT. With minor changes, Maverick would carry the division's compact sales effort through 1977, which it did well tolerably, though its old-fashioned engineering looked increasingly so with time as well as the arrival of more-capable domestic and foreign competitors. Optional "passive safety" pluses were front torso side airbags, plus curtain side airbags that deployed in the ceiling above the side windows. The "500" stood for that 500-mile NASCAR races the division was winning (Ford won every 500 in '63). Hopes were high for that 2005 500 and '06 Fusion sedans. Overall length-width-height measured 182.8x76.9x44.3 inches. Pricing probably helped close many a sale. Ford gave it standard seven-place seating on a 120 also.7-inch wheelbase, slightly longer than that of Chrysler's extended-length Grand models. A conventional suspension and cast-iron six -- mostly a 170-cid unit of 101 horsepower -- certainly looked dull close to Corvair engineering, but designed for friendly, roomy little cars that rode well and delivered 20-25 mpg. Power by Ford was a must, so the GT received a supercharged version of Ford's all-aluminum 5.4-liter V-8. Besides a fresh Fairmont-based Mustang, 1979 saw the fruition of the "Panther" design project within an LTD that has been genuinely downsized. With base and luxury coupe, EXP eased below 26,000 for '87, then was abandoned in 1988 as a negative bet, though this did free up assembly-line space for regular Escorts. Though Ford briefly considered retaining it, the low-selling Sportsman was dropped for '49 along with other offerings regrouped into Custom and Standard series. A new 250-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 was planned for 2007 to address the lack of zip. The 1965 platform got a touch up for '66, and LTDs gained "7-Litre" companions powered by Thunderbird's big 345-bhp 428 engine. So did a string of recalls and launch glitches involving the new Escape, 2001 Thunderbird, redesigned '02 Explorer, and the small Focus, Ford's latest attempt at a "world car." Other new models just like the Lincoln LS and sister Jaguar S-Type didn't sell needlessly to say. The V-8 itself got a new carburetor and manifold that increased advertised horsepower to 85 -- some claim actual power was 90. By now, the majority of its early problems were bad memories just. Starting in 1935, Ford built these bodies itself in the plant at Iron Mountain on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a perfect location because of nearby hardwood forests that minimized transportation costs. Lending added styling distinction were unique lower-body extensions and inboard front fog lamps. The 289 was detuned to 195 horsepower for '68, once the aforementioned 302 arrived as a new option. A '49 Ford couldn't quite reach 100 mph, but hopping in the flathead V-8 was simple still, cheap, and easy. The second-generation Probe was the final, with production ending in '97. In 1999 these four makes were combined with Lincoln and Mercury into a new division, Premier Automotive Group (PAG). With all of this, Ford is at a fight because of its life. Later, Ford didn't need such tricks to adhere to CAFE, so parts and labor were re-sourced to help make the Crown Vic truly "American" again. But more downsizing wasn't the solution. Ford made only minor styling changes for 1936, however they were good ones. Mileage was at the very least respectable at 19-20 mpg, but power was lackluster despite respectable 0-60-mph times of 7.5-8.0 seconds with either powertrain. Despite its ultimate demise, Probe was as much symbolic as Taurus of Ford's strong '80s resurgence, a phoenix-like renaissance engineered by Donald E. Petersen (president from 1980, chairman after 1984) and his young, enthusiastic executive team. The plant also turned out MX-6s and 626 sedans for Mazda's U.S. Most could possibly be had with Standard or DeLuxe trim, the latter featuring brighter colors and spiffier interiors typically. Volume then declined to under 110,000, but remained healthy through decade's end. The V-8 was pushed up to exactly the same 90 horsepower as the six -- likely with the stroke of a engineer's pen. The "Fox" program that produced Fairmont was among Ford's first projects initiated following the 1973-74 energy crisis, but it wasn't Dearborn's only attempt at downsizing. That engine vanished after '87. At decade's end, it was selling no more than 400 also,000 more cars each year than in 1960 -- despite expansion into important new markets: economy compacts, intermediates, and sportier standard-size models. Luxury was emphasized with a new LTD Brougham hardtop coupe further, hardtop sedan, and four-door sedan. Regardless of trim, Fusion showed the same good workmanship as the Five Hundred, the best ever from Ford and competitive with Accord and Camry fully. Numerous refinements marked Escort's evolution through 1990. There were three-door hatchbacks and four-door wagons always, plus hatchback sedans after 1981. All rode a 94.2-inch wheelbase and employed transverse-mounted four-cylinder engines -- a new "CVH" single-overhead-cam design with hemispherical combustion chambers -- initially teamed with four-speed overdrive manual or three-speed automatic transaxles. The last were the nicest inside, with contemporary metal-look accents, tasteful "piano black" panels instead of the usual test-tube wood, easy-read gauges, and convenient, logical controls. Along with that year's new Thunderbird, it announced Ford's turn to "aero" styling. Models comprised two sedans as well as a wagon initially, an individual sedan after 1999. All aimed to provide only economical yet stylish transportation at a minimal price, that was all lots of people needed. Chunkier, more-"important" styling marked the '62 standards, which regrouped into Galaxie/Galaxie 500/Station Wagon lines spanning roughly the same models. Come midseason, a fresh Galaxie series of two- and four-door pillared and pillarless sedans generated high buyer interest and strong sales making use of their square but stylish Thunderbird-inspired wide-quarter rooflines. To complement the chassis, the 2 2 2.5 Duratec V-6 received higher compression, deep-breathing exercises, and other measures to attain 195 bhp (later 200), delivered by way of a mandatory short-throw five-speed manual gearbox. Handling was believe it or not impressive: race-car sharp yet road-car forgiving, with mild understeer changing to power-on oversteer whenever your right foot commanded. Ford was copying the no-hassle price policy of GM's Saturn subsidiary, nonetheless it was nonetheless a timely counter to Chevy's Cavalier, which was doing a similar thing -- not forgetting Japanese small cars which were rapidly upgrading the scale because of strengthened yen. A mid-1985 upgrade brought a larger 1.9-liter (113. 5 cid) "CVH" with 86 horsepower in carbureted form or 108 with option electronic port fuel injection. A new camshaft and better crankcase further enhanced the lively V-8 ventilation, as well as the frame and rear axle up were beefed. One reason was the simultaneous arrival of a fresh downsized Thunderbird on this same platform. Unfortunately, so was its snug interior. Unfortunately, the Fords had some structural weaknesses (principally roof panels) and were prone to rust, one reason you don't see that many today. Things really were tough in Detroit. Though sales gradually declined because of competition from both inside and outside the division, Falcon was always profitable. Iacocca soon put an final end to the mundane people-movers favored by Bob McNamara, and by 1970 Ford was offering some exciting cars. Leading the 1970 line were modestly facelifted full-size Fords with "poke-through" center grille sections on LTDs and XLs, plus revamped rear ends on all models. Yet such was the uncertainty in Dearborn that planners allowed Taurus to hang on through 2006, reduced to a set of sedans with all the old pushrod V-6 just. Tempo then marked time for 1989-90 apart from price/equipment shuffles. Enthusiasts loved it, but the SVT Focus wouldn't be around long, departing after 2004. One reason was that Ford needed to freshen its small car to keep buyer interest. As mentioned, Taurus took over as America's most-popular car line in '92. For Ford Motor Company as a whole, 1959 seemed to justify the strenuous efforts of Henry Ford II and board chairman Ernest R. Breech. Prices slightly rose, now covering a $599-$921 spread. Initial engines were the proven 2.0-liter Zetec fours -- 110-bhp single-cam and 130-bhp twincam -- but most the rest was appealingly different. Known within Ford as D3, it was designed in collaboration with Volvo to be quite strong except in a collision, when it would absorb energy in a controlled, protective fashion. To produce the car, Ford and Mazda setup a new factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, not far from historic River Rouge, as part of a jv named Auto Alliance aptly. A zippy $1495 SR package was added for 2000 with an extra 13 horses, tuned suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, alloy wheels, performance tires and special seats, nonetheless it did nothing to spark sales. After burning through a lot more than $15 billion in 1999-2000, Ford lost an astounding $5.45 billion in 2001 and almost a billion more in '02. The main one major complaint was a marked tendency to nosedive in "panic" stops, frustrated by overboosted power brakes. R&T concluded. "Watch out. America is roaring back again to the top." Therefore it seemed. But buyers didn't seem to care. The 1966 Falcons were basically shorter versions of this year's rebodied Fairlanes, with the same type of curvy GM-like contours and long-hood/short-deck proportions of Mustang. Extensive revisions occurred for 2003, perhaps because that has been Ford's centennial year. Yet Pinto outsold the trouble-prone Vega as well as many overseas contenders usually. Crestliner's real purpose was to counter Chevy's true "hardtop-convertible," the 1950 Bel Air.D. LTD sales continued rising. Taurus was likely to depart after 2005, when just two types of wagon and sedan appeared being a transition to all-new replacements. Although Ford family no longer owns most common stock, Ford is very much indeed a family group operation still. An optional 2.0-liter (121-cid) 52-bhp diesel four from Mazda arrived for 1984 -- just in time for the beginning of a gas glut that quickly killed most all diesel demand in the U.S. Buyers wholeheartedly approved, and Granada zoomed from nowhere to get Ford Division's top-seller, outdistancing the full-sizers and swollen Torinos by wide margins. Why? Because Fairmont's basic engineering would be the foundation for some Ford Motor Company cars introduced with the mid-'80s, including a new-generation T-Bird and Mustang. Heading the line were the bucket-seat 500XL hardtop coupe and convertible in base and GT trim. This was a definite sales asset, especially for Ford after the Explorer rollover debacle. The '60s were a lot longer, lower, wider, and sleeker than the boxy '59s, and even mimicked Chevy's batfins just a little, however they looked good making use of their chrome-edged beltlines and bigger glass areas. Though Ford replaced pistons by thousands to help ease owner worries, the engine difficulties hurt sales. There was new styling, of course: smooth and rounded in Dearborn's now-expected "aero" mold, however, not "jellybean" chunky. The most obvious were an extended, more-pointed hood and a far more sharply Vee'd grille to match. The Skyliner name returned in mid-1957, but on a very different Ford: the world's first mass-produced retractable hardtop. Appearance became smoother still on 1934's 40A line. By 1984, Granada engines were carried over plus a new 232-cid V-6 initially. Ford spent a record $6 billion to introduce Mondeo, Contour, and Mercury's companion '95 Mystique. The goal was to have it ready with time for Ford Motor Company's huge June 2003 centennial gala in Dearborn. Not that many sold at list. Though conceived around a traditional front-engine/rear-drive format, it was a big improvement over Maverick: clean-lined; boxy for good interior space on a shorter 105 sensibly.5-inch wheelbase; lighter and thus thriftier than many expected. Bracketing the Taurus in proportions, price, and character, they represented an final end run round the issue of competing head-on with the perennially popular Accord and Camry. Ford's major 1971 announcement was the four-cylinder Pinto, a 2000-pound, 94.2-inch-wheelbase subcompact with fastback styling in two-door and Runabout three-door hatchback ­models. Studebaker had developed a fantastic automatic for 1950 in colaboration with Warner Gear. Yet once again, Ford's aim was slightly off. No changes at all occurred for '48, but the six was rerated to 95 horsepower, up five. Like GM's post-1967 intermediates, models divided along two wheelbases: 114-inch two-door hardtops and fastbacks (including semisporty GT variants) and 118-inch sedans and wagons. Some wondered whether Bill Ford could turn the business around, but he silenced many skeptics by moving swiftly to place Ford's "Glass House" in order. This have been this type of success that Ford not merely bought a 25-percent stake in Mazda but decided to entrust it with all of Ford's own small-car development for THE UNITED STATES. Escort's 2.0-liter diesel option was listed through '86, but generated few sales. Though it wouldn't be evident on the highway until middecade, Ford 2000 seemed a prudent plan in light of the automobile industry's ever-increasing globalization. One of their first projects was an ambitious corporate reorganization dubbed "Ford 2000." Announced in 1994, this aimed to mobilize all of the firm's global resources to improve quality, shorten product development times, and achieve greater manufacturing efficiencies. Take aerodynamics. Because the basic body shape acted as an inverted wing, the GT40 was infamous for being less-than-stable at racing speeds. New for 1982, it was Ford's first two-seater since the original Thunderbird, but its "frog-eye" styling wasn't in exactly the same league. Engines were familiar -- the 140-cid Pinto four initially, 200-cid six, and 302-cid V-8 -- but there was a fresh all-coil suspension with modified MacPherson-strut front end geometry, which mounted the coil springs on lower A-arms. These came with the 335-bhp 428 V-8 that had first appeared within the "19681/2" Mercury Cyclone as the "Cobra Jet." A $133 option was "Ram-Air," a fiberglass hood scoop connecting to a special air-cleaner assembly using a valve that ducted incoming air straight into the carb. Prices rose for 1949 again, the range now $1333-$2119. Riding a 106-inch wheelbase, these four-door sedans and four-door wagons represented Ford's strong­est-ever claim to Detroit design leadership: clean, smooth, and carefully detailed, yet not lumpy like various other low-drag "aero" cars. Chevrolet was pushing hard still, and Ford yielded the top spot in 1931 model-year volume, though only by some 4100 cars. Ford will be number 1 again for 1970 and '71 at slightly over two-million cars to Chevy's 1.5/1.8 million. But Taurus as a whole kept up its initial rip-snorting pace, besting 387,000 for '88, 395,000 for '89, and 333,000 for recession-plagued 1990. Thoughtful yearly upgrades helped. For 1988, Tempo four-doors were reskinned to look like junior versions of the brand new midsize Taurus, an effective "nip-and-tuck" operation. At that true point, Ford's1942 model-year total was just shy of 160,500 cars, versus Chevy's quarter-million-plus. Bored out to 289 cid as a '63 option, it packed around 271 horsepower -- almost one horsepower per cubic inch. Where GM was content to rebody its largest cars merely, Ford overhauled the chassis, adding standard all-disc brakes with optional antilock control and making numerous tweaks to steering, springs, shocks, and suspension geometry. No-cost antilock brakes were laudable, as was first-time option of front side airbags except within the price-leading Standard. Enhancing the lower look was a switch to balloon tires on smaller 19-inch wheels (replacing 21-inchers). Year included a numerically higher steering ratio for less effort at the wheel Running changes made through the model, and standardization of vacuum-operated windshield wipers that had been an extra-cost accessory previously. Buyers preferred higher performance over lower retail cost evidently. Ford's model-year volume declined by about 200,000 cars, but Chevy's fell a similar amount, reflecting new government-ordered restrictions on civilian production prompted by the Korean War. With competitors pushing hard, the essential '86 design was looking for an update now, so Ford spent a cool $650 million to provide it one. Ford's path with the 1960s closely parallels that of rival Chevrolet. That left a four-door sedan with airy "six-light" roofline in base and uplevel LX trim; a sportier Touring Sedan was added in the fall. Old Henry had finally given in for the latter point -- three years after Chevrolet and 11 years behind Plymouth. Ford continued to stress safety for a couple more years, but put more emphasis on performance. The costs were right, running from just over $17,000 to near $22,000 before options. Corporate profits hit a record $7.2 billion in 1999 as the stock market and new-vehicle demand stayed strong within an unprecedented boom economy. Engines were exactly like Fairmont's: standard 2.3-liter four, optional 200-cid six, and "fuel crisis" 255 V-8 (the last eliminated after '81). However, only third and second gears worked automatically; a shift to low needed to be made manually. Ford tried to create them passably economical, then gave up and fitted a larger fuel tank. Billed because the first within a promised fleet of Ford "world cars," it was ­jointly created by the firm's U.S., British, and German branches under Project "Erika," but the European version ended up sleeker and faster than its American cousin. Another constant of Ford's 1980s fleet was the full-size 1979-vintage LTD, which continued beyond 1990 with just minor yearly alterations to equipment, engines and styling. Tempo's 1995 replacement stood to be always a in an easier way sell. We shouldn't leave this decade without mentioning the Probe, that was new for 1989. A sporty hatchback coupe based on Mazda's MX-6, it was a higher point for Dearborn's then 15-year-old partnership with japan automaker. Day Young Henry quickly returned Ford Motor Company to civilian production after V-J. But months of damning publicity clobbered Dearborn's image -- and its own stock price. Volvo had developed RSC because of its XC90 SUV, and Ford adopted it at the truck-based Explorer and Expedition fast. LTD became another three-model series, adding four-door sedan but losing the slow-selling 7-Litre ­models. Ford was somewhat wide from the mark with the erstwhile alternative to its old truck-like Aerostar minivan. From now on, he declared, Ford would build great trucks and cars, period. Body-on-frame construction appeared for the first time, and dimensions ballooned close to those of late-'60s Galaxies and LTDs. Young Henry II was still scrambling to bring order to the organizational and fiscal chaos he inherited from his grandfather even while the business continued losing profits by bucketful. We were holding available with all the lively "Challenger" small-block V-8 in the midsize Fairlane -- initially a 260 with 164 horsepower, a 289 with about 200 horsepower for '65 then. All previous models continued, though now over the 118-inch wheelbase. Small front air "splitters" created downforce at the nose, while side splitters beneath the doors worked as well as an enclosed bellypan to smooth airflow on the way to rear "venturi" exits. It added a bulky "bustle," but erased the increasingly old-fashioned external trunk rack and spare tire. A front stabilizer bar was standard, as was rack-and-pinion steering, offered at extra cost with variable-ratio power assist, that year a new item distributed to other Fords. Coming to midyear in 1965 were the poshest big Fords ever, the $3300 Galaxie 500 LTD hardtop coupe and sedan, claimed to become "quiet being a Rolls-Royce." The times were a-changin' indeed. The former offered six and V-8 Fordor and Tudor, alongside business and club coupes. Here, Ford applied "mini-Taurus" styling to the latest version of Mazda's small, front-drive 323/Protege to make a competent Japanese-style subcompact with much greater sales appeal against rival Toyotas, Hondas, and Nissans. Ford had built nearly 139,000 of the '68s; it built a lot more than that number for '69 twice. For 1958, Ford countered all-new passenger Chevys and modestly restyled Plymouths with a glittery facelift featuring quad headlamps and taillamps, a massive bumper/grille a la '58 Thunderbird, and much more anodized aluminum trim. Drivelines were brand-new, however. Edsel went to work, and the brand new L-head six bowed for 1941. With 226 cid and 90 horsepower, it had five more cubic inches than the V-8 along with a like number of extra horsepower -- a bit embarrassing. Signaling its mission of wooing younger, cash-short enthusiasts, it initially came in "Cool" and better-equipped "Hot" versions. Ford proudly noted that these numbers were much like those of 7.0-liter racing GT40s. The rest of the '54 story was basically 1953 save a larger, 223-cid overhead-valve six with 115 bhp. Year The sporty XLs were within their final. The Probe was the initial fruit of this decision. While that betrayed an aging design long since covered, it also helped Ford to keep moving this metal. There is also a novel new hardtop called Skyliner, a Crestline Victoria using a transparent, green-tint Plexiglas roof insert over the front seat. The '95 tally was almost as good: just over 410,000. Like Escort, Taurus wouldn't see another major change until late decade. In large measure, this denial reflected the non-public view of chairman Henry Ford II, who decreed there would be no wholesale rush to smaller cars, no vast capital investment in new technology. Moreover, it had been new against Chevy's second facelift in two years. The typical manual transaxle shifted from a four- to five-speed after '84, using a three-speed automatic optional all full years. Dearborn was believe it or not expansive in the blissful luxury field, pouring major money into new products and plants for Aston and Jaguar Martin, acquired in the 1980s, adding Land Rover then, another British icon, and well-regarded Volvo of Sweden. Their "standard" wheelbase swelled to 119 inches for 1960, then became 121 after 1968. They were heavy cars (3000-4000 pounds), & most weren't rewarding to drive except with an Interstate, but certain variations were surprisingly capable on winding roads. The 500 could have replaced the Crown Victoria: over the foot shorter overall plus some 500 pounds lighter, yet believe it or not spacious on the wheelbase just 1.8 inches trimmer. Maverick's last gesture to the youth market was the Stallion, a 1976 trim package similar to those offered within the Mustang and Pinto II. With buyers still flocking to well-equipped Japanese cars, Ford made a decision to ladle on all kinds of standard features (including dual dashboard airbags), but this only pushed Contour quite a bit upmarket from Tempo, which have been relatively cheap. Ford kept pace with Chevrolet in the '60s production race, and actually beat it for model years 1961 and '66. A redesigned frame, altered suspension geometry, and also a switch from recirculating-ball to rack-and-pinion steering all aimed to improve ride and handling, which they did -- just a little. Though stickers had risen over time inevitably, the Crown Vic still offered plenty of good old-fashioned American metal your money can buy at around $24,000-$30,000. Sedans used MacPherson struts and coil springs at each corner, supplemented at the trunk by parallel control arms. The practical, low-priced U.S. First was a new 1981 Granada, basically the two- and four-door Fairmont sedans with a square eggcrate grille, bulkier sheetmetal, and plusher appointments somewhat. Mechanical changes included internal engine enhancements inspired by the new Mercury and hydraulic instead of mechanical brakes. Part of that came from having to match the costly zero-percent financing program instituted by GM to jump-start a stunned market after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Topping the range was the V-8 Crestline band of Victoria hardtop, newly named Sunliner convertible, and posh Country Squire four-door wagon. In comparison, that year's Ford Standards appeared as if warmed-over '38 DeLuxes. The result was surprisingly agile and responsive for a traditional full-size Detroiter and a massive improvement over the old Crown Vic. This is a good way to give an old design new appeal, also it boosted floor traffic at Ford dealers. The midsize Torino proved exceptionally popular in the early '70s, then fell from favor fuel economy became a pressing consumer concern once. Skidpad grip was world-class at near 1g, and Road & Track's test car ran the slalom some 2-mph faster compared to the much-acclaimed Ferrari Modena. One of the most charismatic roadgoing sports cars built ever, it had been nothing less than today's but faithful, street-legal reincarnation of Ford's legendary midengine GT40 endurance racer, four-time winner from the grueling a day of LeMans (1966-69), the ultimate "Total Performance" Ford. Ford was also being squeezed by escalating raw materials costs and -- the best hit -- a sharp drop in demand for its most profitable SUVs, set off by a spike in gas prices during 2005 to over $3 a gallon in lots of places. After shuffling key executives and drawing up a new organizational chart, Ford announced a recovery plan that aimed to attain $7 billion in pretax profit by 2006, mainly through "leaner" manufacturing, "smarter" engineering, plant closures, worker layoffs, and supplier concessions. Ford sold 20,766 Skyliners for '57, but demand fast tapered to 14,713 for '58, to 12 then,915. The model was duly axed after 1959, a victim of new division chief Bob McNamara's no-nonsense approach to products and profits. Most front-drive models employed a six-speed automatic -- Ford's first -- and there have been all-wheel-drive versions using a "gearless" continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Cylinder-head cracks and excessive oil burning were the most frequent, however, many engine mounts worked loose and ignition problems cropped up. As before, the Model A spanned a wide range of body types: coupes, sport coupes, roadsters, and cabriolets with or without rumble seat; "Tudor" and "Fordor" sedans; a dignified Town Sedan surprisingly; as well as a wood-body station wagon. Most pundits blamed CEO Nasser. Called LTD II, it had been only a little lighter than before, and sales went nowhere. And, of course, either could drive through an optional four-speed automatic. But options could turn this sporty hunk into a real fire-breather. Falcons were also easily serviced by "shadetree mechanics" who wouldn't go near the complicated Chevy compact. When built with optional four-speed manual transmission, these were great fun to operate a vehicle. The '95s got a mild facelift, "gullwing" taillights, revised climate controls and newly standard rear defroster, heated door mirrors, a radio antenna embedded in the trunk window, a "battery-saver" feature, and displays for outside temperature and "gallons to empty. " with all these additions Even, base price was comfortably below $25,000. By 1987, Escort's plethora of alphabet series have been sifted down to a stark three-door called Pony, volume-selling GL (all three body styles), and three-door GT. So was the LTD name -- but the Crown Vic wagon also, Ford having concluded that minivans and sport-utility vehicles had largely replaced traditional full-size wagons in buyer affections now. Yet, even they were likely surprised with the success of Taurus, the front-drive 1986 replacement for the junior LTD within the all-important midsize market. In the end, supply was limited -- about 4000 worldwide max, said Ford -- and demand because of this thrilling machine was often greater. Production was thus meager through 1990: about 25,000 or so. The most-important interim development was standardizing the passenger air bag for '94. For 1977, the old Torino was refurbished with cleaner exterior sheet metal and "badge-engineered" to pass like a new-wave big car. Symbolic of all everything wrong with Detroit at that time, these Torinos were out-sized needlessly, overweight, and thirsty, with limited interior room and soggy chassis. Year Ford stayed the course yet another, abandoned the sporty-coupe market then, that was shrinking anyway fast. This offered a nostalgic buckets-and-console interior with floorshifter, a dual-exhaust V-8 pumped around 235 bhp, and the firmer-handling suspension designed for the mom-and-pop LX. Interest value was not a trait of the early '90s Tempo definitely. DeLuxes bore a chromed horizontal-bar center section flanked by painted subgrilles in the "catwalk" areas between nose and fenders. As with previous midyear model revisions, this one carried into 1989 and 1990 practically without change then. Bolstering Maverick's appeal for '71 was a notchback four-door on the 109.9-inch wheelbase (almost the same as the original Falcon's), a sportier two-door called Grabber, as well as a newly optional 302 V-8 as an alternative to the 100-bhp 170 six. Wheelbase grew an inch; profiles were lower and five inches longer. GTs carried a big-block 390 creating a potent 335 horsepower. That came in 1945, when he handed the reins to grandson Henry Ford II, who would hold them for another 33 years, many of them successful. See separate entries at the stories in the personal-luxury T-Bird and the new-for '65 Mustang "ponycar," the two most-specialized Fords of the period. But suddenly it all turned sour. But they were only a short-lived bridge to the entire year 2000 as well as the debut of a far more ambitious small Ford. But Ford all together did splendidly in banner 1955, shattering its postwar record of 1953 by building 1 nearly.5 million cars. A twin-disc clutch and Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle conveyed all the might to the rear wheels by way of a helical limited-slip differential. SHO pricing remained steady in these years unusually, but that nor the automatic was much help to sales neither. A 115-bhp 200-cid six was standard for several however the Torino GT convertible, hardtop coupe, and new fastback hardtop (all duplicated within the 500 line), which was included with the 210-bhp 302-cid V-8 in addition to buckets-and-console interior, pinstriping, and more perfor­mance options when compared to a salesman could memorize. In concept it had been similar to Virgil Exner's downsized '62 Plymouths and Dodges. Regardless of the year-to-year sameness, many buyers still craved big, Detroit-style luxury, and the fact that fewer such cars were available as gas became cheaper again only worked within the Crown Vic's favor. Ford has staked its reputation -- and thus its future -- on innovation. The AWD/CVT combination was unique among family cars and thus somewhat risky, but many buyers took a liking to Five Hundreds so equipped for his or her all-weather traction and promise of good fuel economy. Aside from better handling, this arrangement opened up more underhood space for easier servicing. Ford also hoped to gain a competitive, er, edge using a versatile five-passenger seating package, a center console big to get a laptop computer enough, and "lifestyle" options like a plug-in for digital music players, rear-seat DVD, and satellite radio. Slightly larger than Explorer, with lots of room, nice looks, pleasant driving manners, and competitive $25,000-$30,000 pricing, the Freestyle should have sold like 25-cent Starbucks lattes. A 2000-model restyle, a lot of it patterned in the less radical Mercury Sable, aimed at wider public acceptance, as did a fresh, more user-friendly dashboard. Start with the "New Edge" styling, a parting gift from corporate design chief Jack Telnack. That and a price identical using the Sunliner convertible's -- $2164 -- held '54 Skyliner sales to 13,344. Only the Country Squire and Mainline business coupe fared worse. But Ford still couldn't match their independent front suspension, and wouldn't until 1949. Sealed-beam headlamps arrived, as in Detroit elsewhere, ­­neatly housed in more upright fender nacelles There were also unexpected conveniences including automatic climate control, power windows/locks/mirrors, tilt tyre, and keyless entry. Dominating the spacious interiors was an obviously European-inspired dashboard with some controls sensibly copied from the best of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Saab. Mid-1970 brought the ultimate Falcons: a stark wagon and two sedans derived from the intermediate Torino (which had evolved from the Fairlane). But Focus was a masterpiece of space utilization, offering more passenger and cargo space than those earlier small Fords, as well as the majority of its rivals. With gotta-be-first types waving dealers and checkbooks seeing potential windfalls, market prices overnight soared, reaching a quarter-million or even more by some accounts. Ford had its best NASCAR year ever in 1965, winning 48 of 55 events, including 32 straight at one point. Like other Dearborn SUVs, car- and truck-based alike, the Edge also offered optional front torso side airbags and curtain side airbags -- what Ford called a "Safety Canopy. " Ford also mined Volvo's deep experience with safety design to design a unibody structure that was tight, strong, and solid. Fields admitted. "We lost touch with this customers, particularly our car customers." One result was that Chevrolet became America's top-selling nameplate in 2005, finally wresting the crown from Ford after 19 years. Introduced during 1975, it had been conceived being a slightly larger Maverick using the same chassis and drivetrains just. Ford finally offered a self-shift transmission in Ford-O-Matic Drive -- a three-speed automatic to outdo Chevy's two-speed Powerglide. A reworked suspension with stiffer shocks and springs, bigger brakes, and 16-inch rolling stock made cornering nimble and near neutral -- a revelation for the domestic front-drive sedan -- yet ride was scarcely less supple than in mainstream Contours. Assisting in their design was Gordon Buehrig, the famed designer of Classic-era Auburns, Cords, and Duesen­bergs who'd also had a submit the '51 Victoria. To some, the pre-'66 Falcons were the ultimate "throwaway" cars: made to sell at a low price -- initially just under $2000 -- and to be discarded within five years (some said one year). Standard XLs came with a 120-bhp 200-cid six, but most were ordered with ­optional 289 V-8s. A modest reskin followed for '98, when the two low-line models were dropped and the LX and SE became better dollar values through careful realigning of prices and standard features. To keep performance parity with the five-speed model, the 3.0-liter Yamaha V-6 was enlarged for that shiftless SHO to near 3.2 liters (192 cid), yielding a good 20 extra pound-feet of torque (220 in every), though no more horsepower. The venerable flathead V-8 was honorably retired for 1954 in favor of a fresh overhead-valve "Y-block" V-8 (so-called due to its frontal appearance in cross-section). A division mainstay through the entire '80s was the subcompact Escort, the new front-drive 1981 alternative to Pinto. Interestingly, that gearbox was built and designed in conjunction with GM. Though Fusion was emerging as this book was prepared just, first reviews and early sales reports suggested Ford had think of a winner. But though Plymouth arguably won the styling stakes with its finned "Forward Look," 1957 was an excellent Ford year. More's the pity, for your 1996 model represented a significant improvement over past Tauruses in lots of ways. A redesigned dash gave the interior a more upscale look. Despite a wheelbase half-an-inch than Taurus' longer, the Contour back was frankly cramped in, with little underseat footroom and marginal knee, leg, and headroom. But this is easily overshadowed by crisp new bodies with headlamps nestled firmly in the fenders along with a prow-type grille composed of fine horizontal bars (stretched rearward at the top). Starliner bowed after 1961 out, when standards were face­lifted with a full-width concave grille (with '59-style insert) along with a return to round taillights capped by discreet blades. Escort's original 1.6-liter (98-cid) engine had just 69 horsepower, but by 1983 was around 72/80 horsepower with two-­barrel carb or 88 horsepower in optional throttle-body fuel-injected form. The Fairmont had more than done its job. Nevertheless, the SHO was a very slow mover around the sales chart, due to the fact there is no automatic option and the required Mazda-supplied manual five-speed suffered balky, high-effort shift action. This is the Fairlane Crown Victoria, a hardtop-style two-door sedan using a bright metal roof band wrapped up and over from steeply angled B-posts. The hood extended back again to the windshield now, fenders were "skirted" and dipped low in front, sharp corners were rounded off, and rear-hinged doors appeared on closed models. Market share, which had been sliding for a complete decade, was down to 17.4 percent, the lowest since 1927, and seemed likely to go lower still. Lee A. Iacocca took charge as Ford Division general manager in 1960. George Walker left the next year and Eugene Bordinat became Dearborn's design chief. The more conventionally styled sedan and wagon emphasized value, practicality, comfort, even luxury with the right options. Cooler heads prevailed, however, and the twenty-first-century Country Squire was given an indefinite reprieve. Can it succeed? While we can not say for sure as of this writing, we think there is a better-than-even chance. Ford wouldn't top Chevy again until 1934 despite scoring a coup with America's first low-priced V-8. It had been the sort of small car one expected from Europe. While Ford's total volume improved to near 691,500, it remained about two-thirds of Chevy's, which went up a lot more, to slightly over a million. Sprints offered special exterior I.D., vinyl bucket seats, console, and 6000-rpm tachometer. Several magazines both in the home and abroad drove the GT against Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, along with other pricey "exoticars," and picked the Ford not merely for its stunning abilities, but as the best value. A fresh confection was the V-8 Crestliner, a special-edition Custom Tudor priced $100-$200 above the standard article. Falcon replied towards the hot-selling Corvair Monza within the spring of 1961 with the bucket-seat Futura two-door. Fairmont wagons used in this relative line for '82. As in recent years, this styling was created by E.T. The glamorous droptop Sunliner was now a Fairlane 500 and came with the base V-8. And there is still the thorny problem of weaning buyers from the costly purchase incentives they'd been used to for years. A clever new "one price" program helped. The tall body provided a more natural seating posture front and rear also, plus vast trunk space. Collectible Automobile magazine thought the SVT Contour so good that it would one day be a coveted keepsake. The last was standard for a fresh three-door GT model, which was included with five-speed also, firm suspension, and black exterior trim. Though Dearborn was slow to enter this new fast-growing segment, the Edge itself was well-timed, arriving behind a larger just, redesigned Toyota RAV4 and of a new-generation Honda CR-V ahead. Underneath was a stronger chassis with a totally new front suspension evolved from NASCAR experience. This ran on regular gas using a two-barrel carb and delivered 210 bhp; using a four-barrel it made 230 horsepower on premium fuel, though emissions considerations end that version soon. Horsepower here was also 140, but the 3.8's extra torque provided quicker acceleration compared to the 3.0. Using its ultramodern styling, good performance, and prices far lower than those of certain covetedGerman sedans, Taurus charged up the sales chart just like a bull inside a china shop. Though classed as a big car by Consumer Guide®, the EPA, among others, the Five Hundred arrived with a midsize-car engine: a modestly improved "Duratec 30" twincam V-6 with 203 bhp. While Fairmont continued carrying Ford's banner within the compact segment, two derivatives served because the division's midsize warriors. At exactly the same time, hard-charging Jacques Nasser was elevated to president and ceo after 2 yrs as head of UNITED STATES operations. For several its race-car breeding and heritage, the Ford GT was quite happy to dawdle along at town speeds and could "soak up road imperfections with ease," to quote Road & Track. Edsel promised a six, then had to reckon along with his father. The GT arrived with one major glitch: lower suspension control arms that proved susceptible to cracking due to faulty casting. With regard to everyone within the ongoing company and everything who love cars, we hope Ford should come up with the "better ideas" it so urgently needs. Dearborn designers and decision-makers evidently had the within track on what appealed to American buyers. Consistent with a fast-growing Detroit trend, both Contour engines could go 100,000 miles without a tune-up. The 1930 Ford Model A received several changes that seem minor now but were major at that time. Model-year '52 introduced a clean, new, square-rigged Ford having a one-piece windshield, simple grille, small round tail-lamps, and an "air scoop" motif on the lower rear flanks. Sharing a coupe bodyshell and running gear with this year's new fat-cat Mercury Cougar, this Grand Torino Elite leaned heavily on "Thunderbird tradition" with most every personal-luxury cliche of the time: overstuffed velour interior, a square "formal" grille, stand-up hood ornament, and a vinyl-covered rear half-roof with dual "opera" windows. By 2006, Dearborn counted five straight years of declining sales representing over a million units lost -- Detroit's worst performance undoubtedly. Who may have imagined that back in 1956? However the interesting SHO was canceled for insufficient interest, along with other Tauruses changed hardly at all around the next six seasons. Still, the speedy Ford V-8 was attracting a legion of fans. Begun in 1992, this offered the four LX models with several popular options for just $10,899 with five-speed manual transmission or $11,631 with optional four-speed automatic. Year to the next Soldiering on with few evident differences in one, Ford's front-drive compact tended to obtain lost in the fantastic gray mass of Detroit market-fillers that you were more apt to rent on vacation than put in your driveway. Offerings expanded for '37 with the help of a small-bore 136-cid V-8, originally devised for the European market to take advantage of tax laws predicated on displacement. Though not unexpected amid so much turmoil, the constant personnel shuffling only added to the perception that Ford -- GM too -- was heading toward bankruptcy. Ford scored higher 1970 sales using its new compact Maverick, a semifastback two-door on the 103-inch wheelbase. Although CVH gained sequential-port fuel injection and distributorless electronic ignition, it remained a gruff and noisy slogger with just 88 horsepower. Initial body styles were exactly like before. Like Ford, GM still relied an excessive amount of on truck sales and was trying to "shrink its in the past to profitability" in the face of market changes it hadn't foreseen. It didn't work that well, but Ford tried to make it better, fitting throttle-body injection and adding a 100-bhp "H.O." (high-output) option for '85. Using a sensational top speed of 78 mph relatively, the peppy V-8 Ford caused a storm of public interest, garnering over 50,000 advance orders. So Even, these were very worthy automobiles -- the first tangible evidence that Henry II was firmly in charge. But the '49 was the most-changed Ford since the Model A, and was as much a hit. Worse, price hikes of around $1000 chilled early demand, prompting the addition of a detrimmed price-leader G sedan during the '96 season. This and the use of mechanical brakes through 1939 left Ford distinctly behind the changing times, but old Henry better believed simpler was, and he was nothing if not stubborn. But "GT44" didn't sound right, and another company had legal claim to "GT40" and wouldn't cease, the easy GT moniker hence. Gregorie under Edsel Ford's guidance. A new all-Ford design optional on lesser Contours, this engine made 170 spirited horses -- enough for Consumer Guide®'s five-speed car to charge from 0 to 60 mph in only 8.9 seconds. A new bodyshell arrived for '69 using a two-inch longer wheelbase, a "tunneled backlight" for newly named "SportsRoof" fastbacks, and ventless door glass on hardtops and convertibles. Came a revised four-cylinder car Then, the Model B. Both this and the new 1932 V-8 Model 18 shared evolutionary styling, a 106.5-inch wheelbase (up three inches through the A's), and the same broad body-style array. Nonetheless it wasn't a whole copy. The latter was standard for GT newly, which gained its own asymmetric body-color grille, aluminum wheels, bigger tires, rear spoiler, and rocker panel "skirts." All Escorts were mildly facelifted with smoother noses within the "aero" idiom pioneered by the '83 Thunderbird, marked by flush headlamps. One was GM's two-year lead in downsizing. The "tiara" looked like a roll bar, but added no structural strength; a Plexiglas insert rode of it ahead, as on Skyliner. Both cars employed an aluminum space-frame overlaid with aluminum panels, but the GT benefited from manufacturing techniques unknown within the 1960s. As a total result, it had been claimed to become 40 percent stiffer than Ferrari's formidable F360 Modena, an integral rival, curb weight was slightly below 3400 pounds yet, a lot more than respectable for the dressed road car fully. Nasser traded charges with Firestone officials within the media and before Congressional investigators, then ponied up $3.5 billion to displace some 6.5 million tires. With all of this, the Probe reaches best a "half-American" car despite all-Ford styling and option of the 3.0-liter Taurus V-6 on midrange LX models for 1990-92. (The bottom GL used a 2.2-liter Mazda four, the top-line GT a turbocharged version). Falcon continued in this form through early 1970. In 1967, its this past year before emissions controls, the 289 packed 225 horsepower in "Stage 2" tune with four-barrel carburetor, and designed for some extremely fast Falcons, the sportiest of which was the ­pillared Futura Sport Coupe. Also new for '51 was Ford's first hardtop coupe, the Custom V-8 Victoria. So did the Ford board, who sacked "Jac" in October 2001. A reluctant Bill Ford took command. Nevertheless, Granada bridged a large market gap at an essential time, attractive to both compact buyers with upscale aspirations and big-car owners now energy-conscious for the very first time. Powerful and smooth surprisingly economical yet, it had been the definitive small V-8. It averaged 371,000 buyers in its first two seasons and another 280,000 for 1986-87. Sales turned strongly upward for 1988-89 then, breaking the three-quarter-million mark for both years combined. Ford's biggest cars from the 1960s were variously offered as Custom/Custom 500, Fairlane/Fairlane 500 (pre-'62), Galaxie/ Galaxie 500, and station wagon. The SHO came only within a sedan with standard antilock all-disc brakes, a handling package with larger antiroll bars, and 15-inch aluminum wheels wearing high-speed V-rated tires. The brand new LTD thus trailed the big Oldsmobiles for second invest full-size car sales and ran far behind Chevrolet's Caprice/Impala. The Custom wagon bore Country Squire script, but would be the last true Ford woody. The lineup ­expanded, too: low-priced Special, midrange DeLuxe, and new Super DeLuxe, all offered with either six or V-8. Still, the division was done in by an all-new Chevy, which tallied better than 1.7 million. The interior was special too, boasting multi-adjustable front bucket seats, sport cloth upholstery, center console, and, to match the high-winding engine, an 8000-rpm tachometer. The Standard two-passenger coupe still sold for little more than $500, while the DeLuxe Fordor cost only $615. High prices -- around $400 -- made these engines relatively uncommon. The car then reemerged in mid-1986 because the Escort EXP, with a similar new flush-headlamp front, revamped dash, and 1.9-liter engines for two models: 86-bhp Luxury Coupe and 108-bhp Sport Coupe. An optional five-speed manual arrived for 1983. All-coil four-wheel independent suspension persisted throughout, with MacPherson struts and lower control arms fore, modified struts on trailing arms and lower control arms aft. Still, this is the closest America had yet come to an inexpensive European-style sports sedan. The name itself originated from Ford's exciting early-'80s series of aerodynamic concept cars, but proved to possess unexpectedly offensive connotations. As well as ball-joint front suspension, also new, the Y-block narrowed the engineering gap between expensive and inexpensive cars greatly. First, though, Ford Motor Company must get on its feet back. With V-8 production at full strength, Ford's model-year volume rose by 100,000 cars -- impressive for difficult 1933, however, not enough to beat Chevrolet. When Caleal became disenchanted with the direction taken by another members of the Walker team, he was given permission to pursue their own ideas at his home in Indiana. Then, in 2000, the cash-cow Explorer and its own original-equipment Firestone tires were implicated in rollover crashes linked to almost 300 deaths and scores of injuries. Even the Mondeo dash was little altered at the States. Another talking point was a fresh unibody corporate platform. New lower-body sheetmetal gave the 1963 "Super-Torque" Galaxies a cleaner, leaner look, announced by way of a simple concave grille. There was an extremely deluxe Town Car with canvas-­covered formal roof also. All Falcons were reskinned for 1964-65 with pointy front fenders and generally square, less-distinctive lines. Such humdrum matters were forgotten for the open road fast, and on the racetrack especially. But all of this only adds to the mystique of the perfect Ford that was gone much too soon, shot down by "Way Forward" cuts combined with the Wixom, Michigan, plant that built the cars and largely yourself carefully. Styling became smoother in mid-1988: revamped rear quarters for sedans, a fresh grille and spoiler for GT, and minor cleanups elsewhere. Ford swallowed its pride and recalled all 448 GTs built in 2004, the initial full production year. That was twice the trouble of the original Taurus program, but included the high costs of developing two brand-new engines, manufacturing facilities, and the most common new-model tooling. Nice looks, high utility, and a complete selection of passenger-car safety features netted healthy sales. Chairman Alex Trotman hoped another daring design would grab the general public just like the original Taurus had and turn the styling spotlight away from the new "cab-forward" Chrysler/Dodge models competing with Taurus. Ford wouldn't have its automatic transmission until 1951, though it tried to get one earlier. But nothing seemed to help, so Ford pulled the plug on Contour after 2000. Sibling Mondeo continued, however, remaining quite popular in Europe -- to become accorded a full redesign a couple of years later enough. That engine could possibly be ordered on any Fairlane, and racers were quick to put it in stripped two-door sedans, which earned respect for their competitive prowess. The fantastic old man himself offered in 1947. Unlike his grandfather, "HFII" consistently sought and encouraged talented managers. With a heavy option load Even, these Escorts seldom broke the $17,000 barrier, they were more refined and better built than previous models yet, to stand comparison with some import-brand rivals enough. The fenders themselves were beautifully curved to check body contours; rear fender skirts, long a favorite accessory, imparted an sleeker look even. Overall, Windstar was eight inches longer than a Grand along with a foot longer than Villager nearly. Without noticeable change in wheelbases, Fairlane got another physical body and styling change for 1968. Joining the base and 500 lines was a new Torino series, Ford's lushest intermediates yet. Tuned versions in sports-racers like the Ford GT40 and Shelby Cobra disproved the old adage about there being "no replacement for cubic inches." In fact, the GT40 nearly took the world GT Manufacturers Championship away from Ferrari in 1964, its first full season. It comprised upgraded interior appointments color-keyed to a special paint scheme crowned by a matching vinyl top. Much of the amount of money went toward things that didn't show but made a good car better still, particularly within the areas of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). Buyer requests prompted the addition of conventional grille for '93, when the Touring was dropped. By 1985, only the four, V-6, and an optional 165-bhp 302 V-8 were fielded, the final reserved for the semi-sporting LX sedan that sold 3260 copies just. Opt for an SE with desirable extras like ABS and traction control and you were more than $20,000, which was Taurus money. 170-bhp 292 V-8 and Cruise-O-Matic. Being among the most thoughtful: optional anti-lock brakes for sedans and a standard driver-side air bag for all 1990 models. Not the GT, the result of several effective modifications that were very hard to identify. But nothing new was needed in the car-starved early-postwar market really, and Ford output exceeded 429,000 units for 1947. The total was only 248,000 the following year, but that only reflected an early end to 1948 production. The firm would recover, but not prior to making drastic product changes. With intermediates overtaking in competition, the best Fords no more needed any kind of "performance" image to support sales. Arriving in spring 1990 as an early-'91 model, it had been another "world car," though just as as Probe. Wheelbase was a trim 109.5 inches through 1965, then 110.9 (113 for wagons). Ford was more on target using a redesigned Escort that rang up a lot more than 655,000 sales for model years 1997-98 and more than 100,000 each for '99 and 2000. The previous Mazda Protege-based design returned having a smooth new wrapper and also a 110-bhp 2.0-liter single-cam Zetec four-cylinder, thus ousting the old CVH engine at last. Previewed as an engineering prototype on the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the GT was developed for production by way of a small dedicated team. But none of this did much for sales. A final indignity for Ford was an exodus of talented people, a "brain drain" the company could ill-afford on this new crisis. The Torino Cobra returned as Ford's "budget muscle car" with standard 360/375-bhp 429 V-8. Of course, there was little here to interest enthusiasts. The only real options, in fact, were a charged power moonroof and CD player. Its initial 239 cid was the same as flathead displacement, however the ohv had different "oversquare" cylinder dimensions. The better-trimmed V-8-only Custom deleted the business enterprise coupe but added a convertible and a fresh two-door structural-wood wagon (replacing the previous four-door style). With all of this, what Ford trumpeted as a "New American Road Car" must have scored even higher output than the 357,000 recorded for '79. There were even reports of owners blatantly "flipping" barely used GTs in pursuit of a fat, fast profit. Speaking of which, the 272 V-8 delivered 173 horsepower like a '56 Mainline/Customline option. Acceptable road-car passenger space was the explanation, however the cockpit was still race-car cozy for six-footers. There were ovals inside too ­aplenty, including a big one in the middle of the dash with oddly curved arrays of look-alike pushbuttons for audio and climate functions. A recall slowed early deliveries, however the real problem was sticker shock. The foundation of this unparalleled success was the world's first mass-produced car: the cheap, simple Model T, whose lovable quirkiness was matched only by that of its creator, company founder Henry Ford. Such intense competition and a far more knowledgeable public made "new or die" imperative even in the household car field, yet Ford had staked its future more on new trucks than new cars. Nonetheless it was delayed by the peculiar conditions Henry imposed on his engineers, so the Model A appeared with only four-cylinder power as an interim measure. Both body styles had since lost whatever favor they once had long, but Ford was far behind its rivals in realizing this fact (Plymouth's last roadster and phaeton appeared in 1932, Chevrolet's in '35). Ford tried to correct its mistakes for 1997 with the addition of a lower-priced low-frills Contour and scooping out leading seatbacks and rear-seat cushion for a bit more aft legroom. The romantic roadster was history, and the equally old-fashioned phaeton (a throwback to touring-car days) was in its final season. But aside from that and a few other cosmetic details, the '53s were basically '52s with higher prices, now ranging from $1400-$2203. Ford also moved from "Chevy-follower" to "Chevy-leader" within the 1960s. Its compact Falcon outsold the rival Corvair far, its 1962 midsize Fairlane was 2 yrs of Chevelle ahead, and its own phenomenally successful Mustang sent Chevrolet racing towards the drawing board to create the Camaro. Efforts for 1950 aimed at quashing the bugs from '49. Introduced in early '69, Maverick was much like the original Falcon in size, price, performance, and simplicity; its basic chassis and powertrain were the same even. Hidden-headlamp grilles marked the '68 LTDs and Galaxie XLs as part of a lower-body restyle for several models. The reason was CAFE, the organization Average Fuel Economy law that took effect with model-year '78 but had lately been relaxed somewhat. Ford did fumble with minivans, however, not seriously. A fuller look marked the 1935 Model 48 Fords, with smaller windows and a far more prominently Vee'd grille than 1933-34. Also new was an integral trunk for sedans. The honor was rather remarkable considering that Focus was fending off new import competition with only evolutionary changes, a confusing parade of model names and equipment shuffles mainly. Not that Taurus was entirely neglected. And the 1950s were better: tighter and quieter in corners and rough-road driving alike. Chevrolet sold over 1.1 million, but spent a lot more money to take action. Even a mild 390 XL could scale 0-60 mph in 9 relatively.3 seconds; a 427 reduced that to just over 7 seconds. Year in 1965 Ford enjoyed its first two-­million-car, year for all domestic automakers though that has been a great. The hatchback played both entry-level and sporty roles, offering the widest selection of options. It had been undoubtedly Dearborn's single most crucial new product of the decade, although few knew that beyond your company. Ford sold over 236,000 from the '86s and 375 nearly,000 for '87 -- astounding for that which was, after all, a very daring departure to get a middle-class American car. As a total result, Ford greeted 1980 a critical 2-3 years behind GM in the fuel efficiency and "space" races -- and at a crucial sales disadvantage next to its domestic foes as well as a horde of fast-rising Japanese makes. First, the economy unraveled as overpriced "tech stocks" tanked, taking Wall Street and the economy down using them. GL was renamed LX, as well as the dash was restyled another time. Rolling stock was suitably beefy but not "bad boy" outrageous, with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires wrapped on 18x9-inch cast-alloy rims fore, 19x11.5s aft. Power was exclusively Mazda: a 2.0-liter four for the base model, a 2.5 V-6 for that sporty GT. And though an Escort underneath, it cost more considerably. Billed as the first FoMoCo car designed with the aid of computer analysis, the Fairmont (and its Zephyr twin at Mercury) was a common-sense car and pretty conventional. Styling was handled by Franklin Q. Hershey, who also gets credit for the year's new two-seat Thunderbird (see separate entry). The Cobra fastback coupe remained the most-exciting of the bunch, though its standard engine was downgraded to some 285-bhp version from the ubiquitous 351 small-block first seen for 1969. High-power and big-inch engines began disappearing at Ford and throughout Detroit in 1972. By 1980, only a mildly tuned 351 remained being an option for full-size Fords. Still, Dearborn was the final of the Big Three to abandon traditional full-size cars -- and the first ever to suffer for it. Ford was the home of "better ideas still," but by 1990 it had been also home for some of America's most-popular and respected automobiles. So Even, Ford up was only catching, not advancing the creative art, and Windstar was never a threat towards the sales-leading Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth minivans -- not even after being lightly restyled because the 2005 Freestar. Some statisticians also had Ford ahead in calendar-year volume for the very first time since 1935, though the final score showed Chevy ahead by a mere 130 cars. So were unique front and rear fascias, side sills, along with a rear spoiler, all de rigueur to get a "hot hatch." Inside were special SVT gauge graphics and two extra gauges, leather/cloth seats with heavier front bolstering, aluminum pedal caps and shift knob, and a leather-wrapped tyre. This "perfect storm" was also battering General Motors. First, Don Petersen paid the chairman's gavel in 1990 to his one-time number-two, Harold A. "Red" Poling; at exactly the same time, the president's job was reactivated following a two-year lapse for Phillip Benton, Jr. Both these men were Dearborn veterans, but they were only a transition team, for late 1993 ushered within the worldly wise Alex Trotman as both president and chairman. The old man kept a close watch on the V-8's development, badgering his engineers and telling them what to do. The team had just 16 months but kept the appointment, and the first three production examples delighted the thousands in attendance. Called Contour, it had been another stab at a "world car," born of "Ford 2000" thinking being an Americanized version from the year-old European Mondeo. Offerings comprised base GL and sporty GLS coupes and sedans now, plus four-door all-wheel drive and luxury LX models. When the V-8 had to cost more, Ford reasoned, it will have at least just as much power, even though only in some recoverable format. Value within a supercar? At only five bucks shy of $150,000 before destination charge and Gas-Guzzler Tax (triggered by low EPA ratings), the GT was the bargain in its class. But though eclipsed by those cars for image -- and by a V-8 successor for perfor­mance ultimately, the V-6 SHO was a rewarding driver's car with a nice mixture of American and European characteristics. For instance, 1982 saw the full-size F-Series pickup begin a long reign as America's top-selling vehicle of any kind. Fords looked more flowing for 1933, reflecting Detroit's swing to streamlining. Industry design trends dictated hiding some previously exposed components, so horns now hooted from behind little covered holes astride the grille. Edsel Ford have been an important force in Dearborn design for some time, and his tasteful new '33 Ford was applauded universally. Unique twincam heads with four valves per cylinder, dual fuel injectors at each port, and heavily fortified internals boosted output to rarefied levels: 550 bhp and 500 pound-feet of torque. Basically, RSC employed various sensors that monitored vehicle attitude and would automatically activate the stability system to prevent a tip -- within the laws of physics, of course. Skyliner "retracs" became prime collectibles, and the retractable-hardtop concept made a comeback in the brand new millennium. At the very least it was cheap, which combined with better production in Mexico in addition to Michigan to make for suprisingly low list prices: $7976 for that stark three-door Pony to a lot more than $11 grand for that GT. As you example, Ford went through no less than four executives in five years in the positioning of president of North American operations. The '41s were the biggest, flashiest, and heaviest Fords yet. The Ford blitz is normally considered among the key factors in the independents' mid-'50s decline. It also claimed more rear-seat room, thanks to an extra 2.1 inches in wheelbase. But the name had outlived its usefulness, and Ford had a new compact, the Maverick, so Falcon was consigned to history.5-inch wheelbase. In a year of questionable styling throughout the industry, Ford was a standout -- proof that streamlining didn't necessarily mean an end to distinctive, eye-pleasing automobiles. Ford had underestimated the price sensitivity of Contour's target market, as telling a miscalculation as that tight back seat. Ford resisted the winds of change stubbornly, promoting its aging big cars on the basis of greater passenger space and the presumed safety of their "road-hugging weight." However the public didn't buy this cynical line -- or as much of the cars. It was a coup quite, yet went basically unnoticed amid Dearborn's deteriorating fortunes. From an automaker that was as close to collapse as Chrysler was in 1980, Dearborn remade itself into a trimmer, more-responsive, and vastly more-efficient outfit while fielding aggressive products that were usually right on target. Sadly, Ford stonewalled in several lawsuits all the way to federal court, which tarnished its public image severely, even if Pinto sales didn't appear to suffer much. Styling for several models was a variation on 1937 themes, announced by more-bulbous faces. Most Tauruses, though, were ordered with the new port-injected 3.0-liter "Vulcan" V-6, a 60-degree overhead-valve design rated at 140 bhp and teamed with automatic only. Taurus, too, seemed passé as the new century progressed increasingly, the essential 1995 design being left to soldier on as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry enticed buyers with three clean-sheet makeovers. Some critics blamed tepid buyer response on me-too styling, citing a close resemblance with the six-year-old Volks­wagen Passat. As late as 1990, Crown Vic did a wholesome 74,000. By that point, though, the cars themselves were sourced ­mainly from Canada. But he realized that the Second World War was a very different situation, and had geared his firm to war production already. It again powered Standards and DeLuxes now designated Model 78. V-8/60s were Standard-trim only. Coupes, sedans, and wagons in two trim levels were offered. What ­really put Pinto out to pasture after 1980 was not bad publicity but relative insufficient change -- and the advent of a far greater small Ford. The arms were replaced, and a new casting method devised. All models retained the "little Lincoln" styling crafted by Henry's artistic son Edsel (who was named Ford Motor Company president in 1919), however the fenders were lower and wider, the hoodline was higher, and stainless replaced nickel plate over the radiator and headlight shells. Though sales fluctuated, this line was good for an annual average of more than 118, 000 -- more in a few years considerably. That certain benefited greatly from the new twincam, 1.8-liter Mazda four with 16 valves and 127 lively horses. Most everything hidden was exactly the same or virtually identical: adept all-independent suspension, standard four-wheel disc brakes, even engines: base 2.3-liter four (originated by Mazda) and available Duratec 3.0 V-6. Yet for all its crushing dullness, Tempo remained a decent seller, with steady model-year production of more than 100,000 units through swan-song '94 -- and the '93s made a surprise spurt to raised than 238,000. Tempo's only changes of note in this era were lack of the AWD option after 1991 (when it was called "4 Wheel Drive") as well as the '92 addition from the 3.0-liter Taurus V-6 as standard for top-line GLS models (which in turn went away) and a choice elsewhere. It was hard to miss using its bold three-bar grille certainly, a signature destined for future Ford cars (plus an early Five Hundred facelift) and also a dim nod to 1966 Galaxies. Another new style, bowing within the autumn of 1930, was the Victoria coupe sporting a slanted windshield, to be commonplace throughout Detroit soon. The only drawbacks to commuting within a GT were Thighmaster-high clutch effort and the very limited visibility connected with midships cars. Prices were hiked about $100 throughout. The reason? Interesting cars that sold well. A pair of cheap "300" sedans was added (renamed Custom/Custom 500 for '64), and there was more midyear excitement in a set of 500 and 500XL sports hardtops with thin-pillar "slantback" rooflines, a little starchier compared to the old Starliner but again aimed right at the stock-car ovals. GL and midlevel LX models came with another new engine: a 2.0-liter multivalve twincam four called "Zetec," an outgrowth of Ford Europe's recently introduced "Zeta" family of small, high-efficiency powerplants. Incidentally, the Crown Vic became an "import" for a couple years in the first '90s, built north from the border with a higher degree of Canadian content. Little visible change occurred for 1931 save a painted section atop leading from the radiator shell, which made identification easy. Though nearly 31,000 were sold, EXP was still unequal to Japanese two-seaters just like the Honda CRX and Toyota MR2. As its name implied, this delivered firmer damping and wider wheels wearing performance tires also, as well as ABS and traction control. Seeking greater competitiveness, Ford slightly downpriced its '51 models and applied a stylish facelift featuring a new grille with small twin bullets on a thick horizontal bar. Dearborn must have rejoiced, because upscale Fusions with different styling and feature mixes would have the intimidating task of luring new buyers to Lincoln and Mercury, nameplates already given up for dead in many quarters. And even, by 1952, Ford Motor Company had passed a faltering Chrysler Corporation to regain the number-two spot in manufacturer volume. With this development, the familiar 221 flathead became known as the "V-8/85." For 1937 it benefited from improved cooling via relocated water pumps, plus larger insert bearings, and new cast-alloy pistons. However, he just as ­consistently encouraged their retirement -- or fired them -- when they reached a certain level of power. But unlike Chrysler, Ford retained full-size Customs and Galaxies -- a wise move even though Fairlane sold more than 297, 000 units its first year and over 300,000 for '63. Consumer Guide® gave its "Best Buy" endorsement towards the 2001-04 models. Safety glass was newly ­featured on closed models. Equally ominous, Ford's near-term domestic product pipeline looked dry, and Jaguar was gushing red ink. The Mazda, for instance, offered both engines with manual and automatic transmissions, while V-6 Fusions were confined to automatic. With 130 horse­power, this is easily the year's hottest engine in the low-price field. Fusion bowed in S, SE, and top-line SEL versions. Arriving in June was a $625 DeLuxe two-door phaeton, a jaunty five-seater with standard left-sidemount spare, chrome trunk rack, leather upholstery, and lower tyre and windshield. Chevy did move about 40,000 more domestic cars in ­calendar '91, but that was the only time it surpassed Ford in these years. That year An optional fold-out child safety seat was also added. And certain requisites like decent instruments and front-disc brakes were either late in coming (the latter didn't arrive until '76) or unavailable. But certain rivals, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry notably, had a slight edge in ride ­quality now, a big one in construction -- and were fighting fiercely for Taurus's number-one sales spot. With 130 bhp and relatively low Weight Loss Calculator (2470 pounds), the ZX2 was frisky, though no neck-snapper. More­over, Taurus took over as the country's top-selling car line in 1992 to get rid of the Honda Accord's three-year reign, though not without cash rebates and other sales incentives. Retaining the 1952-54 shell, the 1955 Ford was completely reskinned, emerging colorful if chromey, with a rakish look of motion plus a modestly wrapped windshield. Though increasingly eclipsed by famous brands Honda and Toyota, several Ford cars did well in the first 2000s. Despite many recalls too, the front-drive Focus was an unqualified success, drawing a lot more than 389,000 orders in debut 2000 and around 300,year from 2001 to '04 000 each calendar. Longtime Japanese affiliate Mazda was in big trouble also, a further drain on corporate coffers. IN THE US it had become called the "V-8/60," as it produced that much horse-power. Even so, Ford had bet heavily on these cars (dubbed "CDW127" in the company's new internal code, the letters denoting "World car" within the "C/D" size class), so that it was vital they succeed. And there is now a second V-8 convertible, a novel variation on the typical item called Sportsman. Consumer Guide® among others thought ZX2 a little pricey for what it delivered: $12,580 base for a '98 without air-con. Haulers comprised plain and fancier Del Rio two-door Ranch Wagons, a set of four-door Country Sedans, and the wood-look four-door Squire -- Ford's priciest '57 wagon at $2684. There was also a gesture toward sport in the 1978-80 ESS -- for "European Sports Sedan" -- but it was only a gesture. Filling Fairmont's shoes for 1984 was a new front-drive compact called Tempo, a notchback four-door and coupelike two-door with "jellybean" styling on a 99.9-inch chassis with suspension much like Escort's. President Franklin D. Roosevelt liked it enough to buy a convertible sedan for use at his Warm Springs, Georgia, retreat. Antilock four-wheel disc brakes were standard. All of this plus starting prices in the reduced $20,000s lit a fire under Crown Victoria sales, which jumped past 152,000 for 1992, the highest since '85. A major reskin of the essential 1957-58 bodyshells brought square lines; simple side moldings; a sculptured "flying-V" back panel heavily; and a low, rectangular grille filled up with floating starlike ornaments. The trick was high-profile styling having an overall height of 61.5 inches, up 3.2 inches on Crown Vic and 5.4 on Taurus. Will we ever see its like again? Well, the GT was the starting point for your striking Shelby GR-1 concept coupe of 2005, so that's one possibility. Developed from Bob Gregorie's wartime sketches, the Sportsman featured white ash and mahogany trim over its doors, rear body panels, and deck, as over the Chrysler Town & Country. A straight bigger bore for '63 produced a 427-cid powerhouse with 410/425 horsepower. Yet it had been less successful than the Mustang or Fairmont -- and that has been curious. The GT looked nearly identical towards the GT40, but was built on a foot-longer wheelbase of 106.7 inches. Escort set an easy sales pace with at the very least 320,000 copies in each of its first two years. Both were vital high-profit assets in market gone mad for trucks, and Dearborn gave them yearly improvements to protect their class-leading sales status. All-new aside from engines, the '65s were distinguished by simpler, more-linear styling announced by stacked quad headlamps. The twincam Zetec engine, for example, was lifted to 170 bhp via new pistons, revised cylinder head, variable intake-valve timing, and new exhaust and intake manifolds. The complete Ford line won Motor Trend magazine's "Car of the Year" award, partly due to the division's ever-widening "Total Performance" campaign. But old-fashioned it had been, and sales continued trailing toward oblivion off, falling below 64,000 for calendar '05. Cosmetic alterations were subtle but sufficient for all those in the know, and there were plenty of extra niceties such as leather upholstery. For 1988, Ford added a reengineered version of its 90-degree 3.8-liter V-6 as a new option. A lot of things had obviously gone wrong. Initially priced at $4437, the Elite didn't sell along with the Monte, though over 366,000 were built through 1976. After that point, a downsized, downpriced T-bird rendered it redundant. Actually, the division scored a considerable win in model-year output with near 1.7 million cars to Chevy's 1.5 million. With lower prices than before which magical name, the T-Bird swamped LTD II in sales. Unfortunately for Ford, the result must have scared off some buyers, for Taurus promptly lost its standing as America's top-selling car line and would never obtain it back. Arriving just below $2000 and backed by an aggressive but light-hearted ad campaign, this import-fighter scored an extraordinary 579,000 model-year sales, contributing greatly to Ford's production ­victory over Chevy. Ford discovered that the styling of the counterpart Cyclone was more aerodynamic slightly, and therefore usually ran the Mercurys in stock-car contests over 250 miles long. One magazine was actually disappointed when its Cobra ran 0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15 seconds at 98.3 miles per hour! But most everyone admitted that of all '69 "supercars" -- Plymouth GTX, Dodge Charger R/T, Pontiac GTO, Chevelle 396, and Buick GS 400 -- the Torino Cobra was the tightest, best-built, and quietest. Where Standards used slightly modified 1937 bodies, DeLuxes sported another, new look. Other passe stuff like vinyl roof covers, opera lights, and wire-wheel covers was forgotten, too. Like its 1990 makeover from the aged Lincoln Town Car, Ford went much further with this particular new Crown Victoria than was absolutely needed to fulfill the market. That year's top engine option was the brand new 390-cid version of the FE-series big-block. But they'd be cleared up soon enough, and the V-8 became known as a trusted powerplant which could stand considerable "warming up." Hot rodders loved it. Alas, many enthusiasts either didn't believe their ears or thought the Blue Oval badge too ­ proletarian. Year The following, EXP found the "bubbleback" hatch of its discontinued Mercury twin, the LN7, as well as Escort's new dash and 120-bhp turbo option. The best Crown Victoria was basically invisible a long time before the crisis took hold, a relic of much happier times for Ford and all of Detroit. All models came with a driver-side air bag per Washington's insistence; a passenger-side restraint was available also. Other Focuses offered ABS, electronic traction control, and front side airbags at extra cost, but we were holding standard for the SVT. Club coupes were abandoned, wagons grouped in a separate series, and Crestline was renamed Fairlane (after the Ford family estate in Dearborn). A notable exception was the SVT Focus, arriving for 2002 as being a two-door hatchback pitched toward the fast-growing "sport compact" market. In per year of generally higher car prices But though it made for cheaper new Model 74 Fords, it didn't sell nearly as well as expected. Ford's Ranger (a 1982 newcomer) became sales king of compact pickups. Being late to game allowed Ford to learn the rules for winning it, so the Edge offered most everything competitors did and some things they didn't. With the mid-'90s, these truck successes put into the continuing popularity of Taurus and Escort to make Ford the sales leader in five vehicle segments: full-size pickups (F-Series), midsize car (Taurus), sporty-utility vehicles (Explorer), subcompact car (Escort), and compact pickup (Ranger). These could possibly be powered by everything from a 155-bhp 250-cid six to some big-block 429-cid V-8 with 360-370 horsepower. Ford also dropped the weak four-cylinder engine, which pleased some buyers apart from rent-a-car companies. Having made its mark with hot Cobra Mustangs and rapid F-150 Lightning pickups, SVT was asked to realize the Contour's full sport sedan potential for 1998. Marketers doubtless hoped the brand new model's image would boost sales for the rest of the line. Though its new-for-'86 rear-drive Aerostar was way outpolled by Chrysler's front-drive models, sales were consistent and high enough that Ford stayed the Aerostar's planned 1994 execution, letting the older minivan run alongside the new front-drive Windstar. Still, Pinto remained primarily basic transportation throughout its long 10-year life. Four-door Squire and Ranch wagons and a brace of two-door hardtops were added for '63. It had been a blistering performer and its new hardtop body with concave backlight was distinctive, but hot-car demand was fast-waning everywhere, in support of 7675 were built for your model year. A grilleless Taurus-type face replaced the dated standup eggcrate. The 1949 Ford was essential to Dearborn's survival. Some dealers had been disappointed in Edsel Ford's new Mercury, feeling a six-cylinder Ford would have been a better idea (which was, in fact, the initial concept). The other was a severe downturn in the national economy -- abetted by another fuel crisis -- that began in the spring of '79 and put a big crimp in all new-car sales. Reaching showrooms in March 1991, it had been virtually all-new despite retaining the basic rear-drive "Panther" platform and wheelbase. Two different Dearborn regimes presided over this remarkable sales performance. But unlike the initial compromised U.S. Most all the above put on Freestyle, essentially a 500 wagon marketed as being a "crossover" SUV in market where "station wagon" rivaled "minivan" as being a kiss of death for sales. Braking was by massive Brembo-brand four-wheel discs of 14 inches across in the front, 13.2 in back, all clamped and cross-drilled by four-piston monoblock calipers under antilock control. Answering competitive SUV challenges, Ford fielded the F-150-based Expedition and soon, a bit later, the jumbo Excursion and compact Escape. It had been snazzy, having a padded canvas-covered top and sweeping contrast-color panel for the bodysides, but sales were only fair at 17,601 for 1950 and another 8703 for '51. Wheelbase on all models added 2.5 inches, benefiting rear leg room, as well as handling in collaboration with a revised suspension. Luxury, however, got a lot of the showroom emphasis. Ford changed its name only at the last minute amid howls of protest from Mustang loyalists who'd have no truck having a Japanese design -- and with ­"inferior" front drive at that. Ford's '57 styling was particularly simple for the period: a blunt face with clean, full-width rectangular grille; tasteful side moldings; and tiny tailfins. You start with the '64s, Ford offered an evergrowing range of handling and performance options, including stiff suspensions and four-speed gearboxes. Law-enforcement and Taxi fleets were its main buyers as the century turned, sister Mercury Grand Marquis having taken the lead in retail sales. It had been and fun but crude rather than very quiet fast. Ford also promised new vehicles that "people will ­really want." To execute the plan, Ford installed Mark Fields, the architect of a recently available turnaround at Mazda, as president from the Americas, with Anne Stevens as his chief operating officer. The sportiest of the lot was a fresh ZX4 ST sedan, which was no SVT but had significance because of its standard engine: a new 2.3-liter twincam four-cylinder that rated Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle status (PZEV) beneath the ultratight emissions limits of California and four northeastern states. A very important thing, too, because this "new" midsize sedan was already familiar, amounting to a slightly enlarged Mazda 6 without the "zoom zoom" pretensions. It had been also a more-potent big Ford with adoption of the 4. 6-liter overhead-cam V-8 first seen in the '91 Town Car. Styling, of course, was the most obvious difference, and several thought the Fusion was better looking. Options were few: a booming 260-watt McIntosh audio system, lightweight BBS forged wheels, painted brake calipers, and the original "LeMans" striping on the nose, roof, tail, and rocker panels. Gregorie, and Engel and Oros. Probe was redesigned for '93 on a new-generation MX-6 platform with 102.9-inch wheelbase (versus 99), with much more dramatic styling than its cousin again. Several trim levels were offered, including better-equipped Sport versions using the more powerful engine and firm suspension. Helping the reason were attractive prices in the $2100-$2800 range. Base prices remained very attractive, rising no higher than the reduced $12,000s. SVT had been formed in the first 1990s like a semi-autonomous area of the Dearborn organization, charged with souping-up various vehicles on the market through selected Ford dealers. An avant-garde mix of curves and creases, New Edge didn't work on every car, but it here did, lending a visual personality that set Focus aside from every rival. Chairman Alex Trotman retired, handing the reins to 42-year-old William Clay Ford, Jr., great-grandson of the company founder and nephew of the late Henry Ford II. New models were likely to help, particularly new cars, which Ford heralded by proclaiming 2004 as "The Year of the Car." But recovery proved stubbornly elusive. Economy was supposed to be a solid point, but really wasn't. Despite an easy model slate Yet, styling pretty, and prices within the $620-$950 range, Ford trailed Chevy in model-year output by way of a substantial 222,720 cars. Escort's high success had not been matched by an unhappy sporty coupe offshoot, the EXP. The V-8 was a tremendous bargain: Standard roadster, coupe, and phaeton all the following $500. The Explorer, for instance, year was redesigned for 1995 and given optional V-8 power the following. Still, many buyers were wary, so Ford kept four-cylinder cars through 1934. That compared with 40/50 horsepower from the 200.5-cid Model A/B four. Workmanship also suffered for the same reason, as well as a 24-day auto workers' strike in-may 1948 didn't help either. By 1976, there is also a youthful "Cruising Wagon" with blanked-off side windows and cute little rear portholes. With sales still slow, the V-8/60 line was reduced to just a coupe, Fordor, and Tudor. Offered with 98- and 122-cid engines through 1973, 122- and 140-cid fours then, it was progressively dressed-up and civilized with nicer trim and more convenience options. Before the end, Contour got a megadose of Euro-style performance, courtesy of Ford's Special Vehicle Team. Few sold at $1200 -- a mere 96 for that model year. Seatbelt and Airbags pretensioners were improved in line with growing buyer demand for safety features. Nineteen ninety-nine witnessed historic changes in top Ford management also. Edge faced those class favorites with bold styling on the 111.2-inch wheelbase, rendering it bigger than the Japanese-brand duo and close in proportions towards the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent. The Maverick kit, that was strictly for two-doors, included black paint accents, twin door mirrors, styled steel wheels, raised-white-letter tires, and special badging. A new, japanese-looking dash was distributed to unchanged coupe models rather. Many prospects thus balked and walked when Contour attained at the least $13,300, over $1000 more than a late loaded Tempo. Henry's decision to abandon his treasured "Tin Lizzie" after 19 years and an astounding 15-million cars -- the final not very different from the initial -- came almost too late, and his company lost a whole lot in money and goodwill through the long changeover towards the belated new Model A. Ford built more than 1.1 million cars for 1930 -- almost doubly many as Chevrolet and more than 14 times as much as Plymouth. Let's remember the 1992-95 SHO, which gained greater visual distinction through more-aggressive styling rear and front, plus bolder cladding for the lower bodysides. Granada was a far more rational proposition and one of Ford's best-timed ideas of this decade. Those full years -- 1980-82 -- saw Ford Division output drop from 1. 16 million cars to under 749 just,000. But thanks to an economic recovery and an ever-changing type of ever-improving Fords, the division returned above the 1.1-million mark -- and would stay there through decade's end. The Grabber looked snazzy but was pretty tame with V-8 even. The 14-model 1971 lineup was basically a carryover of the previous year's. At exactly the same time, the Sunliner convertible and Skyliner retractable gained Galaxie rear-fender script (but retained Fairlane 500 ID at the trunk). Dearborn scored big within the burgeoning sport-utility field with Explorer also, the upscale 1991 four-door replacement for the two-door Ranger-based Bronco II. The effect was a refocused 2005 lineup with an increase of orthodox styling inside and out, plus more competitive "value" pricing. Except for engines, the 1972 Torino was all-new -- and a large disappointment. The next year brought new outer sheetmetal with more flowing lines and "faster" rooflines on hardtop coupes. V-8s were to a 200-bhp 292 down, 225-bhp 332, and 300-bhp 352. Also carried over from '58 was Cruise-O-Matic, Ford's smooth new three-speed automatic transmission that proved a sales plus against Chevrolet's Powerglide, if not Plymouth's responsive three-speed TorqueFlite. This idea, suggested by Buehrig and realized by interior styling director L. David Ash, is really a forerunner of today's moonroof. Equally dismal was the tarted-up Torino bowing at mid-1974 to answer Chevy's popular Monte Carlo. Three-door wagons arrived for 1972, including a woody-look Squire (some called it "Country Squirt"). They got one, and 1989 was showtime -- or rather SHO time: a fresh "Super High Output" 3.0 V-6 with overhead-cam cylinder heads and four valves per cylinder (rather than two), plus dual exhausts. Despite its product fumbles, Ford Motor Company seemed in great shape as the new century opened. The big difference, of course, was under the hood. Four series were offered: Custom, Galaxie 500, XL, and LTD. Ford wouldn't lead Chevy again until the late '80s, nonetheless it fared well in the '70s generally. Ford built just 43, 000 cars from January 1 through February 2, once the government ended civilian production throughout World War II. Volume held at around 400,000 through 2000. But Taurus still relied a lot more on fleet sales every year than its leading Japanese-brand rivals, so Ford earned somewhat less on every owners and sale received less at trade-in time. Among we were holding a stiffer unibody structure, a suspension revised for the smoother ride with no injury to handling, more-responsive power steering, extra sound-deadening in strategic places, engine adjustments for improved drivability, along with a more-precise solid-rod shift linkage for that dashing SHO. Also, the low-priced Special Sixes were eliminated, leaving six- and eight-cylinder DeLuxe and Super DeLuxe. Materials were much better than expected for the costs Even. Two- and four-door sedans and four-door wagons were always offered, convertibles and hardtop coupes for 1963-65. All had unit construction. Several planned products hold promise, especially the hybrid-power versions of the Fusion along with other models to check out through to the popularity from the 2005 Escape Hybrid, the initial gas/electric SUV from an American auto manufacturer. This Granada sold respectably: about 120,000 a year. Such may be the silliness sometimes wrought by well-meaning regulations. GL and LX price levels were offered in the $20,000-$24,000 range. Broughams featured within the 1970 Torino line also, which shared new exterior panels "shaped with the wind" with a three-model Fairlane 500 series. Though it, too, was a little late, the Vicky proved no less popular than Chevy's Bel Air, selling some 110,000 that debut season. The little-changed '85s sold some 26,year 400 early into the calendar, when Ford suspended production. Assuming control of a third-rate company in 1945, they'd turned it into something approaching General Motors in less than 15 years. Like the majority of other makes, Ford returned to peacetime with restyled '42 cars, though it bored its V-8 out to 239.4 cid for an extra 10 horsepower. They didn't get that, but enthusiasts got a "stealth" driver's car which could go hunting for BMWs, even on twisty roads. Also like Chevy, Ford built these diverse types on few wheelbases relatively. The GT40 had been named because of its rakish 40-inch height, so that designation would have been technically incorrect here. Yet for all the controversy, Taurus sales remained strong, year actually improving by some 11 percent for 1996 on the prior model. Fairlane was completely rebodied for '66 on the 116-inch wheelbase (113 for wagons) gaining a sleek, tailored look via curved side flanks and glass, stacked quad headlamps, and tidy vertical taillights. Probe was a timely Ford weapon against sporty Japanese compacts like Toyota Celica, Honda Prelude, Nissan 200SX -- and Mazda MX-6. Though Pinto served Ford well in a difficult period, it will ­forever be remembered as what one wag called "the barbecue that seats four." That identifies the dangerously vulnerable fuel tank and filler-neck design of 1971-76 sedan models implicated inside a rash of highly publicized (and fatal) fires following rear-end collisions. Four-speed manual gearbox, stiff suspension and racing-style hood locks were all standard. Responding to GM's 1936 "Turret-Top" bodies, Ford adopted all-steel construction for 1937 closed models, discarding the fabric roof inserts of old belatedly. Dearborn observed its Golden Anniversary in 1953, proclaimed on Fords by special steering-wheel-hub medallions. In proportions and execution this smaller LTD was a match for shrunken GM opponents fully, riding a 114.3-inch wheelbase yet offering more claimed passenger and trunk space compared to the outsized 1973-78 cars. Sales tapered off along with the economy, dropping from your first-year high of nearly 461,000 to significantly less than 81,000 by 1983. Still, that has been a fine showing in the turbulent period. The following year brought another interesting new option: all-wheel drive, a part-time "shift-on-the-fly" setup designed for maximum traction on slippery roads, not dry-pavement driving or off-roading.