1970-’71 FORD RANCHERO

ONE VEHICLE THAT NEVER SEEMED TO LOGICALLY fit any automotive category — then or now — was Ford’s Ranchero. Introduced to the domestic market for 1957, its design was famously born of necessity in the Land of Oz in the Thirties. Struggling farmers needed family transportation and a way to haul goods to market, but often couldn’t afford both a car and a truck. Adding a cargo box to the back of a coupe wasn’t an entirely new concept, but credit for crafting a truly seamless blend of the two goes to Ford Australia’s designer Lew Bandt. His church-on-Sunday/market-on-Monday design was an affordable solution, and quickly the light-duty “ute” became a staple vehicle in the outback, maintaining this status for decades.

In the States, the Ranchero filled a niche market nicely — spurring the launch of the Chevy El Camino and, later, GMC Sprint — but it hardly sold in the volume other countries witnessed. To prove how comfortable Ford was with the Ranchero’s sales, it was in production through 1979, amassing 508,909 buyers, or an annual average of 22,126. Peak output was for 1973, when 45,741 were built.

ENGINE

The 1970-’71 Ford Ranchero was issued an economical six-cylinder engine within