Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero is a coupe utility that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run. Over its lifespan it was variously derived from full-sized, compact, and intermediate automobiles sold by Ford for the North American market.
| Ford Ranchero | |
|---|---|
1957 Ford Ranchero | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Also called | Ford Falcon Ranchero Ford Fairlane Ranchero Meteor Ranchero |
| Production | 1957–1979 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-sized (1957–1959) Compact (1960–1965) Mid-sized (1966–1979) |
| Body style | 2-door coupe utility |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Fairlane, Falcon, Galaxie, Torino, LTD II, Ford Durango |
During the 1970s, the Ranchero name was used in the South African market for a rebadged Australian Ford Falcon utility. Shipped from Australia in complete knock down (CKD) form, these vehicles were assembled in South Africa at Ford's plant in Port Elizabeth. In Argentina, a utility version of the locally produced Ford Falcon was also called Ranchero.
The original Ranchero sold well enough to spawn a competitor from General Motors in 1959, the Chevrolet El Camino.