Posts Tagged ‘american’

Light Truck Tuesday – 1965 Ford Ranchero

April 22, 2014

Based on the compact Falcon series, the second generation Ranchero debuted in 1960 to compete with vehicles like the Chevrolet Corvair Rampside pickup, and the pickup version of the VW Type 2 van. Though on the larger Chevelle platform, the El Camino returned to the market in 1964 and gave the Ranchero some additional competition, and if you were thinking outside the mainstream, you could also buy one of the early Datsun pickups, a Toyota Stout, or a Morris Minor pickup. With an 800-lb. load capacity, Rancheros couldn’t haul too much, but were useful for light duty, and most Falcon Rancheros were therefore sold with the 144ci or 170ci inline six. That didn’t keep owners from upgrading to match the higher 260 or 289 spec – check out this 1965 Ford Ranchero for sale for $3900 in Ukiah, CA.

1965 Ford Ranchero left front

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Pre-SUVs – 1973 Toyota FJ55 Land Cruiser and 1964 International Scout 80

April 11, 2014

Remember when… all 4-seat, lifted passenger vehicles were generically referred to as jeeps, much like we refer to tissues as Kleenex, or cotton swabs as Q-tips? Remember when they were most likely to have 4-wheel-drive? Here are a couple of vehicles from that period – a Toyota FJ55 Land Cruiser and an International Harvester Scout 80. Both were the manufacturers’ efforts at coming up with a vehicle for sporting and utilitarian use, carrying more passengers than a pickup, while being able to haul the same loads and get through rough terrain and weather. Our first pre-SUV is this 1973 Toyota FJ55 Land Cruiser for sale for $3500 in San Francisco, CA.

1973 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55 left front

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Limited? 1968 Ford LTD Hardtop

April 11, 2014

Introduced in 1965, the LTD was originally a high-line trim version of the Galaxie, much as the Galaxie one-upped the Fairlane before it. As a high-end model, it was often sold as a hardtop sedan. With today’s cars being rather claustrophobic – we might be protected from impacts, but we can’t see out to avoid them worth a damn – there’s something charming and appealing about a car that forgoes pillars. And before you start coming up with “pillarless” cars like, say, the Mercedes S-class coupes, those are just coupes, and out of the reach of most of the population. If you’re looking for a pillarless car for the masses, check out this 1968 Ford LTD hardtop, for sale for $3500 in Seattle, WA.

1968 Ford LTD hardtop left side

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