Ranchero History
The Ranchero made a change in 1967, when Ford decided to make the Ranchero into a completely Fairlane body style. Now available with the sporty stacked dual headlights featured on the Fairlanes, these were very well accepted and are among the most popular with Ford collectors. This new Ranchero was available with all the V8 options including the healthy 390-4v with 320 horsepower right off the showroom floor. Sporty Fairlane trim options, bucket seats, 4 speed transmissions, styled steel wheel are among the popular options available.
This sporty Ranchero continued in 1968 ushering in the new age of high performance with the big block Torinos. Rancheros were now available in three models, named "500", "GT", and standard models. GT models were the most highly equipped of the three and came standard with a V8 engine and color keyed body side "C" stripe. This layout continued through 1969 following papa Torino. Available from the factory floor with the 335 horsepower 428 cobra jet motor and ram air induction systems, wow! What a truck!! They continued to be offered with many goodies for the Ford truck lover up through 1971 with some of the most powerful production motors ever built. These same trucks were also available with the six cylinder engines for the man on a budget. These Rancheros offered great variety to the truck buyer.
In 1972 Ford made a major body change in the Torino commonly referred to as the "fish mouth" grill design. Although larger, this was a very attractive and popular vehicle. The days of huge horsepower were now gone due to smog issues and changes in rating horsepower. The new Rancheros had several engine options and were usually fitted with the C6 or FMX automatic transmission. They were also available with a healthy 4-speed manual transmission and Hurst shifter through 1973. This Torino body style carried through the 1976 model year.
The 1977 Rancheros had now became the ultimate in truck luxury with The Thunderbird/LTD body style .In addition to the new longer LTD body lines, Rancheros were available with many of the LTD standard equipment such as power seats, power windows, power steering, power disc brakes, and towing packages. These trucks were big and comfortable and were available in the Ranchero standard, 500, and GT models previously offered since 1968. The last and final year of the Ranchero produced a limited edition 1979 ½ Ranchero with all leather interior, dash board, and special paint color and trim scheme. The number of these produced is unpublished, but has proved to be a very interesting vehicle on its own.