5 Forgotten Fords You've Probably Never Heard About
Some Ford trucks are more memorable than others. Here are five that most have forgotten about.
Intro
Ford has been building trucks for over one hundred years. Many of them are iconic models that we all know like the back of our hand. The Super Duty series, the F-150 Raptor, the Bronco, and so on. But over the course of the last century of building trucks there have been some forgotten Fords that rolled out of the factory. Some entire models, and some lesser-known option packages. So, we took a look at some of that history and found five forgotten Fords that we think are worth remembering. This is what we found.
1. Mercury M-Series (1946 – 1968)
The Mercury M-Series pickups were sold to our friends in the north for over twenty years. The Mercury trucks were sold only in Canada, but they were very close to what was sold here in the U.S. In fact, for some years the only difference was “Mercury” instead of “Ford” letters on the hood and tailgate. Some years the trim may vary slightly but the mechanicals of the Ford trucks and Mercury trucks were the same. Why have Mercury trucks at all? Mostly it was a marketing exercise. In Canada many smaller towns would have either a Ford-Monarch (Mercury in U.S.) or a Lincoln-Mercury-Meteor (Ford in U.S.) dealership but not both. So, it was decided that these trucks would be branded as Mercury trucks in Canada.
2. Ford Free Wheeling Package (1977 – 1981)
This is not a model but a design package that may have slipped the minds of many Ford enthusiasts. The Free Wheeling Package was offered on several Ford models of the time including the Bronco and F-150. It came with a black grille, custom interior, special wheels, and bold rainbow style side stripes. The look was distinctive, but the package was cosmetic only. These are relatively rare and collectors like to seek out these special looking trucks.
3. Ford Durango (1979 – 1982)
The Ford Durango may or may not be counted as a truck depending on your definition. But it has a pickup truck bed, so we are including it. Chevy had the popular El Camino at the time and Ford wanted something to compete with it. Ford partnered with National Coach Works of Los Angeles, California to come up with a new car based pickup truck. The Ford Durango was that truck, but it never made it to full-fledged production. Only about 212 of these models were built over the years. And you probably forgot about each one of them.
4. Bigfoot Cruiser (1987)
Everyone knows Bigfoot the monster truck. But nearly no one remembers the Bigfoot Cruiser package that Ford offered on the Ranger, F-150 and F-250 back in 1987. There is good reason for this as not many of these Bigfoot tribute models were ever built. The exact number varies between as few as 300 to as many as 1,200. Regardless, it is not a truck you will see on the road every day. The truck was painted dark blue with bold graphics down the side. And Bigfoot Cruiser was proudly displayed on the driver and passenger door. The F-150 and F-250 trucks also came with a suspension lift and 33-inch tires. These were big and bold trucks but now over 35 years later, they are largely forgotten.
5. Ford SkyRanger (1991)
Only about 17 of these weird and wonderful Ford SkyRanger convertible pickups were made. So, you can be forgiven if you have forgotten about it. Or if you never even knew about it in the first place. In 1991 a company commissioned 17 of these creations to be built by the American Sunroof Company (ASC). The hope was that Ford would see this as a viable model and sign off to have more built. That didn’t happen. The trucks come with unique styling cues such as ground effects and a rear spoiler. But the main attraction of course is the fact that these were convertible pickups. But it would seem that no one is really interested in having a convertible pickup.