Not too long ago, the Curbside Classic Cohort came together to say some kind words about some of the most maligned and disappointing Chrysler and AMC products of the past few decades, like the AMC Pacer and the Dodge Aspen. To paraphrase an advertising slogan, “When a better idea was built, sometimes it was Ford that built it.” While the following Fords mostly sold well, they get little respect from enthusiasts. But perhaps my fellow Curbsiders can think of one nice thing to say about each of them?
Ford sure got a lot of mileage out of its first American subcompact, the Pinto. Over 3 million units of this cute little car were produced over its lengthy 1970-80 production run. Never an exceptionally well-built or dynamic car, the Pinto sold on price and the Ford name. The vastly more entertaining European Capri was offered in Mercury showrooms, but Ford did offer a wider lineup of little horses: wagons, hatchbacks, V6 engines, Cruising Wagons, even a tonier Mercury version, the Bobcat.
Some Pinto componentry was used to create the most maligned Mustang in history, the 1974 Mustang II. Drastically downsized and initially not even offered with a V8, the Mustang II was a sales success in a country reeling from the oil crisis. However, its weak engine offerings, so-so handling and somewhat dorky styling means it is an often overlooked or ignored chapter in the history of pony cars. Still, these weren’t entirely without fault: a Capri or Camaro may have run rings around these in terms of handling and performance, but the Mustang II did have a plush interior and was quite economical.
Another extremely successful and likely quite profitable Ford during the 1970s was the Granada, which rode Ford’s tried-and-tested (tired-and-bested?) Falcon platform. Showing once again they had their finger on the pulse of the market, Ford’s new upscale compact offered elegant styling and a plush interior with trim dimensions. Underneath, it was nothing spectacular – the basic bones dated back to 1960, after all – but while a Chevy Nova handled better, the Granada (and its Mercury Monarch twin) had a much nicer interior.
Ford tried to squeeze as much out of the Falcon platform as possible. There was the aforementioned Granada, as well as the Mustang and Maverick. The most ambitious and least successful was the Lincoln Versailles, a thinly disguised Granada that even shared much of the lesser Ford’s sheetmetal and interior pieces. Targeting Cadillac’s much more convincing Seville and ambitiously priced higher than the flagship Lincoln Mark V, the Versailles’ plebeian roots were all too apparent. You did receive industry-first clearcoat paint and, most famously, rear disc brakes which were frequently ripped out of junkyard Versailles and used in old Mustangs. Lincoln’s first compact was ridiculously overpriced but it was certainly the nicest Granada money could buy…
Before Lincoln started reaching down, Ford was expanding upwards, not just in prestige but also in size. The 1972-76 Torino was Ford’s largest-ever intermediate, and Ford used the platform almost as much as it did the 1960 Falcon’s platform: Ford’s Ranchero, LTD II, Elite and ’77 Thunderbird, as well as Mercury’s Montego and ’74 Cougar all used the Torino platform. Like most 1970s Fords, the ’72 Torino was very much tuned for comfort (unless you opted for the upgraded suspension) and these were wallowing, plush, barge-like “mid-size” vehicles.
Our final Ford is the 1980 Thunderbird, the follow-up to the extraordinarily successful Torino-based 1977-79 model. Ford’s efforts at downsizing were poorly received compared to GM’s, and the blame can be levelled at the clumsy styling. Trying to use as many styling cues as its predecessor but on a much less grand scale, the ’80 Thunderbird (and related ’80 Cougar XR-7) just looked plain ugly, and performance wasn’t sparkling either thanks to detuned V8 engines and Thunderbird’s first six-cylinder. But interior styling was handsome and the new, smaller ‘Bird was certainly more wieldy and just as comfortable to drive.
Many of these Fords had fans in their time, but history hasn’t been too kind to them. Can you say something kind about them?
For decades I loathed the Mustang IIs but recently have had the notion that I wouldn’t mind being seen in one. Perhaps it’s the rarity and sensible size of it, or it could be the reasonable prices they fetch. It took 40 years but the weird styling has finally grown on me to the point where I don’t mind it, even though it will never make my list of favorites.
there was a fastback, built by Jack Roush I believe, that was featured in a Hot Rod I had in the late 70s. it looked stock except for the rear tires and had a 429. I’d drive that. 🙂
Mustang II: *right* on schedule for the fall 1973 oil embargo, economy-wise; when the 302-V8 came along, though, terrific power/weight ratio.
Pinto: (earliest version) unfairly singled-out and maligned re the gas tank thing, relative to other cars and to Federal standards; budget transportation and “second car” for many households; EZ to work on; overbuilt 2.3L quite durable and long-lived (across the decades).
Lincoln Versailles: not *quite* so blatantly a fancied-up Granada as compared with Cimmaron/Nova.
Cimarron/Cavalier.
Agree that the 2.3 is nice and durable.
Early Pinto with the 2.0 or 2.3, manual transmission, and a couple of bucks spent on the suspension: The only thing that could stand up to a BMW 1600 or 2002 in SCCA B-sedan autocross.
My first car was a 2.0L/stick Pinto. Fun little car for a noob hoonigan 🙂 .
My first car was a 1961 Corvair Monza 900 Club Coupe with 4-on-the-floor and about 80hp. 0-60 took 20 seconds and the shifter felt like a yardstick connected to a bowl of oatmeal.
My first NEW car was a 1971 Pinto, 2000cc 4-speed. It was a HOTROD compared to the Monza and I will ALWAYS remember the snickety-snick of that shift. Dark metallic green with saddle interior. Never gave me a problem. Yep, the much maligned Pinto was my pride and joy…and that’s my kind words that I will never take back.
“Mustang II: *right* on schedule for the fall 1973 oil embargo, economy-wise; when the 302-V8 came along, though, terrific power/weight ratio.”
– I agree, for all the mean things people say about the II, you have to give Ford / Iacocca credit for timing the market perfectly. That is very tricky to do in the auto biz, and perhaps they just got lucky, but either way they sold a boatload of Mustang IIs.
The Mustang II has a great turning circle between kerbs (not so good between walls). The cutouts in the backs of the front seats meant I could actually sit comfortably in the back – just.
Ford was able to out-brougham the competition.
True–and also out-road-hugging weight the competition, too!
I rode a couple of times years ago (in the 1980s) in a pretty basic Granada. It was very quiet, smooth, and comfortable. I never got to drive one, though.
I got to ride in a 1980-or-so Thunderbird, too. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t memorable either. There was enough room in the back seat for my partner and me to be comfortable. But then, friends of ours had an early-1980s Buick Regal two-door. That was actually quieter and more comfortable. Now, the 1966 Thunderbird my brother had for a while? That was memorable, with the cocoon-like back seat, the many luxury touches, and that space-age dashboard!
My experience with the Torino was owning a 1970 Torino Brougham for several years. I have no idea what the 1972 platform was like, except that it looked more bloated every year.
I once looked at a Pinto; I think it was about a ’74 or ’75, and I was looking for an economical late-model used car (around 1978). The one I looked at had the all-important (for Tucson) factory air, but it was a slug. That took it off the list.
Granadas were good beater cars in the 80s for starving college kids, lasted longer then expected.
Like all Ford’s do. Paul has his ’66 F100. My neighbor two feet away has a ’66 Ford pickup. I have my ’83 Ranger 4X4 with swapped in 302/C4…great rigs
The nicest thing about these cars, they weren’t available here.
I remember seeing a Mustang II Ghia at the Geelong show about ten years ago. It actually looked better in the metal than I expected.
I can imagine product meetings at the big 3 in the 70’s and the meeting leader says–“It’s so boring building the cars we do–I just wish we could sell the amazing exciting cars they have in New Zealand to folks in North Amercian.”
I personally like the 80 t-Bird. Certainly one of the nicer Fox body Ford’s, especially in a dark color or black. The only thing that broke the styling spell with them were the gigundo taillights. Everything else was well proportioned and looked ok despite Ford’s cheaper materials. Now, as for those carburetors…*cough*
My 74 Gran Torino always started. Is that nice enough?
Pretty good for that era!
True. As someone who had the pleasure of working in a Dodge dealer service bay in the winter of 73/74. Those guys were tearing their hair out trying to get the new cars running.
Despite it’s Granada roots, I’ve always found the Versailles appealing. I think the styling worked well, it was only marred by the fact that the Granada and Monarch looked so similar in profile. I’ll take a Versailles any day over a Seville.
I had a Pinto. I loved that stupid car.
The Mustang II was a nicely styled car in all its guises. The big problem with the car was its name. If they had called it pretty much anything else I think it would have been accepted for what it was: a nice small car.
It was good enough.
My 1980 Pinto station wagon was a companion for 6 years. My wife and I went on our first date in it. It schlepped all my worldly possesions from dorm room to apartment each June and back each August. It burned oil, it was as refined as a paint shaker, the pinion gear sang like a banshee, the clutch only lived short intervals when I towed my motorcycle trailer regularly–though it could be renewed in 3 hours flat. The front tires were nearly impossible to keep wearing evenly, frequent alignments, balancing, rotations barely helped.
It was mostly reliable, practical transportation. By today’s standards it was awful, but today’s standards did not apply when that car was sold, so they are irrelevent.
I have a silly dream–to build a clone of my appliance white base model 1980 Pinto wagon, but with a modern Ford Ecoboost drivetrain and suspension upgrades…to make my trusty old friend contemparary. At the end of the day, I guess that means I miss that old Pinto.
15 years ago I had a neighbor with a yellow 1975 Mustang Mach 1. It was a little tired looking, but completely stock. IIRC, it had been in his family since new. What surprised me was that in spite of the “reputation” that was associated with this car, I found it quite attractive; I never felt that way when these were new. I would’ve loved to have had it. I sure hope some idiot hasn’t destroyed it by now.
I hated these when new but they ran fine , were cheap , easy to fix , had very good Ac and seemed to last a long time but for the rusting in the salt belt…
For what they were designed for , they were fine , no penalty box , just cheap basic transportation .
My buddy’s elderly Dad bought _two_ (I know , WTH ?!) , both were fully loaded , I still don’t see why Mercury needed a fancy-schmancy Pinto but the Bobcat was popular .
Mostly with old folks I imagine .
-Nate
Bobcat was for Merc dealers to have a small car to sell, and compete with Pontiac Astre/Sunbird. Also, CAFE was put in place in 1978.
I’m going me to say it was a chic car. Not because my wife owned one for a while before we met, but because I saw a lot of young babes driving them.
Well these sure are not a boring, silver painted modern car so they have that going for them. The cars shown here that made it to 2015 in road worthy condition have earned some respect from me.
I will say something nice about the Mustang II. It was closer in concept to the 1964.5 Mustang was than the 1973 was. Thought it in the ’70s and still do!
Something nice to say about these Fords? Most of them are not around anymore.
-The pinto was good looking in it’s earliest itteration, and from what I understand could be equipped to be quite a sprightly car in the same time. Also the factory slot wheels looked fantastic on them
-The Mustang II represents the perils of market overcorrections… or it foreshadows them, (since we as a society clearly haven’t learned)… whatever. Being a lesson in life is a positive thing, which is good because I hate those cars.
-The Granada, for a 1970s car, was good looking *pre facelift*, and it was tried and true underneath.
-The Versailles represents the perils of badge engineering.
the 72-76 Torino, while bloated, was good looking in the last of the muscle cars kind of way.
The Thunderbird was Fox based, and the ugliest cars make great sleepers which that platform is perfect for
-The Versailles represents the perils of badge engineering.
It blows my mind that Lincoln charged more for a Versailles than a Mark V. I can see the appeal of a Mark V, and spending top dollar for one in ’77-’79. At least it was gigantic and had real curb appeal. But the Versailles was so obviously nothing more than a Granada with extra gorp ladled on that you have to wonder who actually wrote a check for the thing. Sorry, I said a mean thing about the Versailles, but I was nice to the Mark V.
Well to neutralize your mean thing about the versailles: The rear end is in demand by hot rodders because of the disc brakes. Otherwise you are right. No difference that I can see but trim.
I can’t believe that either. I know that Cadillac ambitiously made the Seville the most expensive car in the showroom, but the Seville didn’t *look* like a Nova. The Versailles is just such a cynical me-too of the concept, but to have the gall to charge more than Mark V money for it? Wow, didn’t know that.
Oh, good things. Well, it wasn’t bad-looking…
79 Bobcat, they worked the bugs out by then!
Pintos, saved gas
Mustang II, wouldn’t have been 50 years without them!
Granada, showed that big car owners could switch to smaller cars with fancy trim
Gran Torino sedans, quiet riding
Versailles, donated rear wheel discs to many 60’s Mustangs
1980 T-Bird, can be modified with Fox Stang parts into a good drag racer.
They may not have had good performance or handling, but I actually like the look of the Torinos, at least the Gran Torino version. (I’m a bit biased, as I built a Johan model of a ’72 Gran Torino once.)
As the owner of a base 4-cylinder strippo 1977 Mustang II, I can say for sure that car was unrefined, yet it was a durable little car. All things considered, it was great transportation for its time and I personally think it was good looking. Remember they weren’t all that expensive back then, so for an economy car of the 70’s what more could you expect?
As far as the early 80’s T-Bird is concerned, a good friend of mine bought a 1982 Town Landau, used from the original owner with only 17,000 miles on it. He kept it until it had well over 100k and then his mother drove it for a few more years until it was a rotted out old mess. That car was very durable. The only issue he ever had with it was the anemic V-6 and truly awful carburetor.
I still consider Dodge Aspen as a nice car though, as long as not driven in snow ( for rust reason ) and the car happened to be well put together mechanically, and use plenty of glue for the grill.
Ok, good challenge:
Ford had the sense to offer the Pinto with some pretty sprightly engines, specifically the Cologne 2.0 liter I4 and the 2.3 OHC I4. Also brought the “luxury” of woodgrain trim to the entry class with the Pinto Squire.
Bobcat had a nose that did indeed look like it came from a Mercury.
The Mustang II was a home run hit in 1974, and set the pace for the soft, stylish, small, slightly sporty coupes. It was not the best decade for cars, but the Mustang II was an accurate reflection of the times.
Likewise, the Granada was hugely successful at its launch. The very square styling felt contemporary in 1975 compared to the rounded blobs with batting ram butters that were prevalent. Interiors were quite nice for the market segment.
The Versailles received tons of grief when it was new, but other than the roofline (early years), doors and dash, it did look quite a bit like a baby Lincoln. Fast forward 20 years and Ford would be wildly successful with a similarly minimal facelift of a mainstream vehicle: the Lincoln Navigator really shared just as much with the donor Expedition as the Versailles did with the Granada, yet that beast sold like hotcakes. So maybe the Versailles was just badge engineering ahead of its time…
The 1972 Torino looked good in a late-1960s over-styled way, before literally getting weighed down with 5-mph bumpers and fender skirts.
The 1980-82 T-Bird was so painful for Ford it prompted them to create the sleek 1983 version. Oh yeah, one nice thing for this car…. uh, the seats in the Landau were pillow-tufted wonders.
The Pinto was a far better car than the Vega, and from what I’ve heard a pre-Federal bumper 2000cc manual example was a genuinely good car.
The Mustang II Ghia notchback as shown was the first and arguably most successful attempt to apply the Brougham aesthetic to a genuinely small car. It offered 80% of the appeal of a frilly ’70s personal luxury coupe with only half the drawbacks.
Unlike every other Lee Iacocca “sell the sizzle, not the steak” effort that was either aimed to meet the leading edge of the Baby Boom (early Mustang, T115 minivans) or squarely (literally) at his own generation (Mark III, both Imperial revivals), the Granada appealed to both – a car someone just turning 30 could trade their hippie bus, muscle or ponycar in for and feel like a real grownup and their parents could trade their ginormous LTD in on and not feel they were going down in the world.
The Versailles was the first American car with clearcoat paint which was the first step towards the 15-20 year factory-paint lifespan modern cars have. Back in the day, a repaint every couple years was normal.
The Torino must’ve been a very strong car in non-rust-affected places, in the ’80s after all the ’71-2 fullsize Fords were used up and before ’77-up B bodies depreciated it was highly favored by Hollywood stuntmen to the point that when any even slightly successful character drove one you knew a crash was coming their way.
If I’m not wrong, I think Versailles also had the first Halogen headlights on a US car.
Ford did have some good vehicles during the 70s. The Ford F Series trucks. I liked the Maverick, the Torino and Gran Torino and the Mustang II. Other than that, the rest are crap. My least favourites were the Pinto and Mercury Bobcat.
“Love that Bobcat!” Now that’s a nice thing to say, albeit not very original.
To a ratty old Pinto missing a few hubcaps and maybe a bumper or two: “Have you lost some road-hugging weight lately? You’re looking good!”
OK, I’m done.
Mustang II steering seen under countless hot rods since then (Ford and otherwise); Mustang II’s also provided the stuff you needed to retrofit your Pinto with a V8, for a quick little roller skate…
WARNING: NOT “NICE!”
“…Like most 1970s Fords, the ’72 Torino was very much tuned for comfort (unless you opted for the upgraded suspension) and these were wallowing, plush, barge-like “mid-size” vehicles…”
The 1976 Ford Torino police package…which I had the displeasure of driving on duty…may not have been wallowing and plush but their “police” suspension didn’t do anything for the steering feel, which was like spinning a propeller in a bucket of water.
The porthole windows on the Pinto Cruising Wagon recall the original Thunderbird. And the Maserati TC recalled the Pinto Cruising Wagon. Nice enough for ya?
Actually the portholes recall then current custom van era nothing to do with obsolete chunderbirds, the Cruising van was a factory custom van like the Aussie Ford Sundowner series that was done much better on 3 different platforms.
I figure any portholes from Ford had to be a throwback to the T-bird. The ’55 bird was the first car to popularize that feature.
1979 Bobcat had an attractive (if optional-extra) frameless glass hatch; like an early-70s Volvo 1800ES, or my own 3rd gen Camaro.
I went a-googing for a pic of one, and the first view of that hatch that came up was from a Tom Klockau CC from 2013 on a Bobcat drag car:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cruise-night-outtake-runs-like-a-scalded-well-you-know/
Which is, I guess, another nice thing you could say about the Bobcat: Like the Pinto you can cram in a big V8 and make it a decent drag car.
I have seen Pintos with the frameless glass so maybe it was optional
Frameless glass was std. on later Runabouts (hatchback).
Anyone remember the turbocharged Pangra?
Two good things about the 1980 Thunderbird.
1, It’s a Fox Chassis so anything you can do to a Mustang you can do to the Bird.
2, Survivors are usually in good shape and sell cheap.
For the most part the best thing I can say about all of them is that, in Texas anyway, they have aged out of the smog check obligations.
The Bobcat “woody” wagon was awesome!
As for the other offerings here, well, let’s just say that compliments for 1970s Fords don’t exactly come tripping off my tongue. Most of them come out sounding like “damning with faint praise.” Or maybe praising with faint damns. (But then, I’m still pissed that my first ever car when I was a teenager, a ’71 Cougar convert, rusted its way to a date with the crusher in a scandalous SIX (count ’em!) years. That’s right: in the showroom in ’71, and in the junkyard by ’77.)
However, I’ll give it a shot…
Mustang II: My mother, downsizing from her gargantuan ’68 Olds Delmont quattroporte, quite liked her ’74 Ghia with the V6. Admittedly, my mother was not the most informed auto consumer, but the Ghia’s combo of compact size and “mini Mark IV” luxury pleased her at the time. And I don’t recall it giving her too much trouble, although this was a long time ago and I could have forgotten certain problems it had.
Pinto panel van: With or without the shag-wagon porthole, this was an economical and not-repulsive subcompact sedan-delivery. And there’s never been enough sedan-deliveries, of any size.
Granada: If you needed a family-sized conveyance in 1977, there were, I suppose, worse things a person could spend their money on than one of these.
Gran Torino: An ugly body, usually without much in the way of performance. But it would one day provide the title for a pretty good Clint Eastwood movie.
Lincoln Versailles: Uhhh… Ummm…
1980 T-Bird: No, I just can’t do it. Sorry, but there is absolutely nothing to be said in defense of these. I’d rather drive a Yugo.
One nice thing: Al were offered with pretty paint colors.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner!
Agreed! Ford also had great brochure photography in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
I will say my 75 Monarch had comfortable front seats (reclining buckets!). Other than that, it was a wretched car that i was glad to unload in favor of a 79 Mustang. Absolutely nothing good about it!
I like how all these seem to have nice looking rim packages as options (except the terrible looking t-bird) ….the wheels on the Granada+mustang are nice
the sign of the Cat!
I pretty much grew up in my Mom’s 67 Cougar.. Which she had for 12 years. She cried when she had to give it up because it was no longer safe to drive.
As a kid I liked those TV commercials for the Bobcat. “Love that Bobcat”.
I’m with you Greg,” Bobcat Bobcat, love that Bobcat.”
I don’t remember that one at all–it was fun finding it:
I recall that little tune. Not sure it sold many cars, but. 12 year old me had it stuck in his head at times.
FWIW, the ad’s tune is from “Tiger Rag” (“hold that tiger”), a Dixieland jazz standard nearing its 100th birthday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Rag
Wow… I must have missed this one when I was a kid. Ouch. Reminds me of the very cheesy “That’s my Dodge” spots from the 1970s, which I do remember. Bad time for cars, bad time for ads.
Hey, that’s my Dodge, that’s my Dodge………….
Not such a bad ad if recalled 40 years later!
A kind of “tech package” was available for the Thunderbird, push button keyless entry, digital instruments…must have been cool and futuristic at the time
I did like the Granada especially as it moved to the Fox platform in the early 80’s
I kinda like the Versailles…must have been comfortable to ride in.
The Mustang II always reminds me of the women of Charlie’s Angels
The ’77 Mustang II in ‘Starman’ was pretty cool. They seem like they would make a great retro pizza delivery car.
I liked the clean styling of the early Pintos. The red Pinto wagon in the Blues Brothers chase will always be a classic.
I liked the look of the Granadas waaay more than the Seville even though it was just a Ford.
The Starsky and Hutch car. Nuff said.
I would like to have a Granada or an ugly Bird. The because I like the styling, the other because it’s so bad looking and rare.
I test drove both a Pinto and a Mustang II Ghia in 1974. The Mustang was quite nice but clearly as a Ghia not the car for a healthy young gearhead that I was back then. When the dollars became available the Mustang was a little too pricey for my post-grad low income job.
In 1974 the Mustang 2 was the right car at the right time, just like the original. If Ford could dump the current Mustang to build the 74 all over again and get the same sale numbers that they did then, they would. Despite all of the hate nowadays, these were a smash hit at the time.
I know this may be against the spirit of the discussion to retort, but I just can’t resist… If Ford could build the 71-73 again and get the same sales numbers they also would. The so called bloated 71-73 generation still outsold 10-14s on average by 45%!
Understood, but its a totally different market with so many new phylum these days. For low Mustang V-6 $ you can get a Fiesta ST or even Focus ST, and that’s just in the Ford family.
The 1971-73 mustangs with the 351 weigh 3560 pounds. The 2015 GT weighs 3729 pounds. We can no longer call the 71-73 ‘stangs bloated!
I know, that’s what’s so odd about all the apparently “monstrous” cars from the 60s-70s. For all their extravagant proportions and baroque styling, they were often relatively light compared to smaller cars today crammed full of safety and luxury features. Cars today are much denser per cubic square foot.
Now, I’m not including the really big boys like the Cadillac Fleetwood and Lincoln Towncar. Those things did often tip the scales at over 5000 lbs, but they were over 230″ long.
I’ll give Ford credit for their myriad of appearance packages, From full broughamification to ‘hey-let’s-put-a kinda-familiar-looking-stripe-package (that’s right-the 1977-78 LTD II sport stripe ‘hey-if-Spelling-Goldberg-Productions-wants-to-replace-a-certain-red-Torino-have-we-got-the-replacement-for-you’ package) on one of our bigger barges. I’ll admit-I kinda liked the Econoline ‘Cruising Van’ with the matching color & striped Pinto ‘Cruising Wagon ads. They definitely gave you a lot of different appearance choices. All the better do distract you from the under-the-hood malaise…
The cyclist in yellow looks gorgeous.
You sure that’s not the Carpenters going for a spin?
hehehe. This album came with a bonus bumper sticker proclaiming ‘My other car is a Pinto’
Mustang II was the right car at the right time; they sold a million of them. Bobcat was a dressier Pinto – i like the front end better. Granada was a right-sized brougham mobile with America needed it. The Versailles was pretty snappy looking.
My brother had a 72 Pinto hatchback with the 2.0 and 4 speed. He later modified the 2.0 up to 11.0:1 compression ratio among other things. That car was scary fast and I do mean scary. My sister had a 74 Capri with the 2.8 V6 and automatic and another good reliable car.
My mother had a 74 Pinto wagon which was not so great. Being a Mom car it had an automatic behind the 2.0. I swear I could race the car, on foot, from a standing stop at a red light and beat it across. Threatened Ford Regional about getting to the source or I would personally park across the street, from the dealer, with my Lemon sign. Believe it or not Ford responded and took the car in to get to the bottom of the problem.
A Cougar Club member of mine with a 68 Cougar and 73 Marquis had a white and orange Bobcat till the mid 90’s. He loved that car and still wishes it had been kept.
I have always liked the 1972-73 Ford Gran Torino a lot (especially the 1972 front end) and I’m glad Ford kept the same taillights for the 1973 Gran Torino, I also think of the Dude from The Big Lebowski every time I see a 1973 Ford Gran Torino 4 door.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrTHRRbpcVVKUgAaeJXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyaGJpZTFwBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjA0NzVfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=The+Dude+1973+Ford+Gran+Torino&fr=yfp-t-328#id=0&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imcdb.org%2Fi004920.jpg&action=click
This article is dumb!
I’m so very sorry to be so very blunt.
But the entire premise of this article is that these cars are such horrible losers they need an article such as this to beg for charitable comments. I think all of you people who are in agreement with the premise of this article are either not that bright or so bigoted against malaise era American cars that your powers of logic take a vacation.
Either that or I am not understanding what is going on here on this thread.
Don’t sweat the premise, John. The web can get pretty nasty and Paul was just celebrating how pleasant things are here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/qotd/challenge-of-the-day-say-one-nice-thing-amc-chrysler-edition/
Not everyone is a fan of malaise, so the challenge is mostly to them.
The challenge is mostly to who?
I like the big heavy floaty American cars with the huge lazy engines. I understand they are not champions in the quarter mile drag or the fuel efficiency contests. They are not meant to be. they are begat by a different set of rules. As and aside, I think I invented the phrase “floaty suspension” here on CC.
I also like the “hair bands” of the 80s and the champagne polka music of Lawrence Welk and the white angel flights of John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever” and the style and attitude of Marlon Brando in “The Wild One”. there are certain things in our history that are so completely opposite of everything we know now that people look at it and laugh out of ignorance/embarrassment, or study it and try to understand.
I do not try to understand. I already do.
I like floaty barges too, John. Gimme a 71 Buick clamshell and it’s a keeper, regardless of what other people might think. SNF is one of the best disco albums ever made – a true classic that’s hardly ever out of my recently played stack.
Just having fun with a challenge is all.
Relax John. Everyone here loves cars, and we love discussing them with fellow car nuts. Good, bad, and ugly, it is all celebrated on Curbside Classic. Think of CC as an online museum that aims to preserve not only the memories of these cars but the deeply personal relationships people have, or had with these automobiles.
When we use the term “malaise era American cars” we do with a nostalgic fondness. When I recall cars of the 70s, I usually relate them to relatives and friends who may have long passed away. You have to admit, there were some really goofy cars produced in the 70s. And they were often owned by some really goofy friends and family. But it’s all in good humor, considering the volume of discussion that happens on CC, it is a remarkably troll/hate free zone.
Posting immature comments that insult authors’ hard work (for no compensation, I might add; all on our own time) is dumb John.
We all work very hard here to provide content to an audience for free of charge. Your comment is like showing up to a free concert in the park and complaining that you don’t like the choice in music. No one is making you read an article at CC.
If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything.
I always loved the Versailles the “Charlie Brown” of Lincoln! As well, I was young when the 1980 Thunderbird came out, and I loved its classic formal styling. I especially liked the 1982 “Heritage” edition and its clear hood ornament. Here is a picture from the brochure.
Granadas were very hard to kill….everyone I knew in college with one had “the road trip car” because they weren’t likely to break down, at least not expensively.
And the Versailles made my grandma a very happy woman, convinced that she had really made it. It was a fancy Granada, but she drove it with a twinkle in her eye until literally the day she died (she had gone to the post office, no doubt smirking at those in lesser vehicles.) The pretense was a rousing success in her case.
Funny how your grandma’s story reminds me of mine – she had a 1987 FWD Fleetwood d’Elegance – the small front wheel drive Caddy from the 80’s that was totally frowned upon by most press at the time, and even to this day they are ridiculed for being a GM deadly sin. She loved that car and drove it right up until the last day she couldn’t drive anymore, always with her head held up high.
My family has experience with some of these.
Dad bought a new ’75 Bobcat and loved it. It was his commuter car between Southern Indiana and Indy several times a week, and then my brother’s college car. Later it was the “extra” car in the family. Everyone loved it. Because of it, Dad owned two Pintos after that. He even searched Ford dealers after they were discontinued to find a leftover new one for his last one. All gave good service.
A buddy had a ’72 Pinto that we had the engine bored, added a cam, headers, and 4 barrel manifold and carb to. It was a ratty thing with an ill tempered engine after that. However, it embarrassed me in my 289 Mustang in a street race one evening.
My first new car was a ’75 Mustang II four banger four speed. It was a nice , plush little car. My biggest beef with it was problems with the AC. It was also a little cramped for a family vacation. I kept it 3 years and was not too sad to see it go.
When my kids started driving we bought a ’77 Mustang II for them to drive. It gave good service and also stood up well to 3 collisions. Only one was our girl’s fault. It lasted through 5 years of teenage drivers and was still running when we sold it.
Mom and Dad had a ’72 Torino and really liked it. It was kind of a whale to drive, but nice and comfortable. I had a ’73 Ranchero that drove a lot different, but then it had air shocks and fat tires. I loved that old beater.
When the Granada came out in ’75, Ford caught Chevy off guard again. While the Nova had been reworked for 1975, it was not it very convincing change from the ’68-’74. The Nova was cramped and generally sold as a penalty box.
The Granada was a mini-me LTD in styling with basic trim that was well above stripper level. Due to that, a lot of people were happy to down size to it, as well as load it up with options that were quite profitable for Ford. The Nova was an also ran in the compact class that became quite irrelevant by the time it’s short run ’79 finale was done. Chevy was stupid lucky that the rebooted Mopar compacts came with a poor quality reputation,, otherwise they would have been completely done in this segment by ’76.
My first crush in school went on to have a 1967 Camaro with automatic. This was 1978 and hers was the only 1960s version. I guess she got it because it was older–no one else had a 1960s car that I considered cool.
The second Girl of my precollege years, the PERFECT One, could wear a potato sack and make it a fashion statement. She was that pretty, and vivacious to boot. She drove the only Pinto hatchback I remember offhand (lime green) and she made a butt ugly car look good. After H.S. she upgraded (?) to a 1981 Monarch II two door. Silver with red interior, and brougham roof. It looked good on her, but then again, she made everything look good. I remember she kept the Monarch a long time …
My college backgammon buddy had his sister’s 1977 Granada 4DR the last two years at college (1981-2). He let me drive it while he was away on winter breaks, but I had to keep it at campus (I was a rare local kid at this private college). Compared to having my mom’s 1978 Chevette with the wheezy little I4, it was luxurious in comparison. Nice interior, like crushed velour. It was a definite upgrade from that big 1970 Chevy B-body he used to have.
The Mustang II couldn’t have been too bad, it scared GM enough to make them tool up a notchback Monza and Sunbird coupe 🙂 .
When you think about it, GM must have been kicking themselves for letting Ford steal the small, sporty car market TWICE in a decade’s timespan. In ’74, they were talking about cancelling the Camaro/Firebird while Ford was selling the Mustang II as fast as they could build ’em. It was like 1964 all over again. And the same guy did it to them, Iacocca, with the same simple formula. Take an economy car platform, wrap it in a long-hood-short-trunk sexy wrapper with a fun, youthful image. How hard is that, really?
Of course in the long run, GM held firm with the big F-bodies and ended up dominating what was left of the musclecar market all the way thru ’81. But I’ll bet Ford’s per unit profit on the Mustang II was pretty sweet given its humble Pinto underpinnings.
Parents had a ’72 2.0 stick Pinto with AC, am radio and deluxe decor as only options. Quick for the day, good looking in it’s gold paint as well. Noisy and skittish in the rain, reliable and trouble free. Friend had a ’74 Pinto 2.3 stick strippo, abused from day one (including off roading) and 10 years later and 120k hard miles, still ran great although just about every piece of the interior fell apart. Family member had ’75 Mustang II ghia V8, bought for $300.00 in the late ’80’s with blown head gaskets. A head surface and new gaskets and it ran for 4 years needing only tires in that time. The carb was crap and it struggled to get 15 MPG, but durable it was, though the paint and interior were also crap. Neighbor had a rusty (came from midwest) strippo ’75 Granada 6 cyl 4 speed stick they bought for $300.00 around ’82. Only needed clutch while they had it. Good looking car and didn’t look like a stripper, I don’t think it even had power steering. Never had any experience with the other cars mentioned in this article. These cars all sold well and were OK for the times.
Hmmmm…
’76 Mercury Monarch: A good friend’s parents had a white 4-door with 302 and red vinyl interior. It seemed pretty well screwed together. Peppy, quiet, comfortable and reliable. It seemed to fend off the tinworm slightly better than other early to mid ’70s Ford products.
1979-ish Pinto: One of the high school cheerleaders lent me her new 4-spd Pinto hatchback to pick up her younger brother from baseball practice. Torquey and more fun than my old man’s VW Beetles. (The Pinto, that is – unfortunately I didn’t get to gather any additional data on the cheerleader! 😉 )
I don’t think any of those cars are terrible–they were all new when I was a young lad and all cars ran terrible, got lousy fuel economy, had bad egonomics and overbloated styling–it was normal
The Pinto was never meant to set the automotive world on fire, the same way that a Dodge Dart or Mitsubishi Mirage isn’t meant to today. It was designed to be affordable, reliable transportation. Compared to the other options at the time (Unreliable Vegas, the nose-heavy Gremlin that was a nightmare in winter,…..) the Pinto was very good value for money. It did what it was supposed to very well.
My sister-in-law had a Pinto, probably a ’79 or ’80 model. It was the car I learned to drive stick on. It was brown, of course.
The Pinto was cramped and noisy, and the driver’s seat was uncomfortable for even a short trip. But the torquey 4 cyl made it almost fun to drive, and it was damned near indestructible. She got about 12 years of use out of that car.
Well, the silver Pinto crusing wagon has some great graphics…..
When I was a very small child I had 2 favorite cars. Anything by Mercedes and the Ford Pinto. I never had a ride in a Pinto until well into my 20’s when one evening on a blind date was my first chance. Blind dates are awkward and this one was no different. I told my date that I always like Ford Pinto’s when I was a small child and the response was an indignant “this is a Mercury Bobcat”. that’s all I remember about that date.
My uncle had a Pinto wagon that was converted into a pickup truck, It was metal flake maroon with a vinyl roof and Cragar wheels and a functional tailgate, tagged as a truck. He put a 302 in it by using a Mustang II K-frame, added headers and dual exhaust, and even had air conditioning. This was back in the 80s.
My parents sure did like their silver Mustang 2. It made it from Virginia to Arizona and back with zero problems.
The Bobcat is kind of cute for the era. You just can’t find cars with multicolored stripes anymore.
Multicoloured stripes are alive and thriving in the middle east and still look as ummmm er appealing?
-The Mustang II is rather good-looking from certain angles. Also, it kept the nameplate alive.
-The Pinto/Bobcat was available as a 2-door wagon, which is always a good thing in my book.
-The Granada was nicely styled, if not exciting. Pre-facelift anyway.
-The ’72 Gran Torino with the “mouth” grille is quite good-looking for a big ‘un. In fastback form, legitimately desirable. The later Gran Torinos could be made broughamtastic to a scarcely believable level.
-The Versailles. Sigh. It wasn’t ugly, and the interiors were probably nice.
-The ’80 Thunderbird has an interesting headlamp treatment. The chrome strips that wrapped over the hidden lamp panels reminded me of, if there are any Star Trek:TNG fans in the house, Geordi LaForge’s VISOR.
A nice thing to say? Ok: The Pinto, at least it didn’t look as bad as the 1980 Thunderbird… 😉
I have a thing for automotive “losers” so I have 2 Versailles and love the interiors and neo -classical looks.
Back in 1976 my employer car pool consisted of a Pinto Squire wagon and a Ford LTD. I preferred to drive the Pinto over the LTD.
Nice thing to say:
Mustang II—Came at the right time. Fresher in looks than the bloated 71-73’s. The ’74 Ghia combined the original Mustang lines with some more luxury. In hindsight I wonder how this car would have done if it looked the same but, was built on the Capri Frame and Capri Quality?