The Ford Model A may have been the very best car of its time, certainly at anywhere near its price. But since that time, the Ford Motor Company has, more often than not, displayed a maddening tendency to offer attractive and compelling vehicles that come with significant flaws and trade-offs.
Engines? Think of the flathead V8, the Y block and the more modern U. S. spec Cologne V6. Transmissions? The inefficient Cruise-O-Matic and the troublesome units in the more modern Taurus and Windstar. Structurally? Ford has been behind some of the most rust-prone bodies (and even frames) offered by anyone, anywhere. Or sometimes, it was just overall flawed execution, as in 1949 or 1957.
In writing about Jimmy’s Grand Marquis, I wondered aloud if the Panther-platform car was Ford’s all-around best since the Model A. So now, I am curious. What is your nomination? I will withhold my own ideas for now and turn the floor over to the collective genius of the Curbside commentariat.
Well, your personal criteria are going to color your decision a lot. For me, the 1969 F-100 my Dad bought used in 1970 has been a real trooper, at least from a high-utility standpoint. I bought it from him when we moved to the farm ten years ago, and finally had to park it earlier this year due to being pretty much worn out with no time or budget to restore it, at least for now. Still has the original 240 six and automatic and over 300K on the odo.
Never have owned a A, but got to drive a friends a good bit, and desire one should the budget ever have room for a Sunday Drive car…
F-Series.
Arguably best at meeting its owners’ needs since they started putting pickup beds on the back of Model Ts.
Yup (says the owner of a 2004 F150 Heritage Edition [meaning I’ve got the 1996-2003 body]) the more basic the better. Let’s hear it for bench seats, standard cabs, crank windows, rubber/vinyl floors, and hauling more than just an empty bed around! Mine is a 4.6 V8 mod motor but if they would have kept the 4.9 I6 in production I’d have one of those instead.
Given that it’s been Americas number one selling vehicle for the last who knows how many years, I think one could safely say that.
I would have to grudginly agree with the Ford F-Series. I also agree with Educator Dan’s sentiment on basic-equipped trucks – I’ve had two of them – my first new vehicle: a 1976 Chevy Custom Deluxe C-20 and five years later, a new 1980 Dodge. Both of them long bed, standard cab, hose-out interior, no A/C, no nuthin’!
My bought used 1996 Ford Ranger was an XLT, so it was not a hose-out interior, but still basic enough to meet my criteria.
Funny, I have never owned a Ford F-Series…
Ford Fusion Hybrid. I say that because it’s reliable, fuel efficient, well put-together and doesn’t look bad either; it’s certainly a Ford I wouldn’t mind owning. For classic Fords though, it’d be a tie between the original Mustang and the 1955 T-Bird, although the masochist in me wanted to say the 1982 EXP…
I might like to say so for the Fusion Hybrid too, but it costs $$$!
My picks:
1973-77 Bronco. Unbeatable 4WD mechanicals.
1991-93 Fox-body 5.0 Mustang. Best bang for the buck.
1992-96 F-150, 300 straight-six and 5-speed manual combo. Can’t kill them.
Any Panther-body cars from 1992 on. Everyone’s favorite large car.
I replaced my ’69 with a ’95 4×4 longbed, 300, automatic. The drivetrain is great, but the rest of the truck is pretty flimsy and cost-reduced-feeling compared to the ’69 – it’s really turning out to be a disappointment. I will say, though, the cab interior is certainly more user-friendly and comfortable…
Yup and if you count the F series from 1961 on, which I think you should, then you see a long line of very good vehicles.
“Any Panther-body cars from 1992 on. Everyone’s favorite large car.”
Bite your tongue, son, I’m not one of them! The earlier box-bodies? well, that’s a different story.
Trucks don’t count, we’re talking cars.
#1: ’86 Taurus, Vulcan V6. It saved Ford.
#2: ’49 Ford. It saved Ford.
#3: ’09 Fusion Hybrid. It’s saving Ford.
Trucks don’t count, we’re talking cars.
Says who?
I would say most Fox Bodies: More manageable size than the Panthers and more interesting variants (personal luxury coupes, wagons and convertibles). Best paired with 302 however, whether that be a Fairmont Wagon from 1979 or the above mentioned 5.0 Mustangs, particularly the LX trimmed models.
I’d say the basic Falcon was probably the second best because it provided the basic needs at a basic price, and was gussied up into some decent variants, like the original Mustang. It was thoroughly competent for it’s intended purpose, and charming it’s own unassuming way.
I figured someone had to already mention the Falcon and its variants. Definitely the best Ford passenger car since the Model A. Have owned a ’65 Ranchero, ’64 Comet, and a ’67 Mustang and loved them all. Dirt simple, dead reliable, a zillion ways to upgrade any and everything. It’s wonderful. Sadly, no longer dirt cheap though…
I would almost agree on the Fox bodies, but don’t they pretty much always come with the AOD? Ugh, no thanks.
F-series is by far the best product made by Ford though, that’s probably been true since around 1957. At least, IMO. 🙂 Not sure when they hit their peak, but I suspect the ’67-’72 versions were perhaps it for me. The ’90 is way flimsier than the ’72 it replaced. My favorite for its style is the kind Paul has, ’61-’66 I believe. But they really ride like trucks, IME! The ’67-on models I don’t mind taking long trips in, but the earlier ones are pretty harsh at speed.
The 39-40’s, especially the coupe, are hard to beat on design (thank you Eugene Gregorie) and that iconic flathead made them hard to catch when hauling white lightning.
The ’39-’40 was possibly the prettiest Ford ever, but I don’t think they were all that good… You never see one anymore that isn’t powered by Chevy. (ducks)
The fact that 39-40’s continue to be desirable and upgraded with modern running gear indicates the extreme success of the original design rather than a flaw in the flathead which had a run of 21 years.
It’s really a subjective question. What is “best”? Best value? Best performance (and then, what TYPE of performance)? Longest-lived? Most significant in the auto marketplace, one that changed consumer demands?
The case could be made for everything from the 1949, which basically saved the company, on through to the Mustang, which revolutionized how cars are marketed and began the process of tailoring models to narrow markets.
The Fairmont/Fox-type? The last hurrah for a smallish, rear-wheel-drive model. Basically a well-balanced car, in most of its permutations, it spread the goodness around quite a bit of Ford’s portfolio.
The Escort was significant, in that it was the first compact/subcompact fwd effort without either foreign drivetrains or suspect reliability…the first successful domestic. Or, the original Taurus…a full-size fwd model accepted, in fact lauded, by the market.
Or the Panther types…which almost didn’t come to be. Just before Hal Sperlich got canned, he was part of the product-development group…the part OPPOSED to the Panther platform. What Sperlich wanted was a downsized full-size with front wheel drive…and he pushed hard for it, even up to the meeting chaired by Henry.
He was told to sit down and shut up, and he did not. He got sacked for his insolence – which with hindsight was probably the best thing for Sperlich and Ford, both. Because the bastardized downsized RWD platform that Henry wanted to do, to save COSTS…became, against all odds, a winner. And Sperlich found more receptive ears at ChryCo.
So…yeah…much as I dislike Panthers, there’s no denying they were both a basic good value and a significant Ford.
But, the best Ford? This I cannot answer.
Ford’s best car? I’d nominate the Fox chassis cars. Mainly the Mustangs. Were they perfect? No.. But they offered a value/performance ratio that couldn’t be beat. I’d love to find a 4 banger/5 speed notchback to set up for autoX.
Ford’s best truck? I’d have to go with the 79 F-150(really, the whole run of 73-79 trucks). Attractive, well built, and they look good almost anywhere you park them.
A lot of good nominations. As usual, my comment will land where nobody else is shooting. I nominate the 1962-64 Galaxie. I will qualify the 62 – no 292 engine. Otherwise, either the 289 or especially the FE was a tough, durable engine, the bodies were stoutly built and no more rustprone than average in their day, and the Cruise-O-Matic, while not the most efficient beast out there, was durable and had (drum roll) THREE speeds. I guess that this car would have been the final, best version of the 49 Ford.
I would also have to nominate any Fox body with a V8 and the 92 and up Panther.
I toyed with the 60s Falcon/Fairlane/Mustang, but the bodies on these teeter on the edge of fragile, in my experience. Certainly better than contemporary Mopars, but well behind GM’s Body by Fisher, then at its peak.
Several very interesting suggestions, and I am sure that I will enjoy seeing more. I hope that X6800 is right about the Fusion Hybrid, but with Ford’s history, sometimes we need a few years for the bugs to surface.
Difference between ’61 and ’62? I like the ’61 styling much more.
We had a ’61 Sunliner when I was small, 352 and Cruise-O-Matic. Great car, until the limited-slip differential failed at five years, and they traded it for a Mustang. I think they were sick of winters with a convertible.
Turned out my Jr. High shop teacher picked it up, and he just dropped in a normal rear end.
My only problem with the 61 is that you have to be so choosy about body style to get a good looking one. The convert, the fastback hardtop (I cannot keep the sunliner and starliner straight) and the wagon are great looking, the regular sedans – not so great. I would also suspect a high rate of Y blocks, although you are right, the FE was there too. I think my preference for the 390 colors my view as well, and IIRC the 390 in a 61 was not that common.
The 1960-61 Falcon:
1. Of course, I am probably just saying this because I have one (a 1961 Fordor Sedan with deluxe trim, 170 ci L6, Fordomatic).
2. The styling is a perfect balance of 1960 glamour and clean, classic lines.
3. The size is perfect.
4. It’s cheap and simple.
5. Convetional drivetrain layout and design combined with unit construction: reliablitiy and durability (rusty floors, though)
6. Smooth ride and good handling.
7. Comfortable driving for hours.
8. Nothing sounds better than that little six with a non-restictive exhaust.
9. Okay, you get the idea.
+1. Robert McNamara’s brainchild was for people who didn’t like cars all that much and just wanted to get from point A to point B as cheaply, reliably and as (relatively) comfortably as possible for the money. It was essentially a latter-day Model T and, given its simplicity, the original Falcon really hasn’t been topped since. Yeah, modern cars might be more safe and reliable, but just try performing a repair on one should something (anything) break. It’s a different story with a Falcon which wouldn’t be so difficult to fix damn near anything with basic Craftsman tools in a typical home garage.
Unfortunately, the slant-six Valiant was even better.
I think there’s an interesting question: were the Valiant, and then the Chevy II/Nova better Falcons than the Falcon? Especially the not weird 63+ Valiant?
The post-1962 clean, ‘not weird’, Exner-styled (although Engel would get the credit) Valiant did, indeed, out-Falcon the Falcon. It wasn’t until poorly designed emission controls in the seventies would eventually strangle the anvil-tough slant-six (along with Iacocca’s wholesale switch of all carlines to FWD) and eventually kill off one of the toughest workhorse engines (and cars) that Chrysler ever produced.
Stuff like the Hemi get all the historical limelight at Chrysler, but it was sales of the bread-and-butter, everyman slant-six in the Valiant that kept the company going and really gave meaning to the words ‘extra care in engineering’. The Falcon’s six, while also reliable, just couldn’t hold a candle to what Chrysler came up with for their compact car lines.
The Nova, OTOH, was no better or worse than the Falcon.
Nice looking cars but they proved to be very fragile the suspension was weak and the bodies fell apart
With all due respect, the original Falcon may not have been tough enough for Australian roads, but it was definitely up to the task for the better roads of the U.S.
I recall seeing these being driven as daily drivers well into the 1980s. Can’t say that for many other cars of that same era.
In NZ and OZ many ealy 60s late 50s cars were still in daily use in the 80s but pre 65 Falcons were a rarity
My pick is the Model T. It brought cars to the working class and removed barriers to mobility. Was a lifeline for newly poor people in the Depression, who could move to where jobs were. Sure, was outclassed in time, but it was a boost to struggling car industry in early 1900’s.
Impossible to pick best but Model T undoubtedly the most important. It established Ford as a large, profitable, innovative organization. If the Model T had not had huge market acceptance the assembly line would not have come along until later and it is not clear which company would have done it.
Also, vanadium steel – Henry Ford pioneered the use of high strength steel which was copied by everyone.
Also, the T put America on wheels. Millions of Americans learned to drive and became owners of Model ts. They then moved up to better, faster, newer, etc. which is what the industry has been all about ever since.
Finally, mechanical knowledge. Hundreds of thousands of men (and a few women) became quite adept mechanically working on their Model Ts and follow on cars. This sure was helpful when WWII cam along and we had a large base of mechanical talent to tap.
The Panther’s basic architechure was very simiar to the ’65 LTD/Galaxie, just a shorter wheelbase, so can say the full sized Ford ran for 46 years. ;=)
I’m a big fan of the ’49-’51s but I think the case for the Panther has been well-made and therefore gets my vote.
Now back to my B-body, thankyew…
1964 1/2 Mustang, the most significant Ford in my lifetime. It invented a whole new category and sold in record numbers immediately. Mechanically, it was boring as heck, based on the boring Falcon from the cost-cutting McNamara era. It was the style and marketing that put it on top in a way the much more expensive Thunderbird could not. Right car at the right time, yet still carries on today in basically the same form almost a half-century later.
It would be interesting to see a comparison test between a Fox & Panther sedan (early 80’s I guess) and even more interesting to see an Australian Falcon or Fairlane from the same era thrown in.
XE with the V8 would give a good account of itself compared to US models.
For a combination of longevity and near total domination of its market segment the Econoline rates at least an honorable mention. Outside North America, I’d vote for the Cortina and the Transit.
Mark 1 Cortina is a very good suggestion, one wonders why they never tried them in the US (or did they?)
Some one had one in the background of some Anglia photos from Lawrence on the cohort page there sits a mark1 Cortina
Mark 1 & 2 Cortinas were sold in the US in small numbers pre-1968 and probably in Canada as well. The only Cortinas I have seen in curbside classic land are a grey import Mk1 Lotus Cortina, and a Mk 1 four door in Beaverton and a Mk II GT at the All British Field Meet in Portland in 2001.
I guess I have to say, my 1952 Ford F1 pickup; I still use it on a weekly basis & it doesn’t let me down. It has the 215 OHV 6; a Chevrolet 6, made by Ford, with Y-block parts. Every time I go out of town, I think: “I’m driving through the desert in a 60-year-old truck”. Still, I’ve had newer cars & trucks & this truck still performs for me. So far, I’ve been able to keep up with mechanical/electrical issues & it still does me right.
Best bang for buck and utility wise, I’d go with the Aerostar. Way too many of them here to count, rusted all to heck and still earning their keep. They’re extremely popular with the local First Nations reserve folks; I asked a guy I know about it once and he told me they can take eight passengers, easy as heck to fix, peanuts for parts, peanuts to buy, and they do 300,000km with little or no maintenance.
From 49-54. 49 changed the looks in a way that was big with the go fast crowd. Usually with an olds engine, small hemi, or caddie. In 52 the looks changed again. All light weight and good to soup up. In 54 they got an OHV v8 and I thought it was no improvement (except the heads quit cracking). These cars stayed popular for the rodding public. I saw the 39-40 fords mentioned above. They were outstanding and if you want to see them look in any street rodding magazine. They have been snapped up for years. The 55 chevy engine changed everything. A light powerful engine but the common body was a ford.
I have owned fairly modern fords (86 lincoln my last) and think the 302 was good.I didn’t buy another when that left with the exwife. The old fords stripped of their flathead will always remind me of early(post WW2) hotrodding.
A fascinating question, but it’s just too apples/oranges. I propose subdividing it:
-Best Fox
-Best Panther
-Best F-series
-Best pre-WWII
I know that excludes a whole lotta Mustangs. Maybe that’s OK…? If not, maybe we need a separate class for “Best Mustang.” Also, I see that I neglected to include a Taurus-friendly class. Perhaps best FWD?
Best Fox is the 87-93 Mustang, the EFI 5.0 modernized the aftermarket.
Best Panther is the 2003-11 PI, most updated and solid.
Best F-Series is the current generation, with V6 turbos proving you don’t “need” a v8.
Best Pre-War is Model T, see post above
Car: Model T..it defined the genre of the simple, affordable middle class car. Late it the run it was priced comparable to a Tata Nano.
Pickup: mid 90s -2002 Super Duty with the 7.3 Powerstroke, 300 I6 is a close second.
SUV: 66-77 Bronco has the best combination of low end torque and durable axles from the factory in a small SUV until the Wrangler TJ Rubicon.
Truck: Ford L-Series with a 10 speed & 3406E Cat. Stupid Simple and Anvil Tough it was the Panther of the Class 8 World.
Louieville worst linehaul truck ever made they vibrated many an OD into bankruptcy
I’d say the Falcon and everything it spawned is probably best, then the Fox cars, then the Panther. I’d probably rate the Panther higher, but I own one.
A garage with a ’90 Mustang LX 5.0 notch and a ’96 F150 XLT Lariat Supercab long bed 4×4 351 would be pretty sweet.
If you believe in the future, then the best Ford hasn’t been built yet.
What if I believe in a future with no new Fords?
There’s a Ford in your future!
Wow, that’s hard to answer. We can only answer that by using our lifetime’s experiences as a measuring stick.
I would answer that question by saying Fox body; my father’s generation would answer that by saying the 49, my grandfather’s generation would say the Model T…
If I were a contemporary of my father or my grandfather, I could possibly agree with either of their choices, and they mine…
But I really can’t say what the best has been. Let’s hope for more samples in the future.
In all fairness, you could say this about GM and Chrysler, too:
But since that time, the Ford Motor Company has, more often than not, displayed a maddening tendency to offer attractive and compelling vehicles that come with significant flaws and trade-offs.
GM, for example, sold 1965-69 Chevrolets with faulty motor mounts on the V-8 models; the lousy Roto-Hydramatic used on 1961-64 Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles; the Buick aluminum V-8 prone to meltdowns; the first-generation Corvair; the rope-drive 1961-63 Pontiac Tempests with tricky handling and a rough-running four that didn’t offer much in the way of improved gas mileage; the Vega; the X-cars; the Oldsmobile Diesel; the Cadillac HT 4100; on through the Northstar V-8 of the 1990s and early 2000s.
In addition to the Model T and Model A, I would list:
1952-54 Fords: Having rushed the attractive-but-flawed 1949 models to market, Ford ensured that the next-generation Fords were properly developed before launch. (The 1949 model had problems with the fit of body panels and lack of adequate water- and dust-proofing, which were rooted in Henry Ford II’s decision to skip final pre-production testing and rush the car to market.) These cars were a huge improvement over the 1949 models, and offered more advanced styling than the Chevrolets and Plymouths of those years. They also featured such advances as suspended accelerator and brake pedals and ball-joint front suspension that the competition quickly copied.
1959 Ford and 1961-64 Fords: After the 1957 fiasco, Ford worked to improve its cars. Build quality steadily improved after 1957, except for Ford’s stumble with the 1960 model. It then then got back on track. These were tough, well-built cars that featured attractive styling.
1962-1964 Fairlanes: The intermediate Fairlane introduced the influential and excellent thinwall V-8, and was a well-built, nicely styled and sized car. Its overall size and proportions would not be out of place today, almost 50 years later. The 1963-64 hardtops and station wagons were particularly attractive.
1964-1970 Mustangs: The Mustang defined a whole new segment of the market, and changed how cars were sold. It was also simple and reliable.
Any Fox-bodied car except for the 1980-82 Thunderbird and Cougar: Perfect size and a sturdy basic platform that was easily modified made these cars winners. The 1980-82 Thunderbird and Cougar are disqualified by their awful styling, which was an attempt to apply big-car styling cues to a much smaller package. It simply didn’t work.
Panther cars built after 1986: Again, another sturdy basic platform that served well for many years and with very demanding users.
Post-1985 Escorts: Like most domestic front-wheel-drive cars launched in the early 1980s, this one came out of the oven half-baked. Ford, to its credit, stuck with the car and improved it during the 1980s. The Escort wasn’t as cutting-edge and refined as a Civic of those years, but by the mid-1980s, Ford had worked out most of the bugs. These cars provided reliable, basic transportation to people who preferred to buy a domestic subcompact. The wide selection of body styles also another bonus.
You do know that the Escort was supposed to be sporting that same power plant as the Civic, but the Ford in charge at the time said no car with my name on the grill is going to go on sale with a Japanese built engine. It was supposedly a done deal with the contract price of $500 for an engine and presumably MT transaxle when it was vetoed. Which is why they had to scramble to make their own engine that likely contributed to some of the early issues. It all originated with Ford and Honda teaming up on the design of the CVCC (PROCO) engine. Ford walked away from the deal that time too, though in this case it was due to the fact that while it did good in some emissions tests it wouldn’t pass the NOx standards that were coming in a few years. So it was judged that it would have to short of a shelf life and the added cost of the 3bbl carb and 3 valve head put it too close to the cost of a catalyst that would meet emission standards for years to come.
The UK FWD Escort landed on the market around this time its more likely Ford woke up to the fact they already had that car in production and were also rebadging MAZDAs for Australia/NZ markets to replace the earlier RWD Escorts, As for best Fords made have a look at the Australian Falcons of late far superior to any US models very durable in much harsher environment no antiquated BOF crap well designed and built compared to US models RWD 6 or V8.
“As for best Fords made have a look at the Australian Falcons of late far superior to any US models very durable in much harsher environment no antiquated BOF crap well designed and built compared to US models RWD 6 or V8”.
Spot on dude 🙂
Actually, that was a pre-Escort feeler. Lido did it unbeknown to Henry; Iacocca’s way of handling the aging scion was, since the Mustang, to put everything together on the sly, and then put out little teasers to excite the old man.
It worked with the Mustang; and probably other models. And Lido noted that Henry’s priority in those days was not new cars, but SAVING MONEY.
So…he lined up a deal with Soichiro Honda…to buy engines and transaxles in bulk. Honda was thrilled to do it; and offered them at an unbeatable price. The cost objection nailed down, Iacocca presented it to Henry as a done deal.
And Mister Ford, Car Guy Extrordinaire, spat: “No car with my name on it is gonna have a Jap engine under the hood.” That was that, and Lido had to eat a lot of crow. And the need for a modern subcompact went unfilled; but Henry and controller Ed Lundy were satisfied they were “saving money.”
The Erika platform, Escort, didn’t get launched until after Iacocca got sacked.
Where did you find this info? As far back as I can remember the Escort/Lynx platform was always intended to have the same CVH 1.6 and 1.3 engines as the Euro cousins(the 1.3 was dropped in the states).
Ford did do work on a PROCO 5.0 liter around 1980 but they couldn’t tighten up their build tolerances enough to make it viable.
“You do know that the Escort was supposed to be sporting that same power plant as the Civic, but the Ford in charge at the time said no car with my name on the grill is going to go on sale with a Japanese built engine. ” – Scoutdude
Scary. I’d hate to have been in the room with the fool when he said that, seeing as US market Escorts were available with Japanese built engines starting in 1984, same as US market Ford Tempos. Painful.
For Henry Ford II, the fact that the idea was proposed by Lee Iacocca was as much of a stumbling block as the national origin of the engine. When Iacocca proposed the use of the Honda engine, Henry Ford II was already looking for a way to get rid of him.
Henry Ford II approved the purchase of a stake in Mazda, and, as you note, a Japanese engine was used in the Escort and Tempo, so he either bowed to the inevitable, or he really only objected in the first place because it was Iacocca’s idea.
I own a 2010 Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo Ute. It and it’s sedan counterpart would have to come close to being the best Fords ever made.
Excellent build quality (well as good as any Japanese car I have ever owned), comfortable leather interior, fantastic sound system with LCD colour screen, looks gorgeous, is very quick and handles amazingly well for a car with leaf spring rear suspension (in the ute that is, the sedan has IRS).
Now admittedly, I have not driven an American or European Ford recently, so I cannot vouch for their performance, comfort of handling attributes.
I can say that I like the look of the European Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo. I don’t want to offend our American friends, but to me the current US Fusion and Taurus look like they have been beaten with the ugly stick, although the new Taurus looks like it may be heading in the right direction style wise.
We are constantly being threatened by Ford US that this is the last series of Australian Falcons, and the next series will basically Right Hand Drive Tauruses, and that’s OK, as long as AWD is an option on them, otherwise Ford can kiss their presence in this country goodbye.
I feel truly sorry for my American and European Counterparts that never got to experience these cars in Left Hand Drive form, because they are awesome.
I am confused by the way Ford behaves sometimes.
A lot of Police Departments in the US are mourning the loss of the ancient yet venerable Crown Victoria, they are just giving market away, and meanwhile there is a car in Australia that is probably better than it in every possible way just going to waste.
Oh well, that’s my five cents worth, if the Australian Designed Falcon comes to an end, I will just keep my ute for daily driving and go out and by and XR6 Turbo Sedan for weekends 🙂