1978 Ford Fairmont Futura Went To Die in the Forest, Got Saved From the Crusher Instead

Following a world-shattering political conflict that led to steep cuts in crude oil production and a fourfold price increase, carmakers acted swiftly. Smaller engines in smaller cars suddenly became the day's motto. It sparked a revolution not necessarily for the greater good but somewhat out of economic constraints.

Ford came up with a new platform, the Fox, to counter the tidal wave changes. The company's second longest-running production basis, with 26 model years, the Fox took to the streets in the form of the Ford Fairmont. A model line of compact cars manufactured from 1978 to 1983, the Fairmont was Ford's farewell to the Falcon design base. Four different body configurations were available: a two- or four-door sedan, a five-door wagon, and a two-door coupe.

Dubbed as the "most efficient Ford family sedan ever built from a space-per-weight perspective," the 1978 Fairmont lent the Fox underpinnings to twelve additional Ford and Lincoln-Mercury model lines. Robust steel unibody construction sat on the independent front suspension with lower lateral arms, hybrid MacPherson struts, and helical-wound coil springs. Placed between the lower arm and front cross-member, the springs were mounted separately from the struts rather than concentrically. A front anti-roll bar was standard equipment. The rear suspension used a classic solid axle on coil springs and vertically mounted dampers.

Power-assisted brakes with 10-inch vented front discs and 9x1.8-inch rear drums were Futura's stopping power, and a rack-and-pinion system with 3.2 lock-to-lock turns took care of the heading. The Futura was derived from a Thunderbird design proposal for a Fairmont-based two-door coupe. With its distinguishable model-specific roofline wrap over B-pillar and a rear fascia with its own wrap-around taillamp design, the coupe was fitted with the four-headlight fascia from the Zephyr. A cross-hatched grille was used in place of the standard egg-crate grille.

The new car became a milestone for the Blue Oval from Michigan. On November 15th, 1977, a Fairmont Futura Coupe became the company's 100 millionth U.S.-assembled vehicle. One month later, another Futura rolled off the line and ended up in Utah. Twelve short years later, in 1990, the car got abandoned in a pine forest in Tennessee. That would have been the end of the road for this automobile had it not been rescued from the crusher's jaws by the YouTuber SleeperDude.

Burried in pine needles beyond recognition, the once gorgeous black-on-red Futura was quite a treat in its day. The top-of-the-range 302 ci (4.9-liter) V8 yielded the peak-performance 139 HP over 250 lb-ft (339 Nm) of torque, painfully below the muscle from a decade back. The era's amenities of this Futura meant air conditioning, power steering, cruise control, and power brakes. Although covered in mulch and with a few rust spots, the car is in remarkable shape. Once the dirt is removed, the YouTuber's Fox-fathered Ford Fairmont Futura sparkles with new life.

Given the extensive work in the deep cleaning job, an engine start is not yet out, but stay tuned. We are just as eager as you to see if this fabulous Ford has some life left in it. In the meantime, check the second video to see a famous Fairmont firing the tarmac with a wheelie.