Photo: Instagram | Jlord8
Ford hasn't had any ties with the Ranchero nameplate since the end of the '70s, which is when the last one rolled off the assembly line at the Lorain factory in Ohio.
Based on the era's Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar, the seventh-gen Ranchero built on the success of its predecessors that span all the way back to the original made from 1957 to 1959. Over the years, it was offered with multiple powertrain options, including several V8s, and stayed true to its single-cab body style with an open bed behind the cockpit.
Nowadays, Rancheros are collectibles, though they are often overlooked in favor of the Chevrolet El Camino. It is worth noting that Dodge also took a swing at both of them with the Rampage, a unibody coupe utility vehicle made between 1982 and 1984 at the Belvidere facility in Illinois. Made in just under 37,500 copies, it shared its nuts and bolts with the Charger and Plymouth Turismo and came with a straight-four engine and front-wheel drive.
With pickups gaining popularity these past few years, just like crossovers and SUVs, it's strange that we haven't seen any modern takes on the Chevrolet El Camino, Dodge Rampage, and Ford Ranchero. The Blue Oval has shifted its focus to high-riding vehicles in the United States, and besides the new-gen Mustang, it only offers cars with generous ground clearances in our market, joined by the usual workhorses. Therefore, we think there might be room for a brand-new Ranchero in its lineup.
Several unofficial attempts to imagine what a new Ford Ranchero would look like have surfaced over the years. The latest bears the signature of Jlord8 on Instagram and uses a defunct model. It is the Ford Flex, made in Canada between 2008 and 2019, a wagon-y minivan shaped to look like a crossover, which was certainly different. But since different doesn't necessarily bring in cash, the Dearborn company dropped it altogether some four years ago, and it doesn't plan to revive it.
Nevertheless, it was the foundation stone of the digital illustration that portrays it in a single-cab body style. It has a shorter wheelbase and a redesigned back end with an open bed that could take some generously sized cargo. The lines on the doors carry over from the real thing, and so do the handles, front pillars, side mirrors, fat wheel arches, and the entire face. The suspension was digitally re-tuned, so the unibody pickup rides closer to the asphalt and comes with new wheels of larger proportions.
We know it's a long stretch, but we've got to pop the question: could a new Ford Ranchero make it to your shopping list? Not necessarily based on the defunct Flex, but on a current model, maybe the Maverick or the Ranger. And while we're daydreaming, it could face some competition from Chevy and Dodge, too, with fresh takes on the El Camino and Rampage, respectively.
Nowadays, Rancheros are collectibles, though they are often overlooked in favor of the Chevrolet El Camino. It is worth noting that Dodge also took a swing at both of them with the Rampage, a unibody coupe utility vehicle made between 1982 and 1984 at the Belvidere facility in Illinois. Made in just under 37,500 copies, it shared its nuts and bolts with the Charger and Plymouth Turismo and came with a straight-four engine and front-wheel drive.
With pickups gaining popularity these past few years, just like crossovers and SUVs, it's strange that we haven't seen any modern takes on the Chevrolet El Camino, Dodge Rampage, and Ford Ranchero. The Blue Oval has shifted its focus to high-riding vehicles in the United States, and besides the new-gen Mustang, it only offers cars with generous ground clearances in our market, joined by the usual workhorses. Therefore, we think there might be room for a brand-new Ranchero in its lineup.
Several unofficial attempts to imagine what a new Ford Ranchero would look like have surfaced over the years. The latest bears the signature of Jlord8 on Instagram and uses a defunct model. It is the Ford Flex, made in Canada between 2008 and 2019, a wagon-y minivan shaped to look like a crossover, which was certainly different. But since different doesn't necessarily bring in cash, the Dearborn company dropped it altogether some four years ago, and it doesn't plan to revive it.
Nevertheless, it was the foundation stone of the digital illustration that portrays it in a single-cab body style. It has a shorter wheelbase and a redesigned back end with an open bed that could take some generously sized cargo. The lines on the doors carry over from the real thing, and so do the handles, front pillars, side mirrors, fat wheel arches, and the entire face. The suspension was digitally re-tuned, so the unibody pickup rides closer to the asphalt and comes with new wheels of larger proportions.
We know it's a long stretch, but we've got to pop the question: could a new Ford Ranchero make it to your shopping list? Not necessarily based on the defunct Flex, but on a current model, maybe the Maverick or the Ranger. And while we're daydreaming, it could face some competition from Chevy and Dodge, too, with fresh takes on the El Camino and Rampage, respectively.
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