1953 Ford C500 Cab Over Flatbed

Click Here to read all about this C500 Ford Flatbed and to view other pictures.

Source: hemmings.com

1957 Ford Ranchero Custom sells for $100,000 in Houston

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1957 Ford Ranchero Custom. Photos courtesy Mecum Auctions.

Early Ford Rancheros have inched up in value in the past few years, and current valuation guides put the price of a concours-quality ’57 Ranchero Custom between $35,600 and $52,500. One top-flite restored example, a 1957 Ranchero Custom, has crossed the block twice in recent years, selling for a fee-inclusive $60,500 in both 2011 and 2014. Last Saturday, a different but equally well-restored 1957 Ford Ranchero Custom crossed the auction block in Houston, where it sold for an impressive hammer price of $100,000.

In period literature, Ford described its new-for-1957 Ranchero as “More than a car… more than a truck… the Ranchero is a new idea in motor vehicles.” Actually, it wasn’t; instead, it was a repurposed idea from Ford Australia, which had been building coupe utility vehicles (utes, for short) that combined the versatility of a light-duty pickup with comforts of an automobile since designer Lew Bandt created the first example in 1934.

For American tradesmen and small business owners seeking a do-it-all vehicle, the Ranchero held quite a bit of promise. Engine choices ranged from a thrifty 144-horsepower, 223-cu.in. six to the Thunderbird’s 292-cu.in. V-8, rated at 212 horsepower. The six-foot cargo bed, with its double-thickness steel floor, could carry up to 1,190 pounds and, with the tailgate lowered, offered up a full eight-foot bed length. Best of all, perhaps, was that the Ranchero looked more like a car than a truck, and range-topping Custom models were offered with bright body side molding and Style-Tone two-tone paint schemes that looked equally at home in a suburban driveway or a busy lumberyard.

Inside, even base Rancheros were well-appointed, but Ranchero Customs were downright luxurious. Ford’s 1957 truck brochure boasted, “The Custom Ranchero’s interior trim is like that of the ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon. Behind the split seat back, there’s roomy parcel space. And this is the first and only pickup to give you the handling and riding ease of a ball-joint front suspension.”

For a non-mainstream product, the Ranchero sold reasonably well for Ford in its debut year, with consumers taking home 6,418 base models and 15,277 Ranchero Customs. Its success would ultimately prompt a response from General Motors, which introduced the Chevrolet El Camino for the 1959 model year.

The 1957 Ford Ranchero Custom that crossed the auction stage in Texas on Saturday was fully restored at some point in the not-too distant past, and fitted with modern amenities such as an aftermarket under-dash air conditioning system; an AM/FM radio conversion; and a quartz clock conversion. Equipped with power steering and the 292 V-8 mated to a Ford-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission, the Ranchero made do with crank-operated windows and standard brakes instead of the optional power-assisted brakes.

Given the Ranchero’s deviation from stock form, its six-figure selling price (which we believe to be an auction record for the year, make and model) was impressive indeed, and proved that valuation guides are of little use when two (or more) bidders decide they want to take a particular lot home.

1970 Chevrolet COPO Chevelle LS6.

The Houston top-10 list included a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition, which sold for $425,000; a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 fastback, which sold for $270,000; a 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which sold for $205,000; a 1970 Chevrolet COPO Chevelle LS6, which sold for $170,000; a 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster, which sold for $162,500; a 1967 Shelby GT500 fastback, which sold for $155,000; a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, which sold for $138,000; a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, which sold for $125,000; 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, reportedly unrestored with 16,800 miles, which sold for $120,000; and a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, which sold for $117,500.

This 1964 Ford Fairlane street rod changed hands for $8,000.

More affordable lots included a 1977 Roll-Royce Silver Shadow sedan, which sold for $4,250; a 1976 Alfa Romeo Spider, which sold for $5,000; a 1960 Jeep CJ-5; which sold for $6,000; a 1928 Ford Model A “barn find,” which sold for $6,000; a 1963 Plymouth Belvedere sedan, which sold for $6,500; a 1974 Chevrolet C10 pickup, which sold for $7,000; a 1969 Ford F100, which sold for $7,000; a 1968 AMC AMX, which sold for $7,500; a 1964 Ford Fairlane street rod, which sold for $8,000; and a 1960 Ford Thunderbird street rod, sold to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of El Paso, which sold for $8,000.

For complete results from Houston, visit Mecum.com.

Police Package Ford F-150

Click here to read all about it in Motortrend.com

Source: Motortrend.com

1962 Ford Thunderbird Coupe

Click here to read all about this Thunderbird and to view other pictures.

Source: hemmings.com

1947 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible

1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351

The New Ford Ranger?

While Ford hasn’t officially confirmed anything, we do believe pretty strongly that a new Ford Ranger is in the works that will be sold here in the United States. It’s also the same reason why we believe a new Bronco is coming. But one thing we do know is that if they do a new Ranger, they need to do an off-road special. They need something to compete with the new Tacoma TRD Pro and the Colorado Trail Boss. That something should be beyond just the FX4. It should be a Raptor.

First of all, a Raptor-fied Ranger would sell well because everything with a Raptor badge sells well. All previous versions of the Raptor sold with very few, if any, discounts, and were some of the fastest selling products Ford made. That alone should be reason enough to make it happen.

But another good reason is that Toyota is really upping the game with the Tacoma TRD Pro. While we don’t necessarily expect people to cross shop the Tacoma (Tacoma buyers are typically very loyal), we also don’t expect Ford to not be competitive in this space.

Let’s take a minute to look at the specifications of the TRD Pro Tacoma and how easy it’d be for a new Ranger Raptor to compete;

• 16-inch TRD black alloy wheels with Goodyear Wrangler® All-Terrain Kevlar®-reinforced tires
• TRD Pro aluminum front skid plate
• Rigid Industries® LED fog lights
• Projector-beam headlights with black bezels, LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), and auto on/off feature
• 4-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support and 4-way adjustable front passenger seat
• Entune™ Premium Audio with Integrated Navigation and App Suite
• Leather-trimmed tilt/telescopic steering wheel with audio and Bluetooth®  hands-free phone controls
• Rear parking assist sonar
• Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• FOX 2.5 Internal Bypass shocks tuned by TRD
• TRD-tuned front springs with a 1-inch lift
• TRD-tuned rear suspension with progressive-rate off-road leaf spring

If you look at that list, you really don’t see anything special that couldn’t be applied to, or already exists on, a current Ford product.

Additionally, Ford will have an advantage over Toyota when it comes to powertrain and fuel economy. The new Tacoma uses a tried-and-true V6 engine with a 6-speed automatic. However, fuel economy isn’t that stellar. A modern EcoBoost engine and more modern transmission could return stronger fuel economy numbers while offering better performance.

Finally, while we haven’t had a chance to test the various drive modes on the new Ford Raptor, it’s technology that could be easily adapted to the smaller Ranger, helping improve the off-road credentials even more.

Ideally, the Ranger line would look like this;

• Ranger XL
  • Available FX4 Off-Road on all versions, except Raptor.
• Ranger XLT
• Ranger Limited
• Ranger Raptor
  • Special off-road equipment exclusive to Raptor.

How will it all actually shake out? We don’t know. Though, we don’t expect to hear anything about either a new Ranger or a new Bronco until next year. Check out our proposed timeline for the launch of both of those vehicles.

In the meantime, what do you think about a Ranger Raptor?

Source: ford-trucks.com