5k: Wood and Green: 1972 Ford Ranchero
Ford did the “business in the front, party in the
back” two years before Chevy made it cool with the El Camino. Actually,
both ran their respective nameplates well into the ’80s before
gas-guzzling V8 two-seater pickups, like the mullets they embodied, became very
uncool. Find this original, two-owner 1972 Ford Ranchero Squire
on ebay in
Arlington, TX with a current bid of $5,400, reserve not met. Words and tip from DT commenter/contributor slowcarSLOW-MPGlol.
The mullet indeed became the calling card of Ranchero and El Camino
owners in the late ’80s after the ubiquity of the mullet waned, drifted,
and settled on the mobile home lots and flyover states of America,
where it was destined to rust away behind Piggly Wiggly stores and TA
truckstops, before an unlikely resurgence among hipsters made it fresh
again (“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what
will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes
1:9. Kind of like mentioning mullets in a conversation about utility
coupes).
This is a 1972, the first of the sixth-generation Ranchero,
and the only year from that generation spared from newly established
NHTSA’s homely front-end treatment for improved pedestrian safety
(thanks, Obama). It comes with the venerable 351c, but no, this isn’t
the High-Output Cobra Jet version and no, it doesn’t have a shaker hood.
Quick: Name a new car you can buy with
woodgrain sides and a green interior. Bet you can’t. But we think it has
real potential in a Mitsubishi Mirage.
Minor dimples in
the bed indicate a lifetime of utilitarian use, yet everything
else shows evidence of proper care. Besides the generic floormat that
needs immediate removal, this Ranchero looks ready to go.
See a better utility coupe with a green interior? Email us at tips@dailyturismo.com.
Big thanks to slowcarSLOW-MPGlol to sending in this tip complete with a functioning story to surround the images!
Sadly, pedestrian safety standards were coming into effect before Obama. Jaguar/Aston Martin were already looking at designs for these regulations (hoods that pop up, etc.) as early as 2002 or 2003, watching Top Gear UK's earlier seasons. When even Ian Callum was on there, that's when. Then look at the Yaris sedan and Malibu of 2006 and 2007 respectively– both had that bloated front end for ped regulations. Same goes for stuff like making stability control standard (which may not be a bad thing for many, I suppose).
Considering Richard Nixon signed the legislation establishing the NHTSA in 1970 when Bronco Bama was 9 years old, and the bumper "upgrade" was part of the 1972 Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, also under Nixon, the young Obama's hyperprecocious prepubescent political prowess never fails to amaze and inspire.