1967 Ford

 The full-sized Fords bowed for Centennial Year riding on the same shell first seen in 1965. Division officials announced that for the third year in a row, its biggest blue oval models had undergone “major styling changes.” Designers had gone all out to execute a highly tasteful rework of the sheet metal in a necessary bid to halt the annual decline in sales of the full-sized Fords. Rear quarters were nicely broadened and wheel wells made more elliptical than previously. The grille was given a horizontal, two-tiered treatment. Rooflines were more sweeping than ever.

 Wordsmiths had a field day writing about the changes. “You’re ahead in a ’67 Ford!” The clarion sounded loud and clear that Ford was the undisputed luxury leader in the volume car field. “Quieter because they are stronger” and “stronger because they are built better” was the word from marketing and advertising got the message out to consumers.

The crown jewel in the full-sized Ford family was the LTD line, now a separate series of its own. LTDs were powered by the potent 289-cid Challenger V-8 mill. New this year was the SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission. LTD promised to “radiate the quiet elegance of a custom limousine” for its owner.  A trio of the very posh models was fielded: two- and four-door hardtops along with a four-door sedan. Interiors were ritzy, appointed with simulated woodgrain and LTD crests on the doors. Twin-Comfort Lounge Seats were of the split-bench type, topped with a generous centre armrest.



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Last year’s XL option package was upgraded significantly by the folks in Oakville and repacked into a pair of full-fledged and very sporty XL cars for the domestic market. The hardtop and convertible came complete with their own distinctive badges and Thunderbird bucket seats upholstered in rich, smooth leather-like vinyl.

The fancy, fast Fords boasted a centre Command Console, complete with a snazzy T-Bar Shift lever for the SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission.

If the base XL wasn’t ferocious enough, it could be beefed up even more with an extra-cost 428-cid V-8, power front disc brakes and a special suspension layout. Optional seating was offered: reclining buckets with adjustable wrap-around headrests. It is interesting to note that the same two models were marketed in the United States--not as models in their own right but as an upscale sub-series of the Galaxie 500 line.

 

Oakville was fully aware that the Galaxie 500 series was its bread and butter.  Consumers might drool over all of the fancy Fords on the showroom floor but it was the value-loaded, lower-priced lines they would sign for when it was time to make a deal. Advertising touted its Galaxie 500 line as Ford’s most versatile series and offered it as a sporty two-door and four-door hardtop, a four-door sedan and a convertible.

The Custom 500 and the Custom brought up the back of the  Ford pack. The basic full-sized strippers tore down the Number One Highway courtesy of Ford’s Big Six, mated to a fully synchronized standard transmission. Modest they might be but they came with full carpeting throughout, interior courtesy lights and foam-padded seating.

To round out the stable, Ford included an ultra-swank Country Squire Wagon lavishly trimmed in faux wood panelling and a hardworking, no-nonsense Country Sedan. Each could be had with the cleverly designed, extra-cost, dual-facing rear seats.

One could pile up enough options to rival the Bay of Fundy at high tide during a full moon. Some of the most popular add-ons favoured by consumers were the Tilt-Away Steering Wheel, Power Front Disc Brakes, the SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission, the SelectAire Conditioner, a multi-speaker Stereo-Sonic Tape System, an array of idiot light grouped in a smartly styled in-dash Convenience Control Panel, a wide variety of Tailored Tires and Fingertip Speed Control.

Safety was a hot topic among automakers, legislators and the public in 1967. The company issued a public statement: “Ever since there have been Fords on the Canadian Road, the safety of the people who drive and ride in them has been a primary concern of thousands of people at Ford Motor Company, driving millions of miles on the test track, working millions of man-hours in the laboratory. Some of the latest results of their work are seen in the ’67 safety features listed here.”



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That list of safety features was almost as long as the St. Lawrence River and included a dual-brake system, similar to that pioneered by Hudson. Door latches were substantially redesigned and strengthened to prevent accidental opening during a crash. An energy-absorbing steering wheel with a padded hub was installed. Padding was generous throughout the cabin and safety glass was laminated. Fords were given four-way flashers for emergency situations. Standard equipment also included seat belts, a non-glare day-night rearview mirror, break-away arms for the outside mirrors, windshield washers, two-speed or variable-speed wipers, backup lights and self-adjusting brakes.

The complete Ford family consisted of thirteen full-sized cars, five Fairlanes in the intermediate lineup, a flock of compact Falcons, a trio of Mustang pony cars and three personal luxury Thunderbirds.

And that wasn’t all, either. This season, Oakville offered a dozen (!) station wagons; enough to supply a good-sized group of pioneers with different kinds of transportation to make up an all-Ford wagon train. A pair of full-sized wagons, in six- or ten-passenger configurations, three Fairlanes, two Falcon car-based wagons and three truck-based Falcon Club Wagons all gleamed on showroom floors. Trailer hitch packages were available for them all.

It would not turn out to be a banner year for Ford. An extended strike at Ford in the US at the beginning of the new car season had its effects here at home. Ford wisely diverted shipments of parts from suppliers from its other factories and sent them directly to Oakville but eventually the labour dispute forced the Canadian operation to shut down.

For the calendar year, workers in Oakville built 63,724 full-sized Fords. Some models were shipped to the States and others were imported. Domestically, consumers purchased 66,448 of the big blue ovals, giving Ford second place in sales behind Chevrolet.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2005 All rights reserved.

1957-8 Meteor Ranchero

Ford offered a rather new concept for consumers with its car-based truck that debuted for the 1957 selling season. It would serve up its new Ranchero to Canadians but there would be that special northern flavour. The Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited announced to the press that the handsome hauler would be available across the Dominion under both the Ford and the Meteor nameplates.

The Oakville-based manufacturer had a long-standing policy of making Mercury trucks and Meteor Sedan Deliveries available through its Lincoln-Mercury-Meteor dealer network.  Since 1946 Mercury trucks had faithfully matched Ford truck offerings model for model. But the Ranchero wasn’t a Mercury; it was a Meteor.

Since 1949, Meteor had been an upscale brand of Canada-only cars that borrowed Ford shells. They were dressed in lavish, unique trim and given fancier upholstery. Slotted between low-priced Ford and the posh Monarch, another Canada-only brand, Meteor was a very popular seller.  Based on the Ford two-door station wagon, Meteor sedan deliveries were already sold through the dealer body. Since the handsome Ford Ranchero was about to bow, the L-M-L dealer body would be blessed with a Meteor Ranchero, too.

It was announced that the Meteor version of the Ranchero would go on display Mercury-Lincoln-Meteor dealerships beginning on February 12, 1957.  Folks had to wait a bit longer than that; the launch was delayed until March. From St. John’s to Victoria, consumers were keen to be introduced the sleek Ranchero.

The standard engine for Canadian Rancheros, Ford or Meteor, was the Blue Oval’s 223-cubic inch six-cylinder mill with the 272-cubic inch, two-barrel V-8 as the only optional engine. Meteor’s self-shifter carried the Merc-O-Matic label. Meteor Ranchero interiors were limited to tan and brown woven plastic with a tan vinyl bolster or a blue vinyl interior with a blue and white vinyl bolster.

The Rancheros were quite a draw as mid-year model introductions go. Folks slogged through spring slush to see them. Single colour choices varied somewhat from American Rancheros: Raven Black, Dresden Blue, Starmist Blue, Colonial White, Cumberland Green, Willow Green, Nocturne Blue, Brazilian Bronze, Moonmist Yellow, Woodsmoke Gray, Regency Gray and Fiesta Red.

The Meteor Custom offered two-tone Style Tone paint treatments with Colonial White above the side mouldings in combination with the solid colours. Not available in the United States, Canadian Ranchero Style Tone colour combos could be had in Cumberland Green and Willow Green, and Dresden Blue overlaid with Starmist Blue. 

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Though we boasted the second highest standard of living in the world, Canadians still earned a good 20 percent less than their American cousins and paid considerably higher taxes. Durable goods cost more, because the domestic economy had a much smaller base. That made us naturally frugal as consumers and it was clearly reflected in buying habits. The auto industry had learned to adapt to Canadians’ needs. As a result, there were far fewer options on the Canadian-built Ford and Meteor Rancheros; no Signal-seeking radio, no air conditioning of any kind and no power windows.

The Ranchero was not nearly as well accepted by Canadian consumers as it was by Americans. Workers in Oakville, Ontario built 558 Ford Ranchero Customs and 300 Meteor Ranchero Niagara models in the remaining months of the 1957 model year.

The entire North American economy was devastated by a business recession that wreaked havoc in 1958. Sales of consumer goods tumbled sharply. The Canadian truck industry was no exception. Domestic production slid to 58,693 trucks, the industry’s worst showing in twenty years.

Consumers were still buying big-ticket items, but ever so cautiously Sales of small imported trucks in the Dominion jumped to 8,212 units despite the recession, shattering all previous sales records. The 1957 imported truck tally had been 4,367 units; mostly Bedfords from GM in the UK, Thames from Ford of Britain and West Germany’s Volkswagen Transporters. 

 Despite the off market and the poor economy, Ford and Meteor Rancheros returned for a second season. The Meteor version bowed to the public on October 22. Because Fairlane was restyled from stem to stern, so was Ranchero. Well, almost. The new design of the passenger car’s taillights did not lend itself to the pickup truck so the 1957 taillights were grafted on. The handsome cab was carried over into the 1958 season as well. The 1958 Meteor Ranchero simply borrowed the finely ribbed, concave Meteor passenger car grille.

At the Oakville, Ontario plant, Ranchero production slowed to a trickle. Factory records show that only 86 of the Ford Custom Model 66A were built and only 52 of the 1958 Meteor Niagara were produced; the entire year’s output of Meteors being built in September and October of 1957. Sandy Notarianni, Ford of Canada’s archivist, notes that 38 of the Meteors left the Oakville plant fitted with the six-cylinder mill. It was game over, the Ranchero was simply not perceived as being an honest workhorse by Canadians.

Looking at the big picture, Chevrolet built 15,997 trucks in 1958. Ford took the Number Two spot with 12,083 units produced. GMC was third with 10,573 trucks built.  International Harvester built and sold 9,162 trucks that year, making it fourth. Mercury trucks claimed the fifth spot with 3,814 units built. Sixth place belonged to Dodge, with 3,262 units produced and seventh place to its badge-engineered cousin Fargo, with 3,018 units built. A handful of Pontiac and Meteor sedan deliveries were built. Studebaker and Jeep trucks were imported from the United States.

When Ford of Canada said “adios” to the Rancheros and pulled the plug on them, the space on the assembly line promptly was taken up by medium and heavy-duty trucks. New federal government funds had been earmarked for ambitious, nationwide road building projects. The Trans-Canada Highway was nearing completion and new routes were under construction to open up the western Arctic.

All of Canada's truck manufacturers responded to the massive highway construction projects by stepping up production of larger and heavier-duty trucks. Ford of Canada offered more than 300 truck models in 1958, many of them in the medium and heavy-duty ranges. Management did not miss the slow selling Rancheros. Today the Meteor Rancheros are one of the more exciting, unique and rare offerings to have come from the Canadian automotive industry.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2006 All rights reserved.